NHL free agency officially got underway on Wednesday, and although the Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of what will likely be a lengthy rebuild, they were active in signing players as soon as the new league year began.
The Blackhawks inked center Colin Blackwell to a two-year deal, and also gave contracts to Andreas Athanasiou and Max Domi once free agency got underway.
Here are the latest details on which players are headed to Chicago, and which players are headed elsewhere.
Who’s In:
Andreas Athanasiou – 1 year, $3 million
The former Detroit Red Wings draft pick spent the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 11 goals and dishing out six assists in 28 games. The 27-year-old forward also had a goal in six playoff appearances.
Colin Blackwell – 2 years, $1.2 million
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A center, Blackwell was traded by the Seattle Kraken to the Toronto Maple Leafs in March as part of the Mark Giordano trade. Combined, he scored 10 goals and had 10 assists in 58 games between the two clubs.
Max Domi – 1 year, $3 million
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The former first-round draft pick split time between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes during the season, with 11 goals and 28 assists to his credit in 72 games. He also had three goals and three assists during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Luke Philp – 1 year, $750,000
Philp signed a two-way contract with the Blackhawks, which will pay him $250,000 if he remains with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Philp, a center, has yet to make his NHL debut, but did have 21 goals and 23 assists in 66 games with the Stockton Heat last season.
Brett Seney – 1 year, $750,000
A winger, Seney spent last season in the Maple Leafs organization. He appeared in two games with Toronto, but spent the vast majority of the season with the Toronto Marlies, with 17 goals and 42 assists in 62 games.
Dylan Sikura – 1 year, $750,000
The former Blackhawks prospect is back after spending the last two seasons with the Golden Knights and Avalanche organizations. In five games with Colorado last season, Sikura picked up an assist.
He has appeared in 58 career NHL games, scoring three goals and adding 14 assists.
Alex Stalock – 1 year, $750,000
Potentially a backup option for Petr Mrazek, Stalock has bounced around the NHL in his career, spending time with the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. He appeared in just one game for the Sharks last season, but spent most of the campaign with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and San Jose Barracuda. In the latter stop, he played in 12 games, with a 4.04 goals against average and an .872 save percentage.
Who’s Out:
Henrik Borgstrom (Washington)
Bought out by the Blackhawks this week, Borgstrom cleared waivers and will sign with the Capitals, according to Chris Johnston. He scored four goals and had three assists in 52 games with the Blackhawks.
Collin Delia (Vancouver)
Delia spent most of last season with the IceHogs, but did appear in eight games for the Blackhawks, posting a 3.85 goals against average and an .899 save percentage.
Erik Gustafsson – 1 year, $800,000 (Washington)
In 59 games with the Blackhawks last season, the defenseman had three goals and 15 assists. He has 117 points in 309 career NHL games.
Wyatt Kalynuk – 1 year, $750,000 (Vancouver)
Non-tendered by the Blackhawks, Kalynuk agreed to a two-way contract with the Canucks. He had seven goals and 20 assists in 52 games with the IceHogs last season. He has appeared in 26 NHL games, with four goals and five assists to his credit.
Dominik Kubalik – 2 years, $5 million (Detroit)
Kubalik, also non-tendered by the Blackhawks, will head to the Red Wings, marking the second straight year that the Wings have signed a forward that was let go by Chicago (Pius Suter). He had 15 goals and 17 assists in 78 games last season, but did score 30 goals in his rookie season during the 2019-20 campaign.
Kevin Lankinen - 1 year, $1.5 million (Nashville)
Both members of the Blackhawks’ goaltending tandem at the conclusion of the season are now gone, with Lankinen heading to the Predators to back up Juuse Saros. Lankinen appeared in 32 games for the Blackhawks last season, with an 8-15-6 record, a 3.50 goals against average and an .891 save percentage.
Dylan Strome - 1 year, $3.5 million (Washington)
The Blackhawks non-tendered Strome after being unable to trade his rights at the deadline or at the NHL Draft, and he’ll head to the Capitals on a one-year deal. Strome scored 22 goals and dished out 26 assists in 69 games with the Blackhawks last season.
