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       Blackhawks Extend Lukas Reichel
        
 (HTM) Source
        
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       The Blackhawks have signed forward ****Lukas Reichel** Â **to a two-
       year, $2.4MM contract extension, per a team announcement Tuesday. The
       deal carries an average annual value and cap hit of $1.2MM.
        
       Reichel, 21, was slated for restricted free agency this summer after
       completing his entry-level contract. He was Chicago's first-round pick
       in the 2020 draft, selected 17th overall after their most recent
       playoff appearance, a first-round elimination at the hands of the
       Golden Knights.
        
       The German forward is yet to cross the 100-game plateau but will do so
       next season. Since making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 campaign, he's
       tallied 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points and a -45 rating in 99
       contests.
        
       After lighting up the AHL for nearly a point per game with Rockford
       last season, as well as 15 points in 23 games across multiple stints
       on the Blackhawks' roster, most expected Reichel to challenge for a
       consistent top-six role in 2023-24. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to
       hold down the second-line role at center he was given behindÂ
       ****Connor Bedard**** to begin the year, eventually demoted to a
       third-line role on the wing. He ended the season with just five goals
       and 16 points in 65 games, having the most disappointing season of a
       promising group of Blackhawks youngsters in Bedard and defensemen
       ****Kevin Korchinski**  **and ****Alex Vlasic****.
        
       Thus, it's not particularly surprising to see Reichel ink an extension
       not terribly far above the maximum buriable threshold if he's assigned
       back to Rockford at any point over the next two years. If he's able to
       get his development back on track by the summer of 2026, he'll be a
       restricted free agent again in line for a more significant commitment,
       both in yearly salary and term, at age 23.
        
       Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson still has a few weeks to work
       on extensions for the rest of his pending RFAs before qualifying
       offers are due on June 30. Among players who ended the season on the
       NHL roster, four other forwards – ****Joey Anderson**** ,Â
       ****Mackenzie Entwistle**** , ****Reese Johnson**** and ****Taylor
       Raddysh**** – are headed for restricted free agency. Unlike Reichel,
       that group is eligible for salary arbitration.
        
       Chicago also has six pending RFAs at the minor-league level, four of
       whom logged NHL time this season – center ****Cole Guttman**** and
       defensemen ****Louis Crevier**** , ****Isaak Phillips**  **andÂ
       ****Filip Roos****. Among them, only Guttman and Roos are eligible for
       arbitration.
        
       Reichel was solid in limited playoff action with Rockford last week,
       scoring twice and adding two assists as the IceHogs were bounced in
       four games by Grand Rapids in the Central Division Semifinals. He's
       now likely off to Czechia to play with Germany at the 2024 World
       Championship, although he hasn't officially been added to their roster
       yet.
        
       The Blackhawks still have $33.84MM in projected cap space for next
       season, per CapFriendly. They still need to add around $15MM in
       combined cap hits for 2024-25 to meet next year's lower limit.
        
       _Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports._
        
        
        
        
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