Cap will keep Chicago reloading around young weapons
Let's assume the Blackhawks will be done with their Stanley Cup hangover at some point next season.
Maybe even at the outset, although that might be pushing it. These guys have a lot of celebrating to do between now and then.
And judging by some of the pictures, they've already done a fair amount. No doubt the champagne hasn't stopped flowing since the first bottle was popped in the dressing room.
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| Locked up for years, captain Jonathon Toews (left) and Patrick Kane provide a great young core. (Getty Images) |
Heady times obviously for a young team that has captured the imagination of local sports fans, particularly a new and younger generation that was fully on display during the parade. For the Blackhawks, the world has become their oyster in Chicago and they are enjoying every minute of it.
They should too because it's the kind of thing that doesn't last very long in the salary-capped NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins could probably tell you that. But given their market and their organizational philosophy, this Blackhawks team could change things.
"That's what we're shooting for," Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said. "We've said that all along. We don't want this to be a short-term thing. Other organizations have been able to do it over the years, and we want to be in that group of teams that's competing for the Stanley Cup each year."
Right now, Chicago's foundation is there in terms of talent. The Blackhawks benefitted from years of miserable finishes to stock up through the draft, and more important, they did a really good job of choosing quality players and developing them through the system. The efforts culminated with a Stanley Cup win last week that should not be the last considering the makeup of this team. But Bowman has some juggling to do first.
The Blackhawks have more than $57 million committed to just 14 players for next season, when the salary cap is expected to be between $56 and $59 million. Chicago has superstars Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa locked up for years and key support staff like Dave Bolland, Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp signed for long enough, which is a very good young core.
But 10 players become restricted or unrestricted free agents on July 1. Among them goalie Antti Niemi, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and forward Andrew Ladd, who in today's market will probably command $8 million-9 million collectively after winning the Stanley Cup.
"I'm sure everyone wants to be here, I'd love to be here, I can't imagine playing anywhere else," Ladd said. "But everyone understands it's a business."
And Bowman said the team has been approaching it that way for a long time.
"We'd love to have everybody back, but that's just not a possibility," he said.
No matter, Chicago has to free up some cap space. The Blackhawks will likely start by burying goalie Cristobal Huet's $5.25 million cap hit in the minors, and they'll be actively seeking a taker for defenseman Brian Campbell's $7 million annual charge. But Campbell's deal has six more years on it and won't be easy to move, so Chicago might be forced to move players with more palatable contracts like Sharp, Byfuglien, Versteeg or Brent Sopel.
Veteran John Madden said over the weekend he did not expect to return, and other UFA's Kim Johnsson and Adam Burish aren't likely to either. But even if Chicago plugs some of those holes with players from the system, they'll need to trim more salary.
Bowman can get creative if he moves quickly, because the Blackhawks are no longer fundamentally averse to spending what it takes to win. Next week's draft is expected to be a very active trade mart, with many cap-challenged teams looking to reset the dial a bit, and some of Chicago's players may never have as great a value as they do now.
The Blackhawks will have to make some choices, but with the core group intact, they could fill any void with serviceable veterans from free agency. These days the franchise has become a destination of choice for players, even if it's for a short term.
"We were going to try our best to win the Cup this year and we did that knowing all along there were going to be changes that had to be made," Bowman said. "It's just the business we're in right now. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out."
