Last week was a busy one for the NHL with the expansion draft, entry draft, and several trades and this week will be even busier with the free agency period and even more trades. Before we get to the hot stove league, let's start with news regarding a Blackhawks legend.
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Niklas Hjalmarsson
Retirement
While it hasn't been officially announced yet by the Blackhawks or Coyotes, defenseman member of the historic core and three-time Stanley Cup champion Niklas Hjalmarsson is set to retire from hockey according to Craig Morgan who covers the Coyotes for the Athletic.
Kudos to a true warrior who epitomized what it means to sacrifice the body for championships. Hjalmarsson was shot blocker extraordinaire who took care of his own end as one of the premier defensive defensemen in the league. The Hawks don't win that trio of Cups without him.
Replacement
Even though he's been gone from Chicago since 2017, the Hawks are still looking for his replacement. One perspective is that the player he was traded for -- fellow blueliner Connor Murphy -- was supposed to be his replacement and some would even argue he hasn't been far off.
Regardless of Murphy's status, the Hawks still need someone in the long-term to replace Hjalmarsson. A replacement would need to be able to eat minutes, prioritize defense, sacrifice the body, suppress scoring chances, flip the ice, and contribute to a mobile blueline.
Is there anyone in the system who has as many of these traits as possible? Although it's still too early to tell with most in the D pipeline, there are some to consider as possibilities when looking at the rearguards who have been drafted over the past three years.
* 2019: Alex Vlasic
* 2020: Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier
* 2021: Nolan Allan, Taige Harding, Ethan Del Mastro
While Hjalmarsson as well as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have set the bar for each of the aforementioned traits, these prospects are showing they're capable of displaying them at their current leagues. Whether they're able to do so in the NHL, however, is another question.
Alex Vlasic could have shutdown ability but he may lack the warrior spirit that's a principal part of Hjalmarsson's legacy. Isaak Phillips is a hybrid defender who can make significant impacts at both ends so perhaps he is more similar to Seabrook than he is to Hjalmarsson.
Louis Crevier is a giant at 6'8" and 215 but is more of a 5/6/7 defenseman than a top 4 like Hjalmarsson. The same could be said about 2021 draft pick Taige Harding who is a tad shorter than Crevier but tips the scale with 20 additional pounds at 6'7" and 235.
That leaves Harding's draft classmates Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro. Of the D-men drafted since 2019, Allan and Del Mastro could be the likely candidates to approximate Hjalmarsson. Both have potential to play in the top 4 and possess that warrior spirit Vlasic lacks.
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Free Agency Preview
The NHL free agency period begins at 11:00am CDT this Wednesday. With a massive 8-year contract of $9.5M AAV starting on the books next season, the Blackhawks may not be players for the higher-priced free agents but that should have been the case regardless of the pursuit of Seth Jones.
Nothing is surprising anymore, though, with the Hawks so it's tough to gauge what the plans are to continue shaping the roster for 2021-22. The only thing that's for certain is the top free agent Dougie Hamilton is no longer a target with Jones in the fold now.
Another certainty is trade activity picking up this week even with some going down before the free agency period commences in order to help teams arrange space on rosters and salary caps to accommodate whoever is being pursued. The Hawks are expected to be active on the trade front.
The smart free agency strategy for the Hawks would be to replicate last year's strategy of seeking experienced players who are affordable and willing to sign a one-year contract that could potentially be flipped to a contender at the trade deadline for draft picks and/or prospects.
Chicago Free Agents
Before delving into who from other teams will be on the market, let's first review who the free agents are on the Blackhawks including both restricted free agents (RFAs) and unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and take a brief glance at what their predicted fate could be.
RFAs:
* Josh Dickinson (C): Let him walk.
* Adam Gaudette (C/W): It may come down to a dichotomy of whether the Hawks want to retain either Gaudette or Vincent Hinostroza as there may not be space to retain both of them; there's also the chance that neither get re-signed.
* Brandon Hagel (W): If there's a no brainer of who in Chicago's free agent cohort should be re-signed, it would be Hagel as he's the gold standard for the compete level that all rookies and youngsters should register to earn their keep.
* David Kampf (C): Not only is he a shoo-in to be re-signed given his prowess in taking faceoffs and shutting down the opposition but Kampf is also a favorite of head coach Jeremy Colliton; his contract renewal should be rather affordable.
* Alex Nylander (W): The biggest conundrum of the free agents is Nylander; on the one hand, there's lingering intrigue to see if he can finally fulfill his potential; but on the other hand, his compete level is debatable and consistency is deficient.
* Pius Suter (C/W): By virtue of his ability to play on the top lines as well as the 3rd line, Suter may have a leg up over Gaudette and Hinostroza for securing a new contract; by that same token, he may also have notable value as a trade chip.
* Nikita Zadorov (D): The most talked about free agent is Zadorov as his name has come up in rumors in so many contexts; it seems inevitable that he will be gone one way or another so the hope is the Hawks gain valuable assets in return in a trade.
UFAs:
* Vincent Hinostroza (W): See comments above about Gaudette.
* Anton Lindholm (D): Let him walk.
* Brandon Pirri (W): Let him walk.
* Zack Smith (C/W): Let him walk.
Centers
Below is a sample list of UFA centers who will be available (listed in alphabetical order, not in any order of significance or preference and also not exhaustive either):
* Nick Bonino
* Tyler Bozak
* Casey Cizikas
* Phillip Danault
* Ryan Dzingel
* Luke Glendening
* Mikael Granlund
* Sean Kuraly
* Trevor Lewis
* Eric Staal
* Paul Stastny
* Derek Stepan
* Alexander Wennberg
* Travis Zajac
A few notes to consider:
* Adding a short-term veteran center could be worthwhile given Jonathan Toews may not be 100% to play the entire season.
* Dylan Strome's status with the team plus determined roles for Philipp Kurashev and Henrik Borgstrom could dictate whether pivots are on the shopping list.
* Before the Jones trade and sign, Phillip Danault could have been someone to think about but his contract demands may be too rich.
* Proven winners who can add experience on a one-year deal are Nick Bonino, Tyler Bozak, and Eric Staal.
* Although he's never won a Cup, Travis Zajac is a possibility on a one-year deal.
* Ryan Dzingel, Mikael Granlund, and Alexander Wennberg are young and talented enough to garner multi-year deals from other teams.
* Casey Cizikas, Luke Glendening, Sean Kuraly, and Trevor Lewis would be nice but they're all 4Cs which is a role for sure to be filled by Kampf.
Wingers
Below is a sample list of UFA wingers who will be available (listed in alphabetical order, not in any order of significance or preference and also not exhaustive either):
* Joel Armia
* Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
* Drake Caggiula
* Andrew Cogliano
* Blake Coleman
* Nick Foligno
* Nikita Gusev
* Erik Haula
* Mike Hoffmann
* Zach Hyman
* Mattias Janmark
* Gabriel Landeskog
* Jordan Martinook
* Tomas Nosek
* Kyle Palmieri
* Brandon Saad
* Jaden Schwartz
* Tomas Tatar
A few notes to consider:
* If any free agent wingers are to come aboard, the Hawks first need to make space by getting rid of the internal bloat on the flanks.
* Just say no to a third tour of duty for Brandon Saad.
* Some of the wingers on the list are unrealistic like Gabriel Landeskog and Kyle Palmieri.
* Other wingers are rumored to be signing elsewhere like Nick Foligno (Wild or Blue Jackets), Zach Hyman (Oilers), and Jaden Schwartz (Kraken).
* Some of the coveted wingers like Joel Armia, Blake Coleman, Nikita Gusev, Mattias Janmark, and Tomas Tatar are young and talented enough to score multi-year deals and are likely out of the Hawks price range.
Defensemen
Below is a sample list of UFA defensemen who will be available (listed in alphabetical order, not in any order of significance or preference and also not exhaustive either):
* Tyson Barrie
* Jordie Benn
* Zach Bogosian
* Zdeno Chara
* Ian Cole
* Jasom Demers
* Alexander Edler
* Alex Goligoski
* Erik Gudbranson
* Dougie Hamilton
* Travis Hamonic
* Alec Martinez
* Jake McCabe
* John Merrill
* Ryan Murray
* Greg Pateryn
* Mike Reilly
* David Savard
* Sami Vatanen
A few notes to consider:
* Depending on what happens with Calvin de Haan and Zadorov, there may not be any room to bring on any free agent defensemen given Seth and Caleb Jones have already been added.
* Another factor that Hawks management needs to decide on is whether youngsters like Nicolas Beaudin, Wyatt Kalynuk, and Ian Mitchell should continue to develop in the NHL or marinate longer in the AHL.
* There are several free agent D-men who are likely not attainable such as Alex Edler, Alec Martinez, and David Savard.
* As long as the salary is affordable and term is short, a few rearguards to kick the tires on are Jordie Benn, Ian Cole, Travis Hamonic, Jake McCabe, John Merrill, Ryan Murray, and Mike Reilly.
Goalies
Below is a sample list of UFA goalies who will be available (listed in alphabetical order, not in any order of significance or preference and also not exhaustive either):
* Fredrik Andersen
* Craig Anderson
* Jonathan Bernier
* Aaron Dell
* Devan Dubnyk
* Brian Elliott
* Philipp Grubauer
* Henrik Lundqvist
* Curtis McElhinney
* Petr Mrazek
* Antti Raanta
* Tuukka Rask
* James Reimer
* David Rittich
* Linus Ullmark
A few notes to consider:
* Kevin Lankinen is the incumbent starter for the Hawks but a decision needs to be made about whether Malcolm Subban or Collin Delia is the backup or a more experienced tender is brought in instead.
* All of the goalies listed above have more experience but it's critical to clearly define what type of experience would be ideal.
* Also, would an experienced veteran be the backup to Lankinen or platoon with him in a 1A/1B situation to provide training wheels?
* Another important question to answer is whether to sign a new netminder to a one-year deal or if a few years is fine.
* The Sharks may buy out goalie Martin Jones so could the Hawks go after a third Jones?
* Another buyout candidate this week is the Canuck's Braden Holtby who has a greater pedigree than Jones.
* Despite the rumors, it's doubtful that Marc-Andre Fleury lands in Chicago especially given his original team in Pittsburgh is hot on the trail to bring him back home.
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