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Hjalmarsson agrees to five-year, $20.5 million extension with Chicago

Niklas Hjalmarsson

Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 17, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (June 16, 2013 - Source: Harry How/Getty Images North America)

Niklas Hjalmarsson has already won the Stanley Cup twice with the Chicago Blackhawks and the team wants to keep him around as they try to become a modern dynasty. That’s the backdrop as the Blackhawks announced that Hjalmarsson has agreed to a five-year extension.

According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is for $20.5 million with a $4.1 million average annual value.

Hjalmarsson still has one season at $3.5 million left on his old deal, so he’s now locked up through the 2018-19 campaign. Although he’s never recorded more than 17 points in a single season, Hjalmarsson is a solid defender who’s willing to sacrifice his body by blocking shots. He averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of his last two campaigns.

The 26-year-old defenseman becomes the sixth Chicago Blackhawks player signed through at least 2016-17. Forwards Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, and Bryan Bickell as well as fellow blueliner Duncan Keith are also on that list. Recently goaltender Corey Crawford joined them with a six-year, $36 million extension.

Chicago is in a potentially tricky spot from a cap perspective. With Hjalmarsson signed, they now have about $36.6 million in cap space dedicated to just seven players in 2015-16 and that doesn’t include Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane as both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2015.

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