Exercise in Futility: Blackhawks Salary Situation
Exploring the Blackhawks' current salary situation (only because I created this cool chart and want to show it off).
The Chicago Blackhawks' salary situation is one hardly worth exploring right now. With a rising salary cap (projected to be $113.5 million by 2027-28) and young players still on entry-level contracts, there isn't anything to worry about. That doesn't mean Kyle Davidson can do whatever he wants without planning. He still needs to be smart with signing young players.
We're exploring this topic because I recently published our "Salaries" page. There, you can view the current Blackhawks salary cap situation based on the current roster. It's updated by me, so don't expect immediate updates after a roster move. But I'm hoping to make this place a one-stop shop for Hawks information.
Alright, let's start with what Kyle Davidson has already done.
Signed Players
Frank Nazar $6,599,991 x 4 years
Frank Nazar's first year of his new deal hasn't even started yet. So it's much too early to make bold declarations. That said, the signing in and of itself was a strong declaration. Kyle Davidson is gambling that Nazar is this franchise's 2C. Considering the annual average salary (AAV), it's a low-risk gamble. Also, this was the largest deal a player signed with the amount of games Nazar played (56—not even a full season).
Davidson is taking a swing, and if it's a miss, this deal won't hurt the cap. If Nazar hits, this is a steal that's setting up Nazar for a hell of a payday. Except, I haven't been impressed with Nazar this season. That 21-game goal drought is enough to have me concerned. Goal scorers in the NHL don't go cold like that. They go cold, sure, but not 20+ games cold.
Granted, Nazar was probably playing hurt (my speculation), eventually was hurt, and is playing his first full NHL season—one that's compressed by the Olympics.
Spencer Knight $5,833,333 x 3 years
Spencer Knight is in the last year of his current deal and signed his extension just before the season started. Knight has impressed and will more than likely get a fat raise. He's among the league leaders in goaltender metrics, and that's with a poopoo defense in front of him. Knight is eighth overall in goals saved above expected (12) and is 14th overall in save percentage (.914).
Alex Vlasic $4,600,000 x 5 years
Remember when people (myself included) praised this signing as the potential steal of the century? That was when Alex Vlasic posted some of the best defensive metrics in the league, you know, when Seth Jones was still a Blackhawk. Vlasic is still only 24 years old, and this deal so far is looking about on par. While Vlasic looks good, he's also somewhat stagnated. Remember, some were calling Vlasic a potential first-pairing defenseman when this team is playing meaningful hockey again. Some even compared him to Jaccob Slavin. I hate to say it, but this season (and the one before it) makes it look like he'll be a solid middle-pair defenseman. And that's okay.
Ryan Donato $4,000,000 x 4 years
There's not too much here worth exploring. If Donato is on this team when his deal ends in 2029, he'll be a fine fourth liner. The cap is expected to be over $110 mil by then.
Pending RFA's
Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard will get whatever deal he wants. About the only leverage Chicago has is that they own his rights. Now, does Connor sign long-term? Or does he sign a short-term deal, use unrestricted free agency as leverage in the future, and get the big bucks? Fans shouldn't be worried about the fact that there hasn't been a deal signed. It'll get done. But that doesn't mean we can't ask, "Why hasn't it happened yet?"
Colton Dach
Colton Dach will probably get a small, short-term deal. He's looked alright on the bottom-six. Not sure I see him staying here long term.
Pending UFA's
Nick Foligno, Ilya Mikheyev, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Matt Grzelcyk, and Sam Lafferty are all pending UFA's. Of the bunch, Mikheyev is someone the Hawks could resign for a couple of years. He's been solid on the PK and was one of the Hawks' best defensive forwards last season. This season? It's been a bit of a regression, but still. He's not someone I'd hate to see return.
Scott Powers identified Murphy, Dickinson, and Mikheyev as players other teams have shown interest in. I wouldn't hate to see the Hawks trade Foligno either. Let him go win something. Not sure what either Murphy or Dickinson could get you in return, and this isn't a trade deadline preview, but I wish Dickinson had been traded instead of signed a couple of years back. You know, when he was worth a little something.
Again, not much worth getting upset about. There are things Davidson has to be mindful of; not every young player is going to hit. Once Nick Lardis, Anton Frondell, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov are out of ELCs, things could get a little tricky. That is, if all of those players are who the front office says they are.