Bowman says Panarin deal will get done
Artemi Panarin is going to get paid. And the way general manager Stan Bowman framed it, it’s just a matter of when, not by whom.
Talks about a contract extension between Bowman and Panarin’s agent, Tom Lynn, still are in the preliminary stage. But Bowman is confident that a deal will get done. Panarin will be a restricted free agent next July, and Bowman didn’t sound concerned that there would be a repeat of the Brandon Saad or Andrew Shaw situation, when the Blackhawks had to trade away a popular and productive RFA because of salary- cap constraints.
“We’re always confident,” Bowman said. “You go into a negotiation expecting to get a deal done. That’s the way I’ve been in the past, and that’s the way I am now.”
Panarin, who’s expected to join camp Friday after playing for Russia in the World Cup, burst onto the NHL scene as a 24- year- old rookie last season with 30 goals and 47 assists while helping Patrick Kane to the best season of his career. Panarin finished in the top 10 among NHL forwards in scoring, which triggered a full $ 2.575 million in bonuses, which has further exacerbated the Hawks’ cap problems.
Panarin is too old for a bridge deal, so he’s likely going to command upwards of $ 6 million per year on a long- term contract. With Kane and Jonathan Toews taking up $ 21 million in cap space, and six other players making at least $ 4.1 million a year, it won’t be easy to make the math work.
The Hawks have come to terms on extensions in the offseason, the preseason and during the season in the past, so there’s no real sense of urgency to get a deal done by the time the season starts Oct. 12.
“There’s no hard- and- fast rule,” Bowman said. “Each negotiation is different. I wouldn’t put any timetables or handicap it one way or the other. It’ll get done when it gets done.”
Lynn also declined to get into the details of the negotiations but told the Sun- Times he agreed with Bowman’s characterization that “it’ll get done when it gets done.”
Keith update
Duncan Keith, who skipped the World Cup to focus on strengthening his surgically repaired right knee, skated again Wednesday. He’s expected to miss at least the first four preseason games, and his status for the opener remains in doubt.
“I feel a lot better,” Keith said. “It feels better and better. I don’t really think about it out there.”
Assistant coach Mike Kitchen said that when Keith comes back, the Hawks will try to manage his minutes better to save wear and tear on the knee. He averaged 25 minutes, 14 seconds last season, but his heavy playoff workload in 2015 helped lead to the current problems. Kitchen said the added depth on the blue line this season, with Brian Campbell and Michal Kempny in the fold, should help.
Penguins blank Hawks
Scott Darling made 33 saves — including 23 in the second period alone — in the Hawks’ 2- 0 loss to Pittsburgh in their preseason opener. The preseason matchup featuring the last two Stanley Cup champions looked more like a game between the Rockford IceHogs and the Wilkes- Barre/ Scranton Baby Penguins, with very little star power. But the Hawks’ top line of Nick Schmaltz, Vinnie Hinostroza and Richard Panik looked fast and effective, and assistant coach Kevin Dineen singled out Darling, Tanner Kero and Gustav Forsling as having strong games. Chris Kunitz had both goals for the Penguins.