The Blackhawks signed defenseman Carl Dahlstrom to a two-year extension, the team announced Wednesday morning.
The deal lasts through the 2020-21 season with an annual salary cap hit of $850,000. The 24-year-old Swedish defenseman was going to be a restricted free agent this offseason after playing in the final year of his entry-level contract.
Dahlstrom was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round (51st overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft and spent two more seasons in Sweden before coming to North America near the end of the 2014-15 season, joining the Rockford IceHogs for two games.
Dahlstrom made his NHL debut with 11 games last season, tallying three assists. He received his first extended NHL look during this season, appearing in 35 games with six assists while averaging 18:30 of ice time — but is still in search of his first NHL goal. For much of the season, he was paired with Connor Murphy on the blue line for the most defensive-oriented pairing on the Chicago roster. According to Corsica’s data, Dahlstrom started in the defensive zone 35.64 percent of the time — the highest mark among Blackhawks defensemen this season.
With Dahlstrom locked up, the Blackhawks now have decisions to make on eight other free agents from the active roster. Defensemen Gustav Forsling and Slater Koekkoek are restricted free agents, as are forwards Brendan Perlini, David Kampf and Dylan Sikura. Goaltender Cam Ward, center Marcus Kruger and winger Chris Kunitz are all restricted free agents.