Tampa Bay Lightning set to steal Chicago Blackhawks' goal scoring forward in free agency
Photo credit: Michael Reaves
If the Tampa Bay Lightning and Julien BriseBois need a goal-scorer, they could tap into the Chicago Blackhawks and sign Ryan Donato, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
Bargain goal scorers are difficult to come by. The Blackhawks had one during the 2024-2025 season.
That is Ryan Donato, who had a career year scoring a total of 62 points (31 goals, 31 assists) but doesn't have a new contract with the Blackhawks.
This could leave him vulnerable to contract offers from other NHL teams during the offseason, including the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Donato is a ferocious puckhound who has experience on the power-play and worked his way up to the 1st-line with Connor Bedard this season.
The Lightning could benefit from GM Kyle Davidson's missteps with a failure to extend the forward.
This season, Donato earned a total of $2 million AAV and could fetch a nicer deal on the open market.
Donato has proven himself to be an impactful player after a long career in the NHL as a role player in the league. He's bounced around from team to team, including the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
He could remain a bargain option for his next team, as DailyFaceoff's Frank Seravalli projects his next contract to be at $2.4 million in 2025-2026.
Though The Hockey News' Rob Couch believes it could be upwards of $3.5 million on the open market.
Either way, BriseBois would do well to take advantage of the Blackhawks' lack of long-term planning.
| POLL | ||
MAI 28 | 287 ANSWERS Tampa Bay Lightning set to steal Chicago Blackhawks' goal scoring forward in free agency Should GM Kyle Davidson of the Chicago Blackhawks sign forward Ryan Donato before the Tampa Bay Lightning do? | ||
| Yes | 227 | 79.1 % |
| No | 60 | 20.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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