Ryan Donato Signs On—But Where Does He Fit?
Ryan Donato re-signs with the Blackhawks at $4M AAV over four years—below his ask and after a career-best season. It’s smart business by Davidson, but where Donato fits in a crowded middle-six is unclear. Chicago still has major holes to fill—and Bedard still needs real talent on his wings.
Kyle Davidson made the first big move of the offseason for the Chicago Blackhawks. Ryan Donato has finally signed a new contract with the Hawks for $4 million x 4 years. Considering that Donato scored personal bests in every category (31 goals, 31 assists, 62 points) and that Donato was hoping to get around $5 million, this is a steal.
When Davidson held onto Donato instead of trading him at the deadline this last season, that move indicated that Davidson wanted to keep Donato. With an expiring contract this summer, Donato would have been a free agent, and at 29 years old, he would have had better options than staying with the Hawks. I'm not sure many teams would have bitten on Donato, considering he had an absurdly high shooting percentage (15.97% of your shots going in will regress).
Donato wanted term. With a new baby, he wanted stability. Playing on five different teams isn't easy for a family. This is a real-world concern that factored in his decision-making. It's a good thing that Donato wants to be a part of things here and that he's a good fit for the Blackhawks. But where, exactly, will he fit?
Let's take a look at the potential roster. Free agency isn't even here yet, so this is a much too early exercise. But Davidson has indicated that he won't be as aggressive in pursuing players and that he wants mostly young players on the roster next season. I'm also assuming that whoever Davidson picks in this year's draft doesn't start in the NHL.
With Donato, things get a little crowded. I'm assuming Oliver Moore spends time in the AHL. Donato isn't a top-6 player on a decent team, and neither is Ilya Mikheyev, so there are already some concerns on the wing. Teuvo Teravainen makes sense with Connor Bedard or even Frank Nazar, but if you've read my stuff at On Tap, you already know how baffled I am that the coaching staff won't put Teuvo with Bedard.
Unless Lukas Reichel changes his game, you're high if you think he'll be a top-6 player (please, let me eat those words). Everyone else doesn't belong anywhere near the top 6.
So, Davidson locks on Donato, who helps with the plethora of cap space the Hawks have. But we're still looking at some star-shaped holes on the top-6 wing. Let's hope that Davidson defies what he's been feeding to the media and makes an aggressive move to find the talent that he needs for Bedard.