July 01--With little money to spend, the Chicago Blackhawks have to think outside the box during NHL free agency, which began Wednesday morning.
Along those lines, the Blackhawks thought outside of the country when they inked 27-year-old winger Viktor Tikhonov to a one-year contract, according to his agent, Thomas Lynn. The deal is reportedly worth $1.04 million. Tikhonov was the Phoenix Coyotes' first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2008 draft and played in 61 games during which he had eight goals and eights assists.
The next season, Tikohonov began the season with the Coyotes' AHL affiliate and eventually headed to Russia to play in the KHL. He spent the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg and finished with eight goals and 16 assists in 49 games in ''14-15.
He is the grandson of legendary Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov.
