The Blackhawks had straightforward decisions to make with their restricted free agents this year, and they made the expected ones.
Four RFAs — forward Connor Bedard, defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro and goalie Drew Commesso — were all given qualifying offers before the Monday deadline, allowing the Hawks to retain their rights past the expiration of their entry-level contracts Wednesday.
The only two RFAs not given qualifying offers were AHL defensemen Dmitri Kuzmin and Ryan Mast, neither of whom were NHL-relevant prospects. Kuzmin is rumored to be signing in the KHL.
Bedard headlines the group of qualified RFAs, but only Commesso holds arbitration rights within the group.
Contract negotiations between the Hawks and Bedard’s agents have revved up recently, with the two sides exchanging numbers and working toward an agreement.
It’s still unknown what length of contract Bedard will eventually sign and for what annual salary-cap hit (likely within the $13-16 million range), but fans need not worry about the possibility of him signing an offer sheet with another team. That’s an unrealistic idea.
Korchinski, Del Mastro and Commesso will likely receive one- or two-year contracts with low cap hits, extending their windows to establish themselves as NHL players without guaranteeing long-term commitments in case they don’t.
The two defensemen are no longer waiver-exempt next season, so training camp will be crucial for them. Korchinski hopes his summer of training in Chicago prepares him well for a potentially make-or-break season.