Blackhawks: All the players playing for a contract this season

The Chicago Blackhawks have a number of players on expiring deals this season, and the team will want to work fast to get some of them under contract.

Having players with some term on their deals allows for some stability on the roster. Thanks to the moves the Blackhawks have made this offseason, they now have five contracts that are for three years, the rest all expire this coming summer or next summer. Let’s go through the entire list of players that will be asking for some pay raises.

Keep in mind, according to CapFriendly, the Blackhawks have about 27 million in cap space to work with for next season.

Dominik Kubalik (3.7 million)

Kubalik is an interesting player on this list. He is someone that I do not think the team wants to pay five or six million, but raising him up to 4.5 for a season or two would be like a good move for the team. He is someone that probably will need another bridge deal to stay in Chicago. Unless he goes out this season and puts up 50 plus points I think his raise won’t be too dramatic, especially during a flat cap world.

Dylan Strome (3 million)

It seems like Dylan Strome is the odd one out right now. When Blackhawk Up contributor Justin Klawans put together what he thinks the forward group could look like in 2021-22, he did not include Strome as it would be best for the team to move him out for some other asset in return. Still, should Strome decide to re-sign with the Blackhawks I do not think it would be with a raise unless this year drastically alters his career with the team.

Ryan Carpenter (1 million)

Ryan Carpenter is a player that I think the Blackhawks let walk away after this contract. He has been a great fourth-line forward for this roster, but with the young talent that is looking for a chance in the league, Carpenter’s spot is up for grabs. Some team would be lucky to add him to their depth chart either in trade at the deadline or during free agency.