Arvid Soderblom - Jan. 3 Chicago Blackhawks Media Availability postgame

As we are now in 2025 and the second half of the 2024-25 season is just about upon us, it is a good time to start to look at some of the Chicago Blackhawks players who could sign an extension next.

The last player the Blackhawks signed was Landon Slaggert on Oct. 18 and many players have shown what they're worth through half a season. Whether it is soon or in the summer, Chicago is going to start signing some players they feel are worth keeping around.

The Blackhawks have eight players in the NHL who can sign an extension right now, but 12 more who can re-sign on July 1, whether that be as a UFA or RFA.

Some players will be traded and the team may not be in a rush to extend some others. But there are four players who stand out as pieces I would say the Blackhawks are most invested in getting signed sooner than later.

Blackhawks Who Could Be Extended Next

Connor Bedard, being a superstar in the making and the best player on the Blackhawks, will be extended as soon as possible, which is July 1. He is in the second year of his entry-level deal.

It's likely he will get an eight-year deal and a lot of money each year being the former first overall pick and producing the way he already has as a teenager. The sooner the Blackhawks get him locked up, the better for them.

Available for an extension right now and someone who should get re-signed before the end of the season is Arvid Soderblom. He should be the number one goalie in Chicago this season considering the numbers he has put up in comparison to Petr Mrazek.

Soderblom has a 2.73 GAA and .910 SV% through 15 starts, but has appeared in 10 of the last 13 games for the Blackhawks. This is both due to Mrazek's recent injury and Soderblom's play. Soderblom has a 4.01 goals saved above expected this season as opposed to Mrazek's -8.96 GSAx. Mrazek still has another year left on his deal and so does Laurent Brossoit who hasn't played a game for Chicago yet. Despite that, it is clear who the future is and who is more important in terms of being able to help the Blackhawks succeed now and moving forward.

A decision has to be made on Ryan Donato in the coming months. The trade deadline is not too far away and the upcoming UFA needs to be extended soon or traded. I think he should be re-signed due to what he has been able to accomplish for the Blackhawks this season and his age, but I'm not in charge of those decisions or know what both Kyle Davidson and Donato are thinking.

Donato would fetch a fair price on the trade market and it is clear the Blackhawks will be selling. They have other pieces to move and definitely don't have to trade Donato, but he can't be lost for nothing. Either contract extensions need to start now, have already quietly begun, or we will likely see the 27-year-old on a new team by the trade deadline. If an extension comes for Donato, I would bet he's the next Blackhawk player to get one.

The fourth player the Blackhawks may sign to an extension next is Wyatt Kaiser. He has proven to be an NHL defenseman focused on defending. While his ice time should go up in time, the 21-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level deal and could re-sign right now.

Kaiser is skating with Seth Jones on the top pairing at the moment and also kills penalties. I don't see him getting an extension the size of Alex Vlasic's, but a 1-2 year bridge deal is very possible. Whether the Blackhawks have seen enough to give him a contract remains to be seen.

There should be a lot of movement and deals completed within the next half a year and it will be interesting to see just what Davidson does.

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Blackhawks Who Could Be Extended Next

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4 Blackhawks Who Could Sign Extensions Next