Summer Synopsis: Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks hit the lottery this past spring when they won the opportunity to draft junior phenom Connor Bedard. Chicago has been mired in a rebuild for several years without ever calling it a rebuild. That all changed in the summer of 2022 when the Blackhawks made the difficult decision to rip off the band-aid and move out some good players that didn’t fit their rebuild timeline. Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach were two young players that could have helped Chicago in the future, however, they would have been much older than many of Chicago’s good prospects. With their moves this summer, the Blackhawks appear poised to bottom out once again this season, albeit with a much more competitive roster than last year. The Blackhawks brought in a few veterans, presumably to insulate the younger players and teach them how to be good pros, while simultaneously helping the club reach the cap floor. Chicago didn’t seek out top-end veterans, or stars that are in the prime of their career, they overpaid veterans who were at the tail end of their careers.

Draft

1-1: F Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)
1-19: F Oliver Moore, U.S. U18 National (US National Team)
2-35: G Adam Gajan, Chippewa (NAHL)
2-44: F Roman Kantserov,  Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
2-55: F Martin Misiak, Youngstown (USHL)
3-67: F Nick Lardis, Hamilton (OHL)
3-93: F Jiri Felcman, Langnau (Swiss-Jr)
3-99: F Alex Pharand, Sudbury (OHL)
4-131: F Marcel Marcel, Gatineau (QMJHL)
5-167: F Milton Oscarson, Orebro (SHL)
6-195: D Janne Peltonen, Kärpät U20 (U20 SM-sarja)

As mentioned earlier, Chicago won the Bedard sweepstakes and was able to draft a generational player to kick off their rebuild. While Chicago was gifted the centerpiece of their franchise moving forward, they will still need to insulate him and provide depth around him in order to win, but they have the hardest thing to acquire already in place.

Chicago opted to go forward-heavy in the 2023 NHL entry draft as they selected nine forwards, a defenseman, and a goaltender. Like most teams, the Blackhawks were surprised to see Moore available at the 19 spot and they were fortunate enough to draft the speedy center. He could potentially become Chicago’s number two centerman behind Bedard if his development goes to plan.

With their first second-round pick the Blackhawks selected goaltender Gajan who at 6-foot-3, has the height to be an NHL goaltender, but he will need to put mass on his 181-pound frame. Goaltending is a very difficult position to project long-term but given his pedigree and his body of work thus far, Gajan could be Chicago’s goalie of the future. He posted a 19-12-1 record in the NAHL with the Chippewa Steel and was terrific at the U20 World Juniors for Slovakia. He is very flexible and has a strong, quick push from one side of the net to the other.

Kantersov was a good choice at 44 as he offers a good blend of speed and skill that could mesh well with Bedard or Moore. The Russian winger is undersized; however, his skating and stickhandling is very fluid, and he could give teams fits if his game does develop so that he can play alongside Chicago’s elite center.

Trade Acquisitions

F Nick Foligno (Boston)
F Taylor Hall (Boston)
F Corey Perry (Tampa Bay)

Chicago weaponized their cap space this summer to acquire former first-overall pick Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins. The former Hart Trophy winner is coming off a down season in which he still posted 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with the Bruins and will likely see time alongside Bedard. Hall is due for a bounce back in Chicago as he should see more minutes on the powerplay and will be more than capable of flanking the rookie Bedard.

Coming over in the trade alongside Hall were the signing rights of Nick Foligno. The 35-year-old quickly signed a one-year extension with Chicago for $4MM in a move that largely left people scratching their heads. Foligno did provide Boston with some offense last year as he posted 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games, however, the Bruins had poor possession numbers with Foligno on the ice and it became fairly apparent last season that he is well past his best before date. Foligno’s impacts will probably be greater off the ice than on it as the Buffalo, New York native will offer the young players some guidance and leadership throughout what is sure to be a tough season in the Windy City.

Another veteran who was acquired by the Blackhawks is former Lightning forward Corey Perry. The former Hart Trophy winner isn’t the player he once was, but he has remained an effective bottom-six player at the late stages of his career. Perry put up 31 goals and 34 assists in 163 games in two seasons with the Lightning and should be able to offer some depth scoring and toughness to Chicago’s lineup. His presence is sure to be a positive for the younger players in the Blackhawks lineup, but it comes at a massive cost as Chicago will pay the former Rocket Richard winner $4MM this season.

UFA Signings

F Ryan Donato (Two years, $4MM)

Donato was an under-the-radar signing for the Blackhawks on the first day of unrestricted free agency. His game isn’t splashy, and he won’t tear up the score sheet, but he is a versatile player who can offer a lot to the Blackhawks forward group. Last year in Seattle, Donato posted 14 goals and 13 assists in 71 games as he was part of Seattle’s four-line offensive attack. For the cost of the player Chicago is almost certain to get their money’s worth from the 27-year-old, Donato has been a consistent 25–30-point scorer and is a decent defensive forward.

RFA Re-Signings

F Joey Anderson (one year, $800K) *
F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $4.5MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

Kurashev’s arbitration award surprised some people as the 23-year-old was coming off a season in which he posted nine goals and 16 assists in 70 games. While those offensive numbers aren’t anything to write home about, Kurashev does offer responsible play away from the puck that doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. He also offers youth and is likely only scratching the surface as far as his potential goes and he could one day find himself as Chicago’s number three center when the club is ready to contend.

Anderson came over to Chicago as part of the Jake McCabe trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old dressed in 38 games split between Chicago and Toronto and posted six goals and three assists. The native of Roseville, Minnesota has an element of sandpaper in his game that should serve him well in Chicago’s bottom six this season should he make the big club. He also has the ability to separate player from puck evidenced by his 20 takeaways last season. There are certainly warts to Anderson’s game as he is limited offensively, but he is able to play a physical brand of hockey while remaining disciplined.

Departures

F Anders Bjork (AHL Rockford)
D Hunter Drew (AHL Tucson)
D Andreas Englund (Los Angeles, two years, $2MM)
D Jakub Galvas (SHL Malmö Redhawks)
F Maxim Golod (Nybro Vikings IF)
F Cameron Hillis (Detroit, PTO)
D Caleb Jones (Carolina, one year, $775K)
F Jujhar Khaira (Unsigned)
G Anton Khudobin (Unsigned)
F Buddy Robinson (Unsigned)
G Alex Stalock (Anaheim, one year, $800K)
F Michal Teply (AHL Rockford)
F Jonathan Toews (Unsigned)
F Austin Wagner (Unsigned)
D Andy Welinski (Unsigned)

Up front, Toews is the biggest loss for the Blackhawks. He is a Chicago icon and was the face of an era in which the team captured three Stanley Cups. However, Toews future is murky as he has health issues that he’s battled the past few seasons and it is unclear if he will play again.

Outside of Toews, Chicago didn’t have a lot to lose. Caleb Jones seemed like a strange choice for a non-tender candidate, however, given the lack of interest he had in free agency it might have been the right choice for the Blackhawks to not overpay for a depth defenseman, even if he does have some upside.

Englund found a role with the Kings in Los Angeles which was a surprise given how little he has shown at the NHL level. The 27-year-old defenseman has dressed in 80 NHL games split over five seasons and has yet to score and has just seven assists during that time. He was acquired in the Jack Johnson trade with Colorado and really didn’t show much during his time in Chicago. The Blackhawks opted to let the Swede walk and he surprisingly was able to find a multi-year deal with Los Angeles who were looking to add some physicality to their back end.

Salary Cap Outlook

Few teams have less money committed long term than the Blackhawks. Chicago has just two players signed to NHL money beyond next season in Seth Jones and Connor Murphy. That flexibility will be necessary when Connor Bedard comes out of his ELC in three seasons and if some of the Blackhawks’ top prospects begin to flourish.

The Seth Jones contract is an albatross on their books given where his game is at, however by the time his deal becomes a major problem the Salary Cap will have likely increased by a significant amount. Teams always seem to find ways to rid themselves of bad contracts, particularly when the cap is going up so Chicago should have no issue in dealing with Jones deal should it become problematic.

Key Questions

Can Chicago Win Games: The Blackhawks will win some games, it’s inevitable when they play 82 times a year. But how many games they will win is an interesting question. This is a bad hockey team on paper, but hockey is a funny game and even bad teams can fluke their way into a few wins a year. Chicago doesn’t have much offensively beyond Bedard and Hall, but they will have decent depth on their fourth line and might make it difficult for teams on some nights.  They will likely finish near the bottom of the league when the season is over, but I don’t believe it will be as bad as some people think.

How Many Points Will Bedard Score? Not since Connor McDavid has there been this much hype over a first-overall pick. Auston Matthews was close, but Bedard is in a different stratosphere. Will he put up 100 points in his rookie season like Sidney Crosby? Or will the NHL season grind away at his offensive prowess? Bedard is going to have to drag a bad team on his back through the season and it’s going to be interesting to see how far he can take them.

Who Will Play With Connor? Chicago acquired Hall to presumably play with Bedard on the top line. While he is certainly one of their most gifted players with the puck, there are no guarantees that Hall and Bedard will find chemistry together. Corey Perry was another player Chicago targeted early in the summer and despite his limitations at this stage in his career, he knows how to play with offensively elite players. Chicago will have the benefit of not having any expectations this season, which opens the door for the club to experiment with different players throughout their lineup. Perhaps a young prospect will emerge to become Bedard’s running mate. Only time will tell.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.