Blackhawks observations: Rookie Oliver Moore moving up lineup, living it up in NHL

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CHICAGO — It’s not that Blackhawks rookies Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel don’t have other interests, other things to talk about. When hockey is your life, it’s usually the last thing you want to talk about away from the rink. But there’s just so much to talk about.

Can you believe all the food? It’s everywhere. And the food on the plane is better than a fancy restaurant! And how about these hotels? And can you believe we just saw Alex Ovechkin tie Wayne Gretzky’s goals record?

“It’s been hard not to talk about what’s been going on,” Moore said with a laugh. “With the schedule we’ve had — Ovechkin, playing Sidney Crosby, playing (David) Pastrnak, all these legends. Just talking about their games, talking about the rinks, talking about the NHL lifestyle. It’s all just so new.”

Moore and Rinzel have their own hotel rooms in Chicago, but they’ve been roommates on the road, so they’ve had plenty of time to marvel at how their lives have changed since turning pro barely two weeks ago. After spending the last two seasons together at the University of Minnesota, it’s been nice having each other to lean on — and to geek out with.

“It’s been great,” Moore said. “I feel like Sam and I have gotten even closer through this experience, sharing it together. It’s been a whirlwind the last couple weeks, and there’s no one else I’d rather go through it with. It’s been an exciting time.”

Things got even more exciting for Moore on the Blackhawks’ recent road trip through Pittsburgh and Boston, as he was bumped up to the top line alongside Connor Bedard. Moore was taken 18 spots after Bedard in the first round of the 2023 draft, and Blackhawks fans have been waiting to see them on a line together for nearly two years.

Moore and Bedard kept in occasional contact since they were drafted, but Moore acknowledged that Bedard “has a lot going on,” so he made sure not to come on too strong from afar. And while fans and even Bedard might have been waiting for this moment, Moore wasn’t getting too far ahead of himself.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “It was cool just being able to be drafted with him. He was a really highly projected pick and a generational talent. Just seeing the excitement of Chicago for both of us, honestly, was really cool at that time. We tried to keep in touch a little bit after everything happened, but he’s a busy guy and I was, too, being in school and just trying to be where my feet are. Now that we’re here, we can spend some more time together, which is good.”

The early returns are promising, as Moore and Bedard combined to set up a Kevin Korchinski goal in Boston, and continued to create some dangerous chances in Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.

For many prospects — including defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 pick last year — the speed of the NHL can be overwhelming at first. But Moore was arguably the top skater in his draft class. Speed is not an issue for him. Like Rinzel, Moore doesn’t seem fazed by the promotion to the best league in the world. For Moore, it’s not about footspeed, it’s about his head catching up to his feet.

“It’s pretty expected, I’d say,” Moore said of the pace of the NHL game. “I watched games growing up, and just being down by the ice, you see how fast guys are. And you’re watching on TV knowing how fast they are. College did a great job of prepping me for it. I think the difference is how fast guys think the game. A lot of people say that, but it’s true.”

Moore flashed that speed early in the second period Saturday night, when he went out wide and raced around the Jets defense, wheeling around the net and setting up Ilya Mikheyev for a point-blank chance on the doorstep.

“Good moments, for sure,” interim coach Anders Sörensen said. “Some learning moments, as well. But (that’s) what to expect, college kid coming here. He’s handled it well, though, and his pace of play is noticeable. Then just learning to use that speed dial a little bit. … It’s coming. He’s getting better.”

The infusion of speed has made the Blackhawks a lot more watchable, and given Sörensen a lot more to work with.

“When we’re predictable and we move the puck quick and we get those guys in foot races or get them the puck in speed, it’s noticeable how fast we are, right?” Sörensen said. “I think we can all see it. It’s just a matter of continuing that progress. We only got two games left here, but it’s very noticeable. That forecheck, tracking back, has been very noticeable, how quickly we can close. When there’s little mistakes, which is part of the game, (it’s clear) how quickly we can respond to those mistakes because of our speed.”

One of the consistent messages Pat Maroon had for the young Blackhawks this season has been to treasure every shift, every game and every season, because you never know when it’ll be your last. So what was running through Maroon’s mind Saturday morning knowing for a fact it would indeed be his last NHL game?

“It certainly sank in last night,” he said after his last morning skate. “You sit there and think about it a lot — the good times, the bad times and adversity you go through. Emotions you go through. The ups and downs, the players, the guys. The thing I’ve been thinking about the most is going to dinners with the guys. That’s something I’ll be missing a lot. Yeah, it’s my last and I’m going to cherish every moment.”

Maroon had a box full of family and friends for his 1,011th NHL game — that’s counting 163 playoff games, sixth among active players. The three-time Stanley Cup champion was honored with a video tribute and prolonged ovation during the first television timeout, and wore an “A” on his sweater.

Not bad for a guy who almost never made it at all because of what he termed a “bad attitude.”

“I’m really proud of myself, to be honest with you,” he said. “That goes back to the coaches and guys that believed in me, teammates that believed in me. It wasn’t an easy journey to get to where I needed to get to. As I look back on my career in Philly, where it all started, it didn’t end so well there. I thought it was the end of my career three years into my pro career. The fact that I got the opportunity to get traded to Anaheim and have a team take a liking to me, the rest is kind of history. I believe in second chances and I believe people will change and adapt. You go through bumps in the road that, when you look back on your career, you don’t want to talk about it anymore. You always want to talk about the good times. But that’s the kind of bump in the road that taught me so much (in) my career, and taught me so much (about) life in general. I would have never dreamt of playing 14 years in the NHL, 352 games in the minors and 800-plus games in the NHL. I’ve been fortunate enough to do what I love for a living for a long time. As I look back on my career, when it’s all done, I’m going to look back at the bad times I went through in Philly to where it got me to, where I’m at today.”

Alec Martinez was back in the lineup, too. And he also had an “A” on his sweater. It wasn’t a shock that it turned out to be Martinez’s last NHL game, as well, but he went out a little more quietly, not revealing it until after the game had started. An injury and the arrival of Levshunov and Rinzel bumped Martinez from the lineup lately, but Sörensen made sure to get him in for the home finale. He got his own tribute video in the third period, with another prolonged ovation.

After the game, both teams stayed on the ice to offer some hugs and stick-taps for Maroon and Martinez.

All class from the @NHLJets as they pay their respects to Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez. 👏

The two of them announced that tonight would be their final NHL games. pic.twitter.com/EK9QTMabpR

— NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2025

“Both Pat and Alec have always been talked about really highly from ex-teammates of theirs, and (have) a great reputation for being great teammates,” said Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey. “They both have three Stanley Cups apiece. Pretty impressive. It doesn’t always happen where a player knows when their last game is. … For two guys like that to have great careers and have the respect of guys around the league for the way they played the game and the type of people they are in their locker rooms, it was nice just to be able to do that for them and show them that respect that they deserve.”

Martinez is also a three-time champion and will be remembered for what might be the greatest fortnight any NHL player has ever had, when he scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of the Western Conference final for the Kings against the Blackhawks, then scored the Stanley Cup-winner against the Rangers two weeks later.

It’s not something he brings up a lot since becoming a Blackhawk. And no, it wisely wasn’t included in his highlight video.

“I gotta cut the cord, quit living in the past,” he said with a laugh earlier in the season. “Especially around here, it’s a touchy subject. I don’t really like to talk about that much.”

Frank Nazar continues to be a chance-generating machine for the Blackhawks, and he’s starting to convert a little more often. He had a goal and an assist on Saturday, giving him three goals in the last five games. And he’s becoming a menace on the penalty kill, routinely creating scoring chances short-handed. He had a two-on-zero with Tyler Bertuzzi on Saturday, but wasn’t able to convert on it.

“He catches people off guard,” Sörensen said. “He does. It’s not like his feet are turning over 100 mph, right? He’s got that glide and he’s like shot out of a cannon, and I think he surprises a lot of people. And he’s got great instincts. He sees when the puck’s wobbling or a guy has his eyes down or he’s turned a little bit, that’s when he strikes. We’ll take it.”

It’s not a huge shock that Bedard is fifth in the league in primary assists at five-on-five. He teed up Ryan Donato’s equalizer in the third period for his 21st primary assist at five-on-five, tying him with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Bedard has proven to be an even better playmaker than scorer, with nearly twice as many assists (80) as goals (43) in his first two seasons. But what’s interesting is how few secondary assists Bedard has. His 21-to-three ratio of primaries to secondaries is by far the widest in the NHL, with Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele (20-to-seven) and Los Angeles’ Phil Danault (19-to-seven) the only ones within spitting distance.

What does that mean? Well, it could be fluky, but the fact that Bedard is getting so few cheapies is a sign that he could use a little more help on his line. Not that all secondary assists are cheap — they can very much be the main reason a goal is scored — but the league’s top point-getters pile up a lot of points just because they touch the puck a lot on productive lines. When Bedard picks up a point at five-on-five, he usually earns it.

Bedard’s two-point night gave him 63 points on the season, surpassing his rookie-season total of 61 (though that was in 12 fewer games).

(Photo: Bill Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)

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