The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Ryan Donato to a four-year contract extension worth four million dollars per season. Donato posted a career-high 31 goals and 62 points in 80 games for Chicago last season. The four-year extension should be a bargain, given the salary cap increase. If Donato can maintain his production at the level he achieved last year.
Ryan Donato Earned This Contract
Even if this was a career year for Donato, he earned this contract. He doubled his points total from last season and nearly doubled his goal total from last year as well. To land a four-year contract after being a career 2nd-3rd line player is a very successful accomplishment. As the Blackhawks continue their rebuild, Donato can be sure that will be a part of the solution in Chicago.
Donato is a 10-year veteran in the NHL, so signing him to this contract and keeping him around the young Chicago Blackhawks players is a smart idea. Chicago has been improving year to year, and although it’s been a very slow ascend, there has been an improvement from a couple of seasons ago when they drafted Connor Bedard with the first overall pick.
There’s No Risk To This Deal For the Chicago Blackhawks
What’s the risk of this deal? There isn’t one. Even if Donato’s production fell off, the Blackhawks have so much cap space that the $four million would seem like nothing. If Donato keeps up his production or gets better, then the Chicago Blackhawks just locked up a back-to-back 30-goal scorer at $four million per season.
They would look like geniuses if that happened. With the cap going up, consistent 30-goal scorers will probably get paid double what Donato is making. There’s much to like about what the Blackhawks did here, and it could end up being a steal.
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