Ryan Donato has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Chicago Blackhawks.
His team-leading 11 goals certainly were not what anyone would have expected when the season started. The thought would be phenom Connor Bedard would be well on his well toward a 30-goal season.
An early season regression has Bedard off to a slower start than expected when it comes to goals.
Thankfully, Donato has filled some of that scoring void with his fast start. Now, players like Connor, Teuvo Teravainen, and Tyler Bertuzzi have been starting to light up the lamp more regularly after Anders Sorensen became the interim head coach after Luke Richardson was fired.
That still should not take away from what Donato has through 31 games.
Donato’s production makes him an ideal player to get dealt at the trade deadline. That production should also garner him some consideration to get a contract extension.
#Blackhawks Beat: Ryan Donato has earned a contract extension
✍️ @jayzawaski https://t.co/NaVHhyXFat— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) December 20, 2024
He is set to be a free agent after this season, so that is why the thinking is Donato should be dealt, as he may go elsewhere.
An extension should not be ruled out either, as CHGO’s Jay Zawaski pointed out. He has been a solid player since coming to the Hawks last season. He produced a 30-point season during the 2023-24 campaign.
This year, he should eclipse that total.
The Hawks have a track record of extending veterans during this rebuild. Jason Dickinson had a career season in 2023-24, and he got extended. While he may not reach his career-high in goals this season, he has been a solid two-way player.
That is why it was smarter to extend him rather than take advantage of his career season.
The reason general manager Kyle Davidson wanted to extend Dickinson last January was to keep his solid veteran presence in the locker room and on the ice.
Donato might fit that description, also.
That is why there might be more value in keeping Donato around for a couple more seasons rather than cashing out his career season. The draft pick or younger prospect who projects to be a third-line player the Hawks could get back might not be worth having a player who is playing well enough to be in the top six this season and then fill out the roster next season.
Remember, a lot of the players who will be a part of the next good Blackhawks team are either in Rockford, college, or the juniors. That is why the Hawks’ rebuild will not be ruined by keeping productive players around while their elite prospects continue to develop.
It can never hurt to keep a player with a career 53.2 CF% on a team that transitions from rebuild to competitive, so long as it is on a short two-year extension, much like Dickinson got last January.
