The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Jacob Nilsson to a one-year contract extension. Nilsson current deal was scheduled to expire in July and make him a restricted free agent, something that will now be delayed until 2020. The forward will earn $700K next season on the one-way contract.
Nilsson, 25, signed with the Blackhawks last spring after a successful rookie season in the SHL, but ended up playing in the minor leagues for most of the year. In 61 games with the Rockford IceHogs he recorded 32 points and apparently did enough to earn another contract. The versatile forward was undrafted and spent several years playing in Sweden’s second league, now looking like the classic late-bloomer.
In his two games with Chicago he failed to register a point. Next season he will be waiver eligible, meaning if the team wants him to spend time in the minor leagues again they’ll have to make him available for the rest of the league. That will likely be at the end of training camp when rosters are fullest, as they try to sneak him through. That is of course unless the team believes he can be a full-time contributor at the NHL level in 2019-20.