Blackhawks Breakaway

Ep. 136: Denis Savard recalls his draft night, pressure of being No. 3 overall pick and why Blackhawks will make playoffs next year

On the latest edition of the Hawks Talk Podcast, Blackhawks legend Denis Savard, a former third overall pick in the 1980 NHL Draft, weighs in on the Blackhawks options with the No. 3 selection and remembers his time as a draft prospect, nearly getting selected by his hometown Canadiens.Savard also goes in-depth on the development he’s seen throughout Patrick Kane’s career and how Marian Hossa made an impact on his game.0:45 – Savard on not being drafted by hometown Canadiens2:30 – What draft nights used to be like4:00 – The type of player you get at No. 3 overall4:30 – Would Savy go No. 1 in a 1980 re-draft?5:50 – Projecting a high draft pick’s career6:50 – Savard’s passion for golf and horses9:10 – Drafting need vs best player available11:00 – Supplementing Kane, Toews and the vets with youth13:30 – How Savard watched Patrick Kane grow16:30 – Comparing Savard to Kane on the ice21:35 – Wasting career years from Kane, Toews & DeBrincat25:00 – Blackhawks have flexibility this summer26:00 – High praise for Nicolas Beaudin26:45 – Youth on the Blackhawks blue line27:35 – Savard on Jeremy Colliton & the Blackhawks future

Ep. 135: Dimitri Filipovic on the state of the Blackhawks

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Dimitri Filipovic from Yahoo, ESPN and The Hockey PDOcast joins Pat Boyle, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis to discuss the state of the Blackhawks. How far away are they from contending?Filipovic also talks about the Blackhawks' defensive struggles, what they can do to turn it around, how they should spend their money this summer and which NHL prospects jump out at No. 3 overall.1:00 - How far are the Blackhawks from contenting?1:45 – Did the Blackhawks miss a golden chance in this year’s playoffs?3:45 – Are the Avalanche an example for the Blackhawks to follow? 4:50 – How badly do the Hawks need a top-4 defenseman? 6:15 – How good (really) is Erik Gustafsson? 8:30 – Evaluating the Blackhawks’ defensive personnel 10:15 – Is this defensive system right for the Blackhawks?13:45 – What franchise are the Blackhawks modeling? 15:00 – Did the Hawks wait too long to move on from Quenneville? 16:20 – Going worst-to-first like the Islanders18:20 – Blackhawks need to beef up20:20 – Building the Blackhawks with a Bruins outline22:00 – The need for more secondary scoring22:50 – Finding the right line for Patrick Kane24:50 – Draft prospects that the Blackhawks should consider at No. 328:50 – Could Artemi Panarin stay in Columbus?30:20 – Spending on top-end players or filling multiple needs32:10 – Extensions for Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome33:35 – Should Kane have been a Hart finalist?

Ep. 134: Kris Versteeg on why he signed with IceHogs and possibility of one more spin with Blackhawks

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle catches up with two-time Stanley Cup winner and the newest member of the Rockford IceHogs Kris Versteeg.Versteeg explains his recent medical issues and his experience playing last season in the KHL and Swedish Elite League. He also talks about why he decided to sign a one-year deal with Rockford and defines his role the IceHogs.Versteeg weighs in on getting a third chance to play for the Blackhawks organization and what would be the perfect ending to the Kris Versteeg hockey movie?1:00 - Why sign with Rockford?2:00 - KHL experience3:00 - Back on track in Sweden4:30 - Health update6:00 - Deal with Rockford7:30 - Contact with Kane and Toews?9:00 - Family coming to Rockford?10:00 - Mentor or last fling with Hawks?12:00 - Kris Versteeg Movie Ending

Ep. 133: Evaluating Blackhawks defensemen prospects with Mark Eaton

On the latest edition of the Hawks Talk Podcast, Blackhawks director of player development Mark Eaton joins the show to evaluate the organization’s top defensemen prospects and where each of them are at in their developments. Which ones could make the NHL jump next season?Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis offer their takeaways from the Eaton interview and outlook the Blackhawks blue line group as a whole.1:00 – Eaton on Henri Jokiharju’s development3:30 – Adam Boqvist’s growth in North America6:50 – Evaluating Nicolas Beaudin’s progression8:15 – Surprised about Ian Mitchell’s decision to return to college?10:55 – Assessing Chad Krys in college and AHL13:10 – Challenge between stressing defensive side of game but not taking away from who the player is15:55 – Which defensemen prospects could be in NHL next season?18:25 – The message Erik Gustafsson’s breakout season sends to prospects21:15 – Takeaways from Eaton interview31:25 – Reviewing Blackhawks defensemen contracts33:35 – Thoughts on Gustav Forsling35:20 – The challenge for Blackhawks defense this offseason

Ep. 132: TSN’s Craig Button breaks down Blackhawks’ options at No. 3 overall

On the latest edition of the Hawks Talk Podcast, TSN analyst Craig Button joins Pat Boyle to discuss the pool of players that could be available for the Blackhawks at No. 3 overall and who may have the highest ceiling. Button also weighs in on which player could be the most NHL ready after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko.Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis join Pat in the second segment to react to Button’s analysis. Could the Blackhawks actually look to draft a defenseman? Who’s the best center available? The guys also discuss which player stands out among the crop.0:45 – Is there a dropoff after Hughes and Kakko?1:45 – Is Podkolzin NHL ready?3:15 – Could Podkolzin get the Artemi Panarin treatment?5:15 – Which center is the best available after Hughes?7:40 – Scouting report on Byram10:30 – Which prospect is the most NHL ready after Hughes and Kakko?11:45 – Could the Devils or Rangers trade out of No. 1 or 2?12:30 – Is there anything Kakko can do to jump Hughes for No. 1?14:00 – Takeaways from Button’s interview16:30 – Could the Blackhawks actually take a defenseman?24:50 – Trevor Zegras earns high praise27:45 – Don’t count out a trade?33:00 – Dylan Cozens stands out on tape36:30 – Patrick Kane to captain Team USA at Worlds

Ep. 131: Emergency reaction to Blackhawks landing No. 3 overall pick

They only had an 8.2% chance at a top 3 pick, but the lottery balls bounced the Blackhawks way and they landed the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis and Slavko Bekovic break down what this means for the franchise, what options they might have now in adding a top asset and what players might be available for the Blackhawks at the third overall pick. Plus, we’ll hear directly from GM Stan Bowman on whether he had any good luck charms with him and how this is changes the outlook of the Blackhawks going forward.0:30 – Holy crap the Blackhawks got a top-3 pick!2:45 – The Blackhawks now have a lot of options6:30 – Stan Bowman addresses the media on the #3 pick9:15 – This should add some “juice” to the organization13:00 – Who are the top prospects in the draft?17:00 – Importance of adding depth at center19:20 – Could the Hawks trade up to #1 or #2?28:45 – Was the draft lottery rigged?!?!30:45 – Would you rather have the #3 pick or make the playoffs?

Ep. 130: The Blackhawks Exit Interview

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast it’s all about the Blackhawks exit interviews on Sunday. Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis give you their biggest takeaways from the interviews they had with Stan Bowman, Jeremy Colliton, Jonathan Toews & Patrick Kane. You will also hear from Bowman on how active he plans on being in free agency. Colliton shares how he plans to target Kane’s minutes better next season.00:00 Exit interview podcast01:00 Hawks active in free agency?02:30 No excuse not to spend this summer04:30 Is Gus part of long term core?06:00 Will players ‘overachieve’ again?07:00 Late 50 games, good enough to win division?09:15 Crawford and Delia the future in net?10:30 Recapping other players in the system13:30 Colliton using Kane next season17:30 How do Bowman and Colliton work together to form the head coach’s team?19:15 Kane and Toews – together or apart?21:00 Patrick Kane’s career season23:30 Finding chemistry for the star players26:00 Toews answering his critics28:30 Gus saves his career?30:00 Which Blackhawks heading to World Championships?31:30 Quenneville to the Panthers?33:00 NHL Draft lottery on Tuesday

Ep. 129: Were the Blackhawks ever a playoff team?

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis debate whether this Blackhawks team ever had a playoff roster. The guys also wonder if fatigue became an issue, where the season really turned and what’s at stake in the final three games. They wrap up by summarizing the season, looking ahead to this summer in free agency and the NHL draft lottery.1:00 - Were the Hawks a playoff roster?4:20 - Simply put: the Hawks defense is awful9:00 - Where could Hawks add Top-4 d-man?15:45 - Did the Hawks overperform this year?20:20 - Where did this season go wrong?25:00 - Is there fatigue for the top players?32:05 - Erik Gustafsson's breakout season35:10 - Draft lottery around the corner37:00 - Who will lead the Hawks in goals?38:40 - What's at stake in the final three games?40:15 - Kevin Hayes to the Hawks?!46:20 - How do you sum up this season?48:30 - Keith/Seabrook legacy

Ep. 128: Reliving the Scott Foster game on its 1 year anniversary

March 29th, 2018 is a day that most Blackhawks fans will never forget. The game marked the debuts of both Collin Delia and Dylan Sikura, and Brent Seabrook played in his 1000th NHL game. But Scott Foster, an accountant from Chicago, stole the show as the emergency goalie, giving the faithful at the United Center a new star to cheer for, even if it was only for a few minutes. Pat Boyle sits down 1-on-1 with Foster to relive the night that changed his entire life and made him one of the great stories in Blackhawks franchise history.

Ep. 127: Are you hoping for miraculous playoff push or more concerned with draft order?

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis discuss what the weekend vs. Colorado meant and whether fans are looking ahead to the NHL Draft or still holding out hope for a miraculous playoff push.The guys also weigh in on the power play struggles, why John Hayden hasn't been able to crack the lineup, where Drake Caggiula could fit back in and which defensemen prospects could be in Chicago next season.0:55 - What weekend against Colorado meant 3:23 - Looking at the remaining schedule for Blackhawks6:33 - How did the Blackhawks get here?8:50 - Power play struggles continue11:42 - Are John Hayden's days in Chicago numbered?13:50 - Thoughts on Dylan Sikura's recent play16:44 - Where does Drake Caggiula fit back in?18:07 - Brandon Saad's reemergence22:48 - Are you hoping for a miraculous playoff push or more concerned about draft order?25:43 - Which defensemen prospects could be in Chicago next season?