Which Stanley Cup Contending Team Has the Most Former Blackhawks and How Many Are On Each Playoff Team?
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived (for some of us, anyway) and due to the magic of trades, it is actually possible to create an entire team made up of former Blackhawks from those who are currently in the Quest for the Cup. Kind of makes you wonder how we'd fare if we'd kept everyone, instead.
At any rate, the team to watch with the most former Hawks is the Toronto Maple Leafs with 5. Yep. Five. Over the years, Toronto has acquired David Kämpf, Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, and most recently, Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty. Though Sam hadn't been with the team too long, he was doing well and seemed to have really found his niche in the Chicago club. Those results, however, are exactly what made him a catch for other teams. It will be fun to see how he handles himself in the playoffs.
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In second place, we have the New York Rangers, with 4 former Chicagoans. Wyatt Kalynuk, Tyler Motte, Artemi Panarin, and of course, our great 88, Patrick Kane. While it was heartbreaking to lose him from this team, I haven no doubt there wasn't a single fan who had just the smallest smile seeing him be reunited with Panarin. Obviously time has passed, and the Bread Man has been doing just fine with his big city counterparts, but when those two finally connected, it was like no time had passed at all.
Tied for third with 3 players each, are the Carolina Hurricanes - Teuvo Teräväinen, Calvin de Haan, and Antti Raanta; and the Dallas Stars - Dylan Wells, Fredrik Olofsson, and the newly acquired Max Domi (who has also played for the Canes).
While Teuvo and Antii's time with the Blackhawks overlapped for a year, de Haan was actually a Hurricane prior to moving to Chicago. Being a free agent at the end of his contract with the Hawks, he returned to Carolina before the start of the 22-23 season. Antii Raanta is part of a talented trio of goalies including Freddie Anndersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.
In Dallas, Max Domi appeared to have picked up where he left off in Chicago. He has good chemistry with his teammates from the get-go, and is ready to do whatever is needed of him to help the team move forward.
Next up we have another tie for two teams with two players, each. Anthony Duclair and Gustav Forsling have found a home in the Sunshine State with the Florida Panthers, while Marc-André Fleury and Ryan Hartman are spending their time in a slightly chillier climate - though not too different than Chicago's.
Duclair is in the 2nd year of a 3 year contract with the Panthers, which will be the longest he's spent with a team since the Coyotes. He spent about 6 months with the Blackhawks, less than a year with the Blue Jackets, and about a year and 9 months with the Ottawa Senators before signing with Florida.
As a Blackhawk fan, I understand how it might be difficult to root for the Wild, but Ryan Hartman seems to have become just as much of a fan favorite in Minnesota as he was in Illinois. And of course, who doesn't love Marc-André Fleury? No matter where that man goes, you will see fans in one of his 4 teams' jerseys. And it never fails, if he played for the opposing team, he still gets a standing ovation when the Wild come out for warm-ups. Especially in Pittsburgh. I know he wasn't with the Hawks for very long, and he was definitely dealing with some struggles during that time. But the friendship he and Lankinen formed, and being able to share his 500th win should be something fans remember forever.
And finally, Tampa Bay (Brandon Hagel), the Islanders (Richard Panik), the Avalanche (Jack Johnson), Vegas (Byron Froese), Edmonton (Mattias Jannmark), and the Los Angeles Kings (Phillip Danault) all have one former Blackhawk.
The Jack Johnson trade back to Colorado was probably the most heartwarming, as he had just won the Stanley Cup with the Avs before coming to Chicago. Clearly he worked with with the players, and it seems as if he's fit right back in.
Brandon Hagel has been doing well in Tampa and currently has 30 goals and 34 assists for the Lightning, which are both career highs. He played in 81 of the 82 games and scored 7 PPGs, 1 SHG, and 3 GWGs.
I suppose you could argue that Tampa has two, since Brent Seabrook is still on the Lightning's payroll, but he is not an active player.
BONUS: The New Jersey Devils have Andrew Brunette as one of their assistant coaches, and the Seattle Kraken have father/son broadcasting duo Eddie and Nick Olczyk.
The only teams with absolutely no Chicago affiliation whatsoever are the Boston Bruins and the Winnipeg Jets.
So, even though the current Blackhawks will not be seen over the next month, past members of the team are all over the league. Who will you be watching?
| POLL | ||
Are you rooting for another team to win the Cup? | ||
| No. Blackhawks Fan Only. | 19 | 16.5 % |
| Yes. The Rangers. | 73 | 63.5 % |
| Yes. Anyone not in the Central Division. | 10 | 8.7 % |
| Yes, and I'm getting cheese fries. | 13 | 11.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
