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

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. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)