The Blackhawks ultimate checklist for a successful 2024 offseason

Don’t be afraid to add another dose of veteran leadership

So far, we have talked about the importance of Kyle Davidson identifying and retaining his best restricted free agents and even those he believes have a bright future with the Blackhawks, and the importance of hitting another home run on draft day. The faster he fills the big club’s lineup with NHL-ready youngsters, the quicker they will mesh, and the sooner this organization will return to relevancy, but veteran leadership must also be a priority. 

We have discussed this previously with some potential low-cost free agents who could come to town with sound experience and can help guide Chicago through another year of building. Players like Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, Petr Mrazek, and Seth Jones are already in the building, but Davidson shouldn’t be afraid to go further if he has the space in the projected lineup. 

The more leadership this team has for the 2024-25 season, the better, and potentially, the faster this group’s youngest players will develop. No, signing stopgaps who wouldn’t be in town longer than two seasons tops isn’t the most exciting idea, especially with the amount of cap space Chicago has. But younger talent must be the key priority when it comes to using that space, and that leads us to the final section of the ultimate checklist.