5 Things The Chicago Blackhawks Need To Do This Offseason

#2: Re-sign Dominik Kubalik

Before the season was underway, Dominik Kubalik looked to be a promising prospect for the future. Acquired via trade with the Los Angeles Kings in January of 2019, Kubalik did not have the hype that other Blackhawks prospects had. The 2013 7th-Round Selection only cost the Hawks a fifth-round draft pick in the deal, which turned out to be a steal for Chicago.

Even though he flew under the radar at the start of the season, his lethal one-timer and his brilliant shot could not go unnoticed. In December, Kubalik started to light it up for the Blackhawks. He continued this play throughout the rest of the season, as he hit the 30 goal mark in his rookie season while also being nominated for the Calder Trophy.

Dominik was the first Blackhawk rookie to hit the 30-goal plateau since Artemi Panarin in the 2015-16 season. This is a feat that many established players have not hit, as stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both failed to light the lamp that many times in their rookie campaigns.

We all saw what happened to Panarin after his first two impressive seasons, and the Hawks need to prevent this from happening with Kubalik. They need to lock him up on a long term deal, and they might have to let Dylan Strome head to free agency to make this happen. Expect Kubalik to be asking around the $3-4 million range in terms of contract negotiations.  He states that he wants to stay in Chicago, and looks to get even better next season.

I’d love it if Kubalik stays in Chicago as well. His knack for generating scoring opportunities and his chemistry with Toews is one of a kind. We all can only hope that Stan Bowman will not let another young stud go by the wayside.