Montreal Canadiens: Three Teams That Are Very Vulnerable to a Habs Offer Sheet

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks used to be a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Their best players are getting older and the team has fallen into tougher times the past few years. They have a solid young core coming up, but with so many of their older veterans still making huge money, someone might get squeezed out.

That young player that could be lost because of the team’s cap situation might be Dominik Kubalik if the Canadiens play their cards correctly.

The Blackhawks have about $11 million in cap space at the moment, but need to re-sign RFAs Dylan Strome and Kubalik as well as find two goaltenders who can play at the NHL level next season. That is going to be costly.

Kubalik came out of nowhere to score 30 goals as a rookie this season. The 25 year old winger played his entire pro career in Switzerland and Czech republic before suiting up with the Hawks this year. He was an immediate success, potting 30 and finishing with 46 points in 68 games. He added four goals and eight points in nine postseason games.

The Habs could use a 30 goal scoring winger, and have been aggressive in adding already this offseason. Could they steal Kubalik away from Chicago with a four year contract with a cap hit of $5.25 million. It would cost them first and third round picks next year, but if Bergevin’s transactions pay off, that first would be late in the first round.

The Hawks would have to consider who is going to play goal for them if they give up half their cap space to Kubalik. What two goaltenders are coming in at less than $5 million combined? It’s not impossible, but it would put the Hawks in a difficult position.