Andrew Shaw‘s agent, Pat Brisson, plans to discuss a new contract for his client with the Chicago Blackhawks next week at the draft, reports Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune.
The draft takes place Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
Chicago cleared salary cap space Wednesday by trading forwards Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2016 second-round pick and 2017 third-round pick. The move appears to have freed up about $5 million in cap space.
Shaw is set to become a restricted free agent if he’s not signed by July 1. His cap hit was $2.5 million last season.
The 24-year-old winger recorded 14 goals and 34 points in 78 games. He led the team in scoring with four goals and two assists in six postseason games. He only played six games of the seven-game first-round series against the St. Louis because he was suspended for Game 5 and had to pay a $5,000 fine after directing a homophobic slur at an official in Game 4.
Satchel recently wrote up the apparent decision to prioritize Shaw over Teravainen this offseason, noting that it’s a departure from the team’s usual MO of shifting resources towards players with greater upside. Multiple reports have indicated that re-signing Shaw is a top priority with that new cap space.