Three Pending Chicago Blackhawks Free Agents They Need To Re-sign

The Chicago Blackhawks are heading toward another season sitting outside the playoff picture. While the rebuild has brought in a handful of prospects, the key to long-term success in the NHL has to be good contracts. 

The Blackhawks are still trying to figure out the pieces of their future core team. They have the face of the franchise in Connor Bedard, but the rest of the pieces are still up in the air. 

The salary cap can make or break a good team in the NHL. The Blackhawks once gave up Teuvo Teravainen just to get out of a bad contract with Bryan Bickell. 

In the spirit of being smart with the salary cap, the Blackhawks have a few free agents heading for new contracts this summer that could have a big impact on the financial makeup of the team in the future. 

3 Blackhawks Must-Sign Free Agents

The Blackhawks have a little over $39 million in projected cap space for next season according to CapFriendly. That means the team can splurge on some players hitting the open market, or get a good deal out of a team trying to move a bad contract. 

The Blackhawks do not have a ton of free agents to worry about, but a few of them could really make an impact on this team for years to come. 

1. Alex Vlasic

Alex Vlasic has been one of the most underrated bright spots on the Chicago Blackhawks this season. While Connor Bedard is the star and takes up the attention, it appears the Hawks might have found their next Niklas Hjalmarsson in Vlasic. 

Vlasic is set to be a restricted free agent this summer. The former second-round pick is finishing his rookie contract, and the Hawks should be on Vlasic having a successful career if they are smart. 

Vlasic has been playing top pair minutes averaging 21:26 of ice time a night. The Hawks should be prepared to give him a significant pay raise this offseason, to get him signed for as long as possible now. 

2. Lukas Reichel

Lukas Reichel might be having an underwhelming season, but he is still due for a new contract this summer. Reichel was drafted 17th overall by the Blackhawks in 2020. The 21-year-old has only scored 11 goals over the course of 94 NHL games. 

Reichel might not be playing up to his potential, but the Hawks still need to sign him to an extension this summer. In order to allow Reichel to focus on just his game, the Hawks should extend him on a two or three-year deal. 

3. Joey Anderson

Joey Anderson was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils. The 25-year-old is getting his largest NHL opportunity this season with the Blackhawks, and through 50 games he has 16 points to show for it.

While plus-minus might not be the best stat in the world to track a player's success, Anderson has one of the only positive numbers on the team. He is leading the team with a +7 and has shown some great chemistry with Jason Dickinson. 

Anderson might not be the fastest or most skilled player on the roster, but he has earned a spot on the team and should be given another contract to come back next season. 

Overall, the Chicago Blackhawks might not have a ton of free agents to worry about this summer, but getting these three players re-signed should happen as soon as possible.