Blackhawks Sign Forward to Extension

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Reese Johnson to a two-year contract extension. It will carry a cap hit of $800,000.

After appearing in his five games with Chicago last season, Johnson has been given more chances this go around. In 28 games on the season, he has one goal and five assists. Although he is the most dominant of players offensively, he provides a lot of value when it comes to his physical style of play. This is made apparent by his whopping 111 hit this campaign.

With the Blackhawks rebuilding, Johnson's in a good position to try to cement himself as a bottom-six forward at the NHL level. It's always good for an NHL team to have some sandpaper, and that's exactly what the Saskatchewan-native will provide.

It will be intriguing to see how Johnson responds to this contract extension from here.