What the Chicago Blackhawks need to do this offseason

The Chicago Blackhawks will have a busy offseason ahead of them seeing how the season unfolded. Improvements will need to be made and I will run through some of the tasks that lie ahead for Stan Bowman.

Like most off-seasons, there will be contracts that need to be sorted out. The Hawks will need to sort out deals for Pius Suter and Nikita Zadorov. Now both players have to make a case for coming back next season. Pius Suter was holding his own in a top 6 spot at the start of the season.

Zadorov was a big physical defenceman playing against other teams’ top lines and was tasked with shutting them down. He had his up and downs and going from a top 4 defenceman to a healthy scratch. I feel both players have value and a spot on the team next season but their deals need to be team-friendly. So Stan will have to work out deals that suit the players and mainly the team.

Now no one can say that Kevin Lankinen didn’t have a good season because he did. Going back to the start of the season or even last year, Kevin was probably classed as a third goalie.

He went into training camp with nothing to lose and he was rewarded. He was the starting goalie and won many games for the Hawks to keep them in the playoff race as the season went on, he lost form and they relied on Subban to jump in the net and be a success.

The Chicago Blackhawks’ off-season plans might have to involve a goal.

Now Subban wasn’t awful by any means but is he an NHL backup? Probably not and that’s why this offseason Stan should look to either trade or sign in free agency a solid veteran goalie to push Lankinen to the next step.

I think one of the big things this offseason stan will do is sign last year’s first-round pick Lukas Reichel. He had an amazing year with Eistaren Berlin where he was playing against men all year. He had a very respectful 27 points in 38 games and going all the way and winning the playoffs.

Whether he starts in the NHL or is playing in Rockford, Lukas has an exciting time ahead and hawks fans should feel the same. Stan will be busy indeed and with the draft and expansion draft, he will have to make the right moves to get this team in the playoffs again