CHICAGO (AP) – This was a no-brainer from start to finish. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane wanted to stay in Chicago and the Blackhawks wanted to keep the high-scoring forwards in the only NHL uniform they have ever known.
All that was left was crunching the numbers on two of the biggest contracts in franchise history.
The Blackhawks announced Wednesday they had reached eight-year extensions with two of their top performers in a long run of success that includes Stanley Cup titles in 2010 and 2013. Toews and Kane led Chicago back to the Western Conference final this year, where it lost to the eventual NHL champion Los Angeles Kings.
General manager Stan Bowman said all along that the extensions were his biggest offseason priority, and it didn’t take very long to reach the agreements with Pat Brisson, who represents both players. Toews and Kane each have one year left on their five-year extensions from December 2009, and July 1 was the first day they could sign new deals.
Each contract is worth $84 million for an average annual value of $10.5 million, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce the contract numbers.