Top Three Blackhawks RFA Targets (+)

With the Florida Panthers raising the Stanley Cup last night, the NHL offseason has officially begun. The Chicago Blackhawks enter the summer with a ton of salary cap space, but not many open roster spots. With a slew of young players looking to cement themselves on the NHL roster, general manager Kyle Davidson isn’t going to go crazy. That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to be aggressive.

Frank Seravalli has reported multiple times recently that the Blackhawks are open to trading the third overall pick to acquire a “difference maker.” Davidson isn’t ready to blow up the rebuild and add 10 veterans this summer, but there is a desire to win more games while waiting for the future core to develop. One weapon that can be used this summer is to target restricted free agents by either trades or offer sheets.

The St. Louis Blues signed away Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers with offer sheets last summer. With the salary cap rising, many trusted insiders believe that offer sheets will bring the chaos we love to this offseason. They are a great tool to get a young player you want or force a rival to overpay and cause problems for them down the road. We’ll look at the most realistic three restricted free agents for the Blackhawks, in terms of being a good fit and making sense in asset management.