Blackhawks sign Lukas Reichel to 2-year extension with $1.2M cap hit originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by National Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
O Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2025-26 season with 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 season in the NHL with the Blackhawks was a disappointment, and he would be the first to say so. He recorded just 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 65 games, which resulted in a month-long stint with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after the NHL All-Star break because his struggles continued.
“At first, you’re upset and frustrated,” Reichel said on March 16. “But then the next day I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to turn this around and try my best down there and help this team win and have a winning mentality,’ and I think it worked out pretty well.”
After the NHL season ended, the Blackhawks sent Reichel back to Rockford for the Calder Cup Playoffs. He recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in four postseason contests, ranking second on the team. He had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 10 regular season games.
Reichel, 21, was better in the end, but the Blackhawks expected more from him and the next two years will be important for him to prove that Chicago’s 2020 20th overall pick can still be a piece for the franchise in the long run.
