The Chicago Blackhawks have come to terms on a contract with free agent forward Ryan Carpenter. The deal will run for three seasons at a $1,000,000 average annual value. The move was announced by the Blackhawks shortly after the free agency window opened.
Right on, Ryan!
Forward Ryan Carpenter has signed a 3-year deal that runs through the 2021-22 season ($1,000,000 AAV). pic.twitter.com/hCTa1qsJZT
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 1, 2019
Ryan Carpenter Signs in Chicago
Carpenter, a 28-year-old forward, first broke into the league with the San Jose Sharks after a successful career at Bowling Green State University. He played sparingly with the Sharks but was an important cog for their AHL team. After playing 28 games over three seasons in San Jose, Carpenter joined fellow Bowling Green alumnus, general manager George McPhee, with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Florida native found an increased role with the Golden Knights, playing in 36 regular season, and 17 playoffs games. He then became a regular part of Vegas’ bottom six, playing 68 games, despite an injury in early February, in 2018-19. Though he only scored 18 points, he did so averaging just 12:37 of time on ice.
Carpenter has shown some ability to carry the play in possession as well. The forward logged a 58.1% Corsi for rate in 2018-19. He also logged an expected +4.2 goal differential over the course of the season. Carpenter primarily plays the center position so this possession driving trait is particularly important.
Outlook
The addition of Carpenter should be a solid pickup for the Blackhawks. Though they drafted Kirby Dach at #3 overall, the center position is still relatively weak in Chicago. Carpenter is a consistent and solid enough player that he could help to solidify the pivot position in Chicago in a bottom six role. $1,000,000 per year is not much risk to take, and Carpenter should easily be able to match output to that value. With an increased role, Carpenter may even be able to far exceed expectations.
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