Blackhawks set to lose three key players due to expiring contracts
The Chicago Blackhawks are ending the season again outside the playoffs, as the rebuild continues into the next season.
While there are promising prospects in the team's pipeline, but the team needs to find out who their core is, aside from Connor Bedard.
With the salary cap being not an easy thing to manage for many NHL teams, they need to be careful, as it can break a good team. For example, the team dealt with Teuvo Teraveinen to get rid of Bryan Bickell's contract.
With $39 Million in cap space for next season, according to CapFriendly.com, they can make deals for some free agents on the market during the offseason. But they should neglect their upcoming free agents.
The Blackhawks shouldn't neglect to sign Alex Vlasic who has comparables to Nklas Hjalmarsson, who has been a bright spot this season. He will be an RFA after his rookie contract finishes up soon.
The former second-round pick has been playing top-pair minutes, with an average TOI of 21:26 per game. The Hawks should bank on him having a successful career, and lock him down long-term.
Lukas Reichel may have had his struggles this season, but the rookie is up for a new contract this summer. The 1st round 2020 draft pick, was selected 17th overall, with only 11 goals in 94 NHL games. Reichel needs to continue to develop and the Hawks need to reward his determination by extending him for a longer term.
Joey Anderson was a New Jersey Devils draft pick in the 2016 NHL draft. With his new opportunity with the Blackhawks, he has shown his value as a depth forward in the organization, with 16 points in 50 games.
Anderson has managed to do something incredible and has a +7 plus-minus on the team which is one of the only positives on the Hawks. He has found chemistry with Jason Dickinson and Colin Blackwell.
He may not be the team's best player, but he played a hard-nosed two-way game and has earned a new contract arguably.
Source: OnTapSports.net
3 Pending Free Agents the Blackhawks Need to Re-Sign
| POLL | ||
Who deserves a contract more? | ||
| Alex Vlasic | 132 | 67 % |
| Joey Anderson | 19 | 9.6 % |
| Lukas Reichel | 46 | 23.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
