Ryan Donato has played great this season, but the Chicago Blackhawks haven’t. In a season where the team brought in a bunch of veterans to push Chicago forward, it has actually been the players who were already with the team that have helped the most for the most part, Donato especially.
As a bottom of the league team and with a trade chip like Donato who is a UFA after the season, it looked more and more likely that the 28-year-old would be traded amidst a career year. This was especially true the closer we got to the trade deadline, but it seems as though Donato and the Blackhawks have been more invested in getting a contract done and having him stick around.
Pierre LeBrun reported that there are extension talks going on between Donato and Chicago and that a new contract could be met on trade deadline day. What could also cause the Blackhawks to keep Donato past the deadline, even if a contract can’t get done, is the high price they’ve set on him. Frank Seravalli reported that the Blackhawks are asking for a first round pick. The team has to be blown away by the offer and I don’t think a team is going to get there.
I think this is the right move. The Blackhawks should see themselves as past the rebuild and it being time to improve. There are a lot of talented young players in the organization, not all of which will turn out and impact the team the way Chicago hopes, but still a great pool to choose from.
The Blackhawks need help now. At a certain point a rebuilding team has to stop trading players who can help the team win now. If a deal gets done today, it will have indicated the Blackhawks have passed that point.
Donato has 23 goals and 46 points in 60 games and is making $2 million AAV. His versatility, production, and cap hit are the reason why the asking price is logically so high. Given what he’s done and earned, I’m expecting a multi-year extension with at least double his current cap hit. We’ll have to see how things end up today.
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