Blackhawks sign Lukas Reichel to 2-year extension at a cap hit of $1.2 million originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2025-26 season at a cap hit of $1.2 million, the team announced Tuesday. He was previously set to become a pending restricted free agent.
Reichel’s first full NHL season with the Blackhawks was a disappointment, and he’d be the first to say it. He recorded only 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 65 games, which eventually resulted in a month-long stint with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs after the NHL All-Star break because his struggles continued.
“At first, you’re just pissed off and you’re frustrated,” Reichel said on March 16. “But then the next day I woke up and I said: ‘I’m going to turn this around and try my best down there and help this team win and to have a win mentality,’ and I think it worked out pretty good.”
After the NHL season ended, the Blackhawks sent Reichel back to Rockford for the Calder Cup Playoffs. He registered four points (two goals, two assists) in four postseason contests, which ranked second on the team. He had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 10 regular-season games.
Reichel, 21, was better down the stretch, but the Blackhawks expected more from him and it’s going to be an important next two years for him to prove that Chicago’s No. 20 overall pick in 2020 can still be a piece for the franchise in the long-term.
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