Michal Rozsival has made the team.
The Chicago Blackhawks signed the veteran defenseman — previously invited to training camp on a professional tryout — to a one-year contract, the team announced Saturday. The deal is worth $600,000 plus $200,000 in possible bonuses, making for an overall cap hit of $800,000. That figure will fit into the team’s current available cap space.
He’s expected to resume skating next week in his continuing recovery from a fractured ankle suffered in Chicago’s second-round series victory over the Minnesota Wild during last season’s Stanley Cup run.
Rozsival, 37, had 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 65 games with the Blackhawks last season. He had one assist in 10 games during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A native of Vlasim, Czech Republic, Rozsival has 293 points (66 goals, 227 assists) in 890 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes and Chicago. Rozsival was selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (No. 105) of the 1996 NHL Draft.
Rozsival played in a bottom-pairing role last season, and likely slots in as the seventh defenseman for the Hawks during the upcoming season. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Trevor Daley, David Rundblad and Trevor van Riemsdyk will likely cover the top three pairings, leaving Rozsival as an emergency option.
Other veteran defensemen at camp on PTOs included Jan Hejda and Lubomir Visnovsky, who are both older than Rozsival. The signing of Rozsival could impact the chances of either player making the roster with seven defensemen already under contract and top prospect Ville Pokka waiting in Rockford.