3 Players Entering Final Season With Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks made a lot of changes in the offseason and brought in a lot of talent. All of the players brought in are established NHLers to provide the team with a safety net in case the young players aren't ready for full-time duties in the NHL just yet. With another full season in the AHL or a combination, some of the veterans just signed for one year won't be needed again. Let's dive into who is entering their final season with Chicago.

Alec Martinez

Alec Martinez was a smart veteran signing by the Blackhawks because of his winning pedigree and leadership abilities. But he's also 37 years old and slowing down a little bit. The team has a lot of young defensemen trying to break into the NHL, many of whom played at least a couple of games in the NHL last season. Martinez being on the team gives one more season for them to develop and earn a spot the following season. I'm very sure at least a couple of the young defensemen will do just that.

Andreas Athanasiou

Andreas Athanasiou had a tough 2023-24 season and injuries really didn't help him. He is heading into the final year of his contract and may play anywhere from the second line to the fourth line, depending how things go with the team and his game. As a player likely to play center this season, there just won't be much of a reason for him to stick around after his contract is up with the center depth being Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, and more younger players on the way. Even Lukas Reichel could slide back over to the middle of the ice. Either way, Athanasiou needs to have a better season and stay relatively healthy at least.

Pat Maroon

Pat Maroon may not get a ton of ice time if the team stays healthy, but if he plays, it will be limited minutes from the fourth line anyways. He's now in his late 30s and has slowed down. This was a decent depth signing for this coming season, but he won't be needed after that with prospects trying to make their way into the NHL.