3 Blackhawks free agents make their way to new NHL homes

The Chicago Blackhawks had a decent day in free agency on the first day. They picked up a few good players that can help them develop players in 2022-23 and then flip them for prospects or picks at the trade deadline. They also simply needed some players to play games this year as they rebuild.

Adding players wasn’t the only thing that happened on this day, however. They knew they were going to lose some of the free agents on their roster and they sure did. Some of these guys are certainly going to look different in their new NHL sweaters.

The biggest one is Dominik Kubalik. He has been a good player that had some ups and downs with the Blackhawks. Early on, he certainly scored a lot of goals. He will be looking to get back to that goal-scoring level with the Detroit Red Wings next season.

Detroit and Chicago are not hockey rivals as much as they once were because of reallignment of the league. However, this is still going to look strange for a few years. Few teams are as prepared for the future as Detroit right now and it won’t be long before they are really good.

The Chicago Blackhawks said goodbye to more than one player on Wednesday.

Collin Delia is what you would define as a third-string goalie. If he is the guy you use for a few games when your starter or backup goes out, that is not bad at all. There are plenty of teams with worse backups than him as a third string.

Delia is going to play next season with the Vancouver Canucks. It is an interesting decision made by them as nobody really knows what they are as a team. For now, it is fair to just wish Delia good luck as he never really had a good team skating in front of him in Chicago.

The third player saying goodbye from last year’s roster is Erik Gustafsson. He signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals. There have been moments where he was a solid offensive contributor but his defense left a lot to be desired. With Washington, things might be easier.

These guys all played very hard for a Blackhawks team that didn’t realize it needed a transition yet. It wasn’t the easiest situation of all time to play in but they played hard and gave it everything they had. They deserve well wishes with their new NHL homes.