After being rumored to be signing with the Blackhawks a few months ago, Swedish blueliner Filip Roos finally inked a 2-year ELC at $925K AAV. Similar in size as forwards Dylan Strome and Henrik Borgstrom, Roos measures in at 6'3" and 195 pounds.
Roos eats minutes through above average skating and smart positioning. He isn't shy to use his body to make plays in the defensive zone. While he likely won't rack up points offensively, Roos is known to join the rush with regularity.
The last European free agent defenseman who the Blackhawks signed was another Swede in Philip Holm who has a similar build and style of play as Roos. Let's hope the fate of Roos is more positive as the Hawks and Holm mutually terminated his contract after 30 AHL games.
Before Holm, it was Jan Rutta and Michal Kempny. Both have won Stanley Cup rings after departing Chicago to join the Lightning and Capitals respectively. Rutta remains to be a regular on the Bolts blueline. Kempny, though, has been battling injuries.
One could argue that Roos is at least on the same plane as Caleb Jones as a strong-skating two-way rearguard and substantially better than Erik Gustafsson. If that's the case, Roos may be a complementary partner on the 2nd pair or the anchor on the 3rd pair.
Whether Roos shines, flops, or performs somewhere in between remains to be seen. Where does he fit on the Chicago backline? Or will he start his pro career in North America on the IceHogs D corps like Holm did in 2019? Holm never suited up for the Hawks actually.
Here are a few questions that could help define the role that Roos will play in the Blackhawks organization in 2022-23:
* Will any of the big 3 veterans in Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, and/or Jake McCabe get traded this offseason?
* Will general manager Kyle Davidson look to add another NHL veteran to the fold to replace Calvin de Haan?
* Will Caleb Jones get re-signed?
* Will any D prospects like Ian Mitchell, Jakub Galvas, Alec Regula, and/or Alex Vlasic crack the Hawks starting lineup?
Assuming Roos earns a spot on the NHL roster, here are possible D pairs for the parent club and farm club:
Blackhawks
McCabe - S Jones
Roos - Murphy
Stillman - Mitchell
Reserve: C Jones
IceHogs
Phillips - Galvas
Vlasic - Regula
Kalynuk - Crevier
Reserve: Beaudin, AHL veteran like Stanton
One would hope that not only Roos but other youngsters like Jakub Galvas or Alec Regula make Caleb Jones expendable to the point of not renewing his contract. There is also the chance that 2021 draft picks Nolan Allan and/or Ethan Del Mastro go pro for 2022-23.
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Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago
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