Chicago Blackhawks make two great free-agent signings

The Chicago Blackhawks have been very active so far this offseason. By now, you know about Seth Jones, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Johnson, and Caleb Jones. You have also heard about the subtractions, some big names like Duncan Keith and Nikita Zadorov are on the way out. Well, it seems like they are all in on making sure that their defense is better going forward. They are signing Jake McCabe to a four-year contract with a four million dollar cap hip hit.

McCabe played 16 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2020-21 before he was hurt. He was actually pretty good for them as he had one goal and two assists for three points while playing a solid defensive game before the injury. His absence isn’t the only reason that the Buffalo Sabres fell off so hard but it was a part of it.

A four million dollar cap hit is a lot for a player like him but the Hawks are clearly committed to changing the way that they play. They were historically bad at giving up high danger scoring chances so this should help that issue out. Adding a defensive defenseman like this along with some of the other additions they have made should be great.

Is this it for the Blackhawks? It will be a while before we know for sure but they have been one of the busier teams so far this offseason. All of the trades that they have made have led to this signing might make them a much better team. They are a bubble team as of right now in a very good Central Division. About a week ago, we would have claimed that they are a bottom feeder but that is no longer the case.

The Chicago Blackhawks are having a really nice offseason so far on the ice.

Stan Bowman has been bad at his job since they won the Stanley Cup in 2015. The Tyler Johnson trade makes no sense but the work so far this offseason has been mostly good. Now, they are hoping that their big-money commitment to McCabe works out. It is an interesting decision, to say the least, but it could end up being a really good one.

The Jake McCabe deal isn’t the only one they made on Wednesday either. The Hawks also announced that they have signed winger Juhjar Khaira to a two-year deal. He is going to be a depth forward which is something they desperately need. His cap hit of 975K is going to look really nice if he has himself a nice couple of years. It has been a good first day of free agency for Chicago so far.