Ryan Donato News: Agrees to four-year deal

Donato signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Donato was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer now that his previous two-year, $4 million contract is complete. He established career highs with 31 goals and 62 points across 80 appearances with Chicago in 2024-25. That's a huge jump from his previous personal best of 31 points in 2021-22. The increase came in part because he averaged 16:19 of ice time last season compared to his career average of 13:21, but even if he maintains that role next season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 29-year-old's offensive output slip somewhat given how big of a spike he just saw.