The Chicago Blackhawks’ youth movement is in full effect. Connor Bedard is emerging as a superstar. Spencer Knight has been elite this season. Anton Frondell and Sacha Boisvert are both getting their first taste of NHL hockey. There is so much to say about the team’s young players, but one of my biggest frustrations has been Andre Burakovsky.
Burakovsky started strong, posting 17 points in the first 20 games. However, as the season progressed, he cooled off and has struggled to regain his form. In the last 19 games, he has just two points. What’s more frustrating is how much head coach Jeff Blashill has played him. It took everything out of Blashill to take Burakovsky off the top line.
That doesn’t make sense. Obviously, Burakovsky wasn’t producing, and it wasn’t just bad luck. This season, he has a 13.1 percent shooting percentage (S%), which is around his career average of 13.3 percent. He has also struggled on the defensive side of the puck. Teams rely on their veterans to be good defensively, especially with a young roster.
Of every forward who has suited up for the Blackhawks this season, Burakovsky is fourth-worst in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). The only forwards who are worse are: Frondell, Bedard and Ryan Greene.
Frondell is still finding his way through his first taste of NHL hockey, so we can expect him to struggle defensively. Bedard’s good outweighs his bad, so that’s not a real concern, and Greene is another young player finding his way in the league.
Blashill has noted more than once that Burakovsky is doing well with the details of the game, and he still trusts him. I understand being patient, and there are other little aspects to the game, but if he isn’t scoring or playing well defensively, he should be moved down the lineup, especially on a team with a plethora of young players who need ice time.
On top of his struggles, Burakovsky carries a $5.5 million cap hit heading into next season, which is very expensive, even for a team with a lot of cap space.
Why Buying Out Burakovsky Makes Sense
I’m always wary of buying out players who are entering the last year of their contract. Why not ride out one more season to get rid of the cap hit, but after putting his contract through the PuckPedia buyout calculator, it makes sense.
If the Blackhawks buy out Burakovsky’s contract before the 2026-27 season, his dead cap hit would be $3 million, saving Chicago $2.5 million against the cap. The dead cap penalty would only drag on for one season after that, sitting at $1.25 million for 2027-28.
Related: Blackhawks Are in a Perfect Position for the Offseason
The salary cap is expected to rise to around $113.5 million by 2027-28, and if that’s the case, Burakovsky’s dead cap hit would account for just over one per cent of the team’s salary that season. Buying out Burakovsky would open up a roster spot for younger players at minimal cost. It would also move him off the roster without having to give up any assets, and might prompt general manager Kyle Davidson to take a swing at a trade or a signing this offseason. We’ll see what management decides to do when the time comes.
