Blackhawks Free Agency 2024
Thoughts on the Hawks' latest roster additions.
Kyle did it. He brought on free agents. 8 of them to be exact.
You can view the list below and let’s not forget Ilya Mikheyev who was brought on in a trade last week.
Tyler Bertuzzi - 4 years - $5.5M AAV - LW -29 (age)
Teuvo Teravainen - 3 years - $5.3M AAV -C - 29 (8 team no trade list)
Alec Martinez - 1 year - $4M AAV - D - 36
TJ Brodie - 2 years - $3.75M AAV - D - 34
Laurent Brossoit - 2 years - $3.3M AAV - G - 31
Pat Maroon - 1 year - $1.3M AAV - LW - 36
Craig Smith - 1 year - $1M AAV - RW - 34
Joey Anderson - 2 years - $800k AAV - RW - 26
You'll notice that of the above 8, 7 are 29 or older.
Last season was abysmal. It wasn’t bad hockey that was fun to watch. It was bad hockey. So, when Kyle Davidson said that it was time to improve things in his exit interview, I took that with a grain of salt. Would Kyle be aggressive and sign a big-name player to play with Bedard? Or would he play it safe and sign two decaying veterans to survive to the cap floor?
The flurry of signings on Monday wasn’t aggressive. What Nashville did was aggressive. But Kyle brought on talent in a “safe” way. The longest contract he handed out was a 4-year deal to Tyler Bertuzzi. Teuvo Teravainen received a 3-year deal. Everyone else was brought in on 1-2 year deals. And we all know how much Kyle from Chicago dislikes long deals.
Bertuzzi and Turbo add forward talent. Bertuzzi will provide much-needed goal scoring in the form of “up-close-and-dirty” while Teuvo will provide scoring from a more skilled approach. The other forwards are really there just to add depth and “vet-run” presence. And don’t worry, I’ll get to the “log jam” issue in just a second.
On the blue line, Alec Martinez was added for grit and skill. The dude has a combined 409 blocked shots over the past two seasons. While his point production has fallen off, he provides leadership to a defensive core that needs it. He’s made 10 trips to the playoffs in the last 15 seasons. Of course, there’s the 2014 memory associated with Martinez.
So. What do I like about the signings?
The Good
It’s pretty clear what Kyle did. He made a roster that’s going to be more fun to watch. Remember Luke Richardson’s first year as head coach? I have a feeling it’s going to be like that. Yes, they were bad. But they played stretches of competitive and fun hockey.
The 1-2 year deals are solid. They’re something you can walk away from or even flip at the trade deadline. I have no qualms about them. The Teuvo deal at 3-years is my favorite signing for obvious reasons. I feel like a wrong was righted by having Turbo back in Chicago. Of the realistic forwards the Hawks could’ve signed, I think only Jake DeBrusk was better. But Debrusk wanted to win and he wanted term, signing a 7-year deal at $5.5mil AAV. Well beyond Kyle’s comfort level.
So Teuvo adds a legit top-line talent to our roster. If Taylor Hall stays healthy, you actually have a half-way decent first line.
And as far as the blue line goes, I like the Martinez signing. At least, I’m ok with it. And there really isn’t anything else to say about it.
The Bad
There really isn’t anything worth getting your peppers hot over. I wasn’t a big fan of the Bertuzzi signing at first… but when you think about it, we need a player who can score goals like Bertuzzi can. His 4-year deal isn’t backbreaking either. It’s low cost. But 4 years is the most I would be comfortable with.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Craig Smith signing (20 points in 75 games with Dallas last year). But that too isn’t anything worth stressing about. It’s a 1-year deal. My only worry is if Luke plays him more than a rookie who should be playing. Richardson, like most coaches, has a veteran preference for lineups.
The same thing can be said about T.J. Brodie on the blueline. In fact, this was the only signing that I didn’t like at all. Sure, slot him in as a 7th defenseman, and that can theoretically let a rookie play on the blue line. But I have a feeling that won’t happen. With Kevin Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, and Isaak Phillips all deserving NHL time, my only concern is if Brodie takes that away from them.
In short, nothing glaring makes me worried.
Opinions
On one hand, you have folks who think Davidson went out on this “aggressive spending spree” and added talent to the point of making this a competitive roster. First of all, while Kyle went against his school of thought of not signing anyone in free agency, I would hardly call this aggressive spending. Aggressive is Trotz with the Preds. Secondly, while this team is now much better than last year, it’s still a bad team. We’re talking about a lottery team at the end of next season. We’ll still get a top-ten draft pick barring any miracle runs.
Which brings me to this point. Some people think this team just ruined the rebuild and went into “win-now” mode. Again. We got better but there is no way this is a team seriously contending for a playoff spot. Would you be happy with this roster if the Hawks had playoff aspirations? We’re blessed if we even get a wild card spot and that would be a huge surprise.
Others are worried about the rebuild being hindered because this prevents young players from getting NHL time. I’ll bite on this one. My concern with the current roster is that players like Smith and Brodie logjam a prospect from playing meaningful minutes. Otherwise, I’m totally ok with prospects taking the slow approach in their junior league or with the IceHogs. Marinate them. Of our younglings that I think should stay in the NHL next season, they are Korch, Nazar, Phillips, Slaggert, and Kaiser. Even if Nazar and Slaggert start in Rockford, I would be ok. Korchinski, I think he’s earned his keep here.
Let’s Go Hawks.