Blackhawks: Why Early Extensions are Essential to be Competitive

The Blackhawks are going to enter an offseason where many top prospects will need new contracts next summer.

Seth Jones’ mammoth 9.5 million cap hit will be in effect starting next season with many Blackhawks young guns needing new deals. The Blackhawks must take advantage of the offseason to sign these players to such new deals. It has been well-known that the value of these prospects are rising every month, as we can see with Alex Debrincat who at 6.4 million is widely viewed as a bargain.

The expectation is that the prospects will take steps forward in how effective they can be for the team. Dominik Kubalik’s contract is expected to rise just a little bit, around 4-4.5 million or so. He is…