The last item remaining on the Blackhawks’ offseason agenda was completed on the eve of training camp, with defenseman Ethan Del Mastro signing a two-year contract.
The deal is worth $950,000 annually.
it’s Delly time ‼️
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 16, 2026
📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/nREa93FGcW pic.twitter.com/m1o0IyCGws
Del Mastro, who turned 23 in January and was ranked No. 21 on our potentially award-considered Top 25 Under 25 this summer, appeared in 19 games with the Blackhawks last season, picking up one assist with an average ice time of 14:08. That lower ice time was indicative of the overall underwhelming time that Del Mastro spent at the NHL level last season, with 45 games and 18 points (2 G, 16 A) coming during his 2025-26 time with the IceHogs.
The numbers game among Chicago’s blue-liners continues to work against Del Mastro, as the 2021 fourth-round pick seems to be likely for a return to Rockford over the next few weeks — barring a breakout performance at training camp. Outside of Del Mastro, the Chicago D corps currently features: a massive offseason acquisition (Bowen Byram), a veteran addition (Ian Cole), a pair of similar-aged defensemen who are more established NHLers now (Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser) and a trio of first-round picks (Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel). All of that seems to add up to no ice time available with the Blackhawks for Del Mastro, unless he can outperform one someone from that group of seven.
The answer to that question starts receiving its answer on Thursday.