Comparing the Blackhawks and Penguins dynasties of the 2010s

Between 2009 and 2017, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins each won three Stanley Cups. Since that time, the Chicago Blackhawks have imploded. Through rash trades and poor asset management, the Blackhawks not only closed their championship window but have forced themselves into rebuild mode. The Pittsburgh Penguins, on the other hand, believe their window is still open and have committed to pursuing another cup.

At this stage in the game, are the Penguins truly contenders or have the Blackhawks beat them to the punch on a full-scale rebuild?

Nearing the quarter mark in the season, the Penguins are 5th in the Metropolitan division, while the Blackhawks are second to last in the Central. It’s still early, so there isn’t much to glean from this other than Chicago is making their way toward the bottom and that coveted chance to draft Connor Bedard.

The Chicago Blackhawks traded most of their valuable players late last season and in the offseason hoping to rebuild their prospect pool. The Blackhawks have one long contract on the books, Seth Jones. Jake McCabe is the only other player with a contract that extends beyond next year. Everyone else, including Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, have contracts that expire this year or next.

It is likely that either one, or both Toews and Kane, could find themselves elsewhere by the end of the season. This would provide more picks or players to the prospect pool. They would join Lucas Reichel, Frank Nazar, Kevin Korchinski and Drew Commesso who could be the future core. While this year is a loss, Chicago hopes to use their open cap space to build from the bottom up. With the proper moves, the Blackhawks could find themselves back in the hunt for the long term in a few short years.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, on the other hand, went all in trying to keep that championship window open. In many ways, it was an odd move. The Penguins are certainly a playoff team, but the last two years led to first round losses and the core is aging. Sidney Crosby, 35, has three years left on his deal. He has a NMC and a $8.7 million cap hit. Perhaps, having Crosby for three more years prompted the team to keep the core in tact and re-sign Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

In the offseason, the Penguins signed Evgeni Malkin to a four year deal with a $6.1 million cap hit. Malkin is currently 36 and will be 40 at the end of his contract. Pittsburgh also signed defenseman Kris Letang, 35, to a six year deal with a $6.1 million cap hit. Like Malkin he has a 35+ NMC which would allow him to be moved to one of ten teams. At this time, though, he is another player over 35 signed to multi-year deals.

Bryan Rust and Rakell Rickard join that group with long contracts. They are certainly not old, but they will be 36 and 35 at the end of their contracts. Jeff Petry, veteran defenseman, is 34 and has three years on his contract. Finally, Jeff Carter is 37 years old and has two years on his contract.

Only time will tell, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have taken a huge risk. There is no doubt that this team will be fairly competitive, but will they be able to make a run in the playoffs that makes these moves and contracts make sense. From the outside looking in, these contracts look more like Stan Bowman-esque  desperation moves to remain relevant. Too many aging players and too many non-move clauses. They have certainly painted themselves into a corner; let’s see if Sidney Crosby has any magic left. If not, the Pens are simply three years behind the Blackhawks.