Three Free Agent Centers The Blackhawks Should Push For
The Chicago Blackhawks are going into next season with some of the lowest expectations across the entire NHL. It came out of general manager Kyle Davidson's mouth himself, "we are looking at a rebuild". Obviously with a rebuild comes little to no expectations. If anything, the expectation is for them to be nothing more than a subpar hockey team. Which unfortunate is that is, that's just how rebuilds work. But even rebuilding teams are forced to hit the market in free agency from time to time, and it is no different for the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks could absolutely use another center in the lineup for next season. The Kirby Dach experiment, while not over yet, it is definitely on thin ice. Dylan Strome has still yet to be given his qualifying offer. Jonathan Toews future with the Blackhawks is up in the air. So the team could definitely use another center for next season. So here's three options that the Blackhawks should consider this off-season.
1) Nick Paul-Tampa Bay
On pretty much any hockey stats website you check, it will show Nick Paul as a left wing. And they aren't wrong, he was drafted as left wing by the Dallas Stars back in 2013. However, by the time he made it to the NHL level he was with the Ottawa Senators, who quickly realized that Paul was just as good, if not better at the center position. He spent pretty much equal time at both positions during his time there and his short time that he has been with the Lightning. The 27 year old would be definitely be a good fit for a rebuilding team like the Blackhawks. This season he has 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. He was traded to the Lightning earlier this season and is set to become a free agent.
2) Chris Tierney- Ottawa Senators
Chris Tierney is an 8 year veteran in the NHL who has spent the last 4 years with the Ottawa Senators. He arrived there in 2018 after spending his first 4 years in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. Chris Tierney is one of those players who has had decent numbers with the limited ice time he gets. In his entire career he has an average TOI of just 14:52, but has still amassed 73 goals and 153 assists during that span. Tierney would certainly be a solid addition to the Blackhawks roster.
3)Paul Stastny- Winnipeg Jets
Paul Stastny is the longest tenured NHL veteran on this list. Stastny made his NHL debut back in 2006 with the Colorado Avalanche. Since then, he has gone on to have a 16 year career that has spanned across 4 different teams. Those teams being the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, and now the Winnipeg Jets. While his numbers certainly have taken a dip at this point in his career, he still produces. This season he has 44 points with 21 goals and 23 assists. Stastny's veteran presence makes him the kind of player the Blackhawks need around the organization right now.
And once again, the Blackhawks are in a rebuild, they don't need a center that is going to come in and lead the team back to the playoffs. That's not the goal here. The goal is to bring in a guy that can be a leader on and off the ice. And with the state of the organization, HUGE emphasis on the off the ice part. Derek King said it himself, this team needs some veteran presence on it, and all three of these guys fit that mold. Whether or not he will be the coach that leads them is beside the point, he is completely correct when he says that about the team, and the front office and Kyle Davidson should listen.
| POLL | ||
Who would you rather see the Blackhawks acquire? | ||
| Paul | 74 | 31 % |
| Tierney | 36 | 15.1 % |
| Stastny | 59 | 24.7 % |
| Other | 70 | 29.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
