While many teams are still trying to sort out their restricted free agent problems from this off-season, at least one team is already worrying about next summer. As was reported a few weeks back, talks have already begun between the Chicago Blackhawks and 2015-16 Calder Trophy-winner Artemi Panarin. The young Russian winger is entering the second of year of his rookie contract, which carried just an $812.5K cap hit ($3.5MM with bonuses). After scoring 77 points in his first season, the 24-year-old is understandably looking for a big raise in his next contract, with early reports suggesting that Panarin could seek a long-term deal of six to eight years at $6MM to $7MM per season.
Although the Blackhawks currently have over $3MM in cap space, there is no question that they are the least cap flexible team in the NHL. With $58MM committed to just 11 players in 2017-18, including nearly $34MM reserved for just Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford and another $5.5MM spent on a bargain deal for Duncan Keith, there is very little wiggle room for them to accommodate a contract like the one Panarin is asking for. Brian Hedger of The Athletic in Chicago opines that, no matter what, the Blackhawks must find a way to keep Panarin and avoid another “Brandon Saad situation”. Unable to come to terms on an affordable deal with the young phenom Saad last summer, Chicago was forced to trade him away. Hedger sees the makings of the same scenario with Panarin, and warns that another alternative must be found.
After losing Saad, as well as Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, and more recently Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen (as part of a package to rid the team of Bryan Bickell’s contract), all due to cap concerns, Hedger wonders when GM Stan Bowman will finally draw the line. While the Hawks remain in position to be perennial Stanley Cup contenders now, anyone can tell you that a continuation of selling off complimentary pieces and top young players to sustain outrageously large contracts will eventually lead Chicago back into the cellar of the NHL. Losing Panarin, perhaps Kane’s best line mate of his career, as part of this pattern could be the last step off the cliff for the Blackhawks. Instead, the team needs to make a bold decision and remove one of their high-priced veterans in the near future. This will be a big story line to follow during the upcoming season.
And the onslaught on the Hawks’ roster continues. I understand why the salary cap in hockey is so low, but its a shame. The Hawks would have easily won another two or three cups had they been able to re-sign their homegrown products. They have the best attendance numbers in the sport, and generate tons of revenue for the league. It’s simply not fair to maintain that ridiculously low salary cap just to appease a handful of small market teams in Canada. If they don’t have the revenues and capital to be competitive, they should be folded or moved to another city. The Blackhawks had the potential to be one of the greatest dynasties in NHL history. The Canadian dollar put an end to that dream.
Don’t know who json-api is, but I (ChiSoxCity) posted the message above.
One last thing. Zach Leach writes in the article that Bowman should consider trading yet another star player in order to maximize salary cap flexibility. This is precisely what every other team around the NHL hopes for. To suggest that trading Kane, Toews or some other core player like Seabrook would be in the Hawks best interest is a complete joke. I get that there is no love lost around the league for the Blackhawks, but really dude? That’s some bush league writing right there. Suggesting that dominant teams (that you hate) should be forced to trade their best players in order to stay under this incredibly anemic salary cap shows how myopic and shallow hockey fans can be. The NHL cannot and will not grow in popularity as long as the league promotes this constant movement of homegrown talent from team to team. Learn something from the NBA and NFL.
Getting rid of Teuvo Teravainen was completely idiotic. Young star, all the potential in the world. Then trade him. WHAT ARE YOU DOING BOWMAN??
Was getting rid of bickells contract really that important that they had to package it with teravainen?
Yes.
Same here. I (J.M. Hall) posted this message
You’re obviously not a fan, but if you anything about the Hawks, you’d know that Bowman is the best GM in the NHL… arguably all of professional sports. It’s not his fault the Hawks talent is being siphoned away. The blame for that starts with the NHL commissioner.
The Canadian teams are not the reason for such a low salary cap. There were 3 Canadian teams that didn’t reach 100% capacity for the season. Calgary at 99.3%, Vancouver at 97.5%, and Ottawa at 94.4%. Not to count the revenue the Canadian TV deal brought to the entire league, not just Canadian teams. That’s over $300million shared by all the teams per year. The US deal is for about $200million a year. If you want to point fingers point them at the attendance figures in cities like Carolina (65.3% attendance), Arizona (78.4%), NY I (86.2%), and Florida (90.3%). Not to mention the average ticket price is much higher in your average Canadian city compared to an American city. Try researching facts before making such arrogant comments. Sure the Canadian dollar falling during this economic downturn hurt but that can be blamed alot on US politics as well.
With respect, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar has nothing to do with politics. Markets and basic economics determine this, not politicians. The readons for salary cap manipulation by the NHL are about economics too. Most Canadian teams can’t spend like U.S. based teams can. They certainly can’t afford to outbid U.S. teams for the top free agents either. If the cap was actually set at a reasonable level, teams like the Blackhawks would be rewarded for sound management, scouting and player development. Teams that are operating a shoe string budgets, and constantly getting lottery picks year after year on the road to nowhere would have to pack up and move. This is precisely why there are so few professional sports teams in Canada other than hovkey.
Please excuse the spelling… damn iPhone.
The Canadian dollar crashed because of oil. Oil crashed because a group of circumstances that occurred in the middle east. Which happened because of a search for weapons of mass destruction. US politics had a big hand in the Canadian dollars crash. Canadian teams for the most part spend close to the cap limit year in year out. And before a salary cap came around Chicago was a bottom dwelling team, with no local TV deals, and some of the lowest attendance in the league. Success breeds followers in the US, but Canadians stick through thick and thin. Look at Edmonton right now, bottom of the league for the past 10 years, 4 1st overall picks in the past 7 years, still spending close to the cap while leaving space (roughly 7 million) in case this is a year they finally take the turn to become a playoff contender and need an addition and also so they can resign some of their premium talent, still sold out every game, average ticket price is 4th highest in the league. Honestly, do some research before making stupid ignorant comments.
Hawks got mismanaged and run into the ground by a bad owner eons ago. It’s 2016, and they’re the envy of the hockey world. Revenues are up–if the NHL had raised the salary cap like it was supposed to, the Hawks could keep their players from one year to the next. You could build a formidable team with the list of players the Hawks were forced to trade or not resign.
You putting the spotlight on Edmonton is laughable and nationalistic.
The salary cap is based off of league revenue. The Hawks cap has gone up each and every year just like every other team since the cap was implemented in 2007. 51% of league revenue goes to players. Get teams like Arizona to ice a team people will pay to see and increase ticket prices. That’s how you increase revenue so teams like your beloved Blackhawks can spend more. As for the comment about the Hawks being a bad team years ago, that’s the cycle of a fair playing field for all. How many teams have not gone through a down period only to rise up to become an elite team. Detroit was bad in the 80’s and great in the 90s, Chicago bad in the late 90s-00s, great now. Pittsburgh, Colorado/Quebec, New Jersey. It’s a vicious circle.
The NHL should stop using the Canadian dollar as its base currency for obvious reasons. And sure, I’m annoyed and irritated that my team has suddenly become a talent factory for the rest of the league. They’ll be a lottery team at the rate they’re going. We’re losing young, highly skilled players every offseason simply because 90% of the league run crap systems and suck at player development.