The Chicago Blackhawks have had a smooth offseason with only one lingering question… does Brendan Perlini have a future with the franchise?
The team is clearly in no rush to sign restricted free agent Brendan Perlini and that’s a good thing. The worst mistake the Blackhawks could make would be an overpay for a relatively unproven player like Perlini.
Perlini could likely be signed for under $2 million per year, but the Blackhawks need to look forward to next year before committing.
Next season the Blackhawks will find themselves in a tricky salary cap situation in order to sign Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Robin Lehner.
As it stands the Blackhawks will need to make some trades to free up cap space to sign all three. It might be a smart idea to trade Perlini’s rights for a prospect or draft pick unless the Blackhawks can get Perlini on a one year deal. The Blackhawks can afford to move Perlini especially with players like Dylan Sikura, Mackenzie Entwistle, Alex Nylander and Aleksi Saarela waiting for their chance to play in the NHL.
If the Blackhawks decide to sign Perlini he will most likely slot in on the right side of DeBrincat and Strome. Last year Colliton seemed to like Dominik Kahun in that position over Perlini, but since Kahun was traded to Pittsburg for Olli Matta it gives Perlini a chance to show what he can do with more consistent playing time.
In the end, the Chicago Blackhawks have a tough decision to make with Perlini. It would make more since for the Blackhawks to trade Perlini in preparation for the coming cap crunch next year.
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