Lukas Reichel signed a new contract with the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
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Lukas Reichel will get at least two more years to reroute his career trajectory upward again.
The Blackhawks signed the young German forward to a new two-year contract Tuesday that will carry a $1.2 million salary-cap hit.
The salary is roughly what was expected — a raise, but only a slight one, over his entry-level cap hit — after his disappointing 2023-24 season.
By making the contract for two years, however, it means the Hawks’ decision back in 2021 to burn a year of Reichel’s entry-level contract ended up mattering.
He would’ve otherwise been a restricted free agent next summer. Now, he’s locked up into 2026, when Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski and a host of other Hawks will also hit RFA status.
Reichel tallied 16 points in 65 games during his first full NHL season, improving marginally after a February stint back in the AHL.
Rockford’s elimination in the first round of the AHL playoffs will allow Reichel to play for Germany in the World Championships this month, after all.
This story will be updated.