Blackhawks GM: No timetable on Panarin's contract

Over the past few months, every time Stan Bowman meets with the media one question keeps coming up: How close are you to signing Artemi Panarin to a contract extension?

The Blackhawks general manager gave the same answer Tuesday he did at the fan convention in July, saying it's not productive to “negotiate through the media.”

Panarin, who played in the World Cup and is expected to arrive at camp Friday, won the Calder Cup last season as the league's top rookie. He is entering the second and final year of his contract and will be a restricted free agent when this season ends.

If the Hawks fail to sign Panarin before then, they risk losing him to another team via an offer sheet or being forced to trade him, much in the same way they did with Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw.

Bowman wouldn't put a timetable on it, saying “it'll get done when it gets done.”

So he's confident the two sides can agree?

“We're always confident,” Bowman said. “You go into a negotiation expecting to get a deal done. That's the way I've been in the past and that's the way I am now.”

The Chicago Tribune, quoting a source, reported Panarin is asking for a six-year deal worth north of $6 million per year. But Tom Lynn, Panarin's agent, said that report isn't necessarily accurate.

Lynn, like Bowman, said he isn't divulging details of negotiations with the media.

As for Bowman, he touched on a variety of subjects in his 18-minute session with reporters. The highlights:

Were you surprised to find out Duncan Keith's knee wasn't reacting the way he wanted?

“The hard part about the season is you never get a chance to just take a couple months and rehab an injury. You've got to keep playing through it. In Duncs' case, there was no alarm to it. We thought he would feel better when he had some time to rest.

“He didn't feel he was at the level he wanted to be at to play in the World Cup, but as we see he's been here practicing. This happens all the time. There's other players with sort of the same thing and when they had the rest, they were perfectly ready starting at the beginning of camp. …

“So from that perspective, it's good to see Duncan on the ice here. He looks great to me in practice. Looks like he didn't miss a beat.”

Are you comfortable with what you have to start the season or can you see bringing in a veteran?

“No, the guys we have are the ones that are here, and our team is going to come from this group. … Maybe it's been a little bit different in previous years where they've looked at the lineup and wondered where they might fit. And now, they know there's a possibility they can make the team if they play well.

“That's what these (preseason) games are going to be. … We're going to have an opportunity to see how they perform in a game setting. The scrimmages are important … but it is an intrasquad scrimmage. The next step up is how they'll perform against another team.

“So I think they like the chance we have given them. It's a fair opportunity for all.”

Does winger Alexandre Fortin have a chance to make the team or is he likely headed back to juniors?

“He's a great story. We brought him to our camp this summer and we were impressed with how he played. … But sometimes you have to take that with a grain of salt (because) it's summer hockey. So we brought him to our rookie camp in Traverse City and he continued to play well. And then you bring him here and he just continues to play at that same level, so then you start to feel like it's not a fluke. This guy's got something.

“We're going to give him a chance to play and we'll see how it looks and where it goes.”

Will the guys who played in the World Cup be more ready for opening night?

“Normally those guys sort of ramp up slower to the beginning of the season. … We saw them all play at a pretty high level over the past couple weeks and they should be in great form by the time we start the season. … They will be sharp and I think that's the upside.

“There's always the risk of injury, but the other side is these guys get to play against the best players in the world and from a confidence standpoint you can feel good about your game knowing you can compete on that stage.”