Jack’s Daily: Postseason Begins; Frondell’s First Pitch; Kane & Toews Future Plans

Welcome to the first day of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, hockey fans! The postseason officially gets underway as the weekend rolls in, with the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes kicking things off this afternoon. Of course, the Blackhawks will be playoff spectators once again this season, although there was plenty of talk about making sure that doesn’t happen again in 2026-27 during the team’s exit interviews on Thursday.

More in the links for all the postseason previews, plus the takeaways from the final media availability with the players until training camp in the fall. Also in Blackhawks news, Anton Frondell made a trip to Wrigley Field on Friday, while Roman Kantserov helped his KHL club advance into the Semifinals. Around the league, Jonathan Toews & Patrick Kane spoke about their respective futures, while the Canucks made a significant front office change.

All that & more in the Daily! Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Rumors Chicago Hockey Now: Connor Bedard spoke about his contract extension, Oliver Moore is heading to the World Championships, and Anton Frondell reflected on his first taste of the NHL. Here are the notable takeaways from the Blackhawks exit interviews .

Speaking of Frondell, he made a guest appearance at Wrigley Field and threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Cubs’ matchup with the New York Mets on Friday. Anton Frondell's FIRST Cubs game! 😲🌬️ pic.