The Blackhawks have inked one of their more intriguing prospects, signing forward Landon Slaggert to a two-year, entry-level deal, per a team announcement. The deal, which begins immediately, carries a $912.5K cap hit, per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports.
As such, Slaggert will be eligible to make his NHL debut for Chicago down the stretch. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2020 and had his collegiate career with Notre Dame end yesterday after Michigan eliminated him and the Fighting Irish in the Big 10 Tournament. The South Bend, Indiana native ended his stint at Notre Dame with a 20-goal, 31-point showing in 36 games, both of which were career highs.
Slaggert is already decorated internationally, capturing the gold medal as a depth forward with Team USA at the 2021 World Juniors. He returned to the team for the 2022 tournament where he was among their best, posting six points in five games while serving as an alternate captain.
A speedy forward with decent size (6-foot, 190 lbs), Slaggert can play both wing and center but likely slots in at left wing at the NHL level. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler left Slaggert out of Chicago’s top 15 prospects in his latest pipeline ranking in February, while Dobber Prospects lists him as their fourth-best left-wing prospect. If he hits his long-term ceiling, he’s a good fit on a two-way third-line that can be relied upon for depth scoring and checking situations. He has a decent shot but will likely be most effective in the pros with his ability to create puck retrievals out of board battles.
Slaggert will be an RFA when his ELC expires in 2025.
Short contract but at least he’ll be a RFA when it ends. They’ll more than be able to match it in the end if he’s good.
Glad to see them lock him in to a deal to see what he can do. He’s earned it getting better year in and year out. He can absolutely replace any one of the many bottom six forwards the Hawks currently have on the roster at the moment and could provide them with some spark. I’m excited to see what he can do
Now hopefully Nazar and Michigan don’t make the Frozen Four so he can get the same kind of deal. Bring up Dach, and let those 3 guys get their feet wet.