A Change of Plans For Blackhawks' Ryan Donato in Chicago Comes as a Surprise
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Right now the Chicago Blackhawks have to decide whether they will extend, or trade top-six forward Ryan Donato.
The Blackhawks will have to decide UFA Ryan Donato's fate. The top-six forward could earn a hefty raise in July, should the team decide to let him walk.
Or, they could trade him instead and take advantage of his trade value which continues to climb at the moment.
But, GM Kyle Davidson could find a third route with the veteran forward, and that is to extend him beyond the end of his current contract.
Donato has surprised everyone as he's posted 37 points (19 G, 18 A) with the Blackhawks this season.
While Davidson made a rush to trade Taylor Hall to Carolina, Donato has fared differently.
Instead of getting a return of a third-round pick for Donato, as they did for Hall, they could opt to extend the forward
This could turn out to be great for the Blackhawks who still have talent trickling in from the juniors each offseason.
Instead of rushing these players into the NHL, this could give them some depth in the lineup as forwards continue to mature in Rockford.
In that case, Powers said, there's a strong chance they'll opt to reap instead the benefits of him sticking around as a support player for the rest of the season to avoid overtaxing younger players' development before engaging in extension talks.
While Davidson could say no to a third-round pick, a different scenario could emerge if a team would offer a 2025 or 2026 first or second-round pick for Donato.
There's numerous teams who are interested in the 28-year old forward who's having a career year in the NHL.
The Blackhawks need to decide the kind of term they would give Donato as he's been rostered by five NHL teams since 2017.
They should extend him another year or two at the most as he could block another prospect's path into the NHL.
And given the fact we've seen Dickinson's fall-off after last season, there's a possibility of that for Donato as well.
There are multiple factors at play here, and the Blackhawks need to find the best route for the team, Donato, and their fledgling prospects.
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