The Blackhawks have been active in terms of bringing in international free agents in recent years and if they have their way, they’ll do so again this summer. Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune reports that on top of wanting Russian winger Ilya Mikheyev (Toronto and Vegas appear to be the favorites to land him), they also have interest in Swedish winger Anton Wedin.
The 26-year-old had been more of a complementary player with Timra in recent years but when they were promoted to the SHL for this past season, his offense took off. Despite missing 20 games due to injury, Wedin finished third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 13 assists in 32 contests and then led the team in scoring in their seven-game relegation series (one they lost) with two goals and seven helpers.
The fact that Timra is once again heading to the second tier Allsvenskan could very well make Wedin amenable to leaving. Chicago has a few vacancies to fill up front for next season and while they have more salary cap space to work with than usual, that could change quickly if they opt to make a big splash on the free agent market. They fared well when they brought winger Dominik Kahun over last offseason and someone like Wedin could have a chance to make a similar impact if they’re able to agree on a contract.
If hes anything like Kahun,I’ll pass.Hawks dont need another 3rd/4th liner.Save the $ for defense or a goalie…