The Blackhawks may have just gotten a gift out of the NHL’s qualifying-offer window.
While Chicago’s own free-agent picture was already headlined by Ilya Mikheyev, one of the more intriguing names to pop loose could be Toronto forward Matias Maccelli. On Tuesday, reports said Maccelli is not receiving a qualifying offer from the Maple Leafs, which would make him a free agent on Wednesday.
That’s the kind of development the Blackhawks should be ready to pounce on.
Maccelli is coming off a solid season in Toronto, where he put up 39 points with 17 goals and 25 assists in 71 games. He’ll turn 26 at the start of the season, and his résumé still carries real upside.
In his first two NHL seasons with Arizona, Maccelli posted 49 points and then 57. He followed that with 18 points in 55 games during Utah’s inaugural season before being moved to Toronto.
For Chicago, the appeal is obvious. The Blackhawks need a playmaking wing, and Maccelli’s game lines up cleanly with that need.
His assist totals have consistently outpaced his goal production, which makes him a natural complement for either Connor Bedard or Anton Frondell. Both centers bring strong shots, and Maccelli’s passing could help unlock more offense around them.
The bigger picture matters here too. In a summer where the expectation is for Chicago to take a step forward, this is the kind of move that fits both the timeline and the roster need. Kyle Davidson doesn’t have to stop at one addition, but landing Maccelli would give the forward group a real boost even if trades never come together.
A deal in the neighborhood of three or four years at $4.5 million to $5 million per season would seem to make sense. It would give the Blackhawks a useful top-six option without boxing them out of future moves.
Chicago cannot afford another flat season, and the pressure from the fanbase is already there. Maccelli is the sort of player who could fit neatly into the current group and help change the look of this forward corps right away.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Seem Ready To Make A Massive Byram Commitment
The Blackhawks push to lock in Bowen Byram is starting to look less like a possibility and more like the next major item on the to-do list. Elliotte Friedman reported that Chicago is expected to move quickly on a long-term extension once Byram becomes eligible on July 1, and the interest is clearly mutual. General manager Kyle Davidson has already acknowledged the deal will come with a significant cap hit, which is usually the part of the process that tells you a front office is serious about making a cornerstone-level commitment.
Byrams next contract is shaping up to be the kind of move that says plenty about where the Blackhawks think they are in the rebuild. Friedman indicated the agreement would be long term, and Davidsons stance on Byram as an elite, star-level defender suggests Chicago is prepared to pay accordingly. With the price point expected to land in elite company among NHL blue-liners, the real question is not whether the Blackhawks want him, but how far they are willing to go to make sure he stays. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Enter A Summer Where Free Agency Has To Mean Something
The Blackhawks are at the point in their rebuild where summer can no longer be treated like a placeholder. After years of stockpiling young talent and waiting for the next wave to arrive, Chicago now has to start shaping a roster that can support a move from promising to competitive. That means the front offices free-agent decisions matter a little differently now, because the next additions are not just about filling minutes, they are about defining the kind of team this becomes.
What makes this offseason especially interesting is that the fit has to work on both talent and timeline. Chicago still needs help on the back end and some punch up front, and the market offers a few players who could bring those elements without forcing the club into a total overhaul. The question is less about whether the Blackhawks can identify useful veterans and more about whether they are ready to spend in a way that says they expect those veterans to help right away. [Read more 🡒]
Chicago Fans Are Ripping Wrigley Crowd For Crossing A Line After Win
A wild night at Wrigley Field ended with the kind of finish Chicago fans have come to expect from this Cubs team, as the home side pulled out another walk-off win over the Padres. It was their 10th walk-off victory of the season, a number that says as much about their staying power as it does about the way the ballpark tends to turn every late inning into a full-stage event.
What followed after the celebration, though, left plenty of Cubs fans shaking their heads. Video and reactions from inside the crowd showed some people crossing a line in the aftermath, drawing immediate pushback from other fans who saw the scene as flat-out disrespectful and not what Wrigley is supposed to be about. [Read more 🡒]