When the first day of free agency opened on July 1, the Chicago Blackhawks were the busiest team in the NHL. It wasn’t expected that they would make big moves, yet they did, in their own way.
The Hawks signed eight players: five forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender, which will give the entire lineup a new look next season. Let’s rank the team’s day, with a fun scale.
4. What Is Up, Davidson?
Kyle Davidson is a rare general manager nowadays because there is usually no hidden agenda behind his words. If he says the team will or won’t do something, fans can generally take it verbatim, but this past week was different.
Davidson had implied to temper expectations for free agency “but left the door open for more forward signings and trades.” I’ll admit, he got me there. I was initially concerned when I saw that, thinking he can’t just expect a last-place roster from last year to make significant strides next season. However, it’s nice to see he maintained the mindset from his exit interviews when he stated it was time for the team to take a step forward. So, in the end, he was true to his word, but he had ulterior motives for free agency that I don’t think many were expecting. Bravo to Davidson for pulling off that surprise.
Now, what, if anything, comes next?
3. Like A Blackhawks Hallmark Movie
I’m noticing that Davidson is starting a trend of adding old playoff foes to the current roster. Last year, it was Corey Perry, who was not a Blackhawks fan favorite during the dynasty playoff series as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. This year, it is defenseman Alec Martinez, who broke fans’ hearts during Game 7 of the Western Conference Final in 2014 when he scored the game-winning goal with the Los Angeles Kings that may have stopped the Hawks from back-to-back Stanley Cups.
But he’s hoping that’s water under the bridge. The 36-year-old may not be what he once was, but he is still effective. He had 17 points in 55 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season and still averages over 19 minutes of ice time, which is great for players like Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic, who have carried most of the workload for Chicago. The three-time Stanley Cup veteran should be a reliable option for one year. As Ben Pope from the Chicago Sun-Times tweeted, Martinez played with Shea Theodore in Vegas, and knowing young defenseman Kevin Korchinski models his game after Theodore, Martinez could be a great mentor for him, especially.
Here’s to hoping that the Martinez fit and redemption arc with the Blackhawks will become as sweet as a Hallmark movie.
2. How’s That for a Plot Twist?
With all the free agents on the board this year, the one player I was never expecting to see on the Blackhawks is Pat Maroon. I also didn’t expect to see Craig Smith, but they signed one-year deals and will be depth for the bottom-six. Maroon is not a huge point producer, with 16 points in 51 games last season with the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins, but they don’t call him the “Big Rig” for nothing. He is good at his role, which is agitating opponents, and head coach Luke Richardson also mentioned how the three-time Stanley Cup champion can help “settle things down” for the young players. Also, Connor Bedard has an extra bodyguard, which is nice!
Related: Blackhawks Only Give Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier Qualifying Offers
With Craig Smith, he is a workhorse type of player, which fits Richardson’s system to a tee. He played on the Dallas Stars last season, where he had 20 points and was a plus-2 in 75 games, so he can be a factor. He is also very familiar with Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Nick Foligno from his time with the Boston Bruins, which always helps.
1. Heard, Chef!
As long as the Chicago-based TV series ‘The Bear’ keeps returning around free agency, the references will continue!
Finally, some talent! I think that is the sentiment that many Blackhawks fans and players wanted to see. Management’s first moves of the day were signing Tyler Bertuzzi (4 years, $5.5 million AAV) and old friend Teuvo Teravainen (3 years, $5.4 million AAV) to multi-year deals. I would have been happy if those two were their only main signings. Bertuzzi is everything the Blackhawks need right now. He can play all over the lineup, is defensively sound (he was a plus-6 in the past two seasons), and plays with an edge. He is usually someone, no matter what team he has been on, is usually a player you look for on the ice because he is either starting something or finishing something. He can average 40-plus points a season, recording 43 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
With Teravainen, fans already know what they are getting out of him from his three-year stint with the Blackhawks, which included a Stanley Cup in 2015. He can play in all situations and is always productive. He had 53 points in 76 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last year and has been consistently hitting the 50 to 60-point mark over the course of his 11-year career. He also comes from a very good Hurricanes team, so having that knowledge of success will surely benefit the locker room.
The other underrated move was signing goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a two-year deal to back up Petr Mrazek. Meanwhile, struggling goalie Arvid Soderblom will play with the Rockford IceHogs. Last season with the Winnipeg Jets, Brossoit had a 2.00 GAA (Goals-against Average) and a .927 SV% (Save Percentage) in 23 games, with a 15-5-2 record backing up Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. His .927 SV% led the league for goaltenders in 2023-2024. Although he did play in fewer games than many of the other goalies in the top-10, like Jeremy Swayman and Semyon Varlamov, it’s still an impressive accomplishment and should be more than reliable for Mrazek.
Related: Chicago Blackhawks Sign Tyler Bertuzzi to 4-Year Contract
It’s fair to have concerns about where everyone will fit. I do, too, but Davidson continues what he did last year by signing veterans as placeholders to maintain patience with the prospects. It will be interesting to see how these players are utilized, especially Joey Anderson, who was re-signed for two more years, and veteran defenseman T.J. Brodie, who was given a two-year deal. There is still an entire offseason to answer roster questions. Yet, for now, Taylor Raddysh, Tyler Johnson, Reese Johnson, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jarred Tinordi, Nikita Zaitsev, and Soderblom were upgraded on the roster. It’s not a Steven Stamkos upgrade-type, but it’s a start.
As coach Richardson said after the frenzy, “[We’re] excited to start trying to move this organization forward now. It was a tough two years at times, but there were times we saw some really good signs. So now take those small signs and put some execution around them to make sure we can start moving forward.”
Chicago might not be a Stanley Cup team yet, but at least they’re striving for more, and that’s what they need.
