On The Beat With Mark Lazerus and Tracey Myers

Since the opening of free agency on July 1, the Blackhawks have added a fourth-line winger in Chris Kunitz, a third-pairing defenseman in Brandon Manning, and a backup goaltender in Cam Ward, while dealing away Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle and Marian Hossa's contract. 

It's been a pretty underwhelming offseason following a highly disappointing season, and Mark Lazerus of the Sun-Times and Tracey Myers of NHL.com dive right into it with a new episode of On The Beat from prospects camp at MB Ice Arena. They discuss whether Blackhawks fans should expect a splashy trade anytime soon and what, if anything, general manager Stan Bowman should be doing with all this newfound cap space he has. They also discuss what they've seen so far at prospect camp (17:15) answer listener questions (20:55) about Anton Forsberg, which members of the core will be Hawks for life, which breaking news stories have ruined their best-laid plans, which red wine to drink, and much more.

Sun-Times jack of all trades Mark Potash joins Mark Lazerus and Tracey Myers this week to try to decide Joel Quenneville's fate with the Blackhawks (12:10). Can the Hawks justify firing the second-winningest coach in NHL history? Should they even be considering it? Or are other, more glaring issues to blame for the Hawks' woes?

The hosts also get into how Hawks should spend their salary-cap space this summer (6:10), and they re-litigate the Brandon Saad-Artemi Panarin trade 10 months later (19:05). Lazerus wades even deeper into the Connor McDavid Hart Trophy controversy (24:35) and then the trio answers several listener questions (32:00) about Nick Schmaltz, their favorite regular-season games they've covered, and Stan Bowman's radical idea of in-game substitutions.

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times and Tracey Myers of NHL.com take a look at the Blackhawks' bleak goaltending situation (6:30), the dramatic (and potentially long-lasting) shift in power in the Central Division (15:35) . They then turn their attention to the current Stanley Cup playoff format, and how to make it more interesting (25:30). Also, they answer some listener questions (37:00) about Alex DeBrincat's place in the Calder Trophy discussion (40:45) and which players might be wiling to waive their no-movement clauses.

On the latest episode of On The Beat, Mark Lazerus of the Sun-Times and Tracey Myers of NHL.com take a look at the future of the Blackhawks' blue line and discuss Stan Bowman's disconcerting penchant for overpaying his own players. They also break down the races for the league's top awards — the Hart, Norris, Calder, Vezina and Jack Adams — and get into a bevy of listener questions, from travel nightmares to Dylan Sikura to breaking into the business.

As the realization sets in that the Blackhawks will miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, have the Blackhawks quit? Or is their inconsistent, sluggish play the result of a crisis in confidence? Mark Lazerus of the Sun-Times and Tracey Myers discuss that, discuss players around the league that big-brawler Jonathan Toews hates, get into the team’s alarming defensive decline, and answer a litany of listener questions about the Blackhawks, the future, and where to eat on the road.

The Blackhawks say farewell to Ryan Hartman and Tommy Wingels at the trade deadline, and say hello to an uncertain future. General manager Stan Bowman is optimistic about the near future, but are hosts Mark Lazerus of the Sun-Times and Tracey Myers? They get into that debate, discuss the evident importance of Corey Crawford, and wonder if the Hawks can pull off what the Boston Bruins have managed to pull off — successfully build a contender around an aging core.

The Blackhawks experienced their ninth loss in the last 10 games, and hosts Mark Lazerus and Tracey Myers are putting coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman on the chopping block. Is it time for them to go? Or should they retain their positions to see how this rebuild rides out?

Mark Lazerus and Tracey Myers talk about the Blackhawks’ sudden demise, the team’s goaltending, and what it’s like to walk into a postgame dressing room during a losing streak like this one. They also play Should He Stay Or Should He Go with the roster, looking ahead to the 2018-19 season. Meanwhile, Mark tries in vain to better explain his ill-advised Twitter rant from Saturday night, and the hosts get to a few reader questions on the draft, the Olympics, and ridiculous hypothetical trades.

Alex DeBrincat joins the podcast to discuss his sensational rookie season, and what it's like to be a 20-year-old in Las Vegas.

On the latest episode of On The Beat, Mark Lazerus and Tracey Myers discuss the Blackhawks’ recent progress, Corey Crawford’s status, the trade deadline, the job security of Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman, and more.