One of the key elements that the Blackhawks sought on the free agent market over the summer was physicality. They clearly felt they missed that in the playoffs against Nashville, so they added players who they felt would make the team “tougher to play against.” We all knew what that meant.
Some of the moves were more strongly received than others, but one in particular took some heat. That was the one-year, $1 million deal given to winger Lance Bouma, whose signing was announced not long as Tommy Wingels. I personally was among those who didn’t see like the move, and didn’t see how he would help the Blackhawks.