Artemi Panarin will be a Blackhawk through the 2018-2019 season! He and the Hawks worked out a bridge deal which extended his contract 2 years at a cool 6 million dollars per year. This is great news for the Hawks moving forward, as he has proven to be an elite scorer. It is not the long-term deal that Panarin was reportedly seeking, but the price is lower than what many believed he could get, especially if he tested free agency. However, the big jump in his salary ($812,500 to $6,000,000) will surely keep Stan Bowman buys, as the Hawks are now slated to be several million dollars over next year’s salary cap. Currently, the Blackhawks have 16 players slated to be under contract next year (Kane, Toews, Seabrook, Crawford, Panarin, Keith, Hossa, Anisimov, Hjalmarsson, Kruger, Motte, Schmaltz, Forsling, Hartman, van Riemsdyk, Hinostroza) for a total cap hit of $67.55 million. On top of that, some players will likely earn bonuses, with Panarin earning the greatest ones, which will add another $2-4 million to the salary which is expected to be capped between $74 and 75 million dollars. That means it is impossible to add the 6 players needed to reach the minimum roster of 22 players and still be under the cap. So, who could be the next victim(s) of the salary cap crunch? The following are some possibilities.

Marcus Kruger

Kruger’s name came up a lot last year as a potential trade target, but Bowman decided to make room for him (he signed a contract for about 3 million a year). This year, he may not be so fortunate. Kruger’s value is in his defensive play and responsibility, which has made him a favorite of Q’s for the penalty kill and late in games when we need to keep a lead. That said, a little over $3 million a year is a lot for a fourth line center, and he could likely be replaced by someone like Nick Schmaltz, Andrew Desjardins, Tanner Kero, or Dennis Rasmussen (pending his re-signing) amongst others for far cheaper as all but Desi are on entry level deals. Bowman could try and move him in a trade for some prospects or players on entry level deals, or another possibility is leaving him unprotected in the expansion draft set to take place this summer.

Brent Seabrook

Seabrook’s name is often tossed around as a way to clear cap space because he is quite expensive, the third most behind only Kane and Toews. Add to this that he is aging, he’ll be 32 entering next season, and will likely only see a decline in his play and durability. If a team agreed to take the full brunt of Seabrook’s salary, that would clear up $6.875 million dollars next year. That would create ample room to find a replacement for him, maybe someone with a cap hit at about $3 million. Another possibility would be to roll the dice and go with all the young defensemen already on the books or down in Rockford to replace him. The remaining money could be used to free agents like Rasmussen, Richard Panik, and Michael Kempny who would all be cheap. The Hawks could decide to replace Seabrook in house with the re-signing of Ville Pokka, although the organization doesn’t seem to want to give him his shot. To complicate things further, Seabrook has a no trade clause in his contract, and thus he would need to okay the move that sends him away.

Corey Crawford

In years past, there have always been people crying out for Bowman to trade Crawford. However, this season and the last Crow has shown that he is a top 5 goaltender in the league, and losing him would be a big loss as he routinely puts the Hawks in a position to win close games. However, he carries a cap hit of $6 million dollars, so only him moving would open up the possibility of keeping both Seabrook and Kruger. If Bowman did chose to go this route, Darling would be resigned (maybe for $3-4 million) and made the starting goalie and Lars Johansen would be brought up as the backup. Darling is good, but he certainly is no Crawford, and Johansen currently isn’t a quality NHL tender. Unless both goalies saw huge growth between seasons, the Hawks goaltending would see a large drop off in skill. Add in Crawford’s no trade clause, and his movement seems unlikely.

Artem Anisimov

Anisimov has become very valuable to the team, finally giving Kane a solid, responsible, consistent center to play alongside. Bowman showed that the Hawks were committed to Anisimov right when we got him, extending his contract at $4.55 million a year. That is a pretty large cap hit, and moving him would make room to fill out the roster. His play in this year and the last would make moving him easy, although it would break up what is arguably the best line in all of hockey.

Niklas Hjalmarsson

With a cap hit of $4.1 million a year, moving Hjalmarsson poses as another solution to the Salary Cap Crunch. If he were moved along with Kruger, that would free up over $7 million in cap space, which again would make room for his replacement and filling out the remaining roster spots. If Bowman is able to sign Brian Cambell on the cheap again, and can also resign Kempny for about $2 million, it would be likely that either Hjalmarsson or Seabrook are shipped out.

The above talk about moving a core player of the Hawks makes the signing of Panarin seem negative, but overall this is a huge win for the Hawks. Panarin needed to be resigned, and at $6 million a year it came cheaper than what many people speculated. It will be sad to see a familiar face from the Hawks wearing another sweater, but it is just a reality of the salary cap and having $21 million a year tied up in Kane and Toews. No matter what happens, the Hawks are in better shape for the next two years than they would be without Panarin, despite whoever is shipped out.