The Chicago Blackhawks need to extend these three players

The Chicago Blackhawks present does not look so great compared to their future.

The Hawks are currently last in the Central division and tied for dead-last in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. You can thank injuries to a roster already thin on talent for the team's current place in the standings. Losing a lot of games is also the trademark of a franchise in the beginning stages of an extensive rebuild.

On the other hand, the future looks bright. The Blackhawks have hockey phenom Connor Bedard to build around. They have the second-best prospect pool in the league. The Hawks project to have around $51 million in salary cap space next offseason to go with their abundance of draft picks.

The club does not have a lot of bad long-term contracts on the books beyond Seth Jones' deal. He is the only player signed beyond the 2025-26 season. Although, the Hawks projected salary cap space could go down as they have 10 players set for restricted free agency. Depending on how many of those players get a contract will impact that $51 million somewhat.

There are a few holes in the plan of reaching success. Arvid Soderblom has failed to emerge as the team's No. 1 goalie. The core of the next great Hawks team is either in their first NHL season (Bedard and defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic), in the AHL, or playing at the junior or college level. That means in the immediate future the Chicago Blackhawks need some veterans to take up ice time. Also, veteran leadership is needed to guide the youngsters along.

That is why the Blackhawks need to keep these three players around beyond this season.

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.