Two of the three big contract extensions on the Blackhawks‘ immediate radar have now been sorted out.
Goalie Spencer Knight signed a new three-year contract Saturday that will kick in next summer, after he completes the final year of the contract the Hawks inherited from the Panthers.
Knight, 24, will carry a $5.83 million salary-cap hit from 2026-27 through 2029-30, marking a raise from his $4.5 million cap hit for 2025-26.
Like forward Frank Nazar, who signed a seven-year extension with a $6.6 million cap hit in August, this gives Knight and the Hawks one fewer thing to worry about during the in-season grind.
“After joining the team in March, Spencer quickly cemented himself as a crucial piece of our future,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “A talented, young goaltender, he brings athleticism, sound positioning and a calm demeanor to his game, and we’re excited to watch Spencer continue to flourish in Chicago over the next four seasons.”
The logic behind the decision to extend Knight now mirrors the logic behind the Nazar signing.
Committing long-term to a player who hasn’t thoroughly proven himself yet carries inherent risk, but the Hawks’ rebuild won’t be in good shape for numerous reasons — not just oversized contracts — if Nazar and Knight fail to live up to expectations. Conversely, if Nazar and Knight develop into stars, the Hawks will have them locked in at below-market-value salaries.
There’s still one big contract extension left to work out, though, and it’ll be the biggest one yet: Connor Bedard’s extension. That has always seemed more likely to happen next summer, once Bedard has another year of NHL production under his belt and is a pending restricted free agent.
In regards to Knight, his individual performance this season could affect the Hawks’ team performance more than anyone else. Behind a very inexperienced defense, he is their X-factor.
His .893 save percentage in his first 15 Hawks starts last spring wasn’t great, but he did enjoy some spectacular games during that stretch, demonstrating his high-level talent.
He worked on a technical adjustment this summer — moving his goaltending stance slightly more forward and upright in order to get his glove presenting higher and more forward — while preparing to handle an NHL starter’s workload for the first time.
“When you’re playing every other day, you’re not looking past that next day,” Knight said in August. “And I really enjoyed that. It kept me in the zone, kept me in the present.
“My body felt great. My mind felt great. Everything felt natural. But [now I’m]…getting myself ready to handle that workload this coming season and into the future.”