Chicago Sports

Even with the Bears unlikely to use the No. 1 overall draft pick on a quarterback, the Super Bowl was good to them in relation to this year’s draft.

The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP despite throwing for only 182 yards, and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts was outstanding in defeat, with 304 passing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 38-35 loss.

Anything that promotes the notion that a good young quarterback can make a difference is good for the Bears, who are counting on a quarterback frenzy to create a bidding war for the No. 1 pick that nets them a bonanza of draft picks.

With the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Bills’ Josh Allen and perhaps the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson added to that mix, young quarterbacks are making a bigger impact in recent years. The quarterbacks in the conference championship games and the Super Bowl all were 27 or younger — Mahomes (27), Hurts (24), Burrow (26) and 49ers rookie Brock Purdy (23).

It marked the first time the starting quarterbacks of the final four teams in the NFL postseason were under 30 since 2010. This year’s quartet’s average age of 25 is the lowest in the Super Bowl era. The previous 10 seasons, it was 31.0.

Perception is important but so is timing. The draft had highly rated quarterback classes in 2020 (when Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert went 1-5-6) and 2021 (when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields went 1-2-3-11). But last year the Bears would have been out of luck, with no quarterback rated worthy of a top-10 pick.

Even modest expectations in February mock drafts last year were way off. ESPN’s post-Super Bowl mock draft had four quarterbacks going in the first round — Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett (11th), Liberty’s Malik Willis (17th), Mississippi’s Matt Corral (18th) and North Carolina’s Sam Howell (32nd).

As it turned out, only Pickett went in the first round (20th to the Steelers). Willis and Corral ended up going in the third round. Howell went in the fifth round.

This year’s quarterback draft class, which doesn’t include anyone as touted as Lawrence or Burrow, is still considered to be much closer to 2020 and 2021 than last year, with draft projections that figure to hold up better as well.

That’s good news for the Bears. Alabama’s Bryce Young is still rated the top quarterback and the No. 1 overall pick by a team that is looking for a quarterback. And Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis are still considered potential top-two picks heading into the most important phases of the draft process — the NFL scouting combine on Feb. 26-March 2 in Indianapolis, the college pro days and the individual “Top 30” interviews.

Things still have to fall into place for the Bears to reap a windfall. Ironically, what they need most is for a general manager to fall in love with Young, Stroud or Levis as much as former Bears GM Ryan Pace became smitten by North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky in 2017. Pace, regrettably, was so resolute about Trubisky he traded four picks to the 49ers to move up from No. 3 to No. 2 because he feared (and claimed he had back-channel intel) that another team might leapfrog him to get Trubisky.

Even if it’s not to that degree, it’s that kind of competitive dynamic that will drive the best deal. The Colts continue to be the team most likely to do business with the Bears. They need a quarterback. And they have the No. 4 pick — a critical element that would allow the Bears to trade down and still get either Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama defensive end Will Anderson.

And the Colts also have — inadvertently or purposely — tipped their hand a bit. When general manager Chris Ballard was asked at his postseason press conference in January if he would “move heaven and earth” to get the quarterback he wanted, Ballard said, ‘Yes. I’d do whatever it takes.”

That scenario was strengthened this week when the Colts named Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their head coach. Steichen, 37, has a reputation as a quarterback-developer — he coached Herbert in 2020 with the Chargers and has worked with Hurts the past two seasons with the Eagles.

And Colts owner Jim Irsay added fuel to the Colts-Bears speculation when he said he leaned toward an offensive-minded head coach, “knowing we’re going to have to find a young quarterback to develop.”

The Colts still could get their young quarterback at No. 4. But knowing two quarterbacks figure to be gone by then — whoever gets the Bears No. 1 pick and the Texans at No. 2 — they’re more likely to enter the bidding war than stand on the sidelines.

It remains to be seen if that bidding war will become a frenzy, but with quarterbacks and NFL personnel departments, anything is possible. The Texans, Colts and Panthers are teams most obviously looking for a quarterback. And there are several teams that play it coy but might be ready to snipe — the Jets, Raiders, Commanders, Saints, Falcons and Titans among them.

That’s why many reputable mock drafts have the Bears dealing the No. 1 pick. NFL.com‘s Chad Reuter, in fact, had the dream scenario at the top of his mock draft released this week — the Bears trading down with the Texans (for No. 2, No. 74 and a 2024 first-round pick, with the Bears throwing in a 2023 fifth-round pick), then trading down again with the Colts (for the No. 4, No. 36, plus 2024 second- and third-round picks).

In that scenario, the Bears likely would get Jalen Carter or Will Anderson — plus a second- and third-round pick this year and a first-, second- and third-round pick in 2024.

The Bears’ fortune isn’t expected to be that good. And the worst-case scenario also looms — that Young’s stock drops during the combine/pro day stage of the draft process, the Colts are willing to take whatever quarterback is left at No. 4, nobody’s that desperate and the Bears are “stuck” with the No. 1 pick. They still get a premier prospect in Carter or Anderson, but the way the winds are blowing in February, that would be a disappointment.

More than likely, it will end up somewhere between those extremes, with a possible critical dilemma for Poles if the Texans at No. 2 or the Colts at No. 4 won’t play ball: Is it worth it to give up Carter or Anderson to trade down for more picks?

With as much background and film-work as personnel departments have done, the next phase of the draft process is critical. Even little things can make a difference. Will Young be 5-11 or 6-0 in his official measurement at the combine? Who interviews well and who doesn’t? Who clicks with whom?

It’s all part of an inexact process. And unless someone blows away the Bears and becomes a better option than Fields, all they have to do is wait for someone to fall in love with a quarterback, and let human nature do the rest.

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Since we’ve just watched this year’s Super Bowl, this is a good time to remind ourselves that billionaires have found one more way to fleece the public: sports stadiums. And if we don’t play ball, they’ll take our favorite teams away.

Ever notice how there never seems to be enough money to build public infrastructure like mass transit lines and better schools? Yet when a multi-billion-dollar sports team demands a new stadium, our local governments are happy to oblige.

A good example is the new Sox Park (now Guaranteed Rate Field), which opened in 1991. Sox owners threatened to leave Chicago unless they got taxpayer help to build a new stadium. The threat worked: Taxpayers got stuck with a renovation-related bill of $430 million.

Same for the disgraceful disfiguring of Soldier Field. Taxpayers still owe $631.5 million, and it will not be fully paid off until 2032.

State Farm Stadium in Arizona, home of this year’s Super Bowl, was built based on the owner’s threat to move the team. Arizona taxpayers were stuck with a huge bill.

Since 1990, franchises in major North American sports leagues have received billions in taxpayer subsidies from state and local governments to build stadiums.

These team owners always try to sell their projects by claiming the new stadiums will increase economic growth. But research has shown that benefits are mainly realized by team owners alone.

So, these taxpayer subsidies help the rich get richer, while our schools and other infrastructure fall apart. Is this what we want?

Bob Chimis, Elmwood Park

SAFE-T Act fails to protect the innocent

Sixty-four Illinois counties sued to keep criminal justice reforms known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act from being implemented — an unprecedented amount of pushback for a bill. The Illinois Supreme Court responded by postponing the bill’s abolition of cash bail, and for good reason.

The SAFE-T Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021, aimed to create a more equitable criminal justice system. However, by pushing for the end of cash bail, the new law threatens the safety of law-abiding citizens for the benefit of criminal suspects.

This isn’t the first time the bail system has been on the chopping block, as detailed in a recent Manhattan Institute report. In 2017, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans unilaterally altered how judges determine bail, basing it on the presumption of immediate release of defendants back into the community.

Within 15 months, the number of felony defendants released with no bail almost doubled, from 26.5% to 52%.

Those released on bond for a pending felony case have caused more havoc in the streets: 91 people have been murdered, 98 were victims of attempted murder, and 12 defendants have been charged with attempted murder of a police officer.

Current estimates show that at least 273 people have been killed or injured by individuals free on bail — a far cry from Evans’ claim that no horrible incidents have occurred under the court’s bond reform initiative.

Reforms have also led to a huge increase in those placed on electronic monitoring, which has been linked to a tendency toward more criminal activity. One news investigation found 1,264 felony defendants on electronic monitoring were charged with new crimes over a 17-month period, including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and a variety of gun and drug charges.

Unfortunately, these victims have gone unnoticed by those now pushing for even more radical reforms in the SAFE-T Act. The underlying motivation is a longstanding, misplaced benevolence toward criminal suspects. It’s time to consider the well-being of law-abiding citizens and seek an equitable criminal justice system that protects the innocent first and foremost.

John Paul Wright, professor, School of Criminal Justice, University of CincinnatiLeah Thomas, senior press officer, Manhattan Institute

Landmarking alone won’t protect sacred spaces

On behalf of our organization, Save the Shrine, we are writing to thank you for your editorial in support of greater protections for Chicago’s historic sacred spaces. Our work at the Shrine of Christ the King in Woodlawn informs our awareness of the critical role historic sacred spaces fill in Chicago’s neighborhoods as community anchors, centers of social life and service and cultural continuity.

We appreciate your drawing awareness to the critical role of landmarking as a tool for the city to encourage responsible decision-making around historic religious structures. We are grateful for the 2003 landmark status afforded to the Shrine of Christ the King, formerly St. Gelasius and St. Clara.

We want to draw attention to some of the limits of landmarking alone in safeguarding these community treasures.

All Masses and sacraments have been suspended at the Shrine following the Archdiocese of Chicago’s suppression of the Institute of Christ the King in its jurisdiction.

This decision and its consequences demonstrates that even with landmark protections, the discretionary actions of religious organizations can threaten preservation efforts.

Jennifer Blackman, managing director, and Emily Nielsen, board president, Save the Shrine

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Since we’ve just watched this year’s Super Bowl, this is a good time to remind ourselves that billionaires have found one more way to fleece the public: sports stadiums. And if we don’t play ball, they’ll take our favorite teams away.

Ever notice how there never seems to be enough money to build public infrastructure like mass transit lines and better schools? Yet when a multi-billion-dollar sports team demands a new stadium, our local governments are happy to oblige.

A good example is the new Sox Park (now Guaranteed Rate Field), which opened in 1991. Sox owners threatened to leave Chicago unless they got taxpayer help to build a new stadium. The threat worked: Taxpayers got stuck with a renovation-related bill of $430 million.

Same for the disgraceful disfiguring of Soldier Field. Taxpayers still owe $631.5 million, and it will not be fully paid off until 2032.

State Farm Stadium in Arizona, home of this year’s Super Bowl, was built based on the owner’s threat to move the team. Arizona taxpayers were stuck with a huge bill.

Since 1990, franchises in major North American sports leagues have received billions in taxpayer subsidies from state and local governments to build stadiums.

These team owners always try to sell their projects by claiming the new stadiums will increase economic growth. But research has shown that benefits are mainly realized by team owners alone.

So, these taxpayer subsidies help the rich get richer, while our schools and other infrastructure fall apart. Is this what we want?

Bob Chimis, Elmwood Park

SAFE-T Act fails to protect the innocent

Sixty-four Illinois counties sued to keep criminal justice reforms known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act from being implemented — an unprecedented amount of pushback for a bill. The Illinois Supreme Court responded by postponing the bill’s abolition of cash bail, and for good reason.

The SAFE-T Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021, aimed to create a more equitable criminal justice system. However, by pushing for the end of cash bail, the new law threatens the safety of law-abiding citizens for the benefit of criminal suspects.

This isn’t the first time the bail system has been on the chopping block, as detailed in a recent Manhattan Institute report. In 2017, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans unilaterally altered how judges determine bail, basing it on the presumption of immediate release of defendants back into the community.

Within 15 months, the number of felony defendants released with no bail almost doubled, from 26.5% to 52%.

Those released on bond for a pending felony case have caused more havoc in the streets: 91 people have been murdered, 98 were victims of attempted murder, and 12 defendants have been charged with attempted murder of a police officer.

Current estimates show that at least 273 people have been killed or injured by individuals free on bail — a far cry from Evans’ claim that no horrible incidents have occurred under the court’s bond reform initiative.

Reforms have also led to a huge increase in those placed on electronic monitoring, which has been linked to a tendency toward more criminal activity. One news investigation found 1,264 felony defendants on electronic monitoring were charged with new crimes over a 17-month period, including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and a variety of gun and drug charges.

Unfortunately, these victims have gone unnoticed by those now pushing for even more radical reforms in the SAFE-T Act. The underlying motivation is a longstanding, misplaced benevolence toward criminal suspects. It’s time to consider the well-being of law-abiding citizens and seek an equitable criminal justice system that protects the innocent first and foremost.

John Paul Wright, professor, School of Criminal Justice, University of CincinnatiLeah Thomas, senior press officer, Manhattan Institute

Landmarking alone won’t protect sacred spaces

On behalf of our organization, Save the Shrine, we are writing to thank you for your editorial in support of greater protections for Chicago’s historic sacred spaces. Our work at the Shrine of Christ the King in Woodlawn informs our awareness of the critical role historic sacred spaces fill in Chicago’s neighborhoods as community anchors, centers of social life and service and cultural continuity.

We appreciate your drawing awareness to the critical role of landmarking as a tool for the city to encourage responsible decision-making around historic religious structures. We are grateful for the 2003 landmark status afforded to the Shrine of Christ the King, formerly St. Gelasius and St. Clara.

We want to draw attention to some of the limits of landmarking alone in safeguarding these community treasures.

All Masses and sacraments have been suspended at the Shrine following the Archdiocese of Chicago’s suppression of the Institute of Christ the King in its jurisdiction.

This decision and its consequences demonstrates that even with landmark protections, the discretionary actions of religious organizations can threaten preservation efforts.

Jennifer Blackman, managing director, and Emily Nielsen, board president, Save the Shrine

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The Bulls’ postseason hopes are in jeo-pardy, but that’s been true for a while now. They’re seven games below .500 at the All-Star break and two games behind the 10th-place Raptors for the last play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference.

More concerning than that, though, is this week’s acknowledgment from maximum-contract guard Zach LaVine that the Bulls don’t have an identity — and it’s holding them back.

“Even if guys are in and out of the lineup, you see some teams that have consistency with what they do,” LaVine said after Thursday night’s 112-100 loss to the Bucks, the Bulls’ sixth straight defeat. “They have an identity. That’s something we’re still trying to figure out. Obviously, we changed our offense a little bit this year from last year. But it’s no excuse with the type of talent we have on the team.”

LaVine’s remarks came in response to a question about the Bulls’ waning offense. Their offensive rating is 24th in the NBA after they’ve gone 3-6 in February.

Five times this season, they’ve blown a lead of 16 points or greater, including a 24-point lead in Wednesday night’s

117-113 loss to the Pacers, which matched the second-largest blown lead in the NBA this season. In fact, the Bulls are in the top five of that list three times, having also blown 21-point leads against the Pacers and Cavaliers in January.

Coach Billy Donovan and the players have cited a number of issues, the most common being a lack of composure and consistency when opponents push back.

“That’s been our problem all year — up big in games and find a way to lose them,” LaVine said. “We have to stop beating ourselves. It’s a recurring theme. One through 15, the guys are tired of losing, the miscues in games that we’re leading.”

The Bulls face an uphill battle coming out of the break, but there will be immediate opportunities to regain control of their playoff pursuits. After hosting the Nets on Friday, they face the Wizards at home and the Raptors on the road to close out the month.

There’s still a belief within the team, echoed by LaVine and Donovan after the Bucks loss, that the Bulls are capable of making the playoffs. The issue is that they have no clear answer on what, exactly, needs to change.

“If you don’t expect to [win], you have to find some way somehow,” LaVine said. “Obviously, we’re a game or two out of the play-in right now. [We have to] just try and go day by day, game by game and see where we go from there.”

The best thing going for the Bulls is the extended downtime before they play the Nets. Rest will be critical in getting them back to full strength. Donovan had no expectations about whether DeMar DeRozan (thigh), Goran Dragic (left knee) and Derrick Jones Jr. (left adductor) will be ready to go by next Friday, although DeRozan was expected to appear in the All-Star Game on Sunday night.

Beyond rest, though, this group might benefit from time away from each other. The struggle to explain inexplicable errors that have given them the seventh-worst record in the NBA appears exhausting — as does searching for an identity 59 games into the season.

Maybe they’ll have answers on the other side of the break. But the safer assumption when it comes to these Bulls is more inconsistency.

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The VHS tapes meant everything to Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan.

That was his All-Star Weekend growing up in Compton, California, his All-Star experience.

”The All-Star Game, the whole festivities around it, that was always a big thing for me as a kid,” DeRozan, 33, told the Sun-Times in a recent interview. ”My dad would record all of it on those VHS tapes, and I would go back and watch the game, the dunk contest, the whole event over and over again.”

At least until someone accidentally taped over it or the tape simply wore down. After all, the life cycle on a VHS tape isn’t forever.

But DeRozan’s drive is.

”To be honest, I’ve always had that confidence and that work ethic, and growing up you chase those dreams,” said DeRozan, who is in his 14th season. ”You want the big college; you want to make it to the pros. I’d watch those tapes and have all these wishful thoughts that I wanted to be a part of it.

”For me, it’s always finding things that are in my imagination that also give me a drive to reach. Being in the NBA and an All-Star was definitely high on the list. And I’m always humbled to be named to [an All-Star Game] because it’s still one of those unbelievable moments. So to be sitting here and going to another one . . . it’s still humbling.”

Six times humbling. Each one is still meaningful, and that never will change.

Sure, DeRozan’s right hip isn’t feeling great — he missed the Bulls’ last two games before the All-Star break because of it — but all indications are that he will be good to go Sunday in Salt Lake City.

But there is something else going on with DeRozan these days.

His career earnings are about $230 million, he became the 50th player in NBA history this season to reach the 20,000-point milestone and now he has six All-Star Games on his r?sum?.

He admitted, however, that he has reached the point in his career where he knows there’s one thing that has eluded him and that the clock is ticking.

When NBA careers are evaluated, championship rings are the difference between ordinary and legendary.

DeRozan has 63 playoff games under his belt and reached the Eastern Conference finals with the Raptors in the 2015-16 season before the team lost to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in six games.

That was painful enough. But the real anguish would come three seasons later. By that time, DeRozan had been traded to the Spurs and had to watch Kawhi Leonard lead the Raptors to the NBA title in their first season without him.

There has been a lot for DeRozan to reconcile since then, and a championship would enable him to get past it.

”I think the older I get, the more that motivation for a championship grows because you have even a smaller window of knowing how long you might play this game,” DeRozan said. ”That’s just the reality of it for me. With that, every morning I get up, you think about that.

”I always tell the young guys now that it’s terrifying for me. . . . I mean, you look at them and let them know there’s only X amount of games left in the season. They look at you like you’re crazy because I understand that once those games are up — playoff, no playoff, whatever happens — I’ve got to get ready for my 15th year. Then maybe that one flies by, and it’s my 16th year. The reality of it kicks in.

”I always look at everything with the idea that as long as I’ve got time, I’ve got an opportunity. Until it’s done, I’ll deal with those feelings then. When it’s all said and done, I hope I can lay at home and say: ‘Whether that championship happened or not, I gave everything I had. Some things are meant to be, some things are not meant to be.’ That’s what I’ll have to deal with.”

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OTTAWA, Ontario — Blackhawks center Max Domi has kept any worries about his uncertain future out of his mind by occupying himself with on-ice concerns.

”You literally dive headfirst into your game,” he said. ”I don’t want to say ‘overwhelm yourself’ because I’m not overwhelming myself, but just consume yourself with thinking about each and every game and the preparation that goes into that.”

The Hawks’ jam-packed recent schedule — their 4-3 overtime victory Friday against the Senators ended one stretch of three games in four days, but they’ll start another such stretch Sunday — also has helped him ”stay locked in.”

But entering Friday, Domi’s all-consuming thoughts about his recent play hadn’t been entirely positive, either.

”It has been weird since after the [All-Star] break,” he said. ”I’ve had a lot of chances — we’ve had a lot of chances — and we can’t seem to bury them. That happens. It’s such a roller coaster. We’ve talked about it throughout the year, but you really just have to stay with it.”

Domi did and finally reaped some of the rewards he had missed in the last few weeks.

He connected with Patrick Kane on a two-on-zero in front of the net 44 seconds into the game. A couple of hours later, he again worked with Kane on a two-on-one break and earned his second assist of the night when Kane ripped a game-tying goal with 3:05 left.

Andreas Athanasiou’s overtime winner — after goalie Petr Mrazek made several huge saves — ultimately gave the Hawks a feel-good victory to close what had been a disappointing road trip.

”The way they persevered to come back from two goals down on the road . . . that shows a lot of guts,” coach Luke Richardson said. ”I’m proud of them.”

Domi now has three points in his last two games since snapping a four-game pointless streak with an assist Wednesday against the Maple Leafs.

Before making the pass Wednesday to Philipp Kurashev, however, Domi had his own great shooting opportunity in the faceoff circle. His decision to pull up and wait for Kurashev to join the rush paid off, but Richardson urged him Friday to shoot the puck in those situations in the future.

”We talked a couple of times,” Richardson said. ”I really want him shooting that puck more. We needed it [Friday]; he just didn’t really have the opportunity to shoot it much more. But I liked that he was moving his feet more and creating plays.”

Domi hasn’t scored since Jan. 21 against the Blues, having been denied on 35 consecutive shots and 18 scoring chances in a row during the 10 games since, including on three shots and one chance Friday.

The Hawks even planned to adjust their power-play strategy to get Domi in the up-top position a few times. They hoped that would allow him to come “downhill” and lean into his shots, Richardson said. But they never really got it set up, falling to an abysmal 1-for-29 on the power play in their last 13 games.

All these mixed patterns and signals in different areas will give Domi plenty to focus on, even if the rumors around him increase leading up to the trade deadline March 3.

It was hardly a secret that the Hawks initially signed Domi to a one-year contract with the idea of potentially flipping him for a draft pick. He knew that, too.

But he also has made it clear he would prefer to stay in Chicago and re-sign, and he has become a popular teammate. It all adds up to a hard-to-predict situation in the next two weeks.

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The Chicago Blackhawks played and won on Friday night which was fun to watch. It was a thrilling overtime win for Chicago. Despite being in contention for the draft lottery, it is nice to see them feel good after a win every now and again.

However, not a single NHL game is going to be the biggest story now that this big trade was announced. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues completed a blockbuster trade.

Ryan O’Reilly, alongside Noel Acciari, is headed to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s first-rounder in 2023, Ottawa’s third-rounder in 2023, and Toronto’s third-rounder in 2024. It is fair to call this a blockbuster deal.

The Wild facilitated the deal by taking a fourth found pick to retain 25 percent of O’Reilly’s contract. The Blues will retain 50 percent of it. This is only the seventh trade in NHL history where a team does what the Wild did.

The Chicago Blackhawks market has been helped by the Ryan O’Reilly trade.

Obviously, this changes the landscape of the entire league. Now, the Blues are down Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly which means they are full-blown sellers.

It also makes the Leafs a deeper, grittier hockey team which is what they desperately needed. They will have O’Reilly as their third center behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. Few teams in the league can compete with a 1-2-3 like that. This is an amazing deal for them.

This move does help the Blackhawks too. It proves that big-money contracts can be moved if you are willing to take that risk. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are not immovable. They are also players that can return the Hawks a lot.

When you look at what the Blues got for O’Reilly with 75 percent of his contract retained, that is amazing for them as they start their retool (or rebuild, we will see). Maybe the Hawks can add another first-round pick or two for their stars.

This is just the beginning. The trade deadline, and the weeks leading up to it, are going to be crazy. This trade is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) so far this seasons.

Of course, O’Reilly and the Maple Leafs will play their first game together on Sunday night in Chicago. That will certainly be one that has everyone’s eyes on it.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. They are tanking hard for Connor Bedard but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a win every now and again.

They got one of those on Friday night with an overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators in Canada’s capital. The win came by a final score of 4-3. It was an outstanding way to head into the weekend as everyone is feeling good about themselves.

All eyes were on Patrick Kane in this one as the trade deadline is drawing closer and closer. He isn’t having a good season at all and needs to pick it up if the Hawks want to maximize his value. He did just that in this game against the Sens.

Kane scored two goals to help Chicago earn this comeback victory on the road. He now has 11 goals on the season. He is still putting up some points but nothing like what we are used to seeing from him in a typical season of his.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a big Patrick Kane decision to make soon.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that the team is very bad. He doesn’t play with good players on a regular basis anymore and that has hurt his production. If/when he gets traded to a contender, don’t be surprised if he starts lighting up the league again.

Showtime isn’t done being an elite player. He will bounce back once he is done with this miserable situation that he is in right now. The Chicago Blackhawks, as mentioned before, need to keep him on top of his game so he can keep scoring the way he was in this game.

This version of Patrick Kane can be a game-changer and that is what they want other teams to see in him. Having a monster game like this will do wonders for his confidence as the trade deadline is now just a few weeks away.

Kane and the Hawks are now done with this four-game Canadian road trip where this Ottawa game was the only one that they picked up a win.

Now, they will be at home on Sunday to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in three games. Oddly enough, the Maple Leafs are a team that may consider making a big move for Kane as they try to win their first playoff series in over a decade.

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The Bears will release defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad after a disappointing first season in Matt Eberflus’ defense, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting.

Cutting Muhammad is an expected move as part of an anticipated overhaul of the defense after the Bears finished last in the NFL in points allowed (27.2 points per game) and sacks (20) and 29th in yards allowed in the first season under Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams in 2022.

Muhammad, a sixth-round draft pick by the Saints in 2017, blossomed into a productive player in Eberflus’ defense with the Colts after they signed him in 2018 — he had six sacks as a full-time starter in 2021. But he could not repeat that success with the Bears last season after signing a two-year, $8 million contract as a free agent. Muhammad had one sack, three quarterback hits and one forced fumble in 16 games (nine starts).

Muhammad had a $4.46 million salary cap number for 2023. With the Bears incurring a $500,000 dead-cap charge, they will free up nearly $4 million in salary cap space if they cut him with a post-June 1 designation.

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The Chicago Bears are cutting defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad after he was one of Ryan Poles first big plays free agency signings from a year ago.

Al-Quadin Muhammad was a free agent signing that came over from the Indianapolis Colts.  He had experience in Matt Eberflus’ defense and was expected to be a decent contributor to the Bears’ defense in 2022.  Instead he racked up one sack in 16 games and was a huge disappointment on defense.

Muhammad looked like a bad signing from the get-go when he stepped on the field in Chicago.  Muhammad was given starter reps ahead of Trevis Gipson and then moved ahead of Dominique Robinson on the depth chart despite Robinson clearly looking like the better player.  Robert Quinn was traded and Muhammad became the focal point of the pass rush.  He failed in a big way and won’t be missed at all.

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