The Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman David Rundblad have agreed to a two-year contract extension, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal includes an annual cap hit of $1 million and will keep Rundblad in Chicago through the 2016-17 season.
Rundblad, 24, was one of several Blackhawks hitting restricted free agency this summer along with Brandon Saad, Marcus Kruger and others. He's the first of that group to re-sign with Chicago, adding a dose of certainty to the team's blue line situation entering next season.
The Hawks need to find defensemen to fill out the roster behind Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson next season, and Rundblad will likely fill one of those spots now.