CHICAGO (AP) — No June hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks this year. Heck, even May is a blank slate.
Plenty of time for Chicago to plan for its sticky situation with the salary cap.
The Blackhawks’ title defense ended Monday night when they lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of their thrilling first-round series. Six of the seven games were decided by one goal, and Brent Seabrook and Andrew Ladd each had a shot go off both goal posts during losses for Chicago.
It’s the quickest exit for the Blackhawks since they also dropped their first playoff series in 2012. They won the Stanley Cup the following year, lost to the Los Angeles Kings in an epic Western Conference finals in 2014 and won the championship again last year.
While Chicago should be able to contend for another title next season, most of its talented core is signed to long-term deals, it’s also going to have to say goodbye to several players because of its ongoing wrestling match with the salary cap. Ladd, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, each of them acquired in deadline trades, likely will leave in free agency, and Andrew Shaw, Richard Panik and Brandon Mashinter also could be headed out the door.
