Blackhawks sign forward Dylan Sikura

The Chicago Blackhawks kicked off the second day of free agency by bringing back a former draft pick.

The move was first reported — again — by Scott Powers of The Athletic before the Blackhawks confirmed the signing about an hour later.

It’s a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000 (or $500,000 in the AHL).

Sikura was drafted by the Blackhawks in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. He flew up the prospect depth chart with impressive junior and senior seasons at Northeastern, scoring 111 points in his 73 games as an upperclassmen in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. That success led to his NHL debut a few months after college ended, with Sikura skating in five games during the 2017-18 NHL season and tallying three assists. He had eight assists during 33 NHL games in the 2018-19 season then scored his first NHL goal while adding two assists in the 2019-20 season. On Sept. 28, 2020, he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Brandon Pirri and then signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent last summer following his brief stint in Sin City.

The majority of Sikura’s ice time in the last two seasons has been in the AHL, which could be the case again with the Blackhawks organization — although the state of Chicago’s franchise at the moment could mean that Sikura finds his way back into the NHL.