Blackhawks President John McDonough Discusses His Team
2015-16 was shaping up to another big year for the Blackhawks. Not only were they coming off a Stanley Cup victory, they also added a core player in Artemi Panarin on a cheap entry-level contract. On top of that, they added Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise, and Tomas Fleischmann in advance of the trade deadline in the hopes of making another deep postseason run. Unfortunately for Chicago, they were ousted in the first round by St. Louis, ending their year on a sour note.
David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune sat down with team President John McDonough to discuss the year that was and Chicago’s offseason moves thus far. Here are some of the highlights:
On trading Andrew Shaw to Montreal in a draft day deal:
“That was a tough one for a lot of reasons. He’s a wonderful young man. He had an organic grittiness that really struck a nerve with Chicagoans, maybe more than any athlete I’ve been associated with. He represented what people wanted this franchise to embody.”
On head coach Joel Quenneville and how long he may stick around:
“I have never had a conversation with anybody about Joel’s successor. He has four years left on his contract, is an energetic 58 and a very, very powerful figure. Joel has the same thing as Shaw — that relatable characteristic people are drawn to.”
On general manager Stan Bowman:
“I’m really proud of Stan because he’s not afraid to make the tough decisions. Stan is a prolific listener. He’s very thorough and he gets a lot of information from a lot of people… You better have a plan in case you need to change the plan. And Stan had to look at things differently. He couldn’t be more committed or engaged. He’s understated, subdued, measured. I have to check his pulse from time to time.”
On Patrick Kane’s decision to stay in Chicago for the offseason to training instead of going home to Buffalo:
“That was completely his choice. I care for him deeply. We’ve been through a lot together. I want him to succeed and not just on the ice. He’s in such a good place right now. He looks great, looks clear and healthy. I think he has good relationships and is on a good path.”
Chicago has close to a full roster under contract and has inked all of their restricted free agents. They have just shy of $2.4MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly, enough money left that they could make a run at one more free agent forward to shore up their depth. Here is a look at their projected depth chart, courtesy of Roster Resource.
The Richest Contracts In NHL History
Friday was a very busy day for Jamie Benn. First, he underwent surgery to repair an injured core muscle that leaves his availability for Team Canada at the World Cup in question. Then the good news for him came in the form of an eight year, $76MM extension that makes him the highest paid player in team history. It’s one of the richest deals in league history but falls just short of the top-10 of all time, at least in part. Here’s a closer look at the priciest NHL deals ever.
1) Alex Ovechkin (13 years, $124MM) – Following his entry-level deal, Ovechkin essentially signed a two-pronged extension, one for six years at $9MM per season and then another at seven years and $10MM per year. While you can’t call his contract a bargain, he has been one of the NHL’s top players for many years and is expected to continue to do so for a long time to come.
2) Shea Weber (14 years, $110MM) – Offer sheets have been few and far between in recent years but Weber was the most prominent to receive one as the Flyers inked him to a heavily frontloaded one in the summer of 2012. Interestingly enough, offer sheets cannot contain any trade restrictions which likely played a role in Weber’s trade to the Canadiens last month.
3) Sidney Crosby (12 years, $104.4MM) – Prior to the current CBA which set a term limit of eight years on any contract, Crosby inked a highly frontloaded deal to stay with the Penguins until he’s 38. The extra money up front was enough to keep Crosby at an $8.7MM cap hit, matching his sweater number.
4) Ilya Kovalchuk (15 years, $100MM) – New Jersey’s second attempt at a Kovalchuk deal in the summer in 2010 was enough to avoid another cap circumvention penalty. That’s really the only good news that came from it as just three years later, Kovalchuk ‘retired’ to return to play in the KHL. The Devils are dealing with a salary cap recapture penalty of $250K until 2024-25.
5) Alexei Yashin (10 years, $87.5MM) – This was an outright disaster for the Islanders, who inked Yashin to this deal back in 2001. He failed to come close to expectations and wound up being bought out with four years left on the deal at a cost of over $17.6MM. On top of that, the Isles traded Zdeno Chara and the draft pick that yielded Jason Spezza as part of the package to land Yashin.
6) Vincent Lecavalier (11 years, $85MM) – Tampa Bay was hoping they had a fair deal with their franchise player at the time when they signed him to this deal back in 2009. However, like Yashin, he struggled under the weight of the new deal while injuries took a toll as well. The Lightning bought him out in 2013 and are in the midst of paying him over $32.6MM not to play for them through 2026-27. Lecavalier retired earlier this offseason.
7/8) Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (8 years, $84MM) – Chicago inked their two superstars to identical contracts two years ago, a year before each were eligible for unrestricted free agency. The Blackhawks continue to find ways to stay under the cap for now but that could become more of a challenge if the salary cap continues to stay close to where it is now as the years progress.
9) Anze Kopitar (8 years, $80MM) – Back in January, the Kings reached this deal with their new captain to avoid the risk of losing him to free agency this summer. Kopitar has been Los Angeles’ most consistent forward for many years now and should remain their franchise forward for many years to come.
10) Jaromir Jagr (7 years, $77MM) – Washington signed Jagr back in 2001 to what was the richest deal in league history at that time. However, the lockout in 2004-05 introduced a 24% rollback just two years into the contract which cost Jagr over $21.5MM in salary. Jagr, now 44, is still going strong in the NHL and signed a one year, $4MM guaranteed deal with Florida in May. He could also earn another $1.515M in games played and award bonuses.
If you take Jagr’s deal off because of the subsequent rollback, Benn’s new $76MM contract as well as Evgeni Malkin’s current identical pact with the Penguins become tenth on the all-time list.
NHL Award Recipients
The NHL Awards were given out tonight in Las Vegas, with a little bit extra fanfare due to the upcoming expansion team. Here is the full list of winners, with the top two runners-up in each category:
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players)
General Manager of the Year
- Jim Rutherford
- Brian McClellen
- Jim Nill
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)
- Jaromir Jagr
- Mats Zucarello
- Pascal Dupuis
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
Norris Trophy (top defenceman)
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game)
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)
- Barry Trotz
- Gerard Gallant
- Lindy Ruff
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)
Congratulations to all the winners, and the teams who employ them.
Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks
It’s going to be another painful summer in Chicago, but this time, there’s no Stanley Cup to soothe fans. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks traded promising young forward Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina to dump the salary of Bryan Bickell.
It was a mixed-bag of a season in the Windy City. The team’s Championship defence started out with star forward Patrick Kane under investigation for allegedly raping a woman at his New York home. The charges were later dropped. Kane teamed up with rookie Artemi Panarin to score a career-high 106 points and win the Art Ross Trophy. Panarin, in his first NHL season after six years in the KHL, finished in the top 10 scorers in the league. The Blackhawks finished third in the tightly-contested Central Division and lost to rival St. Louis Blues in 7 games.
Projected Cap Space: $8.4MM, 16 players under contract.
Key Restricted Free Agents: Andrew Shaw – the pesky forward scored 34 points this season, the second highest total of his career. He’s coming off a controversial playoffs where he was suspended for using a homophobic slur towards a referee after making an inappropriate hand gesture. Shaw has been a favourite of coach Joel Quenneville, but was doubtful to return before Tuesday’s trade. Chicago Sun-Times writer Mark Lazerus reported that the Blackhawks fully expect to be able to re-sign Shaw. Expect the deal to be for 3 or more years north of $3MM per.
Other RFAs: Dennis Rasmussen
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise – the pair of wingers were acquired at the trade deadline as the Blackhawks loaded up for a Cup run. Both players are expected to test the open market as Chicago doesn’t have cap space to sign either at close to their market-value.
Other UFAs: Christian Ehrhoff, Tomas Fleischmann, Michael Leighton, Brandon Mashinter, Michal Rosival.
Outlook: The Blackhawks need at least 5 forwards, a couple defensemen, and a third string goalie. Don’t expect any of those players to have a salary above $1MM.
With $48.78MM invested in their 7-player core of Jonathon Toews, Kane, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Corey Crawford, money is going to be tight to re-sign Shaw, round out their roster, and prepare for Panarin’s new contract next season.
With regards to the expected expansion draft next summer, the Blackhawks do not have much to worry about, as they will be able to protect all their important pieces. Chicago does not have a first round pick in the upcoming draft.