The Chicago Blackhawks long ago built the foundation for a roster capable of winning the Stanley Cup three times in six seasons. Eight players won the Cup for a third time with the Blackhawks when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 6 of the Final at United Center. Five of those players were drafted by Chicago and six have been with the Blackhawks for at least seven seasons. Through the roster upheavals the Blackhawks have endured, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson have remained, considered the core of the closest thing the NHL has seen to a modern dynasty. The NHL Draft has been critical to Chicago's success. Twelve of the 25 players who appeared in at least one 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff game were drafted and developed by the Blackhawks. It has been a consistent source of talent for the Blackhawks, not just when they performed poorly and received high picks. Every draft from 2002 to 2012, save for 2008, was represented on Chicago's playoff roster with at least one player selected by the Blackhawks. There was a contribution from the 2008 draft class: Forward Ben Smith was traded to the San Jose Sharks for center Andrew Desjardins, who was a key member of Chicago's fourth line this postseason. Eight of the 12 picks were not among the top 40 selections in their draft, and the Blackhawks have found great value in the later rounds with Hjalmarsson, Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw. Excelling at the draft has allowed the Blackhawks to avoid the need to spend in free agency. Hossa was a marquee addition with a 12-year, $62.8 million contract, but Chicago's other free agents have signed short-term, low-risk deals.
Here is a timeline of when and how each of the 25 players who saw postseason action for the Blackhawks were acquired:
June 23, 2002 - Duncan Keith, drafted in the second round (No. 54)
June 21, 2003 - Brent Seabrook, drafted in the first round (No. 14)
June 22, 2003 - Corey Crawford, drafted in the second round (No. 52)
June 27, 2004 - Bryan Bickell, drafted in the second round (No. 41)
July 30, 2005 - Niklas Hjalmarsson, drafted in the fourth round (No. 108)
Dec. 5, 2005 - Patrick Sharp, acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers
June 24, 2006 - Jonathan Toews, drafted in the first round (No. 3)
June 22, 2007 - Patrick Kane, drafted in the first round (No. 1)
June 27, 2009 - Marcus Kruger, drafted in the fifth round (No. 149)
July 1, 2009 - Marian Hossa, signed as an unrestricted free agent
June 26, 2010 - Joakim Nordstrom, drafted in the third round (No. 90)
June 25, 2011 - Brandon Saad, drafted in the second round (No. 43)
June 25, 2011 - Andrew Shaw, drafted in the fifth round (No. 139)
Feb. 27, 2012 - Johnny Oduya, acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg
June 22, 2012 - Teuvo Teravainen, drafted in the first round (No. 19)
Sept. 11, 2012 - Michal Rozsival, signed as an unrestricted free agent
Nov. 15, 2013 - Kris Versteeg, acquired in a trade from the Florida Panthers
March 4, 2014 - David Rundblad, acquired in a trade from the Coyotes
March 24, 2014 - Trevor van Riemsdyk, signed as an undrafted college free agent
July 1, 2014 - Brad Richards, signed as an unrestricted free agent
July 1, 2014 - Scott Darling, signed as an unrestricted free agent
July 2, 2014 - Kyle Cumiskey, signed as an unrestricted free agent
Feb. 27, 2015 - Kimmo Timonen, acquired in a trade from Philadelphia
Feb. 28, 2015 - Antoine Vermette, acquired in a trade from the Coyotes
March 2, 2015 - Andrew Desjardins, acquired in a trade from San Jose
The Hawks can remain contenders for years. They have been the NHL's best franchise in June for years, whether it has been winning the Stanley Cup three times in six seasons or building the core of championship contender through the NHL Draft. If the Blackhawks are to stay on top after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, general manager Stan Bowman must correctly make some difficult decisions about the roster. Thinking this is the end of the line for Chicago because Bowman might need to make some salary cap-induced trades ignores the process and culture he has helped establish. Even with the pending cap crunch, the Blackhawks are built to continue their success. The problem at hand for Bowman is simple: Chicago has more than $63 million in salary-cap space committed to 13 players. That group does not include restricted free agents Brandon Saad and Marcus Kruger and unrestricted free agents Johnny Oduya, Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette. Much has already been written about which players among the 13 with a contract will need to be traded to, at the minimum, sign Saad and Kruger and fill out the roster. The most prominent names have included forward Patrick Sharp, who has two years left on his contract and costs $5.9 million against the cap, forward Bryan Bickell, who has two years left and costs $4 million against the cap, and goaltender Corey Crawford, who has four years left and costs $6 million against the cap. Sharp and Bickell are two of the eight members of Chicago's core who have won the Stanley Cup three times. Crawford is one of two active goaltenders who has helped his team win the Cup more than once, along with Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings. Bickell's influence has been inconsistent, and he was a healthy scratch for half of the Cup Final. Even if Bowman does have to subtract a key player or two, and even if none of the UFAs return, the Blackhawks can remain Stanley Cup contenders. The biggest part of Chicago's success has been a decade's worth of strong work at the draft, which is even more remarkable considering what preceded it. In between Jeremy Roenick in the first round in 1988 and Duncan Keith in the second round in 2002, the Blackhawks were one of the worst franchises in the NHL at drafting and developing players. Dean McAmmond, who played parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, had the most NHL points of anyone they drafted (448). That all began to change with Keith in 2002. The Blackhawks had a player from every NHL draft from 2002 to 2012, save for 2008, among those who played in the 2015 playoffs. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were the reward for a couple of poor seasons, but the Blackhawks continued to stockpile talent through the draft without the benefit of a high pick. Saad has become a world-class player and a core member, and he was a second-round pick in 2011. Forward Teuvo Teravainen is tracking in that direction, and he was the No. 18 selection in 2012. The Blackhawks do not have their first two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft, but they have a track record of finding value late, including vital role players Kruger and Andrew Shaw.
Bowman has had to use draft picks in trades, but he's also been aggressive in securing young talent through other means. Trevor van Riemsdyk could be Oduya's long-term replacement as the No. 4 defenseman; van Riemsdyk was an undrafted college free agent. Bowman added Russian forward Artemi Panarin, 23, on a two-year contract. Panarin had 62 points in 54 games for SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League, and 10 points in 10 games for Russia at the IIHF World Championship. The Blackhawks have been reported as a finalist for former University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly, a Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick who can become a free agent Tuesday and could be an impact rookie. There are several young forwards already in the system who could replenish the depth. Chicago has become a top destination for veterans. Richards took less money to play for the Blackhawks on a one-year contract. When Kimmo Timonen asked for a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers to pursue a championship, Chicago was his preferred landing spot. More veterans are likely to want to join up with Toews, Kane, Keith and Co. on future quests for the Cup.
If Saad and Teravainen continue to improve, and a young defenseman or two from a group that will include van Riemsdyk, Ville Pokka and Stephen Johns and could include Reilly can secure regular roles next season, the Blackhawks can absorb the losses they may need to incur and remain a top team in the Western Conference. If Bowman can find another bargain or two among veteran free agents, the Blackhawks can be one of the best teams in the NHL again.
There is a culture and a style of play in Chicago that will not wilt because a couple of players have to move on. The Blackhawks were one goal against the Kings in the 2014 Western Conference Final from possibly winning the Cup three consecutive years. The Kings could be one of the top challengers to the Blackhawks in 2015-16, but they have salary-cap issues of their own. The St. Louis Blues haven't been able to defeat the elite teams in the postseason, but their roster remains Cup-contender quality.
The two teams most likely to dethrone them may be the two Chicago just defeated en route to the championship. The Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning are the two teams best positioned with a cache of young talent and flexibility with the salary cap. A team like the Winnipeg Jets or New York Islanders could take a dramatic leap forward. It is going to be an interesting summer in Chicago, and tough decisions are in Bowman's near future. He has an incredible amount of talent, and the people in place who have accrued, developed and managed that talent. There might be a couple of familiar faces missing when training camp commences in September, but the Blackhawks aren't going anywhere. Not including Chicago among the teams with the best chance to win the Stanley Cup in 2016 would be a mistake.
Stan Bowman: "We'll try to enjoy this for a little while, but we'll get it done. We always do. Obviously I've been thinking about that as well, but we're trying to enjoy this win as well. It's a challenge. I mean, obviously it's a system we all play under, so we've gotta find a way to make it work. It certainly is a credit to our leadership group on the team, and also my staff has done a fantastic job drafting and developing players. The only way you make it work in this system is if you can have young players that you not only draft but you develop, or you find them as free agents and you develop them. We've got a lot of people working to put in countless hours and they can certainly make you look good."
Blackhawks president John McDonough: "We've already done it [planning for 2015-16]. We've already been planning, and it is hard to do when you are playing and do during the playoffs. The planning process in the middle of the season, and you have to have that vision. You always have to be prepared for next year. We have a really good focus for today, we have a really good plan for tomorrow and we don't take anything for granted."
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