Brandon Bollig has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $3.75 million with the Chicago Blackhawks, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but now that he’s locked up, Chicago only has four players on its active roster that are still eligible to leave the team on July 1. Although the Blackhawks have made some trades since winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in four campaigns, their primary focus has been on keeping their current core intact.
Bollig is a late bloomer, playing in his first full NHL season at the age of 27. He has just 12 points in 62 games, but leads the team with 138 hits.
With Bollig signed, Chicago has a little over $65.1 million committed to 17 players for the 2014-15, per Cap Geek. With all their major players signed through next season, that’s not much of a concern, but it still means that they’re unlikely to make a big splash during the free agent period this summer.