The Vancouver Canucks announced they have signed top prospect Vasily Podkolzin to a three-year, entry-level contract. The winger was the team’s 10th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft.
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The Chicago Blackhawks went into the 2021 season without a legitimate starting goaltender at the NHL level. They came out of the 2021 season … basically in the same position.
Kevin Lankinen emerged as a solid NHL-caliber goaltender in his rookie season, but he wasn’t able to keep his hot start to the season going all year long. Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia performed at the level you would have expected out of them, but neither fully took the reins as a long-term solution (as a starter or backup) for the organization. With all three goalies signed through the end of next season, it appears that the trio will again be called upon for one of them to fully take hold of the starter role next season.
The biggest storyline of the season for the Chicago Blackhawks was the emergence of their 2021 rookie class. Having iced a dozen rookies this season with many of them becoming regulars in the lineup towards the back-half of the year, the expectations and level of success for the team started low at the beginning of the year, got a little high at the mid-point of the season, and eventually came back down to earth by the trade deadline. It was a weird season, but the emergence of the young players with most of them showcasing their ability to hang at the NHL level was the highlight of the year.