Stan Bowman loves bringing back former Chicago Blackhawks.
Blackhawks fans undoubtedly remember Erik Gustafsson. He was an absolute tank during his time in the Windy City. During the 2018-19 season, Gustafsson put up 60 points in 79 games. He ranked fourth in scoring on a Blackhawks team that struggled to maintain any semblance of consistency during the year. Going into the 2019-20 season, his $1.2 million average annual value (AAV) contract looked like a steal. However, when the Hawks began looking like they were going to miss the playoffs, Gustafsson was shipped off to the Calgary Flames for a 2020 third-round draft pick that was used to select Wyatt Kaiser. This trade, of course, ended up being a punch in the gut to Hawks fans when the team made the 2020 bubble playoffs and didn’t have the defensive firepower to keep up with the Vegas Golden Knights.
After failing to win the Stanley Cup with the Flames, Gustafsson tested the free-agent market. He spent the 2020-21 season with the Philadelphia Flyers, with less than stellar point totals. The Flyers shipped Gustafsson off to the Montreal Canadiens during the trade deadline, where he scored three points in 16 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He once again tested free agency this offseason, landing a professional try-out contract (PTO) with the New York Islanders. Unfortunately, the Islanders released him from his PTO despite a solid preseason performance. After failing to crack the deep Islanders defensive core, he decided to return home. On October 11th, Gustafsson inked a one-year, $800k AAV contract.
Currently, the Blackhawks defense is undergoing a battle with the injury bug. Rather than try to solve the issue internally, management decided to bring back an old face. However, in typical Bowman fashion, the 29-year-old Hawks veteran is a much more washed-up version than the one who tore apart the 2019-19 season. Gustafsson will most likely be spending most of the season in the bottom of the defensive lineup. He definitely won’t just be handed a roster spot. Either way, despite what appeared to be a hefty upgrade in the defense department, the Blackhawks’ performance during the preseason showed that they might need all the defensive help they can get. While it is unlikely Gustafsson returns to form, anything is possible.
The Blackhawks begin the regular season against the Colorado Avalanche on October 13th. Once the season gets underway, fans will have a better taste of what is in store for this seemingly unwilling-to-rebuild squad. The Seth Jones contract kicks in following this season, and with the contracts of Fleury and Lankinen, alongside a handful of restricted free agents, set to expire, the Hawks will be desperate to prove that the best days are not yet behind them. So is Gustafsson the answer to their problems? No, probably not. However, at least Hawks fans know one thing for sure.
If Bowman is this dedicated to bringing back all of the former Blackhawks, the future team consisting of Artemi Panarin and Robin Lehner is going to be a blast to watch.