Duo commit to Blackhawks cause
Image by Sarah Connors
As the Chicago Blackhawks build for the next NHL campaign the franchise have been given the boost with the news that both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have put pen to paper on new long-term deals.
Both forwards have been key players for the Blackhawks and their importance to the team has clearly been demonstrated in not only the length of the contracts but the kind of money that is involved.
Both Toews and Kane have signed new eight-year contracts with both deals believed to worth in the region of $84 million each.
Having seen the duo sign five-year deals back in 2009, Chicago were clearly keen to tie the pair down to fresh deals, with the previous contracts set to expire at the end of the 2014-2015 campaign.
Many rival franchises would have been more than interested in the star forwards and undoubtedly the news that Toews and Kane have extended their stays at the United Center will come as disappointing news to those who might have thought they had a chance of snapping up one or even both of the talented goalscorers.
Having been top-5 draft picks when they started at the Blackhawks back in 2007, Toews and Kane have been important pieces of the puzzle in Chicago and have been described as “cornerstones” of the franchise by general manager Stan Bowman.
Unfortunately for the Blackhawks the duo failed to get their side through to the playoff final as they just fell short against the eventual Stanley Cup winners the Los Angeles Kings, who managed to overcome the New York Rangers to claim the title last term.
The campaign just gone shows how far the Blackhawks, who now find themselves regular contenders for silverware, have come and many will be expecting Chicago to be challenging once again next season for the big prize, like you can do with new Microgaming casinos.
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The prize in the sights of Toews and Kane next year will be the Stanley Cup and following their new deals Bowman will now be able to continue building a team around the duo that is capable of going all the way in the competition next time around.
With their 26-year-old captain Toews leading the way, with 195 goals in 484 career regular season games, and no less than 29 goals in playoff matches, the next campaign could well see the Winnipeg-born star helping the Blackhawks win the coveted title in just under 12 months’ time.
Of course what will be key is the trades they make over the coming months in the off-season and how they can give the support the likes of Toews and Kane will need to keep the Blackhawks moving forwards and reclaim the title they won in the 2012-2013 campaign.