Looking ahead for the Chicago Blackhawks: Time to hit the free-agent market

As each NHL team is eliminated from playoff contention -- either mathematically or by losing in the postseason -- we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, along with three keys to its offseason, impact prospects for 2019-20 and a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

When the Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6, just 15 games into the season, it was apparent that management was writing the 2018-19 season off as a transition year. While there was a bit of a learning curve under rookie coach Jeremy Colliton, the Blackhawks showed life in the second half of the season, playing at a playoff-team pace. For a months-long stretch earlier in the season, Chicago had the league's most sizzling power play. Patrick Kane was making a case for the Hart Trophy, Jonathan Toews bounced back from an off-year, and Alex DeBrincat kept showing why he could be an elite NHL goal scorer for years to come.

Ultimately, it was too much ground to make up after the rough start. The depth production was troublesome. The defense, as a whole, was an incredibly shaky unit, giving up way too many goals and high-danger chances. It didn't help that the team was without No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford for an extended period yet again due to concussion issues.

Despite miraculously coming within four points of the second wild-card spot entering a March 21 game against the Flyers, the Blackhawks crumbled when it mattered most, losing that game and a must-win against division-rival Colorado (which was playing without two of its top three players) to fall too far back in the race.

Despite showing some signs that this team might be able to squeeze one more playoff run out of its dynastic core, it became clear that 2018-19 wasn't going to be the season that happened.

Keys to the offseason

Improve the defense: The Blackhawks' defense was porous this season. Only the Ottawa Senators allowed more goals per game. Championship stalwart Brent Seabrook (and to a lesser extent, Duncan Keith) gets a lot of attention for his regression, but the truth is, there are holes all over the top six.

Chicago no longer has a true shutdown No. 1 defenseman. There were some bright spots; Connor Murphy, who began the season injured, is solid. Erik Gustafsson was a revelation, especially offensively, as he finished top-10 league-wide in scoring among defensemen. The Blackhawks should incorporate some prospects into the rotation next season, including Ian Mitchell (and reintroduce Henri Jokiharju, who fell out of favor late in the season), but the truth is, they need to improve this group, and free agency might be the best bet.

Spend in free agency: Speaking of improving the defense, the Blackhawks could have as much as $20 million in cap space to spend this summer, and GM Stan Bowman -- encouraged by the late-season push -- should be willing to spend it to improve his team now. (He'll need to save some money for an inevitable DeBrincat extension and probably Dylan Strome as well). A solid, NHL-ready defenseman should be the top priority, though the Blackhawks, like many other teams, will find that it's a shallow unrestricted-free-agent pool.

Chicago will inevitably be linked to Artemi Panarin, and the Blackhawks should at least entertain the idea of a reunion. They don't necessarily need another elite scorer, but if they bolster the offense enough, it could mask some defensive deficiencies.

Figure out a goaltending contingency plan: Corey Crawford's contract expires after the 2019-20 season, and it's probably time to begin thinking about what happens after that. The Blackhawks could sign the 34-year-old to another contract, but with his health concerns, it's unclear if that's in the cards.

Chicago signed 34-year-old Cam Ward last summer as a one-year, $3 million stopgap insurance plan. Next season, the Hawks will want to give more reps to their younger goalies, such as 24-year-old Collin Delia and 23-year-old Kevin Lankinen, to see if either is poised to succeed Crawford full-time.

Impact prospects for 2019-20

Collin Delia, G, age 24: Delia has been given chances in the NHL this season, with Crawford spending significant time on the shelf, but he will maintain prospect status for at least another season. He has performed really well with the Rockford IceHogs when in the AHL and has shown multiple times this season that he can perform at least adequately enough to be an NHL backup. There's a good chance he starts next season as Chicago's No. 2 with Cam Ward a pending unrestricted free agent. With Crawford's injury history, Delia should get plenty of reps.

Henri Jokiharju, D, age 19: Technically, he'll have already graduated from prospect status for next season, but he has spent significant time in the AHL this season, which has been a good thing for him. Jokiharju wasn't quite ready to defend at the NHL level, but he showed plenty of glimpses of his ability to move the puck and make plays. A year of building strength and being able to defend more confidently should help Jokiharju a lot going into 2019-20. If he doesn't show enough improvement, he'll have to go back to the AHL and keep working on it. I think he's more likely to be a full-timer with the Blackhawks next season.

Ian Mitchell, D, age 19: It's not 100 percent certain whether Mitchell will sign following his sophomore season at Denver, but if he does, he could compete for a spot. I think it's more likely that Mitchell starts next season in the AHL, but with what I've seen from him throughout the NCAA season, he's going to make a case for himself. Mitchell is a confident puck-mover who defends adequately and skates very well. He's going to need to continue to build strength, but his hockey sense is high-end already, and he'll have a shot to contribute as a call-up next season, if nothing else. Again, this is all pending his signing with Chicago.

Realistic expectation for 2019-20

Having the benefit of a full training camp and familiarity with Colliton will be crucial for the Blackhawks, who had to go through some growing pains to adjust to their new coach. If Chicago starts the season on the right foot (and if the defense improves significantly), this could be a playoff team in 2019-20. Contending for a Stanley Cup, however, seems like a long shot for this group.