Top 5 best discount defensemen the Blackhawks can sign in NHL free agency

As a rebuilding organization, the Chicago Blackhawks will have a tough time attracting marquee players during NHL free agency. But, as with the other 31 teams, there is also the strong possibility that they will let some unrestricted free agents go elsewhere and fill some inevitable holes with some stopgaps. 

However, the Blackhawks are in an interesting position, as you can expect them to stick with predominantly younger talent next season while veterans like Petr Mrazek, Nick Foligno, and Jason Dickinson will provide much-needed leadership. And general manager Kyle Davidson may want more of that leadership for 2024-25 as this team continues to build on the foundation it set this season. 

While the Blackhawks have three players on the blue line aged 30 or older, they are all pending unrestricted free agents. Sure, they can re-sign all of them and continue with a defensive rotation identical to what we saw last season. Or, they may see some veteran defenseman they like in the free agent market and instead roll with them on short-term deals that won’t cost much despite their enticing cap space. 

Blackhawks could look for leaders on the blue line in NHL free agency

Since Chicago is still early in its rebuild, the best criteria for Davidson is to find seasoned veterans who are leaders, but also those who could be in the stage of their respective careers to take lower-paying, short-term deals. 

In the following slides, there are five blueliners who best fit the criteria. No, they aren’t star players, and most won’t give you top-four minutes. But that isn’t the point here: They are not building blocks but would instead act as sound mentors and leaders for the youngsters, and nothing more. 

So, who are the five best defensemen Chicago can sign at a discount for the 2024 offseason? The following players won’t be in the Windy City long, but they will bring a strong presence and voice into the locker room in 2024-25. 

Ilya Lyubushkin will add a physical presence on the bottom pairing

Ilya Lyubushkin has been stellar with not one but two franchises this season, spending most of it with the Anaheim Ducks before returning to Toronto to help the Maple Leafs get more physical on their blue line. Yet despite his successful run this year, Lyubushkin isn’t the type of player who will demand more dollars or a longer term on his next contract. 

He’s been a journeyman lately, having spent no longer than one full season anywhere since the 2020-21 season, and there is little chance he will stick around in Toronto. Lyubushkin, like other players on this list, also wouldn’t get in the way of any young defenseman in the pipeline and would be perfectly fine continuing his role on the third-pairing. 

His numbers, however, don’t lie, and this season, he has racked up 127 hits and 145 blocked shots on goal in just 60 games. He gives you that stay-at-home presence that is clearly unafraid of contact, and Lyubushkin has been a key piece on penalty kill units regardless of where he plays. 

Lyubushkin also boasts plenty of experience on young hockey teams, or teams not expecting to contend, including the Ducks, the Buffalo Sabres, and, in his earlier days, the Arizona Coyotes. This gives him enough experience to be a respected name in Chicago’s locker room next season if he’s willing to play for yet another rebuilding organization. 

Colin Miller is a reliable journeyman who can play 15 to 16 minutes a night

Colin Miller is another career journeyman who, while he’s never hoisted a Stanley Cup, he’s been part of several great teams. That said, he would step right into the organization and offer more than enough wisdom for what it takes to build a winning hockey team in this league, even if it will be at least another year before Chicago even thinks about contending again. 

He’s seen time on the Boston Bruins and also the Vegas Golden Knights during the latter’s Stanley Cup run in 2018. He was on the Dallas Stars last season, and he is currently in Winnipeg. Despite playing for some of the best organizations in the league, Miller also knows a little about rebuilding, given his three-year stint with the Buffalo Sabres. 

Next season will also be his 10th in the league, so like a few names that will also appear on this list, Miller brings hordes of experience with him. And while he won’t give you over 16 minutes per game, on average, Miller is a sneaky two-way player, having scored 41 points once during his time in Vegas, and his career Corsi For Percentage at 5-pn-5 is also a shade under 54 percent. 

Jani Hakanpaa has made a living getting in front of pucks

If Kyle Davidson wants one of the most physical players in the 2024 free agent class to join his team for a season or two, Jani Hakanpaa would be a great fit. An imposing defenseman, Hakanpaa plays a game similar to what you will see from Ilya Lyubushkin but multiplied by two, and that is no exaggeration. 

Hakanpaa has logged over 200 hits in each of his previous two seasons, and there is no reason that he won’t reach that number for the third straight year. He’s yet another player mentioned in this article who you would put onto the third-pairing and one who will block at least a couple of shots per game. Further, if the Blackhawks need help at 4-on-5, Hakanpaa can continue to play that role, and he has done so very well over the past two years.

Hakanpaa is in his third season with the Dallas Stars, so he’s yet another name on this list who can help lift the Blackhawks as they look to keep improving. He is also one with that ‘journeyman’ label, like the other players on this list, so he won’t stand in the way of younger talent that Kyle Davidson would most likely look to promote as they become NHL-ready players. 

Troy Stecher could fill the bottom pairing for a year

Yep, there is one more journeyman to cover in this piece, as Troy Stecher will head into his ninth season next year. He’s one of those players who would make a solid consolation prize if Kyle Davidson needed a serviceable blueliner but all of the previously mentioned players head elsewhere. 

Also, like many of the defensemen listed, Stecher is yet another name fit for the third-pairing and one who will log a solid number of blocks and hits, between one and two per game. He’s another solid asset to place onto the penalty kill for a year, and despite the Arizona Coyotes, who he spent a good portion of 2023-24 with, decline, Stecher’s on-ice save percentage remained a solid 93.2 at 5-on-5, implying he can box out opponents and help keep the net clear.

His career Corsi For at 5-on-5 may be under 50 percent, but Stecher helped move the puck well in Arizona, considering his on-ice starting percentage in the defensive zone was 55.5. He’s by no means the flashiest name on the list, but Stecher has given any team he’s played for solid performances since his first full season in 2016-17.

Maybe if his current team, the Edmonton Oilers, win the Cup, he could be interested in helping a rebuilding franchise improve for the not-so-distant future. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of March 14th)