3 former Blackhawks who Kyle Davidson should not bring back for 2024-25

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The Chicago Blackhawks will see quite a few familiar names hit the market when NHL free agency kicks off, and a few of those faces will be players who provided them plenty of value in the past. But that doesn’t mean they need to use what is among the most lucrative cap space in the NHL to bring them in, or at least not for this season.

Yes, two of the players listed are still more than serviceable, and if general manager Kyle Davidson brought them to town, most fans would be satisfied with that. The third name on the list struggled through a down year, but they still enjoyed a good run during their time with the Blackhawks.

Patrick Kane, F

Yeah, we would all like to see Patrick Kane team up for at least one season with Connor Bedard, and yes, it would be epic, even if the former isn’t the player he once was. Well, actually, he looked pretty close to the Patrick Kane of Old during what has so far been his lone season with the Detroit Red Wings.

He will likely return to the Motor City and sign a new deal at some point before July 1st, but even if he didn’t, it’s still too early to bring back Kane. It could, and should, happen at some point, but not while Kane is seeking another Cup at the moment, and the Blackhawks are still nowhere near even wild card contention.

Instead, Kyle Davidson must build the Blackhawks into a relevant group first, and that will take a few seasons. Once the Hawks are nearing what they once were during the heart of the Kane era, then go back out and sign Kane to a one-year deal, where he can finish his career where it started and lasted for over a decade-and-a-half.

Overall, Kane returning to the Windy City should be a matter of when, not if, but it should also be timed correctly.

Nikita Zadorov, D

Nikita Zadorov didn’t spend as much time in the Windy City as the other two names on this list. But then again, Patrick Kane is one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history, so this isn’t the fairest comparison. Anyway, you may have little recollection of Zadorov’s time in Chicago since it was a short-lived 55 games in the 2020-21 season, but he was a force in the defensive zone.

Throughout his current age-28 season, Zadorov has continued to be that force with the Calgary Flames and, later, the Vancouver Canucks, landing 68 blocks and 177 hits while averaging between 17 and 18 minutes of ice time. He will likely remain an effective player on the second and/or third-pairing. For that, you may think it’s not a bad idea to bring Zadorov back to the Windy City.

And you would be correct, especially since the Hawks currently have three blueliners slated to be unrestricted free agents if Kyle Davidson doesn’t bring them back for another year or two. But Zadorov has also shown he deserves a higher AAV and perhaps even a longer contract length, and this is heading into his age-29 season.

Add to the fact he would be better off playing on the second-pairing rather than the third in most game situations, and that the Hawks are rebuilding with some intriguing blueliners in Rockford who may get the full-time call-up next season. In this situation, the Hawks would be better off signing a cheaper rental than bringing back someone like Zadorov.

Dominik Kubalik, F

Dominik Kubalik once showed a lot of promise during his three seasons with the Blackhawks, where he put up 116 points and 62 goals. He was a physical player primarily receiving middle-six minutes, and yes, he was also a tremendous asset on the power play.

Kubalik proved to be a good player, and that trend continued in 2022-23 when he played for the Detroit Red Wings and added another 20 goals and 45 points in 81 contests. He continued to register middle-six minutes and he kept up his physical play. But that took a turn for the worse this past season when he was playing for the Ottawa Senators.

Instead, Kubalik finished the year with lower-line minutes, fourth-line minutes, really, when it became apparent he was an awful fit for the Sens. He logged just 15 points, and his season was so bad, it’s not worth getting into. But it also serves as a ‘buyer beware’ moment for the Blackhawks, as they would do well to ask themselves whether someone like Kubalik is worth bringing back or if fourth-line minutes are all he’s worth from this point and onward.

Right now, the Blackhawks would do better to retain some of those lower-liners who are pending restricted free agents, as they currently have more upside than Kubalik.

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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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Patrick Kane, F

Nikita Zadorov, D

Dominik Kubalik, F

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