Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks are ready to take the next step in their rebuild, and Monday’s moves on the first day of NHL free agency backed up how serious general manager Kyle Davidson was about surrounding his younger players with more talent to help accomplish that.
The Blackhawks signed a pair of first-line forwards in Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, a pair of depth forwards in three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon and winger Craig Smith, a three-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman who can still play top-four in Alec Martinez, and a reliable backup goalie in Laurent Brossoit. They also acquired second-line winger Ilya Mikheyev a few days earlier in a trade with Vancouver.
On paper, Chicago’s roster has improved significantly and that will make for a competitive training camp. So let’s get right to it.
Here’s an early projection of the Blackhawks’ opening night roster in 2024-25:
Forward
Tyler Bertuzzi, Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev
Taylor Hall — Andreas Athanasiou — Teuvo Teravainen
Lukas Reichel — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Foligno — Ryan Donato — Pat Maroon
Extras: Joey Anderson, Craig Smith
Defenders
Alex Vlasic — Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski — Alec Martinez
Wyatt Kaiser — Connor Murphy
Extras: Isaac Phillips
Goalkeepers:
Petr Mrazek
Laurent Brossoit
Thoughts
- Bertuzzi will almost certainly start the season on Bedard’s side. He’s exactly the type of player you want your young franchise star playing with. Someone who’s an agitator, who goes to the dirty areas, who can finish near the net, and who has the offensive skills and potential to score 30 goals and 60 points.
- Teravainen will likely find his place on Bedard’s line at some point, perhaps even on the power play, but there’s no reason to separate Bedard and Kurashev after they developed strong chemistry together. It makes more sense to slot Teravainen on the second line and help Hall regain his form after he missed nearly all of last season with an ACL injury.
- I wouldn’t be surprised if Dickinson started on the second line, but he’s better suited to the third where he can play more of a control role. I put Athanasiou at center on the second line because it seems like Hall and Teravainen would benefit from playing with a speed player in the middle.
- Reichel is going to have his work cut out for him. It’s hard to imagine him playing in the top six with all the additions. It’s more likely that he’ll be in a bottom-six role and forced to earn a spot in the lineup, assuming he doesn’t start in Rockford. The fourth line doesn’t seem like it would put him in the best position to succeed, so the third line is a fair compromise where he can play with Dickinson and newcomer Mikheyev and prove his worth.
- There isn’t a ton of speed on the fourth line with Donato, Foligno and Maroon, but it’s a much better and more experienced fourth line than last season. Smith is the ideal candidate to be the 13th forward alongside Anderson, who could start the season in Rockford if there’s no room for him on the NHL roster and be one of the first forwards called up if/when a spot opens up due to injury.
- I expect Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert to start the season in Rockford, given how stacked the roster looks right now. Plus, they could benefit from some conditioning as they acclimate to the strain of an 82-game season, both physically and mentally. The taste of the NHL they got last season gives them something to work on specifically.
- On defense, Vlasic and Jones work best when they’re together. I wouldn’t touch that duo.
- I don’t think Martinez should be signed for a $4 million cap hit if the goal is to have him on the third pairing. He averaged 19:02 last season when healthy, so pairing him with a younger defender like Korchinski makes more sense. Martinez has no problem playing on the right side.
- I should also say this: Korchinski, at times, looked like he could have used some time in the AHL last season, but he obviously wasn’t eligible to play there. Next season, he’ll be allowed to do so. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blackhawks used that option if he gets off to a rough start and it’s beneficial for him to hone his game in Rockford.
- Kaiser has made impressive strides and feels ready to be a full-time NHL player. Pairing him with Murphy, who is a right-handed shooter, isn’t a bad third pairing.
- I imagine the Blackhawks would like to add one or two more defenders to protect themselves. I don’t think they want a young defender like Phillips to be the seventh man every night.
- At the goaltending position, Mrazek is the surefire No. 1. He kept the Blackhawks in goal every night last season. Securing a reliable backup in Brossoit for the next two years was an important decision to help mask the mistakes of some of their younger players as they try to figure out the NHL and the Blackhawks look to take the next step in their rebuild.
- That brings us to Söderblom. The Blackhawks like his potential, but they had no choice but to look for an upgrade at the position. They couldn’t get it back with the same tandem. Söderblom will have to prove himself again and try to regain the form he had in Rockford.
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