Offseason Roundup: Chicago Blackhawks
Over the next month, theScore's NHL editors will review all the offseason moves for each team around the league.
The Blackhawks came close to back-to-back Stanley Cups last season, falling to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings in the seventh game of one of the best playoff series' in recent memory.
Chicago's roster remains largely unchanged (with one notable exception), while a pair of contract extensions all but guaranteed sustained success for the next decade or so.
Offseason Overview
The Blackhawks began the summer by pulling off a Draft-day trade that saw them move up from 27th to 20th on the board. With the pick, Chicago selected USHL forward Nick Schmaltz, who will develop his game at the University of North Dakota this season.
On the second day of the Draft, general manager Stan Bowman sent truculent forward Brandon Bollig to the Calgary Flames in exchange for the 83rd pick, used to select another USHL forward, Matteson Iacopelli.
On the first day of free agency, the club found a long sought after second-line center in the form of Brad Richards, bought out by the New York Rangers following a trip to the Stanley Cup final (and let's be honest, Chicago would have won that series had they beat the Kings). Richards' deal, a one-year contract worth $2 million, is of the low-risk, potentially high-reward variety.
A week later, the Blackhawks locked up cornerstone forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to matching eight-year contract extensions worth $84-million, keeping the dynamic duo in Chicago until the end of the 2023 season.
Related: Toews & Kane's new deals may be massive, but they're worth those dollars and more via theScore's Justin Bourne
Team president John McDonough pumped the pair's tires as "two of the symbols of the renaissance of the Blackhawks," and rightfully so considering the great success the franchise has enjoyed since their respective arrivals on the Chicago hockey scene. The scary thing for the rest of the NHL is there's likely lots more to come over the course of their new deals.
Speaking of Kane, he put a smile on many faces this summer by appearing in a Buffalo-area men's league game, covering up a St. Louis Blues logo on a young fan's shirt, and surprising a Chicago youth hockey team with locker room makeover. Good PR for Kane, who appears well-removed from the off-ice issues that plagued him earlier in his career.
In other offseason happenings, the team announced the hiring of former Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen as a new assistant, and Jim Waite as the new goaltending coach. The Blackhawks also failed to sign forward Kevin Hayes, losing the 2010 first round pick to the New York Rangers. They did, however, sign forwards Ben Smith and Jeremy Morin, as well as goaltender Antti Raanta to contract extensions.
As all of the above was happening, the team's salary cap situation sort of hung like a cloud. As training camp began, the Blackhawks sat more than $2 million over the ceiling, meaning a trade or two may be on Bowman's to-do list prior to the season opener (possibly involving defenseman Nick Leddy).
Finally, it was officially announced in early September that the Blackhawks will take part in their second Winter Classic, visiting the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park on New Year's Day, 2015.
Key Additions
F Brad Richards
Key Departures
F Brandon Bollig
2014-15 Outlook
The Blackhawks have two of the best forwards in the game, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, and a supporting cast that draws the envy of pretty much any general manager around the NHL.
Chicago will rise to the top of the standings once again, and should challenge for a third Stanley Cup in the Toews/Kane era. At the very least, hockey fans are hoping for another playoff series against the Kings.