For the first time in four seasons, the cost of winning arrives without winning a playoff round for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nine players on the Blackhawks playoff roster require new deals this summer, with none more important than the sandpapered Andrew Shaw - a player head coach Joel Quenneville called "irreplaceable" Wednesday.
Shaw also spoke as the Blackhawks cleaned out their lockers, expressing his fervent desire to stay "home." But while he may be willing to make concessions on a new deal, he's most certainly in line to command a number greater than the $2 million he accounted for on Chicago's books this season.
General manager Stan Bowman was noncommittal on Shaw's status, waiting instead on final cap numbers. He was, however, willing to acknowledge that buying out the final $4 million on Bryan Bickell's contract was an option.
Elsewhere, Andrew Ladd, who the Blackhawks paid a steep price to acquire at the deadline, said he's looking to make decisions based on situation before dollars, but didn't divulge too much deeper into his playing future.
Dale Weise, Tomas Fleischmann, Brandon Mashinter, Michal Rozsival, and Christian Ehrhoff are all unrestricted free agents as well.
