How The 2 New Blackhawks Acquisitions Should Work Out
The last week or so, really since the NHL draft have been a whirlwind for the Chicago Blackhawks. It started with officially announcing new head coach Luke Richardson. The Blackhawks then went and made two massive trades in which Alex DeBrincat was sent to the Ottawa Senators, and Kirby Dach was sent to to the Montreal Canadiens.
Fast forward to now, and free agency has officially begun. And the Blackhawks are still making moves. Chicago signed two veteran NHL players in Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou. Domi will now be on his 5th team in the last 5 years, as he was traded from Columbus to Carolina midway through this season. He will definitely bring some physicality to Chicago. Will be interesting to see how him and Connor Murphy get along too, given their history on the ice.
In case you forgot, this is what happened between them:
As for Athanasiou, his last two seasons were spent in Los Angeles with the Kings. He didn't have the greatest numbers, but to be fair to him, one of those seasons he missed a ton of time due to COVID. Hopefully he is able to get some more ice time this upcoming season.
This two moves have all the makings of a "deadline" signing. Meaning the Blackhawks most likely signed these two players to gain additional assets to shop at the trade deadline. Yes, these are both NHL veterans, but neither player is one to build around, nor are they worth keeping around until the Hawks are contenders again. So it shouldn't come as a surprise if either Domi or Athanasiou (possibly both) are not wearing Blackhawk sweaters at the conclusion of next season.
Check out some Max Domi highlights:
Check out some Andreas Athanasiou highlights:
