Five Chicago Blackhawks That The Team Should Re-Sign Right Now
By Jim Lynch
1. Dominik Kubalik
The first option the Blackhawks should keep around has to be Dominik Kubalik. This past season he scored 15 goals and had 17 assists through 78 games with the Hawks. While that is not his most impressive season to date, it still is a strong showing from the 26-year-old.
Kubalik is still relatively young, and it is hard to imagine that he will ask for a significant bump from the 3.7 million dollar deal he signed two years ago. Keep in mind we are just a few years removed from Kubalik scoring 30 goals in 68 games in 2019-20. He also added eight points in nine playoff games that season.
The Hawks might not see Kubalik in the long-term plan for the franchise, but there is no reason he shouldn’t be in the short-term window. The team could offer him a one or two-year deal with the promise that when the deadline comes around they will help deal him to a contender to compete for a championship. In the meantime, he would get to play in a top-six role ultimately increasing his potential earnings down the line if he does well with more ice time.
Signing with the Hawks would basically be Kubalik betting on himself that he can be successful in a top-six role before joining a contender and probably filling into a more depth position. He is still not that old and can definitely be a big piece for the future, but even if it is just for the short term, re-signing Kubalik makes sense.