Photo credit: Reuters
The Chicago Blackhawks made a huge splash during the off-season, as with the help of Nick Foligno, acquired a sought-after forward in Tyler Bertuzzi.
Not only that, but they added in multiple areas of the ice, improving the lineup significantly.
The defensive pairs, look slightly different this season:
Vlasic-Jones
The top pair could reunite again in 2024, as they were the Blackhawks 1st pairing last season. Their consistency is a reason to put them back together.
Korchinski-Murphy
Alternate Captain Connor Murphy and Kevin Korchinski could be slotted in together, as Korchinski could enter his 2nd season on a partner who could stabilize the two, while Korchinski continues to develop his game. Not only will Murphy be returning from injury, but Korchinski is now 20 meaning, he could be assigned to the AHL, should he find himself frustrated in the NHL.
Martinez-Brodie
The last pair could end up being the Blackhawks’ two veteran acquisitions, who could be the Blackhawks shutdown unit on the third pair. Brodie who came from Toronto, could be used on both sides of the ice, offering flexibility, and played on Toronto’s top pair last year. Martinez could find himself in a leadership role here in Chicago as well.
If worst comes to worst, Wyatt Kaiser could slot in here as well.
Goalies
Laurent Brossoit was one of the Blackhawks’ best acquisitions in the off-season, coming off a 15-5-2 in a Winnipeg Jets team that made it to the playoffs. The 31-year old sign a two-year deal, giving the Blackhawks more reliability and take some weight off of Petr Mrazek’s shoulders.
Goaltender Laurent Brossoit has signed a 2 year, $3.3M AAV contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. pic.twitter.com/qxftRz7c1D
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 1, 2024
Mrazek was the reason the Blackhawks had a chance in games, they shouldn’t have been in. He was arguably one of the Blackhawks best players, cementing his hold on the #1 spot in net.
With Brossoit’s signing, Arvid Soderblom will get sent back to AHL Rockford in order to get some more seasoning. He’ll split the net in the AHL with Drew Commesso who was impressive in his first year as a professional in Rockford.
Forward Core
With the addition of Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev, and Teuvo Teraveinen, the Blackhawks forward core looks different. It’ll be deeper and likely force players like Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert into the AHL to develop more, before putting them back onto NHL ice.
Adding offensive talents like Bertuzzi, Turbo and Mikheyev, gives the Hawks more flexibility in the linup, more weapons to use and more sandpaper, with Bertuzzi on the same line as Bedard.
The addition of Maroon, gives the Blackhawks a bruiser, along with Foligno who could disrupt teams in the defensive zone and effectively control the flow of the game. All in all, a successful off-season by GM Kyle Davidson.
Playoffs? We’ll see..