The Blackhawks hosted player exit interviews on Tuesday, with their final game of the season ending in a 5-4 overtime loss on Monday.
Dominik Kubalik, who scored the second-most goals on the Blackhawks’ roster this season, will be playing for the Czech Republic at IIHF Worlds this year:
Dominik Kubalik said he will play for the Czech Republic at the World Championship.
He scored 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games during the 2019 Worlds. #Blackhawks
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) May 11, 2021
Kubalik is one of the best Czech players in the NHL currently, so his addition likely means a lot for the Czech team. Brandon Hagel will also be playing for Team Canada, Nikita Zadorov for Team Russia and Lukas Reichel is playing for Team Germany. Patrick Kane has ruled out playing for Team USA in favor of spending more time with his infant son.
Kane also said he’ll be on a mission to get the Blackhawks back in the playoffs next season:
Kane says he’ll be “a man on a mission” to get the Blackhawks back in the playoffs next year.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) May 11, 2021
Kane finished with 66 points in 56 games this season, the fourth best points per game mark (1.18) in his career. All that came while nursing an injury that Kane mentioned on Tuesday bit declined to explain further when asked about specifics:
“We’ve done a lot of good things to make it feel good in games, and then other games it hasn’t felt as great.”
Said he didn’t want to disclose what it is.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) May 11, 2021
Dylan Strome, who scored a goal and an assist in the Hawks’ final game, said being a healthy scratch late in the season “pissed [him] off,” and that he believes he can still contribute next season:
Dylan Strome said he still believes he can be a big contributor for this team next season: “I feel like I’ve proven that and I know I can do that.” #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) May 11, 2021
Zadorov said he’d like to stay in Chicago but did not mention whether his agent has had extension talks with Stan Bowman. He also said he believes this season was his best in the NHL, which … oof.
Pat Foley apologized for his comment last night regarding the boredom players faced in quarantine:
Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley apologizes for “bullet” remark during broadcast. https://t.co/4XMy8xhRMs
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) May 11, 2021
The Blackhawks also reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with Henrik Borgstrom, acquired with Riley Stillman from the Panthers at the deadline.
Which brings us to this:
Coming home and playing for you @NHLBlackhawks fans was amazing!
Thanks for the warm welcome❤️ pic.twitter.com/SvpqmYPKOS
— Vinnie Hinostroza (@Hinostroza12) May 11, 2021
Hey Vinnie, stop scaring us and Blackhawks, just have a handshake deal in place with him at least for the offseason. Hinostroza was one of the best skaters for the Blackhawks in his short time with the team and a low-salary, two-year extension would be a well-earned deal. Plus, he’s from the Chicago area. Not a ton of players left in the organization whom that can be said about.