Chicago Blackhawks open NHL free agency by reacquiring Sam Lafferty in a trade
Blackhawks No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell meets with the media
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell with the No. 3 overall pick. He meet with reporters on draft night. (Video courtesy the Chicago Blackhawks).
NHL free agency began on Tuesday, and the Chicago Blackhawks kicked off the week with a trade.
What we know:
The Blackhawks announced Tuesday morning that the team has re-acquired forward Sam Lafferty in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
Chicago adds a defensive-minded forward and deepens the bottom-six rotation in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Lafferty, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward, has recorded 90 points on 40 goals and 50 assists in 349 regular-season games over six seasons with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and Buffalo in his career.
Lafferty is no stranger to Chicago, either. He spent two seasons with the Blackhawks from 2021 to 2023, recording 32 points on 15 goals and 17 assists in 97 games.
Coincidentally, Lafferty left Chicago as part of the trade package the Blackhawks sent to Toronto that landed them the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. That pick was Vaclav Nestrasil.
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Blackhawks Free Agency Rumors:
The Blackhawks aren't expected to make massive splashes in free agency, as the bigger names will chase contracts with teams that are contending for a championship as opposed to teams in the middle of a rebuild like the Blackhawks currently are.
In an interview with Chicago Sports Network, NHL Analyst Pat Boyle mentioned the Blackhawks could target forwards like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers. This fits a mold of players who are in their late 20s or early 30s who aren't top-of-the-line free agents but are aging out of their primes.
Boeser, however, just re-signed with the Canucks with a seven-year deal. Adding an impactful free agent could be a challenge depending on how the market shakes out in the early days of free agency. The Blackhawks do have cap space and money to spend, but that money could be held on to for extensions or to nab a big-name free agent when the younger prospects materialize into full-time NHL players.