President John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and head coach Jeremy Colliton will all return next season, Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz told The Athletic's Scott Turner on Thursday.
Before the season postponement, Chicago sat last in the Central Division with 72 points in 70 games, ranking 18th in goals for and 21st in goals against.
Bowman has been the team's GM since July 2009, overseeing Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He's been applauded for retooling the club after each championship while working within the salary cap, but in recent years Bowman has drawn criticism for some trades, such as dealing Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017.
Colliton, meanwhile, replaced Joel Quenneville behind the bench early in the 2018-19 campaign. He owns a career record of 62-58-17 without a playoff appearance. With several highly regarded coaches on the open market - including Bruce Boudreau, Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, and Gerard Gallant - the Blackhawks would've been able to choose from intriguing options to replace the 35-year-old.
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With the NHL playoffs unlikely to begin before June, the landscape of the league could change significantly as injured players return.
Here are the teams that the suspended season could benefit the most, each of which might be worth buying now before odds shorten following the boost to their lineups.
Carolina Hurricanes (35-1)
Injuries on the blue line forced Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell to be aggressive prior to the trade deadline, acquiring Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen to shore up the back end. The latter has been sidelined since the start of February due to a lower-body injury and hasn't made his Canes debut, but the layoff gives him lots of time to get healthy.
Potentially getting back defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce is more significant for Carolina. Both were expected to miss the remainder of the season with leg and shoulder injuries, respectively, but it's possible they'll return at full health should the playoffs not commence until June. That would give the Canes arguably the NHL's best top-six defensive options with Hamilton, Pesce, Vatanen, Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, and Haydn Fleury.
Colorado Avalanche (7-1)
Long-term injuries weren't necessarily a concern for the Avalanche, but the team hasn't been healthy all season. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were out before the season was suspended, and both can now fully recover. The same luxury will be afforded to Nazem Kadri and Matt Calvert, who were each week-to-week.
The biggest upgrade though will come in goal, where Colorado had been without Philipp Grubauer since Feb. 15. The team remained hopeful he would be back before the end of the regular season, and the suspension removes any doubt.
Columbus Blue Jackets (100-1)
Kirk Irwin / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Blue Jackets would be a dangerous low seed if they're included in the playoffs when the season returns.
They were a shoo-in for the postseason to begin February before ankle injuries sidelined both Seth Jones and Oliver Bjorkstrand for 8-10 weeks. Jones leads this team on and off the ice, while Bjorkstrand notched a club-high 21 goals this season despite appearing in just 49 of the Blue Jackets' 70 games. Getting both back would be a massive boost for Columbus, which is 3-6-6 since Jones suffered his injury.
Philadelphia Flyers (9-1)
James van Riemsdyk broke his hand and faced a four-to-six week absence days before the season was suspended, which would have likely kept him out for the start of the playoffs.
The suspension also opens the door for Nolan Patrick to come back after missing all of the campaign so far with migraines. Patrick, the Flyers' second overall pick in 2017, had resumed skating and was hopeful of a late-season return.
Pittsburgh Penguins (14-1)
Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports
The Penguins dropped eight of their last 11 games before the season was suspended, but they might be the biggest beneficiaries if the playoffs don't begin until June.
Jake Guentzel underwent shoulder surgery after suffering a gruesome injury on Dec. 30, and he was given a late-May return date, making a comeback possible if the Penguins made the Stanley Cup Final. Now he'll likely be available for the duration of the playoffs.
Coming off a 40-goal season and on pace for another in 2019-20 before getting hurt, Guentzel has registered 43 points in 41 career playoff games. The Penguins acquired Jason Zucker to replace him, but getting both into the lineup would be an incredible jolt for Pittsburgh and a concern for the rest of the Metropolitan Division.
St. Louis Blues (9-1)
The defending champions have been making due without Vladimir Tarasenko, who's been sidelined since Oct. 24 with a shoulder injury. General manager Doug Armstrong announced recently that Tarasenko could return in late April, but the three-time All-Star will now be fully ready when the playoffs start.
Tarasenko scored 11 goals over 26 playoff games while helping the Blues win the Stanley Cup last season.
Tampa Bay Lightning (6-1)
Steven Stamkos suffered a core injury on Feb. 25 that was expected to sideline him for six-to-eight weeks, putting the star forward on track to probably return during the first round of the playoffs. Getting him back earlier is a relief for the Lightning, who are likely feeling the pressure after being swept in the first round last season.
Victor Hedman had also been battling a lingering lower-body injury, but the suspension gives him the opportunity to get healthy before what Tampa is hoping will be a deep playoff run.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
Seattle's NHL franchise won't get a name this month.
The league's 32nd team was hoping to unveil its nickname in Q1, which ends March 31, but pushed back those plans due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sports Business Journal's Mark J. Burns.
Seattle will join the league ahead of the 2021-22 season and will play home games at the renovated KeyArena (now called the New Arena at Seattle Center).
The NHL put its season on hold March 12 amid the coronavirus outbreak. The spread of the virus has resulted in the cancellations and suspensions of leagues and tournaments across major and amateur sports worldwide.
On Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators confirmed that an unnamed player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, marking the first case in the NHL.
Tie Domi didn't mince words while bashing Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Steven's reputation as one of the toughest players in history.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer ripped Stevens on the latest episode of the "Cam and Strick Podcast," claiming that the 6-foot-2 blue-liner was unwilling to back up his physical play.
"Scott Stevens was the biggest phony I ever played against," Domi said. "Honestly I chased that guy for years. He was such a phony, it was a joke."
Stevens, who was known for his thunderous open-ice hits, apparently refused to answer the bell despite going after Domi's most talented teammates.
"That guy used to target all the best players on my teams and I always tried to fight him and he would never fight," Domi said. "He never stuck up for anything that, you know, is what a hockey player stands for."
Domi continued his rant by telling a story from his time with the New York Rangers.
"We had a bench-clearing brawl with the (New Jersey) Devils one time and (Stevens) bear-hugged me so hard it was unbelievable. ... Him and I ended up on the bench, he was bear-hugging so hard I said, 'Let go, I'm going to beat the shit out of you,' and he wouldn't let go, he was holding on so tight," Domi said with a chuckle.
Domi is the NHL's all-time leader in fights with 333 and ranks third in career penalty minutes (3,515). Stevens sits 14th (2,785) in the latter department.
"It's quite an honor, I'd have to say," Sullivan told SN590's "Hockey Central" on Wednesday. "He's a privilege to coach. … It makes my job easy when our best player and the best player of his generation is the hardest-working guy and the most driven guy on the ice, and off the ice, for that matter."
Sullivan added, "He for me epitomizes an athlete that controls everything within his power to be his very best. And when you have a guy like that on your team and he's your captain and the best player in the game, it certainly makes the coach's job a whole lot easier."
Sullivan joined the Penguins as head coach in December 2015 and went on to win the Stanley Cup the same season. He then led the Penguins to a second consecutive Cup victory.
Crosby took home the Conn Smythe Trophy both years, recording a total of 14 goals and 46 points across both playoff runs.
When asked whether he believes Crosby will become a coach, Sullivan said yes.
"If he wanted to be a coach, I think he would be a terrific coach because he is such a student of the game," Sullivan said. "That's something that I think would be a personal decision from his standpoint, but if he does choose to go down that path, I think he would be terrific at it.
"It wouldn't surprise me one bit when Sid's done playing the game somewhere down the line, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because he loves the game as much as he does."
Crosby, who turns 33 this summer, has had one of the league's most illustrious careers to date. He owns two Hart, Art Ross, and Rocket Richard Trophies, and has been awarded the Stanley Cup three times. He's racked up 462 goals and 1,263 points in 984 career regular-season games.
One day after the QMJHL scrapped the remainder of its regular-season schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadian Hockey League's other two member leagues have done the same.
The remaining 54 games on the 2019-20 Western Hockey League regular-season schedule won't be played, the league announced Wednesday.
"The WHL takes the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans, and everyone associated with the WHL very seriously," commissioner Ron Robison said in a statement, adding the league will "make every effort possible" to hold the 2019-20 playoffs at a later date.
Not long after that announcement, the OHL followed suit, canceling its final 56 regular-season contests. OHL commissioner David Branch said the league will provide an update on the 2019-20 playoffs "when it is safe and we may resume play."
The CHL - under which all three regional leagues play - initially postponed its campaigns last week along with the NHL and AHL.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced Tuesday that the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Western Hockey League followed suit one day later. The Ontario Hockey League's governors, meanwhile, have a conference call Wednesday to determine its fate, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.
There has been no decision on the Canadian Hockey League playoffs yet, but they appear to be a "long shot" to proceed, according to McKenzie.
