The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing back a familiar face with the signing of Teuvo Teravainen to open up NHL free agency
Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks have been active at the start of the NHL’s free agency period here in 2024.
On Monday, the team made a few signings to add to the roster including bringing back a forward from their 2015 Stanley Cup team. Forward Teuvo Teravainen has agreed to a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks per NHL Insider Chris Johnston.
The move comes just minutes after they added forward Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Alec Martinez to the roster as Johnston points out:
After already adding Tyler Bertuzzi, sources say the #blackhawks will also be signing forward Teuvo Teravainen today. A reunion with a player won previously won a Stanley Cup there.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2024
The 29-year-old Teravainen will be 30 before the season starts and was drafted by the Blackhawks No. 18 overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. He played three seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to Carolina in June of 2016. He then spent eight seasons with the Hurricanes before his return to Chicago.
He finished with 25 goals in 76 games for the Hurricanes.
Teravainen’s deal is three years and worth a $5.4M cap hit each season.
Is Teuvo Teravainen a good fit for the Chicago Blackhawks?
With the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Connor Bedard lottery last year and seeing him win Rookie of the Year this past season, the time is now to start building around the young talent. And Monday’s moves prove the Blackhawks are starting to do that.
Adding Teravainen is a big piece to this, likely working on that second line along with Taylor Hall. That allows Bertuzzi to work with Bedard on the first line as Mark Lazerus of The Athletic points out:
Bertuzzi-Bedard-Kurashev
Hall-Nazar-Teravainen
Foligno-Dickinson-Reichel?— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) July 1, 2024
Lazerus gave the move an A- both for the contract and the fit as he explains in his latest article:
While he might not be quite as dynamic as he once was, he’s a perfect fit for this incarnation of the Blackhawks, who badly need help in the top six, the power play and on the penalty kill. Teravainen checks every box. If he bumps Philipp Kurashev on the top line (presumably opposite fellow signee Tyler Bertuzzi), he gives Connor Bedard some desperately needed defensive support. If he slots in on the second line alongside Taylor Hall, he gives the Blackhawks some desperately needed secondary scoring.
The three-year term is ideal for general manager Kyle Davidson, who always has one eye on future contracts due to Bedard and the bevy of other top prospects in the Blackhawks system. The $5.4 million cap hit is right on Dom Luszczyszyn’s projection and is a drop in the bucket for a team with gobs of cap space for the next couple of seasons.
Teravainen isn’t a transformational player for the Blackhawks, and his age certainly doesn’t line up with the Blackhawks’ big picture, but combined with Bertuzzi, he greatly improves the top six of the worst offensive team in the league, while bringing a more well-rounded game than most of Chicago’s forwards. No matter where Teravainen slots in, Bedard will benefit, and helping Bedard reach his lofty potential is still priority No. 1. The fact that Teravainen is still beloved by the Chicago fan base and surely will sell a few jerseys is a bonus.
For the Chicago Blackhawks, it’s been a busy Monday already that continues to get even more busy as the day has gone on. They continue to add more key piece to build the roster around Bedard and 2024 No. 2 pick in defenseman Artyom Levshunov.
Now, let’s just hope these moves pay off for Davidson and the Blackhawks and we can get a winner back in the United Center soon enough.
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