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5 free agents the Blackhawks can sign to get back to the playoffs

By Griffin Youngs

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 17: Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and center Jonathan Toews (19) during the third period during a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild on December 17, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Blackhawks won 4-1. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 17: Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and center Jonathan Toews (19) during the third period during a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild on December 17, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Blackhawks won 4-1. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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After a disappointing season of finishing well out of the postseason, here are five free agents the Chicago Blackhawks can bring on board to find their way back to the promised land.

Expectations for the Chicago Blackhawks were high heading into this season. Last season they won the Western Conference with the full expectation that they were on their way to a fourth Stanley Cup in eight years, but were embarrassingly swept in the first round by the Nashville Predators.

Chicago was penciled in as a team to make the playoffs when the season began, but we quickly learned this team had some serious problems they were refusing to address. All those worries were seemingly squashed when they thrashed the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins 10-1 on the opening night of the season, but it was merely a flash in the pan.

The Blackhawks fizzled out not long after, and fell off the face of the earth to miss the postseason for the first time in nine entire seasons, finishing dead last in the Central Division after finishing first the year before. Chicago dropped one spot in the draft lottery and will pick eighth in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

All hope is not yet lost for the Blackhawks, though; they just need the right pieces and they’ll be right back in postseason contention. With a core of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford you’re already in good shape, but the team surrounding them was the reason for last year’s disappointment. Here are five free agents the Blackhawks can sign to get back in playoff contention.

Keep in mind that the Blackhawks are a cap-strapped team, and they will have to move out a lot of the dead weight to be able to make noise in free agency.

Finally, before we begin, no — John Tavares is not on this list. Signing Tavares can put almost any team in the league into the playoffs, and the Blackhawks are no different.

BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) looks to pass during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) looks to pass during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Calvin de Haan

The Blackhawks suffered immensely on the blue line last season, and repairing the depth on the back end should be their primary focus in this offseason. There are big names like John Carlson and Mike Green on the market, but the obvious bidding wars to come will push them out of the Blackhawks’ price range. But the Blackhawks have to do something here, and that where Calvin de Haan will come in.

Calvin de Haan was a left handed defenseman for the New York Islanders last season, but his season was cut short with a knee injury and he played just 33 games after signing a one-year contract.

In 33 games with the Islanders last season, De Haan recorded one goal and 11 assists for 12 points. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but he is a solid option on the back end. He was one of the leaders of the Islanders defense, which fell into historically bad company once de Haan was injured.

While negotiations with John Tavares take up the forefront of Islanders news, de Haan remaining with the Islanders depends on if he will go to unrestricted free agency. After all, de Haan was the Islanders other first-round pick in 2009 when they drafted Tavares first overall, and if Tavares leaves, there is no the way the Islanders will be foolish enough to let de Haan go as well.

But if de Haan does not sign in New York, the Blackhawks will have to work fast, because once Carlson and Green are off the market, the next defenseman bidding war will be for De Haan. The Blackhawks cannot delude themselves into thinking they can afford Carlson or Green with their cap situation; de Haan needs to be top priority before other teams can raise the price.

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