Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane seeking $12 million annually from Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has been adamant he will sign Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to extensions this offseason before they are unrestricted free agents in 2015, and the club’s dynamic duo is expected to cash in.
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According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Toews, 26, and Kane, 25, are both asking for around $12 million per year that would make them among the highest-paid players in the NHL on an annual basis.
The pair are represented by the same agent and signed identical five-year deals worth $31.5 million with a $6.3 million cap hit, and that proved to be quite the bargain after two Stanley Cups and each winning the Conn Smythe as the Most Valuable Player in the postseason in their respective Cup runs.
It's believed Kane-Toews initial ask of CHI on extension is around $12M/yr each. They'll end up lower but still could be $10M+ AAV players.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 26, 2014
As McKenzie points out, the duo will ask for $12 million to begin negotiations and Bowman and the Blackhawks will counter for a lower number and undoubtedly they will compromise at or around the $10 million figure.
Toews scored 28 goals and had 68 points this season while finishing ninth in the Hart and third in the Selke voting and added another gold medal at the Sochi Olympics this winter. He is widely-regarded as one of the best two-way centers in the game.
Kane finished one goal off his career-high of 30 with 29 this season and had 69 points in 69 games this year and tied Toews with four overtime goals in the postseason this year as the Blackhawks fell in overtime in Game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion, Los Angeles Kings.
The salary cap is rising, but it’s important for Bowman to massage the deals for these two to allow for looming raises for players like Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw.