Blackhawks add experience in all areas to help Bedard, young core

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2024-25 regular season, which starts Oct. 4. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks:

2023-24 season: 23-53-6, eighth in Central Division; did not qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Tyler Bertuzzi, F: The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract and is expected to play in the top six, perhaps even being a linemate of center Connor Bedard. He had 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. … Teuvo Teravainen, F: It’s a reunion for the 29-year-old, who played for the Blackhawks from 2013-16 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2015. Teravainen, who signed a three-year deal, is also expected to be among Chicago’s top six forwards and a potential Bedard linemate. Teravainen had 53 points (25 goals, 28 assists) in 76 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. … Laurent Brossoit, G: The 31-year-old, who signed a two-year contract, bolsters a goaltending tandem that also includes Petr Mrazek. Broissoit was 15-5-2 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games (22 starts) with the Winnipeg Jets last season. … Ilya Mikheyev, F: The 29-year-old, acquired from the Vancouver Canucks, had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 78 regular-season games. … Alec Martinez, D: A three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014) and the Vegas Golden Knights (2023), Martinez had 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 55 games with Vegas last season. He signed a one-year contract and turns 37 on July 26. … Patrick Maroon, F: The 36-year-old, who signed a one-year contract, had 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 49 games with the Minnesota Wild and no points in two games with the Boston Bruins last season. He had two assists in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Boston. … Craig Smith, F: The 34-year-old, who signed a one-year deal, had 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in 75 regular-season games and two assists in 14 playoff games with the Dallas Stars last season. … TJ Brodie, D: The 34-year-old, who signed a two-year contract, had 26 points (one goal, 25 assists) in 78 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs last season.

Key departures

Tyler Johnson, F: Johnson, who will turn 34 on July 29, had 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 67 games last season and is an unrestricted free agent. He won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. … Taylor Raddysh, F: The 26-year-old scored a career-high 20 goals in 2022-23 but finished with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 73 games last season. He signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on July 1. … Jarred Tinordi, D: The 32-year-old had nine assists in 52 games last season. He is an unrestricted free agent.

On the cusp

Artyom Levshunov, D: The No. 2 pick by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Draft, Levshunov signed a three-year, entry-level contract Saturday. The 18-year-old had 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 38 games last season with Michigan State and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He’s likely to start the season with Rockford, the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate. … Frank Nazar, F: The 20-year-old made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks last season, when he had one goal in three games. He had 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 41 games with the University of Michigan. With so many veterans added, it may be tougher for Nazar to make the main roster immediately, but he could arrive later in the season. Landon Slaggert, F: The 22-year-old had four points (one goal, three assists) in 16 games with the Blackhawks last season. He’s in the same boat as Nazar and will have a lot of veteran competition to make the main roster.

What they still need

The Blackhawks had a very busy July 1, but getting another right-handed defenseman may not be a bad idea. On its current roster, Chicago has four left-handed defensemen and two right-handed. Of its prospects who saw time in the NHL last season, Louis Crevier, who played 24 games with the Blackhawks, is the only one who’s right-handed.

They said it

“We want to be better. We want to be able to go into games and impose ourselves on a game more than we have in the past, rather than trying to stem the tide or having teams take it to us. We want to be able to play with the puck more and control the game a little more and obviously get more wins as a result. I believe it’s our ability to impose ourselves on the game more than we have certainly the last two years.” -- general manager Kyle Davidson

Fantasy focus

The Blackhawks added two wings with key fantasy value to their offense this season by signing Bertuzzi and Teravainen. Bertuzzi was just short of being a point-per-game player with the Detroit Red Wings in 2021-22 when he had 62 points (30 goals, 32 assists) in 68 games. He has high individual fantasy upside this season if he gets exposure to Bedard on Chicago’s top line. Teravainen hit the 50-point mark in two of his past three seasons with Carolina; he has a solid production ceiling, reaching a career-best 76 points (21 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games with the Hurricanes in 2018-19. Shifting from a deep Carolina offense to Chicago’s may lower his individual fantasy value, but Teravainen is still worth a flier in deeper leagues. -- Anna Dua

Projected lineup

Tyler Bertuzzi -- Connor Bedard -- Philipp Kurashev

Taylor Hall -- Jason Dickinson -- Teuvo Teravainen

Nick Foligno -- Andreas Athanasiou -- Ilya Mikheyev

Pat Maroon -- Ryan Donato -- Craig Smith

Alex Vlasic -- Seth Jones

Kevin Korchinski -- Connor Murphy

Alec Martinez -- TJ Brodie

Petr Mrazek

Laurent Broissoit