The Chicago Blackhawks continued to lock up pieces for the future on Tuesday morning as they agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
The deal, which will pay him $825,000 per season according to Scott Powers of ESPN, locks up van Riemsdyk for the next three seasons. This season will mark the final one that he will play under his entry level contract, which pays him $925,000 per year.
Injuries cut van Riemsdyk’s regular season short after just 18 games, when a kneecap injury sidelined him. He hurt his wrist during a rehab stint with the Rockford IceHogs, but he was able to heal up enough to play in four Stanley Cup Final games and have his name etched on the historic trophy when the Blackhawks won the series in six games.
As of right now, the Blackhawks have only five defensemen under contract for next season, with van Riemsdyk’s ELC pushing the team over the salary cap by around $2.6 million. The team will surely make some moves to help bolster that depth (as well as trim back on the number of forwards on the roster), but it’s clear that van Riemsdyk will play a bigger role for the team during the 2015-16 season.
