Chicago Blackhawks may not be able to use secret weapon on defence against Edmonton Oilers - Edmonton Journal

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“I can tell you that as of right now, our position, and this is something we’re going to have to ultimately resolve with the NHL Players’ Association like so many other contractual issues, but our position, the League’s position right now, and our position with our clubs since the start of the pause, is no club is entitled to sign a current‑year contract,” NHL vice-president Bill Daly said during a Zoom call with reporters. “They are free to sign future‑year contracts, so for the 2020‑21 season and beyond, perfectly fair game.

“But it would be our position, particularly given the advanced date and given the fact it could affect a lot of the players who might now be able to play the balance of the season, it may be unfair to let them play the balance of the season. We’ve progressed past the trade deadline. Each team has kind of set its roster. Its roster reflects — and everybody will come back healthy, which is a benefit to the teams — its roster really reflects its efforts in the 2019‑20 season. And to add a couple of, for lack of a better term, ‘ringers’ when you’re going into the playoffs is not the best way for sports to proceed in our view.”

The Hawks will also likely be missing veteran Brent Seabrook on defence, with Calvin de Haan coming back from his second should surgery in one year. Seabook had multiple surgeries in December and January, while de Haan had his last surgery in December. He may be ready to play.

If you go buy regular season time-on-ice, the Blackhawks defence will be led by Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy, with de Haan, Olli Maata, Slater Koekkoek and Adam Boqvist on the second and third pairings. Mitchell, a right shot d-man, would likely bolster the group significantly.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilwFodHRwczovL2VkbW9udG9uam91cm5hbC5jb20vc3BvcnRzL2hvY2tleS9uaGwvY3VsdC1vZi1ob2NrZXkvY2hpY2Fnby1ibGFja2hhd2tzLW1heS1ub3QtYmUtYWJsZS10by11c2Utc2VjcmV0LXdlYXBvbi1vbi1kZWZlbmNlLWFnYWluc3QtZWRtb250b24tb2lsZXJz0gEA?oc=5

2020-05-30 07:15:25Z
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