The Chicago Blackhawks might be rebuilding, but the 2024-25 season already shows reason for excitement.
To kick off the first day of free agency, the Chicago Blackhawks went out and made some major additions to the organization. From signing a goaltender to making some major additions to the top six, here is everything to know.
The Chicago Blackhawks added Teravainen, Bertuzzi and more to start free agency.
While the Blackhawks might not have signed Patrick Kane, they did go out and address a need for more talent to play alongside Connor Bedard.
Early on July 1 the Blakchawks signed Teuvo Teravainen to a three year deal, Tyler Bertuzzi to a four year deal, Alec Martinez to a one year contract and Laurent Brossoit to a two year contract.
The Blackhawks also signed Craig Smith and Pat Maroon.
First and foremost, Kyle Davidson has brought back a longtime Chicago tradition, bringing back former Blackhawks. With signing Teuvo Teravainen to a three year deal worth $5.4 million a season, the Hawks are adding some much needed skill to the top line.
Teravainen put up 53 points in 76 games last season with the Hurricanes. He has spent his entire career in Carolina since being traded from the Hawks as apart of the Bryan Bickell trade during the summer of 2016.
Over the course of the past eight seasons, Teravainen has played in 555 games with the Canes putting up 415 points. His best season was in 2018-19 when he registered 76 points but he has been a 20 goal scorer the past handful of seasons,.
The Blackhawks added some playoff grit to their lineup adding Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi signed for four years with a cap hit of $5.5 million, a great price for the forward.
Bertuzzi comes to Chicago having most recently put up 43 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He definitely will benefit from a bigger role in Chicago,
Alec Martinez is another great addition to the Blackhawks. He is someone who can help anchor the blue line and help bring in the next generation of defensemen.
This tweet from Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times also adds more insight into how Martinez can help the team.
On Alec Martinez:
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) July 1, 2024
Kevin Korchinski has long admired Shea Theodore, another Seattle Thunderbirds alum, and tried to model his game after him.
So what do the Blackhawks do? They go get Martinez, who was Theodore's partner in Vegas in 2021 and knows him well. Clever move.
The last piece of the puzzle to mention has to be Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit, 31, just finished up the 2023-24 season playing in 23 games witht he Winnipeg Jets. The former 2011 draft pick registerd a .927 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.
Brossoit can definitely help the Blackhawks this upcoming season. The Hawks can give him a bigger opportunity than he has had in his career thus far and can split the net between him and Petr Mrazek.