Whereas discussing the potential pivot from rebuild to rivalry for the Chicago Blackhawks, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic wrote the next in a mailbag piece this week:
With Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Shea Theodore and Aaron Ekblad among the many gamers slated for unrestricted free company subsequent summer time, simply as gamers comparable to Oliver Moore and [Artyom] Levshunov are prepared to interrupt into the NHL for good, issues may get fascinating in a short time.
supply – “Is it OK for Blackhawks followers to really root for wins? Lazerus mailbag, Half I’ – Mark Lazerus – The Athletic – 07/26/2024
His concept is that the Blackhawks might not push for large names or large trades this season, however by the point the 2025 NHL offseason rolls round, the franchise needs to be in a spot the place they’ll take a number of large swings on accessible gamers and shoot up the standings as contenders, particularly as a few of their younger core rounds into kind and is able to make a distinction within the NHL.
Is This the Proper Sport Plan for the Blackhawks?
Sooner or later, the Blackhawks, like every rebuilding workforce, want to depart the rebuilding section and begin including gamers who can affect the wins and losses document. Led by Connor Bedard, they’ve a robust group of younger abilities and a few veterans on their roster. They added a number of items that they’ve dedicated to this offseason, specifically Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen. In the meantime, the crop of potential UFAs in 2025 and 2026 seems strong and if the Blackhawks can add a bit or two, they may very well be a much-improved workforce.
Associated: Meet the New Blackhawks: Ilya Mikheyev
The Blackhawks have left themselves room to spend cash too. With Taylor Corridor, Andreas Athanasiou, and Alec Martinez all coming off the books after this season, that provides $14.25 million in cap area, giving them round $30 million to spend. That’s sufficient to make large performs for big-time gamers and put a strong set of stars collectively. An identical scenario exists in 2026.
Who Ought to the Blackhawks Goal?
The apparent alternative if he makes it to free company is Mitch Marner. The concept of Bedard and Marner on the identical line would have followers in Chicago salivating. It might not work out to be Marner, Bertuzzi, and Bedard on the highest line, but when it was, that’s a potent trio. Based mostly on what Travis Konecny simply bought with the Philadelphia Flyers ($8.75 million per season) it’s arduous to know precisely what Marner is value. That stated, the Blackhawks can doubtlessly afford to pay him greater than most groups.
From there, the Blackhawks may need to give attention to their blue line. 28-year-old Shea Theodore can be an unbelievable get for the workforce. The Golden Knights received’t let him go and not using a struggle, however Vegas is beginning to turn out to be a workforce recognized for shedding their roster members, both due to their wage cap scenario or a scarcity of loyalty. To imagine Theodore may discover his choices isn’t that a lot of an extended shot and so as to add a 22-minute-per-night defenseman who can add 40 factors per season would make a world of distinction.
These two gamers alone would eat up an enormous chunk of the Blackhawks cap area, however not sufficient that the workforce must be involved about it. If Theodore will get round $8 million and Marner round $12.5, that’s simply over $20 million with room leftover to make sure Bedard will get the bag in the summertime of 2026, when the cap has risen one other $5-$6 million.
And, the extra gamers like this that get added to the Blackhawks’ roster, the extra different proficient free brokers look in direction of Chicago as a viable vacation spot to play. Including big-name gamers and attracting others in a brief interval is the place the Blackhawks may make their push.
The one remaining situation is goaltending. Igor Shesterkin is a pending UFA in 2025, however the Rangers received’t let him go. That stated Linus Ullmark additionally could also be accessible. If that does work, in 2026, when each Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit see their contracts expire, Thatcher Demko turns into an intriguing identify to look at.
