The Chicago Blackhawks are among teams “in the mix” to sign unrestricted free agent KHL defenseman Michal Kempny, reports Darren Dreger of TSN.
Kempny, 25, scored five goals and 21 points in 59 games for Avangard Omsk in the KHL this past season. He added two goals and two assists in 11 games during the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
The 6-foot, 194-pound blue liner signed with Avangard after spending the past two seasons with HC Kometa Brno of Czech Extraliga. He tallied 21 goals and 60 points during 213 regular-season games in six seasons with Kometa and loan stints at HC Slavia Praha.
Chicago currently has eight defenseman, including fellow Czech Michal Rozsival. The NHL veteran has battled injuries and was benched against the St. Louis Blues during the first round series because he didn’t have the speed to keep up with the pace of the game. Could this be the Rozsival 2.0?