Chicago Blackhawks: The salary cap and the fading dynasty

The Chicago Blackhawks play in the same city as two baseball teams with collective droughts that, until recently, dated back before the Civil War.

Aside from a lone Bears Superbowl in 1985, the Windy City sports scene was darker than an alley on State St., but thankfully for the fans, the 1990s saw Michael Jordan capture six memorable NBA championships. But when the Bulls run ended 22 years ago the question became, which team would carry the torch? The Chicago Blackhawks stepped up.

They weren’t just itching for their first Stanley Cup since the J.F.K administration, they wanted a dynasty to call their own.

In 2002 and 2003, the Blackhawks drafted defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, along with goalie prospect Corey Crawford. After failed drafts that included Jack Skille and Cam Barker (no relation to Bob), they reached the podium in 2006 with an opportunity to turn the organization around; and boy did they ever.

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Jonathan Toews became the superstar that this franchise so desperately needed. After drafting Patrick Kane and adding coach Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks finally had a team that could rival the dynasties of the Detroit Red Wings of the 1990s.

The Detroit dynasty did not exist within the salary cap era and they had the luxury of throwing money around without restriction. Chicago’s, on the other hand, did exist in the salary cap era so they had to get creative to keep their dynasty alive. Unfortunately, that strategy included bloated contracts anchored by no-movement-clauses which could ultimately sink them for years to come.

With long term injuries piling up, it will soon be three seasons since their last playoff appearance. The once-unbreakable duo of Seabrook and Keith chews more salary than their production warrants. Also, with both having no-movement-clauses they are off-limits in the 2021 Seattle expansion draft. Under-producing players Brandon Saad and Olli Maatta cost $10 million next year, leaving little room to sign Dylan Strome and 30-goal rookie Dominik Kubalik.

The current Blackhawks consist of holdovers from a dynasty that won three Stanley Cups and the younger core of what could become a Stanley Cup threat. The organization will have to weave around large contracts while locking up the future core.

For the 2020-21 season, they currently have seven regulars unsigned including two goalies and two potential superstars. With only $14.3 million in cap space, something miraculous will need to happen to keep the core together.

Some are suggesting that Seabrook’s two hip surgeries could threaten his career. If this were to happen, the Blackhawks would put him on long-term injured reserve and his $6.875 million annual salary would not count against the cap.

Another option would be to ask him to restructure his deal and move him to a team looking to get to the salary cap floor, but this isn’t guaranteed. Crawford, 35, is an unrestricted free-agent and will most likely not return with anything more than a one-year deal. Although, his solid play lately could make things sticky for Chicago in contract negotiations.

Some will say that the Blackhawk’s determination to succeed is a symbol of the city’s blue-collar grit and work ethic. When comparing the Blackhawks dynasty to Chicagoans themselves, Sun-Times columnist Rick Morrisey stated:

"“You go to work even if you don’t feel so good. You reverse the flow of a river. You move cattle and pack meat. You rebuild a city after a fire”."

Thankfully Chicago has experience rebuilding, but regarding the dreadful salary cap situation; I wonder how they rebuild after this massive dumpster fire?