On this episode of the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis break down the opening week of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, highlighting standout performances from former Blackhawks like Jason Dickinson and Brandon Hagel, who are off to strong starts with their respective teams. Then, Pat and Charlie shift their focus to the Blackhawks’ 2025–26 season, handing out individual grades for the forward group. How do they evaluate Connor Bedard’s breakout campaign? What stood out from Frank Nazar in his first full NHL season? And how did young players like Ryan Greene, Nick Lardis, and Oliver Moore perform after being expected to spend most of the year in the AHL? They also weigh in on Anton Frondell’s 12-game stint and assess several others. In Part 2, the guys will hand out grades for the defensemen, goaltenders, and head coach Jeff Blashill.

On this episode of the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis recap the Blackhawks’ multi-goal comeback win over the San Jose Sharks in the season finale and reflect on the season as a whole. They discuss the team’s 11-point improvement, what it says about the trajectory of the rebuild, and why there’s legitimate reason for optimism heading into next year.

They also dive into exit interviews, where Connor Bedard and several players expressed confidence in the team’s ability to push for a playoff spot next season. But how realistic is that expectation, and what still needs to happen to make it a reality?

Pat and Charlie also break down Anton Frondell’s impressive 12-game NHL stint, why he’s already looking like a core piece of the rebuild, and how elements of his game resemble Aleksander Barkov and Leon Draisaitl.

Later, they discuss Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz rewarding GM Kyle Davidson with a multi-year contract extension. They evaluate Davidson’s rebuild to this point, explain why his patient approach continues to make sense, and debate whether this could be the summer he finally pulls off a blockbuster move.

To close the episode, Pat and Charlie predict all eight first-round matchups in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a few notable upsets.

On this episode of the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis are joined by three-time Stanley Cup champion and CHSN Blackhawks analyst Alec Martinez. They share their early impressions of No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell, discuss his development path, and explain why the Swedish Hockey League helped prepare him for the NHL.

They also dive into Tyler Bertuzzi’s career year after he surpassed his personal best in goals with 31, why he’s having a breakout season, and what led to his leadership role as an alternate captain.

Later in the show, Pat, Charlie, and Alec talk about Ilya Mikheyev’s game and why they hope he’s back with the Blackhawks next season. They also break down the five-forward power play with Connor Bedard as the quarterback, with Alec sharing his thoughts on what makes a good power-play quarterback from a defenseman’s perspective and why Wyatt Kaiser could be an intriguing option in that role moving forward.

They also discuss the Blackhawks’ young defensemen group—all 24 or younger—and Alec reflects on the age when he felt he reached his peak as an NHL defenseman.

To wrap up the show, in honor of April Fool’s Day, Alec shares some prank stories from his playing days.