Two restricted free agents for the Blackhawks who were given qualifying offers in June have decided to sign new deals for the next campaign.
The organization announced on Monday morning that young defensemen Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier have officially returned to the squad after agreeing to one-year contracts.
Both defensemen signed two-way contracts worth $775,000 in June, shortly before free agency opened, and received qualifying offers, meaning they were still under team control.
During the 2023–24 NHL season, Phillips, 22, and Crevier, 23, shared time between Chicago and Rockford. Throughout his 33 NHL games, Phillips averaged 17:04 of ice time and six assists. Additionally, he scored 14 points in 29 games with the IceHogs (4 G, 10 A). During the previous season, Crevier made his NHL debut, appearing in 24 games with three points (all assists) and an average ice time of 15:41. 41 AHL games yielded 11 points (3 G, 8 A).
However, both will have an uphill struggle to get NHL play in the following season. The Blackhawks signed veteran blue-liners Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie during free agency, and they also added No. 2 overall pick Artyom Levshunov to their roster during this year’s draft. When you combine returning IceHogs skaters Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro with other blue-line prospects like Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser who saw NHL action last season, the Chicago defense corps suddenly appears incredibly crowded. No matter the organizational level at which it takes place, there should be healthy competition for ice time come training camp since spots in Rockford are not always guaranteed.
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