The Chicago Blackhawks have taken another pending unrestricted free agent off the board after already having signed Alex Vlasic, Lukas Reichel, and Brett Seney to contract extensions before the official start of the offseason. Today, the Blackhawks announced the organization has signed forward Zachary Sanford to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2024-25 NHL season.
For the second straight year, Sanford will have to settle for a two-way contract after signing a similar deal with the Arizona Coyotes last July. This time, Sanford will take a decrease in pay, earning a salary of $775K at the NHL compared to the $800K he was earning last season.
Even though he started the season with the Coyotes organization, Sanford found his way to Chicago after being claimed on waivers in early January. At the time, the Blackhawks were dealing with numerous injuries to their forward core, giving Sanford access to more playing time at the NHL level.
Strictly a depth piece at this point in his career, Sanford played adequately enough for a rebuilding Blackhawks team, tallying four assists with the team in 18 games. Outside of the NHL, Sanford was able to play a handful of games with Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, scoring three goals and six points in 13 games. Depending on the state of the Blackhawks’ forward core at the end of training camp next September, Sanford could earn a bottom-line role for opening night.