The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have been two of the most successful NHL teams in modern memory, but their lengthy playoff droughts could make it very difficult to attract needle-moving talent.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings share many similarities ahead of NHL free agency.
The Original Six squads went from being gold-standard franchises in hockey's top league to teams struggling mightily to improve on the ice.
Each team has won at least three Stanley Cups since 1996-97. Each team has had a slew of Hockey Hall of Famers to build a roster around. And unfortunately for them, each team doesn't look like an especially attractive destination for players seeking a championship right now.
This is why the Blackhawks and Red Wings will be so fascinating to watch on Wednesday as free agency opens and throughout the rest of this summer.
In a shallow pool of free agents, it would be tough to see players wanting to join a Blackhawks team that's finished last in the Central Division for four straight years or a Red Wings squad that's blown multiple years of opportunities to make the playoffs and now has a captain who wants out.
What the Blackhawks and Red Wings do have are some star-caliber core players or youngsters with that potential, even if they haven't completed their cores yet.
Chicago has Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, Artyom Levshunov and Spencer Knight. Although their Bowen Byram trade drew criticism from fans and pundits for including the fourth overall pick, the Blackhawks also have a new No. 1 defenseman who's reportedly interested in re-signing.
Detroit has Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, captain Dylan Larkin for now, and Moritz Seider.
Both teams have done a lot of the hard work in rebuilding and crafting most of a core that's supposed to drive them to the playoffs.
And yet, they're far from assured of being in the playoffs next spring, and the shine is still off the bumper for the Blackhawks and Red Wings.
Chicago arguably needs another veteran defenseman and lots of scoring help on the wings. The Red Wings need another high-caliber defenseman, but most importantly, they need two top two centers to replace Larkin and then improve their center depth.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman and Blackhawks counterpart Kyle Davidson have to figure out how to make their current squad and long-term future enticing for free agents and any trade targets.
They have cap space to potentially overpay on some free agents, but that could backfire when it comes time to compete.
Even still, a boatload of money might not be enough to remove the stink of a long playoff drought. The Red Wings have the longest active post-season drought at 10 seasons, while the Blackhawks have the third-longest drought at six seasons.
Chicago and Detroit are both wonderful cities, and the Hawks and Wings are two of the most successful franchises in the history of the league. But once things went off the rails for them, they've been unable to truly get back on track.
Once free agency kicks off, it will be time to see whether they can wriggle back to prominence. But until they actually make the playoffs, it might be too tall a task to be attractive enough for the top talent available.
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