The Blackhawks and Coyotes are the two finalists to sign Swedish free agent winger Anton Wedin, reports Swedish media outlet Sportbladet.
On Monday, Wedin’s Swedish Hockey League contract with Timrå IK was broken when the club was demoted to Sweden’s second division, HockeyAllsvenskan, after losing Game 7 in the regulation series to Oskarshamn. The Avalanche and Maple Leafs were also interested in Wedin, according to SportExpress, but he’s narrowed his choices to Arizona and Chicago.
Wedin, who turned 26 in March, led Timrå IK in goals (14) and was third in points (27) in 32 SHL games this past season. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound winger spent the previous five seasons with Timrå IK in HockeyAllsvenskan.
Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton is familiar with Wedin having coached against him from 2015-17 in HockeyAllsvenskan. Colliton coached Mora IK in HockeyAllsvenskan during that span before being named the Blackhawks’ AHL coach in 2017 and promoted to NHL job in November 2018.
Wedin’s decision between the Blackhawks and Coyotes will be made once his status for Sweden’s men’s national team for the World Championship is decided. If Wedin does not play for Sweden, the signing will come before the tournament that runs from May 10-26 in Slovakia. Sweden, the two-time reigning World Champions, is expected to finalize its roster by May 8.