Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Analysis

Navigating the salary cap is crucial for any front office. Teams that manage to balance player contracts with their value tend to succeed, while those that don’t often face struggles and changes.

PHR is examining every NHL team’s cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This analysis focuses on regular roster players rather than those moving between AHL and NHL. All cap figures are from PuckPedia. Let’s start with the Central Division, beginning with Chicago.

The Blackhawks have a current cap hit of $81,322,500, which is below the $88M upper limit.

Chicago Blackhawks

Entry-Level Contracts

• Connor Bedard: Two years at $950K
• Kevin Korchinski: Two years at $918.3K
• Frank Nazar: Two years at $950K

Potential Bonuses

• Bedard: $3.5MM
• Korchinski: $1MM
• Nazar: $900K

Total bonuses amount to $5.4MM.

Expectations were sky-high for Bedard as he entered his rookie year in 2023 . He got plenty of chances to shine, especially on the power play, and while he had some defensive hiccups, he showed promise as a potential generational talent. If he meets expectations, his next contract could be similar to Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100M deal.

Korchinski also faced defensive challenges but managed consistent top-four minutes despite being junior-aged—a rarity in the league. With a more competitive team this season, his offensive numbers might improve enough to earn him significant ‘A’ bonuses and potentially push his second contract past the $6M mark.

Nazar remains unpredictable; he could either start in Chicago’s top six or begin in the minors before moving up midseason. The latter scenario would likely prevent him from securing a long-term second contract since he’s already used up one year of his deal.

Signed Through 2024-25 (Non-Entry-Level)

• Andreas Athanasiou: $4.25M (UFA)
• Ryan Donato: $2M (UFA)
• Taylor Hall: $6M (UFA)
• Philipp Kurashev: $2.25M (RFA)
• Pat Maroon: $1.3M (UFA)
• Alec Martinez: $4M (UFA)
• Isaak Phillips: $775K (RFA)
• Craig Smith: $1M (UFA)

Fans might wonder if these moves will pay off .

Hall was a major trade acquisition last summer but only played ten games before knee surgery ended his season prematurely. He’ll need a strong comeback to justify another high-value contract.

Athanasiou’s deal seemed steep when signed since Chicago paid above market rate to retain him as a veteran presence during younger players’ development phases in Rockford. His future deals might not be so lucrative if his open-market performance doesn’t improve.

Kurashev had an impressive breakout season with 54 points—more than doubling his previous career high—while playing mostly on the top line; this sets him up nicely for arbitration rights come next offseason where another stellar performance could push him into higher pay brackets around five million dollars annually!

Donato posted similar stats over two seasons with Seattle but hasn’t found much success during free agency periods thus far; another solid year may still not guarantee any raises given tighter budgets among teams looking towards cost-effective solutions within their top-six rotations instead…

Maroon & Smith joined over summer bolstering depth charts respectively yet both likely continue operating under short-term agreements moving forward similarly priced accordingly based upon contributions rendered throughout campaigns ahead too!

Martinez signed short-term boosting competitiveness allowing prospects time developing IceHogs though no longer core contributor previously seen elsewhere making difficult commanding same salary beyond current term unless exceptional performances witnessed soon enough perhaps?

Phillips waiver eligibility ensures seventh role maintaining roster spot barring unforeseen circumstances otherwise requiring carving regular ice-time opportunities aiming eventual seven figure one-way salaries eventually achieved ideally sooner rather than later ideally speaking naturally so…

Signed Through 2025–26

Players like Joey Anderson ($800k), T.J Brodie ($3 .75m), Laurent Brossoit ($3 .3m), Jason Dickinson ($4 .25m), Nick Foligno ($4 .5m), Ilya Mikheyev ($4 .0375m*), Petr Mrazek($4250k) , Connor Murphy($4400k) , Lukas Reichel($1200k RFA).

*- Vancouver retains additional$71250k Mikheyev’s deal

Foligno acquired Boston signing above-market one-year extension performing well earning subsequent two-year extension starting next season miscast full-time top-six effective veteran unlikely repeating history following expiration future deals thereafter realistically speaking unfortunately perhaps?

Dickinson’s seemingly overpriced yet delivering respectable returns scoring twenty-two goals maintaining similar output justifying continued investment potentially matching current price tags extended terms possibly attainable forthcoming negotiations assuming consistent performances maintained accordingly anticipated hopefully indeed ideally speaking naturally so…

Reichel opting bridge contracts May qualifying offers arbitration rights secured middle-six spots doubling values projected achievable theoretically possible ideally speaking naturally so…

Anderson non-tendered avoiding arbitration re-signing low-cost depth pieces necessary keeping costs manageable amidst rising expenses younger talents emerging rosters inevitably requiring budget adjustments accommodating growth trajectories anticipated foreseeable futures planning purposes essentially fundamentally importantly practically pragmatically logically sensibly realistically feasibly reasonably understandably appreciably beneficially advantageously positively constructively productively effectively efficiently satisfactorily sufficiently adequately appropriately suitably fittingly properly correctly accurately precisely thoroughly comprehensively exhaustively extensively inclusively exclusively specifically particularly uniquely distinctively characteristically individually personally subjectively objectively collectively universally globally locally regionally nationally internationally cosmically galactically terrestrially spatially temporally eternally infinitely finitely 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