Future uncertain for Chicago Blackhawks roster

One by one they entered the media workroom at the United Center.

Reporters hustled from Brandon Saad to Patrick Sharp to Brad Richards to Johnny Oduya to Bryan Bickell to Antoine Vermette to Marcus Kruger, all asking the same general question: Will you be back next season?

"We should be talking about what a game it was a couple nights ago and all the fun we're having and what a past couple seasons we've had," Sharp said. "Six years, three Cups. It's a pretty special accomplishment."

Unfortunately for Hawks fans, though, the nature of the salary-cap era means that not everybody from the 2015 champs can return. The cap exists to create parity, and it's going force general manager Stan Bowman to make some difficult - if not unpopular - decisions.

There's no way Bowman can keep the current roster together, especially with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Sharp, Bickell, Corey Crawford, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Shaw all counting for more than $62 million against a cap expected to be around $71 million.

So what is going to happen? Impossible to say, but here's a look at the key pieces to a salary-cap puzzle that has no easy answers.

Saad/Kruger:

Notice that Saad is not among the players listed just above. That's because he is a restricted free agent, which means teams could force the Hawks to match an offer sheet, although they are rare due to the draft picks teams must give up.

Saad is someone Bowman has vowed to keep no matter what, but it may cost him about $6 million a year to do it.

"He's just starting to grow into a big role on our team, and that's going to continue for many years to come," Bowman said Wednesday. "I have a lot of confidence in bringing a player like Brandon back. He's going to be a big part of our group for many years to come. We'll make it work."

Said Saad: "I couldn't be happier here."

Kruger, another restricted free agent, made $1.4 million this season, and Bowman also talked glowingly of the fourth-line grinder who is a big part of the Hawks' impressive penalty-kill unit.

Trade bait:

If the Hawks do in fact keep Saad and Kruger, they'll be nearly at the cap number with just 13 players on the roster. And that's where it becomes impossible to keep every salaried player.

Bowman will have to trade some big names, but whom he can move based on the seasons they had and how much they cost will be interesting to observe.

Sharp is an obvious candidate, but he's 33, coming off his worst regular season and will cost a team $5.9 million against the cap. Still, a veteran with three Cups to his name is worth a ton on a young team or one that thinks it's on the brink of making a big run.

Bickell's another easy target, but he didn't do Bowman any favors after a 14-goal regular season and a postseason in which he failed to score in 18 appearances.

"I want to stay," said Bickell, who comes with a $4 million cap hit. "It's a great spot to be in."

What about Crawford? Do you dare trade a two-time Stanley Cup winning goalie who allowed 2 goals over the last three games of the Final to one of the most high-powered offenses in the NHL?

Bowman may be painted into a tight corner if teams aren't willing to trade for Sharp or Bickell and instead start offering a king's ransom for his $6 million goalie.

Asked Wednesday if Crawford was untouchable, Bowman danced around the question but offered some high praise in the process.

"To get a shutout in the clinching game, it just goes to show you when the pressure's on he finds a way to raise his game," Bowman said. "It's one thing to have good stats … but what happens when the pressure's on?

"He's able to raise his game in those moments and that's who I want on my side."

Versteeg, who has a $2.2 million cap hit, is another trade candidate.

Unrestricted FA's:

The odds of the Hawks keeping Johnny Oduya or Antoine Vermette are next to zero. Two players, though, who might return are Andrew Desjardins and Richards.

Desjardins, whom Bowman traded Ben Smith for in a deal with San Jose, was a pleasant surprise and made just $875,000 this season. He played a key role on the fourth line with Kruger and Shaw.

Richards signed a one-year, $2 million deal last off-season to come to Chicago solely to win a Cup. He admitted Wednesday that it took awhile to feel like a Blackhawk as he struggled to adjust to coach Joel Quenneville's system.

Over time, though, Quenneville showed more and more trust in the veteran, and Richards picked up his game in the postseason with 14 points in 23 games.

"If they want to discuss something, I'm obviously going to discuss it," he said.

Would he play for less than market value again?

"I'm in a fortunate position financially where I've done all that stuff. I've hit my big contracts," Richards said. "Now it's really all about what just happened this week. You can't replace that with anything."

Kane, who played with Richards much of the season and lives in the same building, said Wednesday that the two have become really good friends. "It was a pleasure playing with him," Kane said. "I hope we can do it again."

Tough to say goodbye:

In the end, your 2016 Blackhawks will look a lot different from the version that just won the Cup at the United Center. Younger players in the system will have to step up and recent free agents will be called upon to contribute right away.

That doesn't mean the veterans who remain won't miss the guys they've shared so many laughs and tears with during a most memorable season.

"Obviously when you go through special moments like this you don't want anybody to part ways," Toews said. "There's something great about this team and we want things to stay the way they are right now.

"But unfortunately that's not the reality."