The Chicago Blackhawks need to try to end their rebuild and be a contender this season.
Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, as the Blackhawks have been one of the worst teams in the NHL since then. Entering free agency on July 1, the Blackhawks are hopeful to be aggressive in adding more talent to their roster.
Ahead of free agency opening, NHL analyst Josh Wegman of TheScore predicted the Blackhawks will sign Mason Marchment to a four-year, $24 million deal.
“Prediction: Signs with Blackhawks for 4-years, $6M AAV. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens are reportedly targeting Marchment, but don’t be surprised if the Blackhawks swoop in. Chicago desperately needs to add help up front around Connor Bedard,” Wegman wrote.
Marchment spent last season between the Seattle Kraken and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 6-foot-5 forward can add some much-needed size to the lineup and be a middle-six forward for the Blackhawks.
Not only does Marchment add some size and grit to the lineup, but he can also score. His career-high is 22 goals, which he accomplished in back-to-back years in 2023-24 and 24-25. Last season, he recorded 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points.
The Blackhawks need to add more NHL talent to the roster, and Marchment would fit in nicely with the team.
Marchment Will Have a Robust Market
The free agent class isn’t very strong, so there will likely be bidding wars for the top players.
Marchment will be one of the top players available, and NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the power forward will make a
“Sounds like a pretty robust market developing for pending UFA winger Mason Marchment if he goes to market. Blue Jackets still keeping in touch, however, could see CBJ making 11th-hour pitch next week before July 1,” LeBrun wrote on X.
With several teams being interested in Marchment, it should drive up the price, but the Blackhawks have the cap space to land the power forward.
Blackhawks GM ‘Motivated’ to Make Big Moves
Chicago made a bold move to acquire Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres for a package that included the fourth-overall pick.
Ahead of the offseason, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said he’s motivated to make big moves.
“I’m certainly motivated to,” Davidson said. “I don’t know if I feel like it’s, like, a mandatory thing, but I want to, yeah. That’s kind of been a lot of the motivation, and a lot of the work here is trying to figure out what’s there that we potentially could add to the group. I wouldn’t say we weren’t motivated in the past to add, but there’s certainly an extra bit of willingness or aggressiveness in trying to explore what’s out there, for sure.”
The Blackhawks hope to compete for a playoff spot next season, and adding someone like Marchment will help them. Regardless, Chicago
“We’re certainly engaged and interested in trying to be aggressive and see what we can do to help the group, because we believe in the group as currently constructed. We think it would be a good thing to add if at all possible.”
The Blackhawks have just over $36 million in cap space.
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