These several Blackhawks will be leaving the team to test free agency

The Chicago Blackhawks will have to figure out how to rearrange the lineup to improve the outlook for the team.

The team had a meager 23 wins and 52 points on the season and has 11 upcoming UFAs who will either be signed or test free agency.


The team will have to consider the UFAs and prioritize the RFAs since they're rebuilding.


The UFAs are who we'll focus on for this article:

Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson's time in Chicago seems to be at an end, as he has prioritized in the media finding a new home.


Johnson, who won back-to-back cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, became a part of the bottom-dwelling team who finished 27th, 30th, and 31st. He wants to get back into a winning position.

With the Blackhawks ready to move onto the next step of the rebuild and Johnson having a successful time in Chicago individually, he shouldn't have a difficult time finding a home in July.

Nikita Zaitsev and Jarred Tinordi

Both Nikita Zaitsev and Jarred Tinordi are both 7th defensemen who would be a depth option anywhere else in the NHL right now. Both missed a significant amount of time during the 2023-2024 season, totaling 90 games.

Both players did allow for young players to develop through playing time in the AHL this season.

While Zaitsev isn't consistent, he is capable of producing offensively, despite not like he did during his rookie year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, totaling 36 points. When not suffering from a knee injury, when he was healthy wasn't able to crack the lineup when healthy.

Tinordi brought a physical element to the Blackhawks, which was missing and as a character guy, having many bad games can't really save you.

Each player is 32 years old and maybe it's best to let them test free agency.

Jaycob Megna

Megna was picked up off of waivers on January 3rd, 2024 when the team was suffering from a mass amount of injuries.

The Chicago-born player played 44 games with his hometown team as a stay-at-home defenseman. Megna, is a great penalty killer, at 6 foot 6, 220lbs, and plays a steady game, focusing on controlling mistakes and being a reliable player. But unfortunately, no offensive upside.

If the Hawks do decide to keep a depth defenseman, Megna could be it, or they could let him test free agency and give a youngster a shot in 2024-2025.

Or they could add closer to the beginning of the season.

Zach Sanford

Chicago could be set to move up some forwards from the AHL into the big-time, which means they will unfortunately have to move on from others. Which could mean the end for Zach Sanford in Chicago.

Sanford was claimed right after Megna, within a 3-day time period. Sanford would end up in the AHL after not having a good showing in Chicago, he played 18 games for the Blackhawks and 13 for the IceHogs.

At 29 years old, playing for seven NHL teams already, and with Landon Slaggert and Frank Nazar's arrival, it seems he may have to find a different market to fill a needed role as a depth forward elsewhere.

Source: The Hockey News
Handful of Blackhawks Set to Move on in Free Agency