Chicago Blackhawks, Daniel Carcillo agree on two-year contract extension -NHL Update
Chicago Blackhawks and veteran forward, Daniel Carcillo, came to mutual terms on Monday, March 12, 2012, as both stakeholders signed a two-year contract extension, boosting his previous salary considerably and locking him well through the 2013-2014 regular
season.
The contract is reported to be worth $1.65 million with an annual salary cap hit of $825,000.
Carcillo was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, but can now focus more on playing hockey instead of preparing to test the market after being picked up prior to this year.
The 27-year-old forward might not have played much this season, only 28 games, but has impressed the Chicago management enough to hold on to his job with the Blackhawks for two more years.
"I'm excited," Carcillo said Monday. "It was obviously my goal to have a great year here. That really didn't pan out with the injury. It was kind of out my control. I'm the happiest guy in Chicago to hear I'm coming back for another two years."
He has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) and 10 minutes in penalty time, which might not seem much for a forward player, but Carcillo was not acquired for scoring in the first place.
Chicago was bent on grabbing a physically tough player during the 2011 offseason and Carcillo seemed like the perfect candidate for the position. Using him during crucial penalties to kill the power play has been his job description ever since and Carcillo
seems to have fit the role well.
The physical play of Carcillo also gave him a few suspensions during his career including an incident during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Philadelphia Flyers, which is something Chicago obviously likes.
“He’s the type of player that we need and have been looking for,” assistant GM, Marc Bergevin, said. “Since he’s been hurt, we’ve been lacking that presence. He’s a great fit for our team. Once you let him go, you’re looking to replace a guy like that."
As the Chicago Blackhawks head towards an extremely competitive playoff season this time around, having Carcillo in front to tackle the opposition is the need of the moment for a Stanley Cup winning team.
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