The Chicago Blackhawks raised some eyebrows on Sunday (June 30) when it came to handing out qualifying offers to pending restricted free agents ahead of July 1.
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope reported the team only gave qualifying offers to defensemen Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier, but a long list of potential restricted free agents (RFA) will not be retained.
The list of RFAs who won’t be retained includes: forwards Joey Anderson, MacKenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson, Taylor Raddysh and Michal Teply, defenseman Filip Roos and goaltender Jaxson Stauber. They all became free agents on July 1, with some signing elsewhere, like Raddysh with the Washington Capitals (hey, at least Anderson re-signed!)
But why so few? Some teams are happy to bring back a handful, even more of their pending RFAs each season, but it felt pronounced that general manager Kyle Davidson and his staff went out of their way to not retain seven out of nine options. Were they making a statement to fans and the organization? Are they hitting the reset button? Also, why just Phillips and Crevier?
Let’s take a look at the Blackhawks’ decisions, and why I feel Chicago is retaining the two defenders.
Why Retain Only Phillips and Crevier?
At first glance, it may be confusing as to why the Blackhawks only retained Phillips and Crevier, two defenders who spent more than half the 2023-24 season with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rockford IceHogs, as well as looked less than stellar in the NHL games they did appear in.
“Neither one holds arbitration rights, so they won’t have much leverage in contract negotiations with the Hawks this summer,” Pope wrote in his piece. “Once signed, they’ll compete for NHL jobs during training camp but more likely will start the season back in Rockford.”
The 22-year-old Phillips had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 29 games with the IceHogs last season, and while he had flashes of strong defensive play in the minors, he struggled mightily with the Blackhawks, posting a minus-26 in 33 games, averaging 17:04 of ice time. His even-strength possession numbers didn’t look too great, either, finishing with a 41.5 percent Corsi in 2023-24.
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The 23-year-old Crevier also struggled with the Blackhawks, posting a minus-16 in 24 games with the big club, with an awful 37.7 percent even-strength Corsi while averaging just 15:41 of ice time. He looked better with the IceHogs, scoring three goals and eight assists for 11 points and a plus-12 rating in 41 games.
After looking at the Blackhawks’ additions to the blue line on July 1, like Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie, as well as returning defenders like Seth Jones and Connor Murphy and rookie standouts Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski, it’s hard to see a path for the likes of Phillips and Crevier to carve out a spot for themselves in the lineup, unless there’s an injury or someone’s play really drops off.
Organizational Depth Above All
It’s unlikely the Blackhawks retained Crevier and Phillips for their untapped potential, or as moulds of clay filled with raw talent. No, they’re returning because players like them are important to the health of a franchise hoping to return to glory: they provide organizational depth.
On teams that were as bad as the Blackhawks were the past few seasons, players like them would have ample opportunity to compete, knowing the lineup wasn’t good enough to field a roster of 18 full-time NHL players.
Now that this club has begun developing high-skilled prospects and signing legitimate NHLers, everyone who doesn’t fit the billing is pushed down a spot, now fighting for whatever role they can hold within the group. For Crevier and Phillips, they now represent “tweeners” — stuck between an NHLer and AHLer — capable professionals who can hold their own in the greatest minor league in the hockey universe, but either a stride too slow or a crumb too light to play with the best in the sport.
I have no doubt that at some point in 2024-25, either Crevier or Phillips, or both, will be called up to the NHL club to play a string of games, providing spot duty for a lineup lacking health. But when it comes to their futures, don’t count on Chicago having plans for them beyond a few years. The two are approaching their mid-20s, and while they may have plenty of time to pave the way for their own professional hockey careers, they’re running out of time to show the Blackhawks they can be more than reliable depth pieces. Because right now, that’s all they are. It’s up to them to change that narrative going into this season.
