We all know the Blackhawks’ top priority this summer is singing Connor Bedard to a new deal. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson acknowledged that’s his first step this summer when speaking with us at the end of the season. But he also noted that there’s a financial puzzle being built by the Blackhawks right now, and Bedard’s new deal — both dollars and term — are a significant part.
“I think it probably goes more to the larger cap puzzle that we’re trying to build and remain competitive within the marketplace,” Davidson said. “In the end, there’s only so many dollars to go around. You want to build a deep team, you want to build a team that you feel is a championship roster, which is why we do this. And so we want to get it right and you want to make sure that both sides feel like there’s common ground there. And so we’ll get down to finding that shortly, but certainly we want to make sure that we’re more than fair while also understanding that there’s a finite amount of money to go around and to spend on our roster, again, while being fair to a very good elite young player.”
Even with the NHL’s salary cap going up significantly in the coming years, you don’t want to see the Blackhawks over-commit and then get handcuffed. Which is why this coming summer is the most important of Davidson’s career to date.
The list of Blackhawks who could get a new contract this summer is longer than you might realize. Remember: teams can sign players to extensions as soon as the new league year begins on July 1. Which means players who are set to hit restricted free agency in 2027 can also be a consideration this summer.
Rob Gray-Imagn ImagesBlackhawks Two-Year Free Agent Picture
The group of free agents — restricted and unrestricted — on the Blackhawks’ payroll is relatively limited this summer.
Ilya Mikheyev — UFA Sam Lafferty — UFA Matt Grzelcyk — UFA Joey Anderson — UFA Shea Weber — UFA (wink) Connor Bedard — RFA Kevin Korchinski — RFA Ethan Del Mastro — RFA Drew Commesso — RFA Ryan Mast — RFA Dmirti Kuzmin — RFAWe’ve talked about the Mikheyev conundrum already. He’s an excellent player who provides a great deal of value to the Blackhawks. Davidson has said he would like to have Mikheyev back in Chicago next year. But, as I’ve outlined previously, term is the biggest consideration. With the volume of prospects coming, more than two years could complicate things. And Mikheyev, who will turn 32 on Oct. 10, has earned the right to look for a longer deal.
The assumption is the Blackhawks will get something done with Korchinski and Del Mastro to keep them in Chicago, though both players will require waivers if sent to Rockford moving forward. One would also think Commesso has done enough to earn another contract; he’s done everything they’ve asked/wanted in his development and is likely ready for a longer look in the NHL (which makes Arvid Söderblom having one more year on his contract more interesting).
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesThe list of Blackhawks who could begin talking about a next contract on July 1 is more important — and fascinating — to consider. The following players will be free agents after the 2026-27 season:
Teuvo Teräväinen — UFA André Burakovsky — UFA Andrew Mangiapane — UFA Dominic Toninato — UFA Ryan Ellis — UFA (wink again) Ryan Greene — RFA Oliver Moore — RFA Landon Slaggert — RFA Wyatt Kaiser — RFA Sam Rinzel — RFA Artyom Levshunov — RFA Louis Crevier — RFA Paul Ludwinski — RFA Martin Misiak — RFA Samuel Savoie — RFA Gavin Hayes — RFA Taige Harding — RFA Jake Furlong — RFA Stanislav Berezhnoy — RFAHELLO!
That’s 18 current members of the Blackhawks organization (not counting Ellis) who could sign a new contract beginning on July 1. I’m not going to re-litigate
In the cases of Kaiser and Crevier, they have both already signed two-year bridge deals that will be reaching their completion; both have earned significantly more consideration moving forward after strong seasons. Kaiser will be the more expensive of those two after establishing himself as an every-night option in the top-four on the Blackhawks’ blue line.
But the group of young skaters who were primarily in the NHL this past season who are eligible for a new contract is where the puzzle Davidson mentioned starts to come into focus. At this point, the assumption is that Levshunov and Rinzel are two core pieces on the back end the Blackhawks are building around. But how much term should either get at this stage of their respective careers?
Similarly, Greene, Moore and Slaggert have each played different roles since turning pro. Slaggert, like Kaiser and Crevier, has already signed one bridge deal. He’s a bottom-six guy who kills penalties and figures to be somewhat easy to replace — but guys who are able and willing to play limited minutes in a specific role have value.
How many of these players who can sign a deal on July 1 of 2026 will sign one now? How Davidson begins to construct his financial puzzle this summer will have an enormous influence on the next decade for the Blackhawks.
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