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Chicago Blackhawks' key core young player left without a contract just 23 days until preseason action
Photo credit: Jamie Sabau-Usa Today
The Chicago Blackhawks and Kyle Davidson need to sign restricted free agent Wyatt Kaiser to a contract extension, and as it stands now, the two sides have been unable to come to terms, and a potential logjam has now formed.
The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the most promising pipelines in the NHL at the moment.
There's plenty of talent to promote up the ranks, and one 23-year-old defenseman may put a cork in their plans.
23-year-old Wyatt Kaiser and the Blackhawks recently finished his $2.75 million deal, leaving him an restricted free agent.
The left-shot defenseman is expected to be a key piece in the team's defense. There's been no qualifying offer, but we'd expect the team to sign him.
The team and Kaiser, who've yet to sign anything, have led to NHL Insider Scott Powers speculating that there's no room for commitment.
«Kaiser's contract negotiations will be the most interesting among RFAs. The Blackhawks think the 22-year-old can potentially be one of their top-four defensemen in the years to come,» Powers wrote. «He's just not definitively that yet.
With the lack of faith in Kaiser, Frank Servalli believes that the Blackhawks may have to consider a shorter deal or possibly a trade.
Who to trade, Wyatt Kaiser or Connor Murphy?
Considering the defenseman waiting in the wings in Chicago, there's no other way out of this logjam.
They should consider trading a veteran, like Connor Murphy, who could relieve them of some of their cap burdens. But instead, it has come to a standstill.
For the Blackhawks to commit significant cap space to Kaiser, they want him to work through his inconsistencies, which might mean another trip to the AHL again this season.
He could be a second-pairing defenseman on a pair with Artyom Levshunov in the time being, should he make the team out of camp.
The defenseman impressed former interim coach Anders Sorensen last year. Could he do the same with Jeff Blashill?
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
AOUT 30 | 402 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks' key core young player left without a contract just 23 days until preseason action Who would GM Kyle Davidson of the Chicago Blackhawks trade? | ||
| Wyatt Kaiser | 123 | 30.6 % |
| Connor Murphy | 279 | 69.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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