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Chicago Blackhawks' hopeful Baun doing all the right things

Saturday was one of those crazy days where a beat reporter's best-laid plans can blow up without warning.

Driving to the United Center to watch the Blackhawks' morning skate ahead of their game against the St. Louis Blues, I had a few good story ideas that I wanted to dive into.

Marcus Kruger deserved our attention, obviously, since he had only just arrived in Chicago the day before. Patrick Kane figured to speak after the whirlwind of events that took place in the sexual assault investigation that has followed him for close to two months.

Then there was Kyle Baun, who has had a sensational preseason. He deserved some ink as well.

But then, at 7:01 p.m., everything changed. That's when an email came out saying the Hawks had signed defenseman Brent Seabrook to an eight-year contract extension.

So Baun went from possible notebook lead (before we knew Kruger would talk) to second notebook item … to the cutting-room floor.

Now, however, it's time to give this kid his due.

Among the players on the roster bubble, few are asserting themselves better than Baun. He has been all over the ice in three appearances and has registered 3 goals, 2 of which came in a 5-1 blowout in Montreal on Friday.

“Definitely don't want to make the decision easy for them,” Baun said Saturday. “I'm doing whatever I can to try and prove that I can be here.”

He proved it again Saturday in the Hawks' 3-1 victory with 3 shots on goal and 4 hits. Again, the puck just seemed to find him.

“He's been great this whole camp,” Andrew Shaw said. “Looking forward to seeing more of it.”

While the goals are nice, the 23-year-old Baun also knows it will take more than denting the score sheet to make this team. His biggest competition for a coveted roster spot likely will come from Ryan Garbutt, Viktor Tikhonov, Daniel Paille, and maybe Vincent Hinostroza, the Bartlett native who also is having a strong preseason.

“Just the little things,” Baun said of what he needs to concentrate on. “Continue to play good, defensive hockey, forechecking … and things like that.

“I mean the goals are nice to look at on the stat sheet, but at the end of the day there's a lot more to the game than just that.”

Wise words, indeed. And words that many a Blackhawks player under Joel Quenneville has uttered over the past seven seasons.

Seabrook contract details:

According to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, Brent Seabrook, who signed an eight-year, $55 million extension Saturday, will make $9 million in the first three years of the deal, which begins in 2016-17. The next five seasons he will make $7.5 million, $5 million, $6 million, $5 million and $4.5 million.

There is a no-trade clause, which becomes a modified trade clause in 2022, when Seabrook can submit a list of five teams he would go to for the 2022-23 season. That list can grow to 10 teams the next season.

About an hour after announcing the deal, general manager Stan Bowman thanked Seabrook and his agent, Gerry Johansson, for being “great throughout the whole process.”

“It's not easy to get these things done,” Bowman continued. “I think sometimes it maybe looks easy when you finally announce it, but there was a lot of work that went into it.”

Bowman on roster:

Stan Bowman said he doesn't anticipate making a trade for a player who would be on the Hawks' opening-night roster.

“I think our team is going to come from the guys that are left in camp here,” Bowman said. “We still have a week to go; we have a couple more games to make our final decisions. But I don't anticipate bringing in new players.”

Kane's goal:

Patrick Kane admitted before Saturday's 3-1 victory over St. Louis that his game isn't where it normally would be at this point in the preseason. The sexual assault investigation kept him from preparing the way he normally would in the weeks leading up to training camp.

For the most part, his play on the ice has reflected that, but he looked awfully good when he beat Blues goalie Jake Allen on a third-period breakaway Saturday.

Kane zipped into the offensive zone and — using his back to keep defenseman Chris Butler at bay — backhanded a shot into the net to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. It was Kane's second point of the preseason.

Tidbits:

The Hawks names engraved into the Stanley Cup were shown Sunday. Notable names left off were goalie Antti Raanta, forward Ben Smith (who played in 61 regular-season games for the Hawks but was traded) and assistant equipment manager Clint Reif, who died in January. … Late Saturday, the Blackhawks assigned forward Tanner Kero to Rockford and released defenseman Jan Hejda from training camp.

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