Blackhawks, van Riemsdyk agree to 2-year extension

The Blackhawks came to terms on a two-year contract extension with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on Tuesday.

The deal, which runs through the 2017-18 season, is worth a reported $1.65 million, which means it carries a salary cap hit of $825,000. Van Riemsdyk, 23, is set to make $925,000 in 2015-16, which included a $92,500 signing bonus.

An undrafted rookie, van Riemsdyk played in the Hawks' first 18 regular-season games before injuries kept him off the NHL ice until Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. He played in the final four games of the Final, averaging 7:02 of ice time.

The Hawks continue to try to re-sign restricted free-agent forward Marcus Kruger and unrestricted free-agent defenseman Johnny Oduya. Being able to sign one or both of those players will necessitate general manager Stan Bowman moving at least one higher-salaried player such as Patrick Sharp, Bryan Bickell or Kris Versteeg.