Yesterday I took a look at the pending UFAs and RFAs from the Blackhawks forwards and gave my opinion on who I thought should and shouldn’t be back next season. (Link here if you missed it: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Zach-Jarom/Who-To-Bring-Back-Forwards/300/121477) Continuing this theme, it is time to look at the back end and talk about the defense. While the forward group has a lot of questions regarding who will be apart of the 2023–2024 Hawks team, things are a little bit more set for the defenders, and honestly, the future of the D-core is slowly becoming a bit more clear. The key word here is slowly.
UFA
Andreas Englund
The Hawks have just one defender who is set to become an UFA, and that is Andreas Englund. He of course came over from Colorado in the Jack Johnson trade and played in just 11 games, putting up 1 assist. It is safe to say he will move on and have a new home next season.
RFA
Ian Mitchell
Personally, I am a big fan of Mitchell. I was super high on him when the Hawks selected him in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft, and I still hold out hope that he will be able to become an impact player in the NHL. The 24-year-old put up 8 points in 35 games this season with the Hawks, and he seems to have become an afterthought when it comes to getting a consistent spot in the lineup. With him being only 24, not bringing him back to me seems like a mistake. However, as I will discuss here in a moment, if he’s not going to get regular playing time, is it time to just do right by him and let him find an opportunity somewhere else?
Caleb Jones
For me, this is an easy decision, and I won’t spend much time on Jones. You have to let him walk unless he is willing to take a pay cut to stick with his brother. Caleb Jones plays like he wants to be Seth Jones the same way Seth Jones plays like he wants to be an elite defender. He's just too much of a defensive liability with his offensive mindset, but he’s not good enough offensively to play that style. There are already so many other options in the system that there is no reason to waste a roster spot on him.
Other RFAs in the system include Jakob Galvas (23) and Alex Regula (22) both young players who seem to be seen highly by management; they will no doubt get contracts to continue their development. Next season, you are going to see Seth Jones, Alex Zaitsev, Murphy, and Tinordi, which then leaves two open spots on the back end. Can KD bring in another vet on a bad contract to help get to the cap floor? Of course, but I also think that you have enough young prospects that you can have a revolving door to start getting some of these kids NHL experience. Guys like Mitchell, Kaiser, Roos, Vlasic, Allan, and Phillips have all had a taste of NHL action. Since this team will not be playing for playoff contention, now is a great time to continue to get small tastes of NHL action without hurting their development. I am interested to hear who you all want to see back, if anyone, and if you want to let the kids play or see what KD can bring in via trade or free agency.
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