Chicago Blackhawks Targeting Three Free Agents As Offseason Begins
The Chicago Blackhawks have a mandate to build a Stanley Cup-winning lineup, with a combination of free agents and homegrown talent. Good GMs have figured out how to fit the pieces of the puzzle to make a winning team.
With the Blackhawks having Kyle Davidson at the helm, the team has built one of the best prospect pools in the modern NHL. With Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Kevin Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic in place, the Blackhawks look to improve upon the lineup.
The Blackhawks could help piece together the final parts of the puzzle, with free-agency upon us soon. With the Blackhawks looking for the best help available come July 1st, here's some UFA's the team could target:
The Blackhawks need to continue building the roster out with top talent, and while Steven Stamkos could be a beneficial addition, the team wouldn't be in their winning window yet.
Which is why, the team needs to keep the youth movement rolling. With Necas finishing his $3 M AAV bridge deal, he will be an RFA who could improve upon the offensive talent in the Blackhawks pool. They can easily outbid teams, with their pocketful of assets and picks.
Necas having a playoff pedigree, with 59 games played could lend well to the Blackhawks' future post-season success. Necas would also be a star in Chicago, being a consistent 50+ point producer.
The Blackhawks have had continued issues with consistent goaltending between the pipes. With Petr Mrazek holding down the fort behind an inconsistent defense, and Arvid Soderblom showing he isn't ready to be a starter yet, the Hawks have a dilemma.
With Ilya Samsonov being a UFA this summer, the 27-year-old could solve the team's goaltending woes. While being inconsistent in Toronto during the playoffs, he showed during the regular season he was a reliable performer.
Samsonov will be finishing his last contract, which paid him $3.55 Million AAV, and will be due a raise. This will be one of the reasons Samsonov will be exiting the Leafs organization, and the Blackhawks have the salary cap space of almost $34 Million to fit him into the plan.
Samsonov could be offered a 2-3-year contract, which could take a lot of weight off Petr Mrazek's shoulders while offering Arvid Soderblom and Drew Commesso time to get some seasoning in the AHL.
He would be able to give the team, time to reach contender status while giving the Blackhawks flexibility down the road, when Soderblom is ready to take on more responsibility.
The Blackhawks defense will continue to look patchy until prospects in the pipeline are ready. This could be a few years, which means they need a veteran defender, like Filip Hronek, whose a 26-year-old, RHD.
The 48-point defender has had consistent production in Detroit and Vancouver and came in clutch scoring a goal in Vancouver's Game 7 loss against the Edmonton Oilers.
There's no telling what the Canucks could do as they have $25 Million dollars in cap space, while they need to make a decision whether to bring back nine players, or sign or trade for nine others.
As an RFA, could GM Patrik Allvin decide to move on from Hronek? If so, the Blackhawks should make it a point to make a move towards acquiring Hronek.
Source: Sports Mockery
blackhawks keeping an eye on three free agents as they prepare for crucial offseason
| POLL | ||
Who should the Blackhawks sign? | ||
| Ilya Samsonov | 197 | 35.6 % |
| Filip Hronek | 134 | 24.2 % |
| Martin Necas | 223 | 40.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
