Why Hawks are OK with burning first year of Reichel's ELC originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King confirmed that top prospect Lukas Reichel will play in his 10th NHL game on Saturday vs. Nashville, which means the first year of his three-year entry-level contract will be burned. If he played in nine or fewer, his contract would've started next season.
On the surface, it looks like a confusing decision because, in theory, you want to have a player on a cheap contract ($925,000 cap hit) for as long as possible, right? Yes ... if you're a Stanley Cup contender that's in win-now mode and up against the ceiling.
If you dig a little deeper, getting Reichel to his second contract quicker probably makes more sense for the Blackhawks because their window to legitimately compete isn't for at least another 3-4 years as they prepare for a rebuild, and that second contract should line up with the upward trajectory more-so than the first.
Reichel will now put together only two full NHL seasons before his next round of negotiations as opposed to three, which means his second contract will likely be a bridge deal at a manageable cap hit. He could've been in for a bigger payday if his entry-level contract slid and he strung together three full seasons.
Now, it should be noted that Reichel is gaining valuable experience by playing at the NHL level right now. There's no manipulation going on here, even though the plan is to send Reichel back to the AHL at some point to assist the Rockford IceHogs with their playoff push and postseason run.
The Anaheim Ducks handled Trevor Zegras' development similarly, contract situations aside. Zegras began the 2020-21 season in the AHL, was recalled by Anaheim at the end of February, sent back down in early April, called back up three and a half weeks later to play the final seven games with the Ducks, and then returned to the AHL, where he played the postseason.
Reichel has been a point-per-game player in the AHL, where he has 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) in 49 games. He has zero points through nine NHL games, but you have to wonder how much of that is a product of the overall state of the Blackhawks.
"He’s come, not a long way, but he’s come a little ways," King said of Reichel's performance at the NHL level. "I don’t think he’s quite ready. I mean, if you had him on a stronger team, that you could support him a lot better and hide him a little more, I think it’d be better for the kid. But we don’t have that luxury right now.
"So you’re putting a young kid in with young kids and they’re making mistakes. It doesn’t help. He’s going to be a hockey player. He’s got everything you want. He’s just light and he’s young."
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Blackhawks to Burn First Year of Lukas Reichel's Entry-Level Contract - NBC Chicago
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