Drew Commesso will handle his next contract without an arbitrator in the room.
The Chicago Blackhawks’ only eligible player to file for salary arbitration chose not to do so, leaving the team without a single name on the list of 15 players who took that route this summer. Commesso is an RFA, and now he and the Blackhawks will work toward a deal on their own.
That’s the cleaner path. Arbitration can turn into an awkward grind, with both sides laying out exactly why a player should not make more money. It rarely feels constructive, and the Blackhawks avoided that whole process here.
Commesso’s decision also keeps the door open, at least in theory, for an offer sheet. In reality, that doesn’t look like a real concern.
He’s a promising young goalie, but he has not built up a long enough NHL résumé to make that kind of move feel likely. If it ever came to that, the Blackhawks would probably match or simply accept the compensation attached to losing him.
The more realistic offer-sheet worry for Chicago sits elsewhere, especially with Connor Bedard. Offer sheets are becoming more common around the league, and that is something the Blackhawks will have to keep in mind.
Commesso played in three games for Chicago last season, and he is expected to compete with Arvid Soderblom for the backup job this year. Spencer Knight is the clear No. 1.
That makes the relationship between the Blackhawks and Commesso worth getting right. In a league where teams need three goalies they can trust, this is the kind of situation that matters. Skipping arbitration is a solid first step.
Here are the players who filed:
Xavier Bourgault - Ottawa Senators
Kirby Dach - Montreal Canadiens
Jamie Drysdale - Philadelphia Flyers
Jet Greaves - Columbus Blue Jackets
Alex Jefferies - New York Islanders
Peyton Krebs - Buffalo Sabres
Connor McMichael - St. Louis Blues
Cole Perfetti - Winnipeg Jets
Jason Robertson - Dallas Stars
Nick Robertson - Pittsburgh Penguins
Akira Schmid - Florida Panthers
Braden Schneider - New York Rangers
Ronan Seeley - Carolina Hurricanes
Cole Sillinger - Columbus Blue Jackets
Trevor Zegras - Philadelphia Flyers
Among that group are some high-end names, including Kirby Dach, Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras. Jason Robertson stands out as the elite player in the bunch.
By filing for arbitration, those players gave up the chance to receive an offer sheet, though their rights could still be traded. The Blackhawks might have interest in some of them, but first they have to sort out their own business.
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The move that really changes the temperature, though, is the arrival of Bowen Byram, who came over in a trade and immediately became the most meaningful addition of the group. Even with that kind of upgrade, the broader reaction around the team is easy to understand: Chicago did real work, but it still feels like the sort of summer that leaves fans wondering whether the front office had bigger swings in mind and simply found the market too expensive, too thin or too hard to sell. [Read more 🡒]