Blackhawks Manifesto

Team: 2025-26 Chicago Blackhawks

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 4, 2024

Published: Feb. 4, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

This is why CHI won't buy your players or take your bad contracts for nothing: (Target 26-27 season, or later, to get back into the playoff picture)

Over the next three NHL drafts, we have FIVE 1st round picks. Three of which should be top 5 picks. We don't need "someone to play with Bedard." And i'm positive Bedard is smart enough to see how this patient and tactical approach will pay off.

We have plenty of guys to play with him, and plenty more on the way. So, unless you want to dump a contract or sell a player with a large contract and short term (3 years maximum) for super cheap just to get them off the books, we don't want it. We'll be just fine not giving up valuable assets for your scraps, reclamation projects, and expendable contracts.

I don't expect that we will actually get all of these players, it's just an example.

Also, we have a ton of other players that could easily break into the NHL roster and be important pieces of CHI's future. AND there are tons of UFA's coming up over the next 5 to 8 years that we can potentially snag. AND there will be tons of RFA's pricing themselves out of their current organizations, and/or other players that will need to be moved to make room for those RFA's 2nd and 3rd contracts. Ones that we can either buy cheap or receive more assets to take on.

CHI is not throwing away draft capital for any reason. They will either use the picks in the draft as intended, use them to trade up in the draft, or they will use late round picks to trade for players that have a high probability of CHI being able to profit on them down the road or be part of CHI's long term picture.

CHI isn't AZ. They aren't your dumping ground. They won't be fooled by snake oil tactics, overpaying for busts and problem contracts hoping the change of scenery will fix them. If you want/need to move a contract you are either going to pay for it or make concessions on your asking price. Period.