3 areas the Chicago Blackhawks must address in the offseason

1 of 3

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson wants to raise the standards next season. He has the salary cap space and the draft picks to do that this offseason.

It should take this year's draft class and then maybe a season or two for the talented prospects the team has in total to develop and help the franchise contend toward a Stanley Cup.

That still does not mean the Hawks should not start competing for the playoffs next year. Playoff hockey has been rare these days in Chicago.

Davidson needs to address these three areas on the team to make sure the team can meet these new standards...

Talent worthy of being on the first and second line.

The Hawks must add more talent around Connor Bedard on the top line. Philipp Kurashev and Bedard established some great chemistry, but the third guy on the first line was a revolving door between Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and a host of others.

Taylor Hall will be back next season after missing most of this season with a knee injury. Still, the Hawks ended the season with Nick Foligno, Frank Nazar, and Joey Anderson on the second line. Nazar has the potential to be a mainstay as one of the centers on the top lines. He also might get some time in Rockford to adjust his game to the professional level.

Joey Anderson's game is better suited to the lower lines. Foligno is still productive and willing to go to the net, but his peak days are behind him. He was at his best on the third line. Dickinson was outstanding on offense this season, but his game centering the third line might be the most effective use of his game.

Davidson could give Nazar a shot to center the second line and see if Lukas Reichel can still be a top playmaking forward. If he wants to raise the standard, he needs to add some additional help to an offense that was one of the worst in the NHL.

The back end of the blue line.

Veterans Jarred Tinordi, Nikita Zaitsev, and Jaycob Megna are highly unlikely to be brought back. The Hawks' top two defensive pairings are set with Seth Jones, Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, and Connor Murphy.

Davidson still needs to add more blueliners to round out the group. Now, he could go with prospects such as Wyatt Kaiser, Isaak Philips, Louis Crevier, and Ethan Del Mastro.

Kaiser made the team out of training camp but struggled and then bounced between Rockford and Chicago. Philips and Crevier got some ice time when the defensive unit was ravaged by injuries in December. Del Mastro got a brief NHL experience too.

Davidson prefers to be patient with the development of his blueliners. Look at how long it took for Vlasic to get to the NHL and then stay there. Del Mastro might be afforded another season at Rockford since this was his first professional season.

Philips has some potential, but he also might just be an organizational defenseman who goes between the AHL and the NHL. The same goes for Crevier.

That is why Davidson would be wise to add a veteran or two and then let the preseason sort out who makes the team.

Backup goaltender

Arvid Soderblom was a major disappointment this season. The hope was he would have a firm grasp on the starting job. Instead, he was one of the worst goalies in the NHL.

Petr Mrazek thankfully avoided going on IR and was rewarded with a contract extension to cover the next two seasons while Drew Commesso goes through the developmental process.

Soderblom is still under contract through the next season and goalies take some time to develop. Davidson could run it back and hope Arvid progresses into a solid backup. The problem is he ignores the fact that he is a big presence in front of the net and tends to play much shorter than he is. Also, long rebounds tend to go off of his pads. That allows for more scoring chances.

The Blackhawks are going to need a competent backup as there is no guarantee that Mrazek will make it through a season without a stay on injured reserve. Mrazek's stats will not win him the Vezina Trophy, but relative to what the Hawks needed out of him to stay in games, he should have gotten some votes. Keyword being some.

Mrazek has had injury problems throughout most of his career so there is always the risk that he will not be available to play well enough to stay in games. That is why the Hawks need a viable backup plan and Soderblom is not it.

Internally, the team could see if Jaxson Stauber is up to the task. Going through the free-agent route might be a better option.

If these three areas can be upgraded, hopefully, that will get the Hawks back into the postseason.

feed

Home / Free Agency

Davidson needs to address these three areas on the team to make sure the team can meet these new standards...

Talent worthy of being on the first and second line.

The back end of the blue line.

Backup goaltender

Schedule