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Pending UFA Bickell set to cash in this offseason

Bryan Bickell

Bryan Bickell #29 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on March 27, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Blackhwaks 2-1 in the shootout. (March 26, 2012 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

The price for Bryan Bickell may have risen again Sunday when the big 27-year-old power forward scored his sixth goal of the playoffs for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Only four other players have more goals than six this postseason -- Patrick Sharp (8), David Krejci (7), Sidney Crosby (7) and Pascal Dupuis (7).

Bickell -- drafted 41st overall in 2004 -- is a pending unrestricted free agent that may in fact be pricing himself out of a return to the Blackhawks, as the salary cap is set to fall from $70.2 million to $64.3 million.

“He’s a force for them and it’s what that team needs,’' one Western Conference executive told ESPN.com. “He’s really come on for them. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can re-sign him.’'

If there’s one red flag for potential offseason suitors, it may be Bickell’s shooting percentage in the playoffs, which now stands at 25 percent.

That’s not a particularly sustainable conversion rate; his career shooting percentage in the regular season is 12.2.

But that won’t stop teams looking for a versatile power forward (and there are always plenty of those) from going after him with their wallets wide open.

Bickell said in March that he wants to re-sign in Chicago. His price for staying may have changed since then though.