2026-27<\/p>\n
Upper Limit: $104MM Given that Del Mastro and Korchinski weren\u2019t regulars last season, neither player should be able to command much more than $1MM apiece.\u00a0 But that will cut into their limited room.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): F Ryan Greene<\/a> ($950K), D Wyatt Kaiser<\/a> ($1.7MM), D Artyom Levshunov<\/a> ($975K), F Oliver Moore<\/a> ($941,667), D Sam Rinzel<\/a> ($941,667), F Landon Slaggert<\/a> ($900K)<\/p>\n This is where things are going to get interesting.\u00a0 All but Kaiser and Slaggert are coming off their entry-level contracts and if the others progress as planned, they could be eyeing significant raises.<\/p>\n If Levshunov and Rinzel have big years, they could be eyeing some of the recent deals given to Brandt Clarke<\/a>, Pavel Mintyukov<\/a>, and Simon Nemec<\/a> (five years apiece with AAVs over $7MM).\u00a0 Longer-term seven-year pacts would push the price tag considerably higher than that.\u00a0 Moore and Greene both profile as players who seem likelier to land bridge agreements which could land in the $3MM to $4MM range depending on the upcoming season.<\/p>\n As for the non-entry-level players, Kaiser still has three years of RFA eligibility remaining.\u00a0 They could go with a second bridge which would likely fall in the $3.5MM to $4.5MM range while a deal that eats up some UFA years could push more toward $6.5MM to $7MM.\u00a0 Slaggert, meanwhile, should only be in line for a small raise unless he takes a big step forward offensively this coming season.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Bowen Byram<\/a> ($6.25MM, already extended), D Ian Cole<\/a> ($4MM), D Ryan Ellis<\/a> ($6.25MM), F Jordan Greenway<\/a> ($4MM), F Andrew Mangiapane<\/a> ($3.6MM), G Arvid Soderblom<\/a> ($2.75MM), F Teuvo Teravainen<\/a> ($5.4MM)<\/p>\n Teravainen is the notable one here.\u00a0 He\u2019s coming off a down year but if he gets back into the 45-50-point range, it\u2019s possible he lands a small raise on a multi-year pact.\u00a0 Greenway and Mangiapane are projected to be limited role players which should push their price tags down next summer.\u00a0 Barring a standout performance, they could come in around half of that.<\/p>\n Soderblom has shown flashes of being a capable backup but has also struggled considerably at times.\u00a0 If that trend continues, it\u2019s hard to see him beating his current deal, especially since this summer\u2019s UFA market for backup goalies tightened up a bit.\u00a0 Cole continues to bounce around on one-year deals as a reliable third-pairing player.\u00a0 Assuming he has a similar showing this season, his next deal should stay around that price tag.\u00a0 Ellis hasn\u2019t played since November 2021 and his career is already over.<\/p>\n 2027-28<\/p>\n Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM Depending on what happens with their RFAs, Chicago could be adding anywhere from $18MM to $30MM or so to the books.\u00a0 But that would still leave them anywhere from $13MM to $25MM to add a handful of other players, either via free agency or trades.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): F Sacha Boisvert<\/a> ($977,917), F Anton Frondell<\/a> ($986,250), F Nick Lardis<\/a> ($925K)<\/p>\n Frondell is a potential big-ticket contract in the making.\u00a0 If he locks down a top-six center spot and shows flashes of being the type of two-way top pivot he\u2019s projected to be, he becomes a strong candidate to bypass a bridge deal and sign a max-term seven-year pact.\u00a0 The price tag could push past the $12MM mark in that scenario.<\/p>\n The other two shouldn\u2019t be as costly.\u00a0 Boisvert and Lardis both enter the upcoming season as potential bottom-six pieces and if they stay in that role, both will probably prefer a short-term second contract.\u00a0 Bridge deals for them could land in the $3MM to $4MM range, a little lower than that if their ice time is somewhat limited.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a> ($5.5MM), F Patrick Kane<\/a> ($8MM)<\/p>\n Bertuzzi has fit in pretty well over his first two seasons with the Blackhawks and is coming off a career year with 32 goals and 58 points.\u00a0 If he stays in that range, he could secure another three or four-year pact while pushing his price tag more toward the $7.5MM mark.\u00a0 However, free agency hasn\u2019t been kind to him in the past so it wouldn\u2019t be shocking to see GM Kyle Davidson push to sign him early.\u00a0 Kane receiving a two-year deal this summer as a 37-year-old was a bit of a surprise but Chicago had the cap space to bring him back.\u00a0 He\u2019d be entering his age-39 year in 2028-29 so at that point, it seems likely he\u2019d be back to one-year deals with games-played incentives or he could just call it a career as well.<\/p>\n 2028-29<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM Depending on what happens with Frondell\u2019s contract, RFA deals from the previous year could add somewhere between $15MM and $20MM.\u00a0 That\u2019s on top of the $18MM to $30MM estimate from the 2027 RFA class.\u00a0 On the low end, that would leave around $35MM in cap space compared to $18MM or so on the high end.\u00a0 With Frondell\u2019s raise likely covering the entire cap increase, Chicago might be squeezed a bit more than it might seem on the cap if they\u2019re active in the 2027 offseason adding veterans to their roster.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Ryan Donato<\/a> ($4MM), G Spencer Knight<\/a> ($5,833,333), F Cole Smith<\/a> ($3MM)<\/p>\n Donato wasn\u2019t able to come close to repeating his breakout 2024-25 showing last season but his 30 points were consistent with other prior years.\u00a0 With the increases coming to the cap, it\u2019s not crazy to think he could stay around this price point even if he remains a 30-point player.\u00a0 If he can become more reliable offensively, then a few million per season could be added.\u00a0 Smith\u2019s limited offense should cap his price tag at some point, especially since he\u2019ll be 33 when this deal ends.\u00a0 If he remains effective, however, a small raise could be doable.<\/p>\n How established will Knight be at this time?\u00a0 If he\u2019s the undisputed starter, a double-digit AAV isn\u2019t out of the question.\u00a0 Is that viable for the Blackhawks with one of the stronger goalie prospect pools?\u00a0 That\u2019s something Davidson will have to decide.\u00a0 But they have high hopes for Knight and as an in-prime starter, if they don\u2019t give him that type of raise, someone else will.<\/p>\n 2029-30<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase) The RFA calculation from 2028-29 still applies here, although some raises could be coming to any of the 2027 RFAs who opted for a short-term bridge deal.\u00a0 The likely raise to Knight would cover around half of the forecasted increase but that would still leave some wiggle room to work with.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Alex Vlasic<\/a> ($4.6MM)<\/p>\n Vlasic has quickly become one of the better bargains on the back end, not just in Chicago but league-wide.\u00a0 His offensive limitations will stop him from getting into the top tier of price tags but doubling this AAV shouldn\u2019t be out of the question.<\/p>\n Signed For 2030-31 And Beyond<\/p>\n For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game.\u00a0 Accordingly, we\u2019ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.<\/p>\n F Connor Bedard<\/a> ($15MM through 2030-31)
Current Cap Charge: $101,172,907
Cap Space: $2,827,093
Potential Bonuses: $9.93MM ($4MM to $6MM could realistically be hit)
Dead Cap: $2,758,333 (Seth Jones<\/a> retention, T.J. Brodie<\/a> buyout)
RFAs To Sign: D Ethan Del Mastro<\/a>, D Kevin Korchinski<\/a><\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $70,519,574 (12 players signed)
Cap Space: $42,980,426
Potential Bonuses: $3.75MM ($1.6MM could realistically be hit)
Dead Cap: $2.5MM (Jones retention)<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $54,033,324 (7 players signed)
Cap Space: $68,966,676
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: $2.5MM (Jones retention)<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $41,199,991 (4 players signed)
Cap Space: $92,300,009
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: $2.5MM (Jones retention)<\/p>\n
D Bowen Byram<\/a> ($12.5MM through 2032-33)
F Frank Nazar<\/a> ($6,599,991 through 2032-33)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/USATSI_28736613-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Bedard is already one of the highest-paid players in the NHL and he\u2019ll be hitting the open market going into his age-26 season.\u00a0 At this point, given the projected growth in the Upper Limit, Bedard could very well surpass the $20MM mark on his next agreement as long as his production continues to progress.\u00a0 Under the current CBA rules, the maximum term for a re-signing would be seven years and six years if he goes elsewhere.\u00a0 If the latter happens, Bedard would probably be in line for another rather hefty contract at that time, even if he\u2019d be expected to start to slow down by the end of it.\u00a0 He\u2019s very well-positioned to cash in on the current economic landscape.<\/p>\n