4 Blackhawks Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

The Chicago Blackhawks have made a plethora of changes to their roster since beginning their rebuild last season, and this is a trend that should continue during the 2023 Offseason. As a result of this, let’s discuss four Blackhawks who likely will not be back for the 2023-24 campaign.

Jarred Tinordi

At the beginning of the regular season, the Blackhawks claimed Jarred Tinordi off of waivers from the New York Rangers. Since then, the 31-year-old defenseman has been playing the best hockey of his eight-year NHL career, as he has set new career highs with two goals, six assists, and eight points. This has been good to see from the 6-foot-6 defenseman, but when noting that he is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and the Blackhawks are rebuilding, they will likely let him walk.

It is also important to note that the Blackhawks have young left-shot defensemen like Alex Vlasic and Isaak Phillips who they will likely want to give more NHL chances to in 2023-24. Therefore, it would make sense to move on from Tinordi this summer instead of having him block young talent from making the NHL. Some teams who I could see pursue Tinordi this offseason include the Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and Ottawa Senators.

Jujhar Khaira

Jujhar Khaira is another pending UFA that the Blackhawks will likely move on from. The 28-year-old forward just does not seem to be a long-term fit in their rebuild, and there could be some teams willing to add him to their fourth line. Keep in mind, while playing at his best, Khaira is a solid bottom-six forward who is reliable defensively and plays a physical game. With that, he has chipped in a little offensively this season, as he has four goals and 12 points in 41 games played.

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However, when noting that the Blackhawks have multiple prospects and young players who could take Khaira’s spot in their bottom six next season, it seems likely that they will let him walk away this summer.

Andreas Athanasiou

Andreas Athanasiou seemed like a solid rental candidate for the Blackhawks at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, but they opted to keep him around for the remainder of the season. Although they did not move him, it seems unlikely that they will re-sign him this offseason, as he is 28 years old and does not mesh well with their current rebuild.