Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup

Latest news about Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup: The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate their Stanley Cup with a parade in downtown Chicago Friday, and on Saturday general manager Stan Bowman probably has to start thinking about which of his champions won’t be back next season.

If the Blackhawks wanted to keep all of the players who hoisted the Stanley Cup on Wednesday, they probably would need a payroll of more than $70 million.

However, the salary cap for next season is expected to be about $58.8 million.

Chicago’s salary-cap issues come from Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith having new contracts that start next season. The total cap hit for them tops $18 million.

As of Friday morning, the Blackhawks have 14 players signed for next season with a total cap hit of about $57 million.

Yet they need to sign at least eight more.

NOTES: ‘Hawks must decide how to host Cup

Here are the situations that Bowman faces:

•Cristobal Huet is now the backup goalie, and he has a cap hit of $5.65 million for two more seasons. If the Blackhawks buy out his contract, they could spread out his cap hit over four seasons. The only way to wash away the entire cap is to send Huet to the minors.

•John Madden and Adam Burish are unrestricted free agents. Madden is an experienced role player, and Burish adds bite to the Blackhawks’ mix. Given the cap issue, re-signing Madden would be extremely challenging. Burish isn’t a big-money player, but he would have multiple suitors in the free agent marketplace.

•Antti Niemi is a restricted free agent. What do you pay a goalie who just helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup in 49 years? He was fighting for a backup job last fall, and now he is No. 1. Niemi proved himself during the playoffs, but since the salary cap was introduced, there have been several instances of goalies receiving long-term deals and then losing their jobs. Bowman will have to weigh that.

•Andrew Ladd and Niklas Hjalmarsson are restricted free agents and are in line for significant raises. Hjalmarsson is a key contributor on defense, and Ladd adds size and strength.

•Even if Bowman sends Huet to the minors and doesn’t re-sign his unrestricted free agents, it seems likely that he will have to still trade a veteran or two to get under the salary cap. If one forward has to go, Kris Versteeg is vulnerable because he is earning $3 million and is marketable. Defenseman Brent Sopel could also be susceptible.