Could Blackhawks Make A Move On One Of NHL’s Biggest Stars Next Summer?

On Monday, I wrote about the fact that the Blackhawks may have finally found their power forward. New acquisition Pat Maroon has been everything Chicago has asked for and more, providing a physical side that this team has been missing in the past.

But what if there was another power forward out there who was much, much better than Maroon? One who provides a physical side while also putting up over 100 points per season? The Blackhawks may have the opportunity to snag their next huge superstar before or when he hits the market next summer.

Colorado will find itself in cap trouble next summer. Current cap projections have them with around $18 million in cap space, which is a decent number to work with. But the Avalanche have a bunch of holes to fill, including goaltending, which means it’ll be hard to keep everyone in Colorado beyond this season. That’s bad news considering their second-highest-paid player, Mikko Rantanen, has a contract expiring next summer and is due for a big raise. Many have projected him in the $13-14 million range, which isn’t a number Colorado can afford.

In a piece focused on Rantanen this week, David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period said the Avalanche may be hesitant for another reason.

“For argument’s sake, let’s assume Rantanen comes in under $14M per season. If we continue to make assumptions – you know what happens when you assume, right? – Rantanen will earn more than MacKinnon, based on his percentage of the cap in Year 1 of his deal. I’m honestly not sure how much of an appetite the Avs have in giving Rantanen more than MacKinnon, but the cap is only going to go up and if we’re focusing on percentage of the cap, Rantanen’s possible demands are justified.”

- David Pagnotta on the Fourth Period

If Rantanen does hit the market, or becomes otherwise available, the Blackhawks should pounce and offer him a contract like that of Leon Draisitl, who set the market earlier this year.

Every team is looking for a power forward who can score, but the sad truth is that they rarely come around, if ever, but Rantanen is the exception. The 27-year-old has a rare combination of size and scoring ability; he’s a renowned sniper who logged 42 goals and 62 assists last year. There’s no question that Rantanen is one of the most valuable assets in the entire league.

Would the Blackhawks pay that much for one player? The short answer is yes. With the current state of Chicago’s salary cap, the Blackhawks are better positioned than ever to make a huge splash move like that. Speaking of the salary cap, it’s expected to skyrocket over the next few years, making the contract of Seth Jones easier to handle. If the Blackhawks were to sign Rantanen and Connor Bedard next summer to matching $14 million deals, it would be roughly the percentage equivalent of the matching deals of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews back in 2014, and we all know how that worked out. Sure, that combination had a few rings at that point, but the expectations for a combo of Bedard and Rantanen would be the same.

The projected free agent market next summer isn’t a strong one, with Igor Shesterkin, Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser and Brad Marchand being roughly the only huge names hitting the market. In that case, the Blackhawks could have trouble beating out a few other teams vying for Rantanen’s services. Instead, they could put together a sign-and-trade package to get a shot at Rantanen earlier. I wouldn’t mind Chicago dealing Petr Mrazek, assuming his value is high at the deadline. With Arvid Soderblom proving he’s improved from last year, and Drew Commesso potentially being available at the NHL level by then, the Blackhawks can certainly fill Mrazek’s role. He could be packaged with a quality starter like Tyler Bertuzzi and a high draft pick to make it happen, if Colorado is willing to move Rantanen.