On Tuesday, the 4 p.m. Central deadline for NHL teams to submit their qualifying offers to their restricted free agent players came and went. The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the few teams in the league to not publicly disclose the qualifying offer information. While it is not officially confirmed by the organization, multiple reports suggest that the Blackhawks have extended offers to a handful of their RFA candidates, while letting a few others become unrestricted free agents without offers.
Blackhawks submit handful of qualifying offers, according to reports
Through the NHL Draft weekend, the Chicago Blackhawks had 11 players that were restricted free agents with Victor Ejdsell, Anton Forsberg, Gustav Forsling, Blake Hillman, Luke Johnson, David Kampf, Anthony Louis, Brendan Perlini, John Quenneville, Dylan Sikura and Spencer Watson meeting the RFA status.
Quenneville was acquired on Day Two of the draft in a trade with the New Jersey Devils that sent forward John Hayden to New Jersey. Also involved in a trade were RFAs Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling that sent them to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Aleksi Saarela and Calvin de Haan.
As the 4 p.m. Central deadline for RFA qualifying offers to be submitted, it was reported by Scott Powers of The Athletic, that Ejdsell, Kampf, Perlini, Quenneville and Sikura were given qualifying offers and some were already in new contract negotiations. Adding to those reports, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed that Perlini was in negotiations for a new deal with the Blackhawks.
NOTE: since publishing this article, reports have surfaced that David Kampf did not receive an offer from the Blackhawks, but it still negotiating a deal with the team.
Mar 13, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN: Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Sikura (95) skates with the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)
For a player as divisive around the Blackhawks fan community as Dylan Sikura became last season, Chicago is not giving up on the former sixth-round draft pick. After showing promise in his brief first NHL stint, and then proving himself in the AHL in 2018–19, Sikura failed to show the same production or growth in the NHL this past season. He is still a young player that can continue to develop his game to fit more of the NHL style, and, if he does that, can be a quality option for Chicago up and down their lineup on either wing.
While it may be confusing that Chicago would extend an offer to Ejdsell after he confirmed that he was moving back to Sweden to play in the SHL next season, the Blackhawks are doing so to keep his NHL rights if he were to decide to return to North America in the near future. Worth a shot in the dark on Ejdsell, who showed promise at times, but lacked consistency. Also reported by both Powers and Pope was that RFA Luke Johnson was not confirmed to have had a qualifying offer given to him, stating his agent had not returned an answer to their inquires.
Note: since publishing this article, it was confirmed that Luke Johnson did not receive an offer from the Blackhawks.
Nov 23, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA: Chicago Blackhawks center David Kampf (64) chases the puck during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago is keen on keeping Kampf around to play in their bottom-six forwards group. Having made himself a key piece on the fourth line with the Blackhawks, Kampf looks to return to that role and potentially be the replacement for unrestricted free agent Marcus Kruger, who is not expected back with the Blackhawks.
Also in the mix for Chicago in the bottom-six group is Perlini. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Dylan Strome for Nick Schmaltz, Perlini was a bit of an added bonus for the Blackhawks in that deal last season. While Strome was the focal point as the year went on, Perlini showed flashes of potential as a piece to Chicago’s bottom-six forward group. His deal is tricky, as he was scratched at times late last year, but his potential did show enough for the Blackhawks to want him to stick around.
Brendan Perlini (center) and the Blackhawks celebrate a goal last season. (Photograph by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
Making a one-for-one trade is always a tricky spot to be in. Chicago and New Jersey reached a deal to swap big-bodied forwards, giving both players a change of scenery and the ability to grow their games with new opportunities ahead of them. Quenneville, the second cousin of former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, is expected to sign with Chicago and could very well find himself also in the mix for a bottom-six role with the organization. Since being a first-round selection by the Devils in 2014, Quenneville has skated in 33 NHL games and 138 AHL games, tallying five career NHL points and 119 career AHL points.
As for players not receiving offers, the really is no surprise. Spencer Watson was an ECHL/AHL in-betweener, while Blake Hillman and Anthony Louis had their opportunities with the Rockford IceHogs but failed to show the organization enough talent and growth to keep them in the fold, given the amount of promising younger talent coming to the IceHogs for the 2019–20 season.
What’s next?
With the passing of the 4 p.m. Central qualifying offer period on Tuesday, the next time and date to know is 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday, June 26. That is when NHL teams can officially begin talking to and interviewing RFA players, although official deals cannot be announced until July 1. Following that, the next date to look out for is June 30, when the first player buyout window closes. Then, NHL free agency officially opens on July 1.