Looking Ahead To The 2014 Chicago Blackhawks Free Agents

Jun 28, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie

(50) during the 2013 Stanley Cup championship celebration at Grant Park. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the roster is pretty much set for the 2013-2014 season with the signing of Marcus Kruger let’s take a look at the Chicago Blackhawks playing in their last year of their current contract.

2014 Unrestricted Free Agents– 2 Major 2014 unrestricted free agents

1. Corey Crawford ($2,666,667) Crawford’s agent had to like the deal that Tuukka Rask just signed. 8 years $56 million dollars and Rask just didn’t hoist the Stanley Cup. Good goalies get paid so Stan Bowman will have a major decision on his hands next summer especially if Crawford follows up last season Cup season with another solid season in between the pipes.

2. Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3,500,000) Hammer and the San Jose Sharks restricted free agent deal tied the Hawks hands and forced the departure of Antti Niemi in 2010.  Hjalmarsson has been part of trade rumors and yet has been a solid 2nd pairing defenseman for years now.  Hammer like most players will be looking for a raise and the Crawford decision will more than likely have trickle down effects on Hjalmarsson next deal..

3. The Rest– Daniel Carcillo, Michal Handzus, Brandon Bollig, Sheldon Brookbank, Nikolai Khabibulin are all unrestricted free agents that will need to have big season outside of their current history to become worrisome to re-sign or present themselves as players the Hawks will want to keep on their roster for years to come.

2014 Restricted Free Agents-3 Major Restricted free Agents (could be more depending on Rockford youth that make the 2013-2014  roster)

1. Andrew Shaw (577,500) Shaw is still playing on his first contract on the fabled 5th round draft pick.  He will replace Bryan Bickell as the best bargain on the Hawks roster. Shaw will be looking for a good pay raise just like the other 2013 Cup winners.  Not to belabor the point but Crawford’s deal could have or have not effects on the length and dollar amount of Shaw’s next deal.

2. Jeremy Morin ($886,500) Morin should get a huge shot at camp to make the 2013-2014 opening day roster.  Morin showed a lot in a glimpse in 2013 with the Blackhawks while having his best season to date in Rockford.  Morin is a scorer that has a nasty streak in him that would be a contrast to Viktor Stalberg in the spot that Morin would be looking to take over.  Naturally, the season he has will dictate what his next contract looks like.

3. Jimmy Hayes (875,000) Hayes like Morin will have a shot at being a regular in the Hawk lineup after getting moments with the Hawks in the past. Hayes has a big body and could be the closest to Bickell’s skill set. Hayes and Morin will be battling for roster spots and for their contract which should make training camp fun to watch!

A Far Look Ahead 2015 Offseason

Both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will be unrestriced free agents ($6,300,000) The benchmark for both #19 and #88 could be Patrice Bergeron‘s contract that he just signed with the Boston Bruins at 8 years $52 million. The Captain and Kane will be Bowman’s #1 long-term worry from now until they are signed so look for him to continue to make savvy moves with this end in sight.

What do you think about the Hawks future contracts?

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