Lukas Reichel will get at least two more years to reroute his career trajectory upward again.
The Blackhawks signed the young German forward to a new two-year contract Tuesday that will carry a $1.2 million salary-cap hit.
The salary is roughly what was expected — a raise, but only a slight one, over his $925,000 entry-level cap hit — after his disappointing 2023-24 season.
By making the contract for two years, however, it means the Hawks’ decision back in 2021 to burn a year of Reichel’s entry-level contract ended up mattering.
He would’ve otherwise been a restricted free agent next summer. Now, he’s locked up into 2026, when Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski and a host of other Hawks will also hit RFA status. It’s a positive indication that general manager Kyle Davidson’s unconventional strategy with that could end up being clever.
“It made sense to...show some trust in the player [by] not necessarily putting them on just a qualifying offer,” Davidson said. “But also building in some potential upside for us — where [if] he has a really good season, we’re not staring down the barrel of an arbitration case right after that.”
Reichel, who will turn 22 next week, tallied 16 points in 65 games during his first full NHL season, including 10 points in 50 games before a February stint back in the AHL and six points in 15 games after that.
His impressive natural skating ability flashed brilliantly at times, but he struggled confidence-wise for much of the winter, which held him back. His mindset did seem to improve over the course of the season, though.
“In this league, it’s tough to score or have chances,” Reichel said in April. “Even little plays, it’s not going to be perfect. It’s about how you react to mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes — even [Connor] McDavid and [Sidney] Crosby — but their reaction after that is important. I wasn’t good at it early in the season, but I feel like now I’m way better.”
After the Hawks’ season ended, Reichel tallied four points in four AHL playoff games for Rockford, but they nonetheless lost to Grand Rapids — the Red Wings’ affiliate — in the first round. That will allow him to play, after all, for Germany in the World Championships this month.
