Chicago Blackhawks reportedly targeted top free agent this past summer

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Tom Banks
October 10, 2024 (6:47 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks are in a state of rebuild, but this summer, it appears they tried to land a superstar to play alongside Connor Bedard.

In the 2023 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks landed one of the most highly touted prospects we've ever seen in Connor Bedard, but with very little talent around them, they knew this would simply continue their rebuilding phase. This off-season however, the team put plenty of veteran talent around him, picking up the likes of Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie, but thus far things haven't looked a whole lot better.

However, we have now learned through top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman that the team took a big swing this summer, and while they ultimately missed, it shows a clear goal from GM Kyle Davidson to put talent around Bedard while he's still on a relatively cheap contract.

"Like the Ducks, Chicago also took some big swings this summer -- making googly eyes at Jake Guentzel, who ultimately chose Tampa Bay. They found different help for Bedard, and it's a deeper roster."

Reportedly the team targeted star forward Jake Guentzel, but ultimately he chose the Tampa Bay Lightning, who appear optimistic that they can challenge for the Stanley Cup this season, which is a much better opportunity for a veteran winger. Unfortunately for Chicago, this may continue to happen until they can build a winning culture around Bedard, because thus far, they still don't have a clear path to the future even with No. 98 playing at such a high level.

Next off-season, the likes of Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser and many others will become available, so expect Chicago to look to add more elite level talent, but unless they can show a clear game plan moving forward, it's very unclear what the future of this organization will look like.