Expansion Draft Preview: Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are far from the team that won three Stanley Cups over the course of six seasons.
They’re slowly trudging through a long retooling process, a necessary endeavour after being all-in on winning for nearly a decade.
Much like with that last Expansion Draft in 2017, the Blackhawks are in position to lose a solid player to the Seattle Kraken. Given the amount of moves the team has made recently, it’s difficult to determine who this team will opt to protect and who they’ll expose.
Eligible Forwards
@Patrick Kane, @Jonathan Toews, @Alex DeBrincat, @Andrew Shaw, @Brett Connolly, @Zack Smith, @Dylan Strome, @Ryan Carpenter, @Vinnie Hinostroza, @David Kampf, @Adam Gaudette, @Brandon Hagel, @Alexander Nylander, @Henrik Borgstrom
Eligible Defencemen
@Duncan Keith (NMC), @Brent Seabrook (NMC), @Calvin De Haan, @Connor Murphy, @Nikita Zadorov, @Riley Stillman, @Anton Lindholm,
Eligible Goaltenders
@Collin Delia, @Malcolm Subban, @Kevin Lankinen
Exempt Players
@Dominik Kubalik, @Adam Boqvist, @Cameron Morrison, @Matej Chalupa, @Pius Suter, @Kirby Dach, @Mike Hardman, @Reese Johnson, @Evan Barratt, @Philipp Kurashev, @Isaak Phillips
What should they do?
The Blackhawks have four no-movement clauses, though Brent Seabrook will surely waive given the fact he “retired” during the season. That leaves Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith as three players who will automatically be protected.
With Keith filling one of Chicago’s slots on the blueline, they have two more to decide between Calvin De Haan, Connor Murphy, Nikita Zadorov, and Riley Stillman. Murphy plays top-pairing minutes and De Haan has been marred by injury, so the choice really comes down to Zadorov or the younger Stillman. Given their age, the former seems to be the prudent choice.
On forward, Kane and Toews fill two spots, leaving Chicago with room for five more players. Alex DeBrincat is a no-brainer, as is Dylan Strome. After that, it makes sense for Chicago to protect as many young players as possible, so Brandon Hagel, Alex Nylander, and Henrik Borgstrom would likely be the other three.
Chicago has three goaltenders, Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban, and Kevin Lankinen, who can become free agents after the 2021-22 season. Lankinen is the best of the bunch and played the most in 2021 so logic would indicate he’s the goalie they protect.
When it’s all said and done, Seattle will have their choice at a decent veteran, such as Brett Connolly, Ryan Carpenter, Calvin De Haan, or Nikita Zadorov. A younger player like Adam Gaudette or Riley Stillman is possible, too. This is fairly similar to 2017 when the Hawks lost @Trevor van Riemsdyk to Vegas in 2017.