Chicago Blackhawks' Complete Guide to Free Agency

After winning their third Stanley Cup in six years on June 15, the Chicago Blackhawks showed that they've perfected the art of the championship celebration.

The question now is, will general manager Stan Bowman's experience with his players' contracts over the same six years serve him well? He's forced once again to maximize the effectiveness of his assets while staying compliant with the NHL's salary cap.

Bowman has made tough decisions in the past, jettisoning key members of 2010 and 2013 Cup-winning groups and promoting younger, less expensive players from within the organization.

With a long list of impending restricted and unrestricted free agents on his championship team, here's a look at how Bowman will handle those players and whom he might choose to bring in.

Depth Chart

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Here are the NHL players under contract with the Blackhawks for the 2015-16 season, along with the most significant contract details:

8 Forwards: $43.5 Million

• Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are each starting new contracts with cap hits of $10.5 million.
• Patrick Sharp (33) has two more years and a no-movement clause on a contract with a cap hit of $5.9 million.
• Bryan Bickell (29) has two more years and a no-trade clause on a contract with a cap hit of $4 million.
• Kris Versteeg (29) has one year left on a contract with a $2.2 million cap hit before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

3 Defensemen: $15.4 Million

• Brent Seabrook (30) has one year left on a contract with a $5.8 million cap hit and a no-trade clause before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
• Trevor van Riemsdyk (23) is listed as a non-roster player, but he was a key player for the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final. He's under contract at a cap hit of $925,000.

2 Goaltenders: $6.6 Million

• After Antti Raanta's trade to the New York Rangers, the Blackhawks are set in net next season with Scott Darling backing up Corey Crawford.

Salary-Cap Status

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The Blackhawks currently have just over $63 million committed in 2015-16 against the salary cap for 15 players.

They'll need at least another five forwards and three defensemen on their roster by opening night.

With a salary-cap ceiling of $71.4 million for next season, Bowman will have just over $8 million to spend on free agents and new contracts if he doesn't move any current deals off his books.

Who's a Free Agent?

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Unrestricted Free Agents

Antoine Vermette (32), Center

• 0-3-3 in 19 regular-season games with the Blackhawks after being acquired at the trade deadline.
• 4-3-7 in 20 playoff games.

Brad Richards (35), Center

• 12-25-37 in 76 regular-season games.
• 3-11-14 in 23 playoff games.

Andrew Desjardins (28), Left Winger

• 0-2-2 in 13 regular-season games with the Blackhawks after being acquired at the trade deadline.
• 1-3-4 in 21 playoff games.

Daniel Carcillo (30), Left Winger

• 4-4-8 in 39 regular-season games.
• Did not play in playoffs (injured).

Johnny Oduya (33), Defenseman

• 2-8-10 in 76 regular-season games, plus-5.
• 0-5-5 in 23 playoff games, minus-4.

Michal Rozsival (36), Defenseman

• 1-12-13 in 65 regular-season games, even.
• 0-1-1- in 10 playoff games, minus-2.

Restricted Free Agents

Marcus Kruger (25), Center

• 7-10-17 in 81 regular-season games.
• 2-2-4 in 23 playoff games.

Brandon Saad (22), Left Winger

• 23-29-52 in 82 regular-season games.
• 8-3-11 in 23 playoff games.

Joakim Nordstrom (23), Left Winger

• 0-3-3 in 38 regular-season games.
• 0-0-0 in 3 playoff games.

David Rundblad (24), Defenseman

• 3-11-14 in 49 regular-season games.
• 0-0-0 in 5 playoff games.

Biggest Needs

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Center

When the Blackhawks lost the 2014 Western Conference Final, the Los Angeles Kings schooled them down the middle, exposing Chicago's lack of depth at the position.

Bowman plugged the hole this season by signing veteran Brad Richards as a free agent, then further supplemented his lineup with trade-deadline acquisition Antoine Vermette. The plan worked, but both players' contracts have now expired. They'll need to be re-signed or replaced for next season.

Defense

Yes, it seems like Duncan Keith can play an entire game by himself, but the Blackhawks will need more bodies on the blue line since they have just three regular defensemen under contract for next season.

When he was healthy, rookie Trevor van Riemsdyk looked good in his first season—especially when he returned from injury during the Stanley Cup Final.

Coach Joel Quenneville seemed reluctant to rely on his other bottom-pairing options during the playoffs, so fresh blood is needed on the back end.

Other Teams' Free Agents to Target

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Bowman won't have much money available to go after other teams' free agents, but he defied the skeptics last summer when he got Brad Richards under contract for $2 million. Richards became an unrestricted free agent when the New York Rangers bought him out of his $60 million deal that had run for just one-third of its nine-year term.

If the 'Hawks do look outside their organization for help down the middle or on the blue line, their championship success could convince other players to follow in Richards' footsteps, signing for below market value for a chance to play in a winning organization.

Pittsburgh Penguins free-agent defensemen Paul Martin or Christian Ehrhoff or the Anaheim Ducks' Francois Beauchemin are all veterans who could conceivably be enticed by what Chicago has to offer.

At center, pickings are slimmer. With Shawn Horcoff as the highest-profile center who's available, the Blackhawks would be much likelier to target known entities Richards or Vermette.

According to CBSSports.com's Chris Peters, an even likelier scenario is Bowman continuing to direct his free-agency energy toward young players who can be developed within the organization.

Undrafted college free agent Kyle Baun and skilled Russian forward Artemy Panarin are two past signings who are already in the pipeline.

Predictions

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As much as possible, Bowman wants to keep his core group of players intact. And why not? They're getting the job done.

"We're going to do our best," Bowman said at season's end, per Peters. "We'd like to have some stability. That's been a hallmark over the years. A lot of our key players are back. There are some variables we haven't locked down yet, but it's too early to tell."

Bowman also sounds committed to re-signing Brandon Saad, who's in line for a big raise as his entry-level deal expires.

"Brandon's grown as a player and we want him to continue to grow and take on a bigger role next year," Bowman said. “He's going to be a big part of our group for many years. We'll make it work.”

Rumours have swirled for two years about the Blackhawks potentially dealing Patrick Sharp and his $5.9 million cap hit. A trade would bring welcome cap relief but remains tough to manage at that price point, and Sharp's still a useful player. He finished the playoffs ranked fifth in team scoring with 15 points.

The Chicago Blackhawks Free-Agency Period Will Be...Cutthroat

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For all his talk of trying to keep his team together, Stan Bowman will have some hard decisions to make this summer.

The carnage might not run as deep as it did after the 2010 Stanley Cup, when the Blackhawks returned in the fall missing half their team, but some significant changes will be required.

Even if Bowman survives the threat of an offer sheet for either Brandon Saad or Marcus Kruger, expect to see some unfamiliar youngsters getting their feet wet next season after a couple of longtime Blackhawks move on to new addresses.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com. Contract information from General Fanager is sourced from CapGeek, a now-defunct website.