Despite an electric rookie season from No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, it was another miserable campaign for the Chicago Blackhawks. The team finished dead last in the Central Division with a ghastly 23-53-6 record, and never looked like anything but a bottom feeder. Bedard made things exciting, scoring 22 goals and 61 points in his first 68 games as an NHLer, but things went off the rails when the 18-year-old was out of the lineup.
Still, it was a rebuilding year in the Windy City, and everyone knew it. It's going to take a couple of years for this roster to be good again, following the heydays of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews that led to three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The hope in Illinois is that the team can get back to that level of play sooner rather than later.
But to do that, general manager Kyle Davidson and the front office will have their work cut out for them this offseason. The team owns a ton of draft capital at the 2024 NHL Draft at the end of June, and also have some salary cap space to work with. This was one of the league's worst rosters in 2023-24 — probably the worst when Bedard was out with a broken jaw — and it's going to take even more patience and care to get this roster back to Stanley Cup contention.
Here are three moves Chicago should make this summer ahead of Bedard's sophomore campaign.
Find Connor Bedard a few talented teammates
It goes without saying that Bedard didn't exactly have a star supporting cast around him in his rookie season. Although Philipp Kurashev had a great year on his wing, the third player on the line was a revolving door that included players like Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson, among others. Davidson needs to bring in an established player that can help Bedard reach new heights next season.
There are a ton of intriguing UFA options this summer, including Jonathan Marchessault, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Guentzel and Sam Reinhart. Whether any of those four players would make sense in Chciago is for Davidson and the front office to decide, but each would look electric on Chicago's top line next season.
Internally, the Hawks don't have a ton of options to successfully play on the top line. Taylor Hall could return nexet season after missing most of 2023-24 with a knee injury, and Frank Nazar could be a top-line candidate after showing his potential at the end of last season. More likely, the youngster will head to Rockford in the American Hockey League to finetune his game.
All that being said, there isn't enough talent on the Hawks roster to maximize what Bedard can bring to the table. Davidson should be looking outside of the organization to bring in a player who could play with him and Kurashev in 2024-25 — and potentially beyond.
Load up on talent at the draft
Although the roster certainly needs some work, the Hawks have built some excellent draft capital over the last few seasons. And on June 28 and 29, they'll own two first-round picks and three second-round selections, along with two thirds, a fifth and a sixth.
Although Chicago won't draft No. 1 overall for the second straight year — meaning Bedard won't have Macklin Celebrini on his team next year, the squad still has the second overall pick. Likely, Davidson will go for the top forward available, meaning Medicine Hat Tiger forward Cayden Lindstrom could be headed to the Windy City.
Chicago already owns a deep defensive prospect pool, which is why selecting another forward at No. 2 overall makes sense. The Hawks have a ton of defense in the pipeline, including Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, Nolan Allan, Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier and Sam Rinzel.
Certainly, the Hawks will pick a D-man — or a couple — eventually. But the front office should use the two first-round selections on forwards, as the franchise continues to build out an excellent young prospect pool. This organization has drafted well from 2020-23, and there's a pristine opportunity to continue stocking the cupboards and making a top prospect pool even deeper come the end of June.
Figure out bottom defense pairing, backup goaltender
Although the draft should help iron out some roster issues for the future, the present is also pressing. Although Chicago probably already has its opening night top-four defenseman set — Seth Jones, Vlasic, Korchinski and Connor Murphy — the same can't be said of the bottom pairing. With Jarred Tinordi, Nikita Zaitsev and Jaycob Megna all likely to be moving on, there are some spots available in 2024-25.
Although some of the defensive prospects could get a shot, like Kaiser, Philips or Del Mastro, Davidson could also look to add a player in free agency. Most likely, he will be patient and find depth D-men either on the trade or free agent market. But the youth revolution on the blue line is coming in the Windy City, and it's only a matter of time before the prospects get their shot.
In net, while Petr Mrazek was very strong in 2023-24, he struggled to stay healthy and is now approaching 33-years-old. The Hawks need a capable backup, and Arvid Soderblom was simply not the answer last year. He was actually one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL, and although he has one season left on his contract (Mrazek has two), it might be time to move on from the Swede.
There's no guarantee that Mrazek will make it through two more NHL campaigns without a trip to the IR, and it's hard to count on Soderblom if that does indeed happen. It'll be intruing to see if Davidson and the front office run it back with Mrazek and Soderblom this season, or look for an upgrade instead.
Regardless of the moves the front office makes this summer, it's hard to see the Blackhawks competing for a playoff spot in 2025. But Connor Bedard should be electric again in his sophomore campaign, the prospect pool is deep and will get deeper, and the team is in competent hands. It should be only a matter of time before the best team of the 2010s is back competing for Lord Stanley.
Follow Us
Subscribe