The Chicago Blackhawks are prepared to lock down two of their biggest stars for the rest of their career. General manager Stan Bowman is reassuring fans that both Janathan Toews and Patrick Kane are not leaving the team any time soon, they just cannot sign them this offseason. With the shrinking salary cap, both stars will get new contracts, just not this offseason.
Last week the Blackhawks handed out two contract extensions to goalie Corey Crawford and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Both signed cap friendly multi-year deals. Crawford is worth $6 million over six years, while Hjalmarsson's is $4.1 million over five years.
Chicago is being rightfully cautious when handing out long-term contracts to their players. The salary cap is $64.3 million for the upcoming seasons and the number could be changing next year. However, even with that uncertainty regarding cap space, Bowman is telling the team's website that money will be no object for both Toews and Kane who are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2015.
"Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will be here forever," Bowman said. "I can't predict what the salary cap will be in the near future, but I can tell you that Jonathan and Patrick will be on this team. Those two players put the Blackhawks back on the map, they're up in a couple years, and whatever the numbers are, we'll figure out the details. The notion that the money we're spending now will affect our ability to keep Jonathan and Kane ... it's a non-issue. They will be here no matter what."
The recent contract extensions handed will not play a role in determining the contracts Chicago gives both players likely next offseason. The salary cap is predicted to grow over the next few seasons. Reports have the salary cap rising to $80 million over the next four years. As teams grow more settled after the recent lockout, the number can go back up. This is good news for Chicago.
CapGeek.com reports that presently, Chicago has $36.6 million assigned to seven players through the 2015-16 season. According to the new collective bargaining agreement, the biggest contract the Blackhawks can offer Kane and Toews will be around eight years with maximum salary.
Bowman intends on keeping the top talent around for as long as he possibly can. He notes the team has a great relationship between the team and the two players is very strong and extensions will not be difficult to agree to.