3 roster needs for the Blackhawks to address in the offseason

Veteran Defenseman

The Blackhawks have a plethora of young defensemen in the system and many are not far away from becoming full-time NHL players. Vlasic and Korchinski have already made the jump and players like Wyatt Kaiser will likely be on the roster next season as well. Defensemen such as Jaycob Megna, Nikita Zaitsev, and Jared Tinordi are all pending free agents and don't seem like they will be returning to Chicago.

With the amount of young players on the Blackhawks blue line, there will be a need for another reliable veteran on the back-end. A player like Korchinski will benefit from having another steady presence as his partner which will allow him to engage more into the offense and utilizing his speed and offensive instincts. Connor Murphy on paper is a great partner for a young defenseman like Korchinski or Kaiser, but his health is a concern after the extended amount of time he missed this season.

A player that could fill the role of a bottom-pair defenseman for the Blackhawks is Jani Hakanpaa of the Dallas Stars. Hakanpaa is 32-years old and a behemoth of a human being, standing at six foot seven inches and weighing 225 pounds. He is a reliable defender who could be a nice compliment to the young defenders coming onto the roster. Hakanpaa could be a solid addition on a one or two-year contract for the Blackhawks as he brings playoff experience and good shutdown abilities.