Months of mild drama surrounding Ryan Donato came to a close Wednesday when he signed a four-year deal with the Blackhawks.
The 29-year-old forward will carry a $4 million cap hit through 2029, doubling his previous cap hit of $2 million.
He was involved in both trade and extension discussions around the trade deadline in early March, but the Hawks ended up keeping him unsigned through the end of the season, betting on successfully negotiating an agreement. He could’ve become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
“Ryan brings energy and competes hard every game, which has been a huge asset to our team over the last two seasons,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “He’s been a crucial part of our offense, and we’re excited for Ryan to continue to make a difference in our lineup for the next four years.”
The Hawks’ initial offer was roughly three years at $4 million per year. By playing hardball for a few months, Donato got a fourth year while the team kept the same cap hit.
It seems like a reasonable compromise. Donato could’ve gambled on getting slightly more money on the open market, but there’s no guarantee he would’ve received as much playing time elsewhere, and that would’ve required moving his young family again.
He repeatedly has expressed an emotional stake and genuine belief in the Hawks’ long-term plan, too.
“We have obviously a super-bright future here, and there’s going to be guys that make tremendous gains this summer that help the team win more games,” Donato said during exit interviews in April. “I think Blackhawks fans and a lot of people are going to be surprised how quickly things can turn.”
Donato exploded for 31 goals and 31 assists last season, leading the team in the former category by a considerable margin and nearly doubling his career highs in both. It was a stunning performance from the former journeyman forward, who entered training camp arguably on the roster bubble and was a healthy scratch twice in October.
Twenty-three of those goals came during five-on-five play, tying him for 12th in the NHL in that category — equal with Hart Trophy runner-up Leon Draisaitl and above Alex Ovechkin, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
Improvement in Donato’s skating technique contributed greatly to his career year, transforming what had been a weakness into a strength. He planned to do even more skating work this summer with coaches in Florida.
“I’m not going to have the stride of Jack Eichel or any of these guys,” he said in April. “It was like, ‘All right, what do I need to work on, specifically myself, that’s going to make me a better skater? Not [make] me more like another guy that’s skating.’”
He was the Hawks’ only notable pending unrestricted free agent this summer. With that situation sorted out, Davidson’s focus can shift toward trying to trade for more offensive help — if such an opportunity materializes in this strange offseason environment.
Donato joins Tyler Bertuzzi as the only two Hawks forwards signed for at least three more years, although that will change once Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar sign extensions — that more likely will happen next summer.
Donato probably won’t eclipse 60 points again next season. His 17.0% shooting percentage likely will regress to the mean. His career shooting percentage is 11.1%.
But the Hawks will hope he at least stabilizes around 40 to 50 points per year — comfortably above his pre-skating-transformation yearly average — while continuing to provide the gritty intangibles he always has. That would make this contract worthwhile.
