The Chicago Blackhawks extended 21-year-old German forward, Lukas Reichel, to a two-year contract extension on May 7. It has an average annual value of $1.2 million.
Reichel was a 17th overall pick from the 2020 NHL draft, and he has shown that he has a bright future ahead of him. While he hasn’t quite broken out at the NHL level just yet, he could be on the brink of doing so. What does this contract mean for Chicago?
Reichel Is Betting on Himself
After scoring 15 points in just 23 games in 2022-23, Reichel saw some scoring regression in 2023-24 with just five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 65 contests. He played just 19.3 percent of his total ice time with 18-year-old phenom Connor Bedard who led Chicago in scoring, so some of his scoring issues are due to a lack of talent around him.
Related: Blackhawks Would Benefit From Playing Bedard with Reichel
By signing for so cheap, Reichel is officially betting on himself to see some growth in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. He has already surpassed the need for the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 116 points in just 121 games of experience in the regular season in the league.
With the Blackhawks still well within their rebuilding timeline, he might be due for a usage boost over his next two seasons. Reichel only averaged 14:07 of ice time each game, which firmly put him in the bottom-six territory. Considering the talent he has, he should work his way up and emerge as a top-six player in some time.