NEWSLETTER
After a slew of NHL Draft targets that the Chicago Blackhawks should have on their first-round wishlist, this Wednesday we are going to dive into something of a bigger, more immediate need.
Previously in our Wishlist Wednesday series, we’ve talked about the Blackhawks’ need for a true No.1 defenseman. As the offseason has gone on, the Blackhawks look like that are truly going to be in the market, one way or another, for a top-tier defenseman. Be it Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, or someone else, they seem to be active in that area.
Another item on the offseason wishlist for the Blackhawks should be an impact forward. That “impact” is a broad term. The impact could be in goal-scoring, or versatility, or in their ability to win faceoffs and kill penalties. Every one of those aspects would be a major help to Chicago.
In House
Yes, they have Patrick Kane. Yes, they have Alex DeBrincat. And yes, to a certain extent, they have Dominik KubalÃk and Jonathan Toews. But that’s not enough for Chicago to get over the hump offensively in this league. They’ll need more to supplement those players and take more weight off of the shoulders of Kane as the go-to forward when the Blackhawks need a spark.
Last season we saw a few forwards step-up in new roles. Brandon Hagel and Philipp Kurashev made impacts as rookies, as did European-import Pius Suter. They all showed that they can hang in the NHL, but none of them give the impression that they will be more than complimentary players throughout their careers. That’s not to say they wouldn’t/won’t be useful, but they need the right players around them to compliment.
The biggest two names that the Blackhawks currently have in the organization that could be the next impact forwards for the franchise are Kirby Dach and Lukas Reichel. The hope is that BOTH of them turn into impact players, but the likelihood may end up being that one will end up being a complimentary player to the other. They play similar styles and both were drafted as centers. Could they be the next one-two punch down the middle for the Blackhawks? Time will tell. Remember, Reichel hasn’t even skated with the Blackhawks yet.
Free Agency
The free agent market for forwards this summer is going to have a number of impact options for the Blackhawks to pursue. If they want to try to add impact scoring, they could target Mike Hoffman or Taylor Hall. If they wanted to go for a player who could make an impact in all situations, they could target Blake Coleman or Zach Hyman. If they wanted someone to be a defensive impact in their forward-rotation, they could target players like Phillip Danault or Joel Armia.
Now granted, the probability that Chicago targets any of those players in free agency is low. The biggest ned that the Blackhawks have to address immediately is their need for a No. 1 defenseman. If they do that, it would likely leave little room for them to add that impact forward through free agency.
Say they end up not signing a free agent defenseman like Dougie Hamilton, then I would wish for the Blackhawks to go all-in on grabbing a player like Danault or Hyman. Both of them can play all over the lineup and both can make significant impacts both on the powerplay and especially on the penalty-kill. They would also slot right into the top-six forwards group in Chicago if they were to land with the club.
Trade Market
The biggest fish in the trade market this offseason has been Buffalo Sabres Captain Jack Eichel. The Blackhawks were mentioned early-on in the Eichel trade rumors, but once the price for Eichel was made known, the Blackhawks pretty much closed the books on trying to make a deal work with Buffalo.
Two other impact names that are rumored to be on the trade block are Evgeny Kuznetsov and Johnny Gaudreau. The biggest hang-up I would have with the Blackhawks making a trade this offseason, for either a top-tier defenseman or for an impact forward, is that they have salary cap space to use, but they should not be giving up draft capital or any of their top-tier prospects at this point in time. The team is going through a rebuild and last season was a step in the right direction for that rebuild. Gaudreau or Kuznetsov would cost the Blackhawks as much or more than it would to try to acquire Seth Jones, for example.
The Blackhawks are not one player away from becoming Stanley Cup contenders again, and while adding an impact forward through a trade could accelerate that process, in theory, they would at the same time be stalling their progress by giving up future assets or future players who could be building blocks back to the top of the league.
Draft
Chicago holds the 11th overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. In this wishlist series, we’ve talked about forward prospects like Mason McTavish, Cole Sillinger, Chaz Lucius, and Matthew Coronato. Most of them will likely be available to the Blackhawks at the 11th overall selection, so it comes down to what Chicago wants to address at that 11th overall pick. Do they go for need or best player available?
If they do end up drafting a forward, perhaps one of the four we’ve mentioned in the series so far, it’s possible but unlikely that that player would jump into the NHL lineup next season. Out of those four mentioned previously, two I could see possibly making the jump would be McTavish or Sillinger, but again it’s unlikely.
If Chicago is playing the long game, and leaning into their rebuilding process, they could take a forward with their first-round pick and find a player that could fit into the group they have built over the last few season with DeBrincat, Dach, Hagel, Kurashev, and Reichel. Maybe even a player who could lead that next core group of forward talent for when Toews and Kane are no longer around to pull the rope.
Chicago needs an impact forward to help get them back to the top of the mountain the NHL. It’ll likely be the secondary need they address this offseason behind getting their next top-tier defenseman, but is still something within the organization that needs to be addressed. There are plenty of options, and once the plan for addressing their needs defensively plays out, adding an impact forward should likely be next in line on Chicago’s to-do list.
