Improving the defense is on the minds of people within the organization as well as fans. Yes, you can add a defenseman via free agency, but that’s not always a guaranteed fix. In the Blackhawks case, the key to fixing the defense will likely come from within the organization.
After the defense, comes the forward depth. The Blackhawks top-6 looked really solid and showed great promise this season. You can’t say the same about the bottom-6 though. The dropoff in talent on the 3rd and 4th lines was too steep to overcome. The role players did not play their roles.