The Chicago Blackhawks need to extend these three players

Nick Foligno

The Hawks do not have a captain this season after moving on from their long-time leader and franchise icon Jonathan Toews. The belief is the "C" will eventually go to Bedard once he is ready to take up that leadership position.

Foligno has stepped up to be what many consider to be the team's de facto captain.

He has been a captain before with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was brought in to be an excellent locker-room presence for a young team. He has been just that.

He is set to be a free agent after the season. He is currently making $4 million and has been productive skating on the third line. Foligno currently has six goals and nine assists on the season.

General manager Kyle Davidson has to wait until January 1st to start talking about another contract. The impact Foligno has made both on and off the ice is worth keeping him around for at least another season.

Colin Blackwell

He just returned to the ice after being out since last February. His career numbers are not eye-popping. This dude plays hard every night. Blackwell can deliver a powerful hit.

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to need guys like him around to set an example of how hard you need to play (and hit). He might be a third or fourth-line center, but this team has gotten killed when it has lacked intensity. Blackwell goes hard every time he touches the ice.

He is wrapping up a deal that is paying him $1.2 million. The Hawks have plenty of cap space to bring him back at a similar pay scale because they need as many hard-working players as possible until the more talented prospects arrive.

Petr Mrazek

Mrazek has been wonderful in goal this season. He has a 3.04 goals-allowed average to go with a .910 save percentage. He has been in goal for eight of the team's 10 wins this season. The most important part of his game this season is he has avoided a traditional stay on IR. (knock on wood).

The Chicago Blackhawks need him to stand on his head most nights to have a shot at winning. He was a big reason the Blackhawks picked up a huge victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

The other reason this team needs him after this season is Soderblom has been struggling. Arvid is playing in his first full NHL season, and it is not going well. Soderblom is giving up an average of four goals per game with a .872 save percentage. He has been chased off as of late too.

It might not be time to give up on Soderblom, but he is trending toward a backup goalie career. That means the franchise needs to search for a long-term No. 1 netminder.

Drew Commesso is currently playing in his first AHL season in Rockford. He probably will not be ready for even a call-up until midway through next season. Jaxson Stauber is the only other goalie the franchise has signed in their system. He played in five NHL games last year, but he got a lot of help. Stauber also is probably nothing more than a backup goalie.

That means Davidson needs to consider bringing back Mrazek, who is set to be a free agent, for one or two more seasons. Mrazek should have trade value with his strong play. Considering the weak state of the goaltending position's immediate future, it might be best to keep Mrazek around rather than get a third-round pick.

Mrazek is no All-Star goalie, but he can man the position professionally until Commesso is ready for an NHL workload. Although, if Davidson gets a second-round pick offer before the trade deadline, then he should consider signing a stopgap goalie in the offseason.