CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year contract.
The team announced the deal on Tuesday. It runs through the 2025-26 season with a $1.2 million cap hit.
The Blackhawks were hoping for a breakout performance from Reichel this season, but he struggled with inconsistency for much of the year. Reichel, who turns 22 on May 17, finished with five goals and 11 assists in 65 games.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for us to potentially gain some value,” general manager Kyle Davidson said. “But also for him to have a little bit of security there. We do believe in him, but, you know what, there’s also a prove-it aspect to this.
“He knows this wasn’t the year he wanted, and so I’m sure he’s going to be putting in the work in the offseason to make sure he’s having a good start to the year in training camp and then hopefully solidify himself as an everyday forward and really take off next year.”
Reichel's development is an ongoing issue for Chicago as it tries to take its rebuilding project to the next level. The Blackhawks set a franchise record for losses by going 23-53-6 this season.
Chicago will have the No. 2 pick in the draft after the NHL held its draft lottery on Tuesday night. It also has the No. 20 selection that it acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay.
“No. 2 is a win. We're really excited about that,” Davidson said. “To not fall and just kind of hold serve and hold place, it's a win. I'm going to go to dinner tonight and it'll be a celebratory dinner, because we're really excited about it.”
The contract gives Reichel some security as he prepares to play for Germany at the upcoming world championships in Czechia.
The 6-foot Reichel was selected by Chicago with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 draft. He has 12 goals and 20 assists in 99 NHL games.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
