The Blackhawks entered the 2018 NHL offseason in a much different position than usual after finishing last in the Central Division last season. The days of being a sure-thing contender are over, and now the team needs to figure out how to get back to where it once was.
Those changes will be easier said than done in some ways. Many of the team’s expensive players have no-movement clauses and/or contract terms that make them difficult to move. Uncertainty over the status of goaltender Corey Crawford will loom over everything the team does until more clarity is provided on that situation.
But the Hawks are a franchise that’s talked about and won Stanley Cups over the past decade, and that remains the ambition even after a disappointing season.
To keep track of the Blackhawks’ changes as they happen, here’s a running tab of the team’s offseason transactions. A projection of the team’s potential 23-man roster is included at the bottom of the article. This post will be regularly updated.
Trades
July 12: Hossa, Hinostroza to Coyotes
To Blackhawks: Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, Andrew Campbell, 2019 fifth-round pick
To Coyotes: Marian Hossa, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle, 2019 third-round pick
June 27: J-F Berube to Blue Jackets
To Blackhawks: Jordan Schroeder
To Blue Jackets: J-F Berube
June 24: Tanner Kero to Canucks
To Blackhawks: Michael Chaput
To Canucks: Tanner Kero
Contract signings
July 1: Adam Boqvist
Details: Three years, $925K cap hit (ELC)
July 1: Cam Ward
Details: One year, $3 million cap hit, including no-trade clause
July 1: Chris Kunitz
Details: One year, $1 million cap hit
July 1: Brandon Manning
Details: Two years, $2.25 million cap hit
June 15: Vinnie Hinostroza, John Hayden
Details: Two years, $1.5 million cap hit for Hinostroza; Two years, $750K cap hit for Hayden
June 12: Henri Jokiharju
Details: Three years, $925K cap hit (ELC)
June 7: Andreas Martinsen
Details: One year, $650K cap hit
May 31: Jacob Nilsson
Details: One year, $925K cap hit (ELC)
May 22: Dominik Kahun, Darren Raddysh, Kevin Lankinen, Lucas Carlsson
Details: Two years, $925K cap hit for Kahun and Lankinen (ELC); three years, $792K cap hit for Carlsson (ELC); two years, $730K cap hit for Raddysh (ELC)
Roster projection
Forwards (13): Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad, Artem Anisimov, Nick Schmaltz, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Sikura, Chris Kunitz, Victor Ejdsell, Marcus Kruger David Kampf, John Hayden, Andreas Martinsen
Defensemen (7): Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Brent Seabrook, Erik Gustafsson, Jan Rutta, Brandon Manning, Gustav Forsling
Goalies (3): Corey Crawford, Cam Ward, Anton Forsberg