One major weakness the Blackhawks must still address in the 2024 offseason

Yeah, nothing is more impressive than adding a pair of solid scorers and veteran leadership to a team that desperately needed it. But when you had as much cap space as the Chicago Blackhawks and a forward-thinking general manager like Kyle Davidson, you add as many building blocks to your organization as you can. 

Often, we grade offseason moves via letters A through F, and perhaps some use a one through five-star rating system. But there is no letter grade nor a star rating high enough for Davidson, as no other executive made their team better, at least in foresight of the 2024-25 season. 

Now, this new-look Blackhawks team may struggle for a month or so while they build initial chemistry, so with that being said, what would be wrong with adding one more piece to the puzzle with a depth scorer? The Blackhawks potential top-six looks enticing, with Connor Bedard, Philipp Kurashev, Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, and Jason Dickinson likely comprising the top-six, and all are at least viable scorers. 

Some of you may say the defensive rotation could use another boost, but I really like what I’m seeing in the rotation, with Seth Jones, Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, TJ Bodie, Alec Martinez, and Connor Murphy, and perhaps Artyom Levshunov, depending on where he ultimately plays this season. Sure, there could be a need here, especially if Levshunov stays in school, but we’re looking at acquiring nothing more than a seventh defenseman here and nothing more. 

Flipping back to the forwards, the Blackhawks could already have a depth scorer listed above if Taylor Hall makes a successful comeback, but much of that is up to chance. While I’m not confident Lukas Reichel or Ryan Donato have potential here, there's also no counting out Landon Slaggert or Frank Nazar amidst the high-potential players. But even with Hall’s, Slaggert’s, and Nazar’s respective potential, there is no surefire depth scorer in the lineup. 

Blackhawks should improve depth-scoring a little more while they still can

However, there isn’t a single player listed above who I don’t like, even Reichel and Donato, and each will serve the team in some capacity. And we also can’t forget about Ilya Mikheyev or Josh Anderson perhaps fitting in. And the former could also bring some depth scoring - remember, he snagged 21 goals in 53 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021-22 and another 13 goals in 46 games with the Vancouver Canucks a year later, so he’s not someone I would rule out. 

Further, Craig Smith and Pat Maroon will be rotational pieces, so I wouldn’t call them possible depth scorers. But there are plenty of ways for Kyle Davidson to make one more trade so he can snag a surefire depth scorer into the lineup, and there are a few reasons I would like to see one in the Windy City. 

Before anything else, acquiring one would give Frank Nazar and/or Landon Slaggert another full season to develop in Rockford, something that will be worth it come 2025-26. Plus, if Taylor Hall makes a decent comeback, he’s also a shoo-in for at least middle-six minutes, meaning on the third line, be it him or someone else, will have a sound scoring option. 

But if Davidson puts one more player who can log roughly 13-14 minutes a game and gives the Hawks at least 20 goals next season, there’s no question that this team will give their strong Central Division rivals quite a run. Maybe it won’t end up with a playoff berth, but there is no doubt the Blackhawks will entertain more than just their most die-hard fans in 2024-25. 

So my advice to Kyle Davidson is simple: Go out and acquire a player who can, beyond the shadow of a doubt, provide adequate depth and put up serviceable numbers. 

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