Checking in on six former Blackhawks

Even though the team is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, Chicago Blackhawks fans have a lot to be thankful for. They now boast a roster that includes six players selected since general manager Kyle Davidson’s first draft in 2022. The team is young and exciting, making strides every game.

That wasn’t the case as recently as last season. The team was backed up with veterans playing out the string on their careers or largely ineffective role players. As we did previously, let’s take a look at how some players who departed the organization after last year are faring and see just how thankful Hawks fans should be. 

Note: this list only features players who finished the season with the Blackhawks, so no Seth Jones or Petr Mrazek, for example. 

T.J. Brodie

Davidson brought Brodie into the fold on a two-year contract in July of 2024. The then-34-year-old had a track record as a reliable two-way defenseman, and the idea was that he could provide solid, steady minutes while the young defense prospects marinated in Rockford. The deal was an abject failure – Brodie was a minus-18 in just 54 games, and he was healthy scratched from March 1 through the rest of the season. The final year of his contract was bought out, and he is currently a free agent. 

Alec Martinez

Much like Brodie, Martinez was signed to provide veteran leadership and eat up some minutes on the back end. Injuries plagued the Michigan native, limiting him to just 44 games. He retired at the end of the season, capping off an impressive 862-career that saw him win three Stanley Cups.

Andreas Athanasiou 

Despite posting a 20 goal campaign in 2022-2023, Athanasiou spent much of last season with the Rockford IceHogs. Injuries and inconsistency followed the 31-year-old throughout his tenure in the Windy City, and, like Brodie, he is still searching for his next team.

Philipp Kurashev

Kurashev was a bright spot for the lowly Blackhawks during the 2023-2024 season, potting 18 goals and 54 points. He looked like a potential long-term linemate for Connor Bedard, but that dream quickly faded as his performance fell off a cliff and he found himself in the free agent market this past summer. The Swiss national landed a one-year deal in San Jose, and he has produced a modest 13 points in 23 games thus far. 

Patrick Maroon

The “Big Rig” closed out a storybook career in Chicago last season. The back-to-back-to-back Cup champ did not provide much in the way of production during his 68 games in a Blackhawks sweater, but he was always the first to drop the gloves to defend a teammate when needed. Maroon now coaches his son in the USHL for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. 

Joe Veleno 

The 2018 first-rounder was acquired at the 2025 deadline from Detroit and then flipped to Seattle for Andre Burakovsky in the summer. The Kraken promptly bought Veleno out, and his hometown Canadiens signed him. In 18 games this year, Veleno has notched just one goal and zero assists; meanwhile, Burakovsky ranks third on the Blackhawks in scoring with 16 points in 19 games. 

So, it should be pretty obvious that the Hawks did not lose anyone of significance last offseason. Sure, they lost some veteran leaders, but this is a new era of Hawks hockey. Bedard, Alex Vlasic, Frank Nazar, and others have been tasked with assuming greater responsibility and they have done so admirably, all the while propelling the team to its best start in years.