Projecting the Chicago Blackhawks' Restricted Free Agent Next Contracts

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The Chicago Blackhawks currently have 8 pending restricted free agents on their roster. RFA contracts can be quite simple for general managers. Often, a young player simply needs another year or two to show what they’ve got, so they are awarded a cheap, short-term contract. Other times, these contracts can be more difficult.

Some RFAs are arbitration-eligible. If a negotiation goes to arbitration, the player and team each make their case, and a neutral party determines the player’s contract. This happened this past off-season with Philipp Kurashev. Occasionally, teams want to lock their stud RFAs into long-term deals above current market value and hope the contract will turn into a bargain. Ottawa and Buffalo recently did this with defensemen Jake Sanderson and Mattias Samuelsson, respectively.

Finally, bridge deals are quite common, too, where a player signs around or below market value on a shorter deal and then hopes to either strike big on their next RFA contract or make it all the way to unrestricted free agency.

So, without further ado, let’s project the next contracts for the Hawks’ pending RFAs…

Lukas Reichel

When the season started, GM Kyle Davidson was hoping Reichel would fill the second-line center role behind Connor Bedard and improve upon his tremendous 0.65 points per game from last season. If Reichel did this, Davidson would have loved to sign him to a max-term eight-year extension that would carry Reichel through a large chunk of his prime (and UFA-eligible) years. 47 games, three goals, and nine points later, Reichel is probably hoping to sign a two-year bridge deal in the $1-2 million range.

Seattle Kraken v Chicago Blackhawks / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

Mackenzie Entwistle

As I wrote in his midseason report card, Entwistle has played the role asked of him yet never demonstrated play that suggests he could be more than a fringe NHLer. Todd Welter points out that it is unlikely Entwistle is offered a qualifying offer and will hit free agency this summer. Entwistle’s next contract, wherever it is, will be around the league minimum for one year.

Reese Johnson

Johnson is also doubtful to be on the Hawks' 2024-2025 opening night roster. He plays a similar style to Entwistle, and teams need players to eat up those grinding fourth-line minutes. The issue is the Hawks have too many of those players already and will be looking to infuse more skill into their lineup next season and beyond. Another team will probably grab Johnson this summer on a league minimum salary.

Joey Anderson

Davidson has to be pleased with how Anderson (a throw-in in the Lafferty/McCabe trade with Toronto) has performed this season. The 25-year-old is a nice fit on Jason Dickinson’s right side and has made the most of his NHL promotion. Anderson’s hard-nosed, consistent play should earn him a $1-1.5 million AAV for a year or two.

New York Islanders v Chicago Blackhawks / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

Boris Katchouk

Since coming over from Tampa in the Brandon Hagel trade, Katchouk has posted 11 goals and 15 assists in 110 games played. Not terrible but also not great bottom-six production. Davidson would be better served giving a roster spot to Colton Dach or Frank Nazar than re-signing Katchouk. The 25-year-old has performed better than Entwistle and Johnson, so I could see him getting a 1x1 from a team looking to add some size to its lineup.

Taylor Raddysh

Last season, Raddysh looked like a lock to receive at least $2-3 million a year on his next contract. Now he may not even be tendered a qualifying offer. Raddysh’s 5 goals simply aren’t going to cut it, and he doesn’t possess any other qualities (physicality, penalty kill ability, playmaking) that make up for his lack of production. If he sticks with the Hawks, I would be shocked if got more than one year, $2 million.

Alex Vlasic

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope suggests Vlasic could be worth $3.5-$4.5 million on his next contract. Locking in Vlasic at that number for the maximum term could be an absolute steal for Davidson. The Wilmette native’s strong play this year shows he has top-pair potential. If the Hawks wholeheartedly believe in Vlasic, they should get pen to paper as soon as possible.

Chicago Blackhawks v Seattle Kraken / Steph Chambers/GettyImages

Isaak Phillips

Phillips does not have the experience to demand a long-term contract from the Hawks, but his growth since he was drafted has been remarkable. Very few fifth-round picks even sniff the NHL, but the 22-year-old already has nearly 200 pro games played, including 46 with the Hawks. Phillips likely gets a two or three-year deal around $900k.

Washington Capitals v Chicago Blackhawks / Jamie Sabau/GettyImages

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Projecting the Chicago Blackhawks' Restricted Free Agents Next Contracts