The rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off will be revealed later today, with Finland and Sweden’s players announced on ESPN’s SportsCenter and NHL Network at 1 PM CT. Canada and the U.S. will unveil their rosters at 5:30 PM CT on TNT (Sportsnet in Canada). Teuvo Teräväinen from the Blackhawks is likely to make the Finland team, while there’s hope to see Connor Bedard with Canada and Alex Vlasic with the U.S., though reports indicate Bedard may not be selected.
The Blackhawks also aired Episode 3 of this season’s “Every Shift” series, featuring a memorable moment where Bedard tells the referee that Patrick Kane needs to stay on his feet. This kind of candidness could benefit the Canadian team. Additionally, the premiere of this year’s “Road to the Winter Classic” will air tonight at 5 PM CT on TNT and MAX, leading up to the Blackhawks’ game against the Boston Bruins at the United Center.
Just a note: tonight’s game will only be on TNT outside the Chicago area and locally on the Chicago Sports Network. The Rockford IceHogs’ game will also be broadcast on NHL Network.
For Blackhawks fans, there’s plenty to look forward to as I updated our top 25 prospect rankings this morning, highlighting some rising stars in the system. The team could further strengthen its roster by securing two more first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, as discussed in yesterday’s mock draft.
As the Blackhawks prepare to host the Bruins, who recently celebrated their 100th anniversary with an impressive hype video, anticipation builds for Chicago’s own centennial celebration in 2026. This week also marks a return for Tyler Bertuzzi, facing the last two teams he played for. Ben Pope wrote about how a partnership with Bedard might rejuvenate Bertuzzi’s performance, which would benefit the Blackhawks greatly.
James Mirtle of The Athletic assessed the cap situations of NHL teams for the upcoming summer, noting that the Blackhawks have approximately $33M in cap space, ranking third in the league overall. However, he placed their situation at 26th in the NHL, stating that despite a significant cap space, the team is in the middle of a rebuild and has several costly contracts that limit their ranking.
While Mirtle’s perspective is valid regarding their shorter-term financial obligations—specifically to players like Seth Jones, Alex Vlasic, Bertuzzi, and Teräväinen—the Blackhawks’ General Manager Kyle Davidson has maintained a level of cap flexibility that will allow for future spending when suitable players are available. Despite current challenges, the team’s prospects are highly rated across various publications, and this influx of young talent combined with their cap flexibility suggests a hopeful outlook for the future. Should star players like Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, or Brock Boeser become available this summer, the Blackhawks could make strong offers without significantly hampering their long-term cap situation.
In injury news from the Western Conference, the LA Kings will be without Trevor Lewis for 4-6 weeks, and the Vancouver Canucks will lose Filip Hronek for eight weeks. It appears the Blackhawks’ schedule won’t feature either team while these players are sidelined.
