Blackhawks’ Best & Worst 2024 Off-Season Addition

The Chicago Blackhawks made many off-season additions to try to alter the look of the team. It was a big change from letting the young players learn in the NHL the season prior, but it hasn’t worked out the way general manager Kyle Davidson had hoped.

The Blackhawks made eight off-season additions that included Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith, Alec Martinez, TJ Brodie, and Laurent Brossoit.

Some have worked out, but some are on the other end of that spectrum and haven’t been as advertised. So who is the best and worst of the 2024 off-season additions to Chicago?

Starting with the best, there are two clear candidates here, Bertuzzi and Teravainen, though Mikheyev has done his job and there aren’t many complaints other than lack of scoring.

Bertuzzi leads the team in goals (17) and has 28 points in 51 games while Teravainen is second on the team in points with 34 in 51 games. After some experimenting with combinations, it seems as though Bertuzzi is the better fit on Connor Bedard’s line. That gives Bertuzzi the edge as the better addition since it’s very important for Bedard, the best player on the team and the future centerpiece of the organization, to have great complementary players.

While Teravainen has the history of being a productive and underrated offensive player, he is older and Bertuzzi has had some strong seasons. Combine that with his irritative style of play for opponents and his chemistry with Bedard, and I have to say that Bertuzzi was the best of the eight additions to the Blackhawks.

On the other end, there have been some misses for the Blackhawks. It is easily narrowed down to Brossoit or Brodie. Both were signed for two years and Brossoit has yet to play a game. I can’t comment on his performance as he hasn’t worn a Blackhawks jersey yet. Maybe if he comes back this season and does well, it moves him out of this conversation, but the money seems like a waste right now, especially with how Arvid Soderblom has stepped up and come into his own.

Brodie hasn’t been great for the Blackhawks. He was signed for one year too long and is definitely a buyout candidate in the 2025 off-season with his contract and performance. He has a horrible goals for percent of 32.10%, two goals and nine points to go along with only 18 shots, and averages less than 16 minutes per game.

While the Blackhawks did dish out some money to some veterans to entice them to sign and boost the cap of the team above the cap floor, Brodie’s contract is a clear miss. The young defensemen have been pushing for spots and proving themselves all season with better analytics. Depending on which way you look at it, both Brossoit and Brodie could be seen as the worst addition, but I figure Brossoit has a level ground to build from when he does play games. Brodie is fighting an uphill battle from a low point.

The good came with the bad this off-season for the Blackhawks, but one thing is certain, there were too many average players or veteran players brought in to a rebuilding team. That can’t happen again. Adding a game-changer has to be the main focus this summer and the creation of space for the young players who are the future and are ready to play.

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