Down the stretch last season, the Blackhawks found themselves without a key veteran when Connor Murphy was moved to Edmonton before the trade deadline. That left them with just one veteran blueliner, Matt Grzelcyk, while the rest of the back end was 24 or younger.
Speaking with reporters at the NHL Draft Combine including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, GM Kyle Davidson acknowledged that they wanted to see how things would go without the veteran safety valve in Murphy. They didn’t get any sort of late-season boost and evidently, Davidson is hoping to not see that recent history repeat itself next season as he acknowledged that he wants to explore options to add a veteran this summer.
As things stand, Grzelcyk is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. As a result, if he leaves, the oldest blueliner on Chicago’s roster would be Louis Crevier, who just turned 25 last month and completed his first full NHL season in 2025-26.
The Blackhawks have been rebuilding for a while now with just one playoff appearance in the past nine years, that being the expanded 2020 postseason. That has allowed them to amass an impressive crop of youngsters, including on the back end. Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov are well on their way to becoming impact players. Alex Vlasic already is one. Crevier and Wyatt Kaiser both took steps forward this season while Kevin Korchinski showed some flashes in the past. That’s the makings of what could be a solid back end in the future.
But even rebuilding teams need veterans to help lead them through some rough times, something Davidson has recognized in recent years with some of the overpayments he made up front to get some into the system. Now, this certainly feels like one of those times where he may need to try the same thing, but this time on the back end.
Fortunately for Chicago, the side they need might be the easier one to get. Assuming Rinzel, Levshunov, and Crevier are the top three (in some order) on the right side, they should be set there. Vlasic and Kaiser are currently the top options on the left, with a now waiver-eligible Korchinski also in the mix. Someone who could hold down a second-pairing spot on the left side and log around 20 minutes per night would be a big addition, especially with the team hoping to take a step or two forward in the standings next season.
Cap space certainly shouldn’t be an issue in Davidson’s efforts to add a veteran defender. They presently have around $40MM in room, per PuckPedia, and while Connor Bedard’s next contract will be pricey, they’ll have more than enough space to get into (and try to win) the bidding for a blueliner.
Sounds like Davidson reallllllly wants Morgan Rielly
Oleksiak is a free agent
The fans in Chicago have known this for quite some time. The question is go high or go middle. I say go high. Wanted the Hawks to throw some money at Ekblad last year. He decided to take less and chase another Cup. That didn’t work out so well for him. Davidson will have to trade for a guy that good this year but it’s completely within reason. In a perfect world The Hawks get Stenberg and trade for an Ace D man. In an imperfect world the Hawks trade for an Ace D man and draft a future elite D man at 4. Then get a B/U Goalie who can start if something happens to Knight and then training camp starts and we blend it all together.