Quite the day in the Windy City.
Not long after a noteworthy trade -- sending Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina -- the Blackhawks announced they re-signed Richard Panik to a one-year deal.
Financial terms have yet to be disclosed.
Panik, 25, was acquired in a mid-season deal with Toronto and fared well upon joining the ‘Hawks, scoring eight points in 30 regular season games, and three in six playoff contests.
Based on GM Stan Bowman’s comments last month, it was clear Chicago valued Panik and wanted to keep him in the fold.
“Can play right wing or left wing, and he’s played on the first line, third line, fourth line because he’s got some versatility to his game, which is what we like,” Bowman explained, to the Athletic. “He’s got a great skill set. He’s fast. He’s strong. He’s competitive. He’s physical. So now we’re just looking for him to put it all together on a consistent basis.
“Because when he brings his best game, he’s a dominant player.”
Panik showed flashes of his potential late in the campaign and again in the postseason. He benefited from being thrown into a good situation on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, a trio Joel Quenneville went to a few times in the playoffs.
It’s probably worth noting Panik, who was set to become a restricted free agent, had an uptick at the tail end of a contract year. His one-year, $975,000 deal was set to expire on July 1.