The Chicago Blackhawks have given center Marcus Kruger a three-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. The deal carries a $9.25 million price tag, for a $3.08 million AAV, reports ESPN’s Craig Custance.
That’s a big extension for Kruger, who took a one-year, $1.5 million deal for this season with the ‘Hawks entering the season with some cap concerns. He remains a very valuable depth player, but the significant raise makes it apparent that this deal was close to a foregone conclusion, with Kruger only playing 33 games this season, collecting a single assist.
Kruger’s value is in his ability to play a significant depth role, absorbing lots of defensive zone starts and playing a strong defensive game that allows that kind of usage.
He remains on injured reserve since being placed there on Dec. 28. His initial timeline had him returning to game action at the end of the regular season.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
