How much salary cap space will the Blackhawks have starting in 2024-25?

The Chicago Blackhawks are out of playoff contention, but they have been one fun hockey team to watch lately, and perhaps that continues down the stretch. Young hockey teams with nothing to lose, like Chicago, can be good at playing spoiler, and such play could also provide a confidence boost for one of the NHL’s most inexperienced teams. 

It will also give Blackhawks fans plenty of reasons to keep watching this team grow as the 2023-24 season reaches its twilight, and before we know it, the offseason will arrive. Look for Chicago to make a few additions, even if keeping this young core intact may be the top priority. 

With potential building blocks on the lower lines like MacKenzie Entwistle and Reese Johnson, plus players like Taylor Raddysh, Joey Anderson, and Alex Vlasic set to be restricted free agents, expect general manager Kyle Davidson to strongly consider bringing them back. 

Pending unrestricted free agents could be a different story, even if Davidson will likely elect to hang onto a couple of them. Regardless of what Davidson decides, Chicago will have plenty of cap space to add a few new additions to the lineup. 

Blackhawks will have a lot of cap space heading into 2024-25

We must also consider some premier building blocks the Blackhawks have, like Connor Bedard, Philipp Kurashev, the recently signed Landon Slaggert, and Kevin Korchinski, all of whom will be shoo-ins to improve next season. When Davidson looks to add a few players from the outside, these aforementioned names will be whom he must keep in mind, and to ask himself how well any new talent coming to the Windy City would fit in. 

He will have nearly $39 million to spend among re-signing RFAs, pending UFAs like Colin Blackwell, and, as mentioned, talent from the outside, likely on an as-needed basis. While Davidson could bring in a big name, it’s more likely that he will look to sign free agents for smaller deals and shorter lengths, therefore preventing veterans from getting in the way of some talented pipeline players for next season. 

While it would foreshadow another long year in Chicago, it’s also setting the stage for a better 2024-25 that will see Bedard and company grow. Long-term success is what the Blackhawks must strive for with a player like Bedard, so even with the amount of cap space, let’s not assume Davidson will use a ton of it to bring in outside talent just yet. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)