Free agency was always going to be an interesting endeavor for the Blackhawks this offseason. After years of being in salary cap hell, and after the roster tear down, the Hawks find themselves with over $41 million in cap space with which to work.
Prior to winning the draft lottery, Chicago was very likely to sign some veteran placeholders to short-term/high AAV deals. This would help Kyle Davidson accomplish three things – (1) avoid limiting, long-term contracts (2) help the younger Hawks learn from veterans and build a culture, and (3) help the Hawks hit the cap floor (which was $60.3 million in 2022-23).
But now that the Hawks won the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, how does that change potential Blackhawks Free Agent Targets?
The answer, which may surprise you, is likely not a ton. Kyle Davidson will still look to take the approach of shorter-term, higher AAV veteran players to help move the young core along. However, with a potential superstar like Bedard in the fold, could Davidson look to add a higher-end player to play alongside Bedard and help his development? Davidson will still take a smart, measured approach this summer. But he also may make a few more phone calls on players he might not have prior to finding out he can draft Connor Bedard.
The Patrick Kane Sized Elephant In The Room
Let’s get this one out of the way first. Kane will inevitably be a hot discussion topic up until he signs a deal somewhere, wherever that may be. But as you may recall, in his end-of-season media availability, Kane all but shot down the chance at a Chicago return.
Kane isn’t all that interested in a long-term rebuild, and honestly who can blame him? What might change things now is (1) the timeline of the rebuild just got sped up to where it could include the back end of Kane’s very productive years and (2) it could provide him the chance to play alongside Connor Bedard. Here’s what he had to say about Bedard back in January.
Showtime is going to have a bunch of offers this season, so he’s going to have a lot to weigh. He had a fine playoff series against New York, but finally admitted he was slowed by an injury. Kane didn’t rule out the option of surgery this offseason. How does that affect his approach to free agency and other teams’ approach to him?
As far as a Kane return to the Hawks, it’s still unlikely. Prior to drafting Bedard, I’d say the chances were just about 0%. Now that Bedard is in the picture, the window might have cracked open a tad, but it’s still highly unlikely. Hope all you want, I know I will be. I’d love nothing more than to see #88 alongside Bedard next season. Just giving you a fair warning not to get your hopes up.
Notable Upcoming Unrestricted Free Agents
It’s not the strongest class of unrestricted free agents this offseason. There are a lot of familiar names, but many are over 30 and not the type of free agent for which you want to go all in — at least, in terms of contract length. Let’s take a look at some of the bigger names on the market. Since we covered Kane, and we know Jonathan Toews won’t be back, I’m going to exclude them from the notables list.
C Ryan O’Reilly (Toronto – 32 years old)
RW Vlad Tarasenko (New York – 31 years old)
LW James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia – 34 years old)
D John Klingberg (Minnesota – 30 years old)
LW Max Pacioretty (Carolina – 34 years old)
C Sean Monahan (Montreal – 28 years old)
D Matthew Dumba (Minnesota – 28 years old)
LW Timo Meier (New Jersey – 26 years old)
C Jordan Staal (Carolina – 34 years old)
Max Domi (Dallas – 28 years old)
I’d be lying if I said a few names on that list didn’t intrigue me. I mean, who wouldn’t want Ryan O’Reilly centering a second line behind Connor Bedard? But judging from what 2022-23 playoff hero Nazem Kadri, 32, got from Calgary last offseason (7 years, $49 million), someone like that doesn’t necessarily match Kyle Davidson stated offseason philosophy.
If you’d like to see the full list of next year’s UFAs you can do that here.
Potential Blackhawks Free Agent Targets
Let’s talk about some potential targets for the Hawks this offseason, shall we?
On the basis of need, the Hawks need help just about everywhere. One place I don’t expect them to address in free agency is goaltender. They just signed Arvid Söderblom to a two-year extension, so he’s likely to be on the team. Petr Mrazek is also locked up for one more year so he is also likely to be back.
With all that said, here’s who I think makes sense to target:
F Max Domi (Dallas – 28 years old) – I think this one is easy. A reunion with Domi makes all the sense in the world for both sides. The Hawks signed Domi last offseason to a one-year, $3 million deal. They dealt him at the deadline to Dallas, where he’s played well. Following the trade to Dallas, Domi praised his time in Chicago. He also bet on himself with a one-year deal to play for Luke Richardson. Richardson went as far as to say he’d love to have Domi back. Well, Richardson isn’t going anywhere, the Hawks have money to spend, Domi checks the boxes of a veteran leader, as well as someone young enough to be part of the next core. And he also won’t be ridiculously expensive (though definitely a bigger commitment than last year). Domi and Bedard on the top line next season seems like a pretty nice foundation for Kyle Davidson.
C Sean Monahan (Montreal – 28 years old) – Monahan got off to a great start to his young career in Calgary. He wore an “A” for the Flames for six seasons. He had five consecutive seasons with 60+ points from 2014-2019. Then when the pandemic season hit, he took a turn. He missed 32 games in 2020-21, 17 games in 2021-21, and a whopping 57 games this past season. He seems like a perfect candidate for a one or two-year “prove-it” deal with a team like the Hawks. Here he can play top-six minutes. He’s been in a leadership position at a young age, he won’t break the bank, and his style fits the Hawks. He’s a two-way player who, when healthy, can be very productive offensively as well. He also won over 50% of his faceoffs in seven of his 10 NHL seasons.
LW Tyler Bertuzzi (Boston – 28 years old) – Bertuzzi was traded to Boston from Detroit this past trade deadline, and he’s likely priced himself out of Boston given their tough cap situation. Similar to Domi, he’s due for a raise this off-season. He’s only 28 years old and would go well with the type of core that Kyle Davidson would like to build. He’s fast, skilled, but he also can play a tough two-way game. He may not be an elite defensive forward, but he’s a high-motor guy who is tough to play against. It wouldn’t shock me if he ended up on a contender, but with his play style and age, I would most certainly give him a call.
D Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh – 31 years old) – Pittsburgh missed the playoffs this season, and with an overhaul to their front office, some big changes could be on the way. The Hawks have some young defensive prospects knocking on the door in Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser. They also have a lot of holes to fill and could use some veteran leadership. Dumoulin was part of two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh. He’s not going to blow anyone away with offensive skill, but he’s a smart and defensively sound defenseman that could go a long way in mentoring some of the Hawks younger prospects. Does he want that role? Maybe not. He very well might want to go chase more Cups somewhere else. But he’s very much worth a phone call and would do wonders for building a winning culture for the young core.
RW Phil Kessel (Vegas – 35 years old) – Okay don’t laugh. Hear me out on this one. No Cup contender is going to offer him a ton of money, and the Hawks have a lot of that to provide. Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh and has become a pretty darn good example of how to go about your daily business in the NHL while being a productive player. Kessel is certainly on the backend of his career at age 35, but he still managed 36 points this season in a lessened role with Vegas. In his prime, he was one of the NHL’s best goalscorers and could be a really nice fit alongside Connor Bedard. He also provides the Hawks with a ton of consistency. He holds the current NHL Ironman streak with 1,064 consecutive games played. He’s not the 6-time 30-goal scorer he once was. But he is a proven winner, a proven producer, and could be a consistent presence in a young locker room to set an example of how to show up every day and go about your business.
LW Michael Bunting (Toronto – 27 years old) – Bunting would help the Hawks in a whole lot of areas. He’s a tough-to-play-against forward who’s not afraid to go to the net and can score some goals. He’s the type of player that could slot on the top line with Connor Bedard and score some goals alongside him, while also serving as a protector on the ice. Being 27 years old, he’s going to be in line for a longer-term deal than most of the players on this list coming off a 49-point season for the Leafs. While Kyle Davidson would like to not get saddled with too many long-term deals, Bunting might be the type of player to make an exception for.
LW Milan Lucic (Calgary – 34 years old) – Lucic’s best days are far behind him. He’s failed to score double-digit goals in 3 of the last 5 seasons. He’s also a veteran who’s been around a lot of success in his career, has won a Stanley Cup, and was a one-time 30-goal scorer. He’s gritty, physical, and would serve as a bodyguard with some skill for Connor Bedard and the young Hawks. It would be incredibly similar to the Hawks bringing in Martin LaPointe for the last few years of his career. He’d come cheap, he could help the young guys come along, and he could cash a nice paycheck here thanks to the Hawks cap space.
RW Ryan Reaves (Minnesota – 36 years old) – One thing Kyle Davidson will very likely do this summer is get Connor Bedard a bodyguard. There’s no better bodyguard in the league than Ryan Reaves, and he happens to be available. Reaves has been on playoff teams for the majority of his career, so he knows what it’s like to experience success and can be an asset both on and off the ice for this young Hawks core. Inevitably, teams will try and mess with Bedard and take some shots at him this year. It’s important to go get a guy who will hold teams accountable and limit those shots taken. Reaves is that guy.
NEWSLETTER
