The Blackhawks made a splash on the commerce market final summer time after they acquired top-six winger Taylor Corridor from the Bruins, however an ACL harm derailed his marketing campaign and shut him down in November.
Corridor returned to apply within the ultimate few days of the 2023-24 marketing campaign, and has now advised Ben Pope of the Chicago Solar-Instances that he’s accomplished his restoration from surgical procedure and expects to be medically cleared to play by workforce medical doctors upon arriving for coaching camp.
Corridor, 32, was anticipated to be Connor Bedard’s major wingman within the first-overall decide’s rookie season. It’s simple to see why they focused the veteran, who gained the Hart Trophy with the Devils in 2018 and was only one 12 months faraway from a 20-goal, 61-point season on the time of his acquisition. He additionally got here at a considerable $6M cap hit, one which the Bruins wanted to eliminate to extend their spending flexibility and one Chicago wanted to assist them hit the cap flooring. However whereas he fulfilled the latter goal, his on-ice affect was negligible at greatest, posting simply 4 factors and a -3 ranking in 10 video games earlier than exiting the lineup completely.
Uncertainty about how Corridor might carry out coming off knee surgical procedure instantly influenced the Blackhawks’ offseason plans. After signing the marginally youthful Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen in free company, Corridor will seemingly be relegated to a second-line and even third-line position as he returns to the Chicago lineup. But when he’s wanted to tackle additional minutes, the 2010 first-overall decide “intends to return again hungry” after lacking a lot time, he tells Pope.
“I’m attempting to take some relaxation breaks right here and there as a result of I’ve been understanding and rehabbing for eight months now,” Corridor stated. “You wish to plateau — you wish to be at your greatest — when coaching camp begins, and also you don’t wish to be fatigued from understanding all summer time. I’m enjoying round with that. However, generally, it appears like a standard offseason for me.”
Notably, Pope says Corridor has nonetheless but to take part in any full-contact drills, however that’s anticipated to return along with his clearance.
A stable rebound marketing campaign from Corridor, a pending UFA, seemingly has extra worth for Chicago in commerce talks than it does within the standings desk. The Blackhawks can comfortably retain as much as 50% of his wage, making him a $3M acquisition for an buying workforce, and his commerce safety is proscribed to a 10-team no-trade record. Corridor, who’s solely made the playoffs 5 instances in his 14 NHL seasons, would seemingly welcome a commerce to any postseason contender.
