A significant amount of success occurred during the era led by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith in the 2010s. That doesn't mean that the Chicago Blackhawks didn't have legends put on their sweater before that. 

One of those legends is Denis Savard, who spent parts of his Hall of Fame career with the Blackhawks, spanning 13 years out of 17. 

Savard's best year came in 1987-88, where he set career highs in goals (44), assists (87), and points (131). Those 131 points were also the most that any Blackhawks player has ever had in a single season, a record that stands to this day. 

NHL (@NHL) on XSome of these point totals are so ridiculous... 🤯

The NHL put out a list of each team's single-season points leader in franchise history, and Savard's name is on the list for Chicago. Plenty of legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Mike Bossy are on the list. Some newer players who are on their way to significant careers, like Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Clayton Keller, also find themselves on the list. 

Former Blackhawks superstars Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin are there too, as they hold franchise records for other franchises. Hossa is the leader for the Winnipeg Jets franchise from when they were the Atlanta Thrashers (100 points in 2006-07), while Panarin is on there with the Columbus Blue Jackets (87 points in 2018-19). 

Savard's record in Chicago broke the mark previously set by himself in 1982-83. He has the four highest single-season totals in franchise history, all alone. Kane is 5th from his 110-point campaign in 2018-19. 

Although the Blackhawks have lots of young stars on the rise, it is hard to see any of them ever coming close to Savard's single-season record. Only a few players have reached that mark on other teams in recent memory. It's not easy in today's NHL. 

Savard, in addition to some of these single-season marks, has a very decorated career. He was a Stanley Cup champion, an All-Star, and was named as one of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players during the centennial season of the league. It's an understatement to call him a legend of the game. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks moved on from multiple players this off-season. One of them was forward Andreas Athanasiou, as he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 after the Blackhawks did not re-sign him. Now, with the halfway point of August almost here, the 31-year-old is still looking for his new home.

Seeing Athanasiou still being a UFA at this juncture of the summer is understandable, as he had a tough 2024-25 season. He most notably was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks back in November and spent the bulk of the season at the AHL level with the Rockford IceHogs after not being claimed by another NHL team. 

Athanasiou appeared in just eight games for the Blackhawks in 2024-25, where he had one goal, six hits, and a minus-1 rating. Overall, he struggled to produce offense when with the NHL club this past season. Down in the AHL with the IceHogs this past campaign, he had 11 goals, 16 assists, and 27 points in 30 games. 

While Athanasiou struggled at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season, the possibility of him receiving a professional tryout (PTO) from a team before the pre-season is here would not be too surprising. Keep in mind, this is a player who posted 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games just back in 2022-23 with the Blackhawks.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens with the former Blackhawk from here.

Blackhawks Intriguing Prospect Can't Be IgnoredThe Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting prospects who will be looking to cement themselves spots on their NHL roster next season. One interesting prospect who fans should not ignore heading into the 2025-26 season is forward Ryan Greene.

A decision has yet to be made regarding Matthew Tkachuk and potential offseason surgery.

Tkachuk recently spoke to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski about several topics ahead of the NHL 26 cover reveal, and during the chat, the issue of going under the knife sometime this summer found its way into the conversation.

After the postseason, when Tkachuk revealed that he’d been playing through a torn hip abductor and a hernia, he said that he was 50-50 on whether or not to have surgery.

Since then, Tkachuk has had his day with the Stanley Cup, gotten married and enjoyed some traveling.

Surgery?

Tkachuk told Wyshynski that the decision on having any procedure had yet to be made.

He also added that if he does have surgery, he would expect to miss 2-3 months of the regular season.

Recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Tkachuk was expected to miss the start of the season and return in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which would sync up with Tkachuk’s timeline if he were to have the surgery.

If there is one thing we know about the Panthers, it’s that they are fine utilizing time during the regular season for players to get as healthy as possible for the games that really count: the playoffs.

Florida famously rested many of their key players down the stretch last season, despite the team seemingly fighting for positioning at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Did it matter that the Panthers fell to third and lost any home ice advantage they would’ve had during a potential Stanley Cup run? Nope.

Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and General Manager Bill Zito agree that it’s better to have a healthier team playing on the road than a banged-up team on home ice.

The numbers back that up, as under Maurice, Florida has gone 8-1 in playoff series that they start on the road.

We’ll see how things play out with Tkachuk in the coming weeks, as a decision on surgery is likely to come sometime in the foreseeable future.

TEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

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Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Joined By Brother And Father On Deluxe Edition Of EA Sports NHL 26

Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist brings Stanley Cup to hometown in Sweden

Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Since we are in August, the majority of this year's top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have signed their new contracts. While this is the case, there are still some interesting veteran players looking for their new homes. One of them is former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jon Merrill.

Merrill spent this past season with the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded two goals, four assists, six points, 85 blocks, and a minus-8 rating. This was after the 12-year NHL veteran recorded four goals, seven assists, and 11 points in 65 games with the Wild during the 2023-24 campaign.

When noting that Merrill is among the top blueliners still unsigned, it would not be particularly surprising if he landed a one-year contract or professional tryout (PTO) from an NHL team before training camp is here. The 33-year-old could be a nice bottom-pairing or seventh defenseman for teams looking to improve their defensive depth.

In 13 regular-season games for the Canadiens during the 2020-21 season, Merrill recorded zero points, four penalty minutes, 10 hits, and a minus-11 rating. He also played in 13 playoff games for the Habs during the 2021 post-season. His time with the Habs ended during the 2021 NHL off-season when he signed with the Wild in free agency.

Canadiens Star Nearing New Impressive MilestoneMontreal Canadiens star Nick Suzuki was undoubtedly a major reason why the Habs got into the playoffs this past spring. He simply thrived for the Canadiens in 2024-25, as he scored 30 goals and led the team with an impressive 89 points in 82 games. With this, it was the best year of the Canadiens captain's career so far. 

Minnesota Wild rookie defenseman Zeev Buium burst onto the scene in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round. He had just finished his sophomore season at the University of Denver where he was up for the NCAA's Hobey Baker Award as the top player in College Hockey.

The 6-foot defender had 11 goals and 50 points during his freshman year in 42 games for Denver. He recorded 13 goals and 48 points in 41 games during his second season at Denver.

He signed with the Wild after his season at Denver ended. In four playoff games for the Wild, Buium recorded one assist. His one assist was a primary assist on a Kirill Kaprizov power-play goal.

Buium, 19, is set to enter his first season in the NHL. He is currently being ranked second in Calder Trophy betting. The Calder Trophy is given to the NHL's top rookie during the season.

Montreal Canadiens' forward Ivan Demidov is currently the favorite but Buium is not far behind.

Other Wild News

Minnesota Wild Potential PTO Candidate: Victor OlofssonThe 2025-26 season is just a few months away. Training camp for the Minnesota Wild will begin in just over a month from now. Wild hockey will be here before we know it. Where Wild's Kirill Kaprizov Ranks Among Wingers In The NHLThe NHL Network is putting together some lists of the top players in the NHL among different positions before the 2025-26 season starts. They just dropped the top-20 wingers in the NHL list. Who's In Charge? Wild's Power Play Has Three CommandersST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild enter the 2025-26 season with a good problem on its hands. Who runs the top power play? In previous years, the Wild never really had a sure-fire number one type of defenseman who could run the top unit.