The Blackhawks have started preliminary talks about a new contract for winger Dominik Kubalik, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). GM Stan Bowman recently met with Kubalik’s agent while in Prague and the expectation is that they will meet again before the season comes to an end. The 24-year-old rookie has been a pleasant surprise in Chicago this year as he leads the team in goals with 29 and has certainly been worth the fifth-round pick they sent Los Angeles to get his rights last season. Even though he’s only in his rookie season, Kubalik is arbitration-eligible this summer which will only make things that much more complicated. A short-term deal given Chicago’s salary structure is the likely outcome here.

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