June 29--The Blackhawks made a move Monday to shore up their blue line before free agency begins Wednesday.
The Blackhawks and David Rundblad, who would've been a restricted free agent, agreed to a two-year deal, the team announced.
Rundblad's deal comes with a reported salary-cap hit of about $1 million per season.
The Blackhawks are looking for depth on the cheap in their defense corps given their impending salary-cap crunch and since both Johnny Oduya and Michal Rozsival are unrestricted free agents.
Rundblad, 24, tallied 14 points in 49 games last season. Rundblad also made five appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Blackhawks have two other restricted free agents they'd like to lock up before free agency begins: Brandon Saad and center Marcus Kruger.
General manager Stan Bowman said Saturday he was going to "dive into" talks with Saad and Kruger after last weekend's entry draft.
