Who are the Chicago Blackhawks' top five highest-paid players and are they worth it?

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has done a good job of when it comes to managing the salary cap.

Davidson had a lot of cap space that he could have splurged on some high-priced free agents. Davidson did add some free agents, but he shopped at the bargain rack.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen were added at cap hits in the $5 million AAV area. Talented players, but ones that are not going to break the bank.

They are now among the top five paid players on the Blackhawks.

Both are worth the cost as they will help the top six. Plus, it is nice to see Teuvo back with the Blackhawks. It was tough to see him leave the Blackhawks all those years ago.

Now he is back and a much better player who is older and wiser.

The Hawks' biggest contract will continue to be an albatross around the organization's neck, but the team is still getting production from that player.

No matter what Seth Jones does, it will never be enough to satisfy fans' expectations based on his $9.5 million AAV. Despite him being paid like a Norris Trophy winner, Jones still plays well enough to be among the top five in ice time.

Jones' inconsistency this season offensively definitely earned the scorn of the fanbase. For a while, it looked like Jones was going to take the year from scoring goals. He did finish with 31 points.

Previous management gave him that rich contract, the problem with it was the deal had too many years on it. That is why it will be an albatross around the organization's neck through the rest of the decade. 10% of the team's cap space will be tied up to a lower-tier top-pair defenseman.

Hopefully, the cap continues to rise so Jones' deal will not be such a financial constraint on the team's books. The only reason it is a constraint is it would be nice if that money was going to a player who can win a Norris or Hart Trophy.

Speaking of the Hart Trophy, the Hawks' second-highest cap hit is Taylor Hall at $6 million. Hall won the trophy in 2018. He missed the majority of last season during his first year with the team because of a knee injury.

He should be fully healthy for the upcoming season and his return should help the team's putrid offensive attack. The nice thing is the Hawks get some cap flexibility as this is his last year on his deal. If he comes back strong, he can help the offense and then hopefully be flipped for some younger assets at the deadline.

The Hawks' fifth-highest-paid player is a long-term investment on the blue line.

Alex Vlasic was signed to an extension at a $4.6 million AAV. It was the right call to commit a deal through the rest of the decade to a 23-year-old defenseman that the team developed.

He proved to be a very good defensive-focused defenseman. He just needs his offensive game to improve to turn into a defender worthy of the Norris Trophy.

If he gets there, he will be on a team-friendly deal through 2030. That is much like how those Stanley Cup-winning teams were able to do business with Duncan Keith on a below-market deal.

That is why the Blackhawks have good money tied up right now on their books. The team truly has one bad deal and even then, they are getting production out of it.