The NHL Draft and free agency came and went without any sort of fireworks for a Blackhawks team that missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. It was a little surprising.
But maybe it shouldn't have been.
Stan Bowman has been very transparent on what the main priority is going forward and that's to save room in the long run for when the young guys like Alex DeBrincat, Vinnie Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Sikura are due new contracts. They're the present and the future.
Surely, the Blackhawks were hoping to land an impact-type player up front and on the back end on July 1, but only if it made sense.