Another offseason, another chance to predict what the Chicago Blackhawks will choose to do on July 1. I wrote a similar article last year attempting to predict what Chicago would do, with a few predictions turning out to be correct.
This offseason may not be as exciting as some fans believe. Although not stated outright, it seems that the Blackhawks will not be big-fish hunting for forwards like Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers. Even so, the Blackhawks may look to improve around the edges. Here is what I predict for the Blackhawks’ 2025 offseason.
Decide on restricted free agents
(Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)
Going into this offseason, the Blackhawks have multiple restricted free agents (RFAs) needing a new deal. The most notable RFAs are Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, Arvid Soderblom and Philipp Kurashev. Of these four, Chicago looks to be retaining three.
The three retained are Crevier, Kaiser and Soderblom.
Crevier, a 2020 seventh-round success story, made strides during the 2024-25 season. Despite Chicago drowning in defensive prospects, a tall, right-handed defenseman like Crevier is hard to find. Crevier earned his spot on this roster, and should solidify the bottom-pairing and provide depth for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Kaiser, a 22-year-old left-handed defenseman, showed promise at times during the 2024-25 season. Despite frustrations, he has shown enough to deserve re-signing.
Soderblom, a 25-year-old goaltender, improved this season after a disastrous 2023-24 season. With Laurent Brossoit’s health seemingly up in the air, re-signing Soderblom keeps the backup goaltender position secure. Could carrying three goalies become a problem? Yes, but better safe than sorry.
For an RFA like Kurashev, it is clear to see why he is not being given a qualifying offer.
Kurashev had a horrific 2024-25 season. There were times were he did not even look like an AHL-caliber forward. Letting him go should be pretty easy for the Blackhawks.
Other RFAs, like Antti Saarela, Aku Raty and Jalen Luypen, will not receive qualifying offers.
Sign a competent, second/third-pairing left-handed defenseman
With the sting of T.J. Brodie, the idea of signing another left-handed defenseman over the age of 30 may scare some Blackhawks fans. However, looking at the Blackhawks’ defense core, one thing becomes very clear. It is young, almost too young for its own good. The only defenseman over the age of 25 is Connor Murphy.
Murphy, going into the last year of his contract, with injury concerns, should not be the only veteran defenseman on this roster. Chicago needs a competent partner for the young guys breaking into the league. Here are a few options the Blackhawks could explore.
Brian Dumoulin
(Photo courtesy of Joe Sargent / NHLI via Getty Images)
One of my favorite free agents this summer, Brian Dumoulin provides competent defensive play to this young core.
Dumoulin, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, split his 2024-25 season with the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils. Coming off of a two-year, $6.3 million contract, Dumoulin could fit well opposite Artyom Levshunov, essentially babysitting the young prospect during his first full season in the NHL.
Realistically, Chicago could bring in Dumoulin on a two-year, $6.5 million contract. Dumoulin turns 34 in September, so providing him term and a pay raise at this point in his career could be a selling point.
Nate Schmidt
(Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Although Nate Schmidt may stay with the Florida Panthers, he, like Dumoulin, brings championship pedigree and a defensive mindset to this young group.
Coming off a contract that only paid him $800,000, dangling a pay raise of around $1.5 million per year could rip Schmidt away from the champion Panthers.
Schmidt, like Dumoulin, also turns 34 this summer. At that age, Chicago should max out at a two-year deal if they choose to offer Schmidt a contract.
Matt Grzelcyk
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More of a puck-moving defenseman than a defensive defenseman, Matt Grzelcyk can give that bottom pairing a jolt on offense. With how hard it was for Blackhawks defensemen to score all season, Grzelcyk could change that.
Grzelcky, at 31 years old and coming off of a contract that paid him $2.75 million per year, could prove to be difficult to sign. Unlike Schmidt and Dumoulin, Grzelcyk does not have a ring. He may be looking to Cup chase with his next contract, which would mean an overpayment by Chicago would be necessary to bring him in.
Acquire bottom-six depth while gaining draft capital
After trading away Evander Kane, the Edmonton Oilers may still be looking to move money out. With the need to re-sign Evan Bouchard this summer, and with concerns elsewhere on the roster, an overpaid forward like Viktor Arvidsson could be moved.
Here’s where Chicago comes in. With forward prospects still needing some time to develop away from the NHL, taking on Arvidsson’s $4 million contract for one year could prove to be a slam dunk. With Edmonton’s desperation to make room, Chicago could also pilfer some draft capital in this deal.
Arvidsson is a forward I had mentioned in my previous prediction article as a target for the Blackhawks. His 2024-25 season was underwhelming. A season after back surgery, Arvidsson only netted 27 points in 67 regular season games. He proved useful during Edmonton’s playoff run, scoring seven points in 15 playoff games. Despite this, paying $4 million for a 30-point scorer is not ideal for the Oilers.
Here is how this deal could work out:
Sign a depth forward to buy prospects time
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The last move would be the least exciting. As mentioned earlier, the Blackhawks have a ton of prospects on the precipice of not just making their NHL debuts, but sticking around for the season.
With that being said, the Blackhawks still need some NHL-ready depth to sit in the press box ready to step in during an injury or after a trade. Doing this makes sure Chicago does not have to call someone up after the trade deadline or after an injury if they do not want to.
Here is a quick list of options Chicago could offer one-year deals to:
- Curtis Lazar
- Colin White
- Derek Ryan
- Michael Eyssimont
- Luke Glendening
- Tyson Jost
- Steven Lorentz
- Logan Brown
- Vinni Lettieri
They are not the most exciting of forwards, but 13th forwards are not meant to be.
Analysis
It is hard to predict big splashes for Chicago this season. Perhaps Kyle Davidson is keeping things close to the chest, and on July 1 the collective minds of Blackhawks fans explodes at a Marner signing. But, as time goes on, and with more media members throwing cold water on the hot stoves, it may be time to hunker down and accept smaller moves.
Here is how these hypothetical moves could shape Chicago’s roster going into the 2025-26 season:
With this, the Blackhawks can start the season with prospects like Oliver Moore, Riley Greene, Samuel Savoie, Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan in Rockford. Doing so allows these young players to break into the professional game without being overwhelmed by the speed of the NHL.
Moves like these give Chicago the most important thing: options. They have the option to put prospects where they want. They have the option to move guys out with only one year left on their contracts. Options, and the chance to see more young skaters at the NHL level, are two valuable commodities Chicago has with these moves.