Projecting which Blackhawks players will receive contract extensions in the 2024 offseason

The Chicago Blackhawks have enough cap space for general manager Kyle Davidson to take the organization in the direction of his choosing. There are a lot of Blackhawks players due to be re-signed this offseason, a blend of restricted and unrestricted free agents, but come July 1st, a few more players will become eligible to receive extensions. 

Since the Blackhawks weren’t a good team in 2023-24, you may ask whether anyone deserves to sign a new deal this summer or if Davidson would be better off making them prove themselves during the season. For most players who made this list, the latter will be the case, but there may be one mentioned who shouldn’t surprise fans if they landed an extension between July 1st and mid-October. 

So, which players will become eligible for a new contract when roughly the three-month mark before the preseason begins? Let’s explore five names and whether it’s worth Davidson’s time and effort to hand them a new deal.

Ryan Donato

The middle-six and, ideally, the lower lines should suit Ryan Donato better than anything else, and players like him typically don’t receive extensions right when they become eligible. The winger did attain a career-high in assists with 18 this past season and snagged 30-plus points for just the second time in his career. But heading into his age-28 season and likely moving down the lineup at some point, it’s hard to see Donato signing a new deal this summer. 

Instead, look for the hard-hitting forward to either earn a new contract during the season or, more likely, at some point thereafter. Although he’s neither a big-time scorer nor a game-changer, Donato is still young and physical enough of a player to be part of this team’s core for the rest of the decade. It’s an underrated notion, but he would provide value to the team’s lower lines. 

Landon Slaggert

Landon Slaggert saw just 16 games with the Blackhawks, averaging 11:16 of average total ice time, scoring one goal, and logging four points. He proved to be physical with 16 hits, and he was a pest defensively with a sound six takeaways, but Slaggert didn’t do anything of worth for Kyle Davidson to rush a potential extension. 

Instead, look for Slaggert to see more time with the Blackhawks for 2024-25, and he will likely get a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. The only way he would sign an extension during the season would be if he spent most of his time with the Blackhawks and made an incredible jump in production. 

Philipp Kurashev

Next to Connor Bedard, Philipp Kurashev is the Blackhawks most exciting player, and he’s the only one on this list you can make a sound argument to get an extension this summer or shortly before the 2024-25 season. Kurashev’s 18 goals, 54 points, and 19:01 of average total ice time were all massive improvements over his 2022-23 campaign, not to mention the fact he also converted 14.1 percent of his shots into goals. 

In a worst-case scenario, Kurashev is the Blackhawks second-line center heading into next season, and if Chicago wanted, they could also keep lining him up next to Bedard in games or at least specific situations. Given the kind of value he put forth this past year, his age, and the likelihood his production will continue to trend north, Kurashev may sign an extension this summer. 

Like many instances, he probably wouldn’t sign it until September or even in the early fall, but for a team like the Blackhawks that desperately needs a good core, locking Kurashev in for a new deal will immediately take a weight off their shoulders. 

They will also organically get better as a team in 2024-25, leading to even more opportunities for Bedard and Kurashev. Lock him into a new deal and let fans and the NHL universe know he will be one of the faces of the new-look Blackhawks. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)