3 unqualified RFAs the Blackhawks could target in free agency

While Connor Bedard, Drew Commesso, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski all received qualifying offers yesterday, other players around the league were not so fortunate. 

There is typically a valid reason behind NHL teams allowing their restricted free agents to hit the open market. Maybe there are too many prospects ahead of the player in the organizational depth chart. Maybe their style of play didn’t fit the coach’s vision. Or, maybe the club flat-out didn’t think the player was worth the value of their qualifying offer. 

But that doesn’t mean a player’s career is over if they are not extended a qualifying offer. Blackhawks fans know that all too well. Notably, Dylan Strome and Anthony Duclair went on to find success with other teams after they were prematurely shown the door by the Blackhawks. 

Now, Strome and Duclair are exceptions and not the rule when it comes to unqualified RFAs, but that doesn’t mean good value can’t be found in this year’s newly unrestricted free agent class.

Here are three unqualified RFAs the Blackhawks could target on July 1st:

Calen Addison 

If Addison were to join Chicago’s current defense corps, he would be the grizzled veteran at 26 years of age. Across a six-year pro career, Addison has dressed in 152 NHL and 204 AHL games. An offensively-minded defender, Addison can skate well and move the puck up the ice.

Defensive deficiencies and a small frame have held him back from sustained NHL success, but the Brandon, MB, native did manage an impressive 29 points in 62 games on a Minnesota team that finished third in the Central in 2023. In a bottom-pair role on Chicago’s back end, Addison could eat up some minutes while chipping in a moderate amount of offense. He would come cheap and could be the third right-handed defenseman behind Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel. 

Henry Thrun

Thrun played the majority of two NHL seasons with San Jose before spending almost the entirety of last season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. The Harvard graduate plays a reliable two-way game and features ideal size at 6’2” and 211 pounds. 

A 2026 Calder Cup champion, Thrun will have a decent amount of suitors on the open market, as he could possess some untapped potential as a late-blooming 25-year-old defender. He does not have as many defensive warts as many of the current Blackhawks blueliners do, and would slide into the lineup as a capable bottom-pair defenseman. He is certainly worth a flyer. 

Philip Tomasino

The most established player on this list, Tomasino has featured in 218 NHL games and was selected in the first round of the 2019 Draft. Though he has bounced around recently, Tomasino boasts a very respectable 0.44 points per game in his NHL career. The 24-year-old is a strong skater and does not need top-six minutes to be effective. 

Despite dressing in just nine NHL games last season, Tomasino could contribute to the Blackhawks’ roster next season. He would be one of the club’s veteran forwards and could make up for some of the depth scoring and two-way play the roster will be missing after Ilya Mikheyev’s departure.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow