ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers counts down the days to the opening of Blackhawks training camp on Sept. 19 with a look at 20 storylines facing the team this season.
How Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman manages the salary cap and whether he can keep the Blackhawks a Stanley Cup contender will be an ongoing storyline for nearly the next decade.
Bowman succeeded in re-signing Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to long-term extensions this offseason. While Kane and Toews are essential to the Blackhawks' future, their annual cap hit of $22 million makes Bowman's job more difficult down the line.
The new contracts for Kane and Toews don't go into effect until next season, but Bowman has to already be planning his moves. His first objective is to get the Blackhawks under the cap for the upcoming season, and that could include reducing cap space for future seasons as well.
Next season will be the first massive challenge for Bowman. The Blackhawks have 15 players signed for the 2015-16 season, and their cap hits equal almost $66 million, according to capgeek.com. Even if the cap increases, Bowman still has to include 5-8 more players for likely less than $10 million.
A major part of next season's hurdle will be re-signing Brandon Saad, who is set to become a restricted free agent after the season and could easily demand $3 million-$5 million a year in his next contract.
Marcus Kruger and Nick Leddy, two players the Blackhawks have developed in their system, are also headed toward becoming restricted free agents after this season. Johnny Oduya is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Defense is where Bowman may begin saving money. He has only three defensemen signed for the 2015-16 season and could begin handing those spots over to the organization's prospects such as Adam Clendening, Klas Dahlbeck and Stephen Johns, who are in line for that jump.
Beyond that, Bowman will have to make decisions on defenseman Brent Seabrook, who will be a free agent after the 2015-16 season, and Bryan Bickell and Patrick Sharp, who will be free agents after the 2016-17 season. Seabrook and Sharp have been part of the Blackhawks' core for some time.
The Blackhawks have Duncan Keith, Kane and Toews signed through the 2022-23 season, Marian Hossa through the 2020-21 season, Corey Crawford through the 2019-20 season and Niklas Hjalmarsson through the 2018-19 season. The six players' cap hits total almost $42 million beginning in the 2015-16 season.