The NHL offseason is officially upon us. The Blackhawks’ brass has had plenty to think about while the postseason played itself out. The buyout window opens on Wednesday, the draft is a little more than two weeks away and free agency begins on July 1.
So for the Blackhawks, what happens now? For the umpteenth summer they’ve got some decisions to make and a tight budget with which to deal. The 2017-18 salary cap hasn’t been released yet. But according to several reports it’s unlikely to go up much, if at all, from the $71.4 million cap of last season.