One day before the Blackhawks first practice of the 2021 season, the team came to terms with its last remaining free agent.
Late Sunday afternoon, the team announced that Dylan Strome signed a two-year contract extension worth $6 million. Strome, who was a restricted free agent, will have an annual salary cap hit of $3 million through the end of the 2021-22 season.
Strome, 23, joined the Blackhawks along with Brendan Perlini after a November 2018 trade with the Coyotes in exchange for Nick Schmaltz. A former first-round pick (No. 3 overall) of the Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft, Strome has played 116 games with Chicago, tallying 29 goals and 60 assists.
Last season, Strome was fifth on the Blackhawks with 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 58 regular season games. missing 12 games early in 2020 after suffering an ankle injury. In nine postseason games, Strome added two goals and an assist.
The move provides a much-needed boost to the Blackhawks’ depleted forward lineup. Within the last two weeks, the Blackhawks lost Alex Nylander to knee surgery, Kirby Dach to a fractured wrist and Jonathan Toews to an undisclosed illness.
Chicago’s first training camp practice is set to take place on Monday, with the first game of the season scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 13 in Tampa Bay against the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.