The Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and Andrew Shaw’s agent, Pat Brisson, have had preliminary contract discussions, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic.
“I’ve had some preliminary discussions with Stan,” Brisson said by phone Wednesday. “We are talking about it right now. That’s pretty much it for now. I have not explored deep enough yet to get a sense [whether we can work something out]. I will have more discussions with Stan in the future.”
Shaw, 24, is set to become a restricted free agent this summer when his two-year, $4 million deal expires. He had 14 goals and 20 assists this season, and he added a team-high six points and four goals in six playoff games.
Whether or not the Hawks can re-sign Shaw and for how much will depend on how much salary cap space Bowman is able to create. The Hawks have $69 million committed to players for next season and the league’s salary cap ceiling is expected to be around $74 million.
Bowman could make Shaw a $2.5 million qualify offer and have him wait until 2017 for a raise like they did with Marcus Kruger.