Having recently extended their young 21 year old future top 6 piece of the forward core in Frank Nazar to a long term contract, one wonders what is up next for the Chicago Blackhawks.
The first obvious answer would have to do with Connor Bedard’s future. Like Nazar, Bedard is eligible for a contract extension this summer. However via insider Frank Seravalli, it appears both Bedard and the Hawks are content with waiting until next summer to get a deal done.
As a result, the next domino to fall in Chicago could be with respects to Spencer Knight. Via insider Elliotte Friedman, Knight’s contract is up after this year and he wonders what is going to happen from that regard.
When could we see a Spencer Knight extension?
Similar to both Bedard and Nazar, Spencer Knight’s deal is up after the 25-26 season and he could be extended this summer. The fact Friedman brought this up suggests it is more likely a Knight extension gets done before Bedard. However, Freidman also stated Chicago is “considering other business.” Could that other business relate to a Bedard deal?
Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see what a Spencer Knight contract looks like for Chicago. He enters this upcoming season as their starting goalie in the rotation ahead of the recently extended Arvid Soderblom. This will be the first full season in the young 24 year old’s career that he will man the starter role, how he performs will largely dictate what that contract extension will look like if the Hawks decide to wait until next year to extend the promising goaltender.
Chicago hopes Knight can be their future answer in net, having acquired him from the Florida Panthers in the 2025 NHL trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones. This will be a big year for him to prove his worth.
