Blackhawks bring back Gustafsson on 1-year pact

The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing back a familiar face, signing defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $800,000 contract on Monday.

Gustafsson spent parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks until they traded him as a rental to the Calgary Flames at the 2020 deadline. He put together a career-best 17-goal, 60-point campaign in 2018-19 while quarterbacking Chicago's top power-play unit.

The 29-year-old hasn't been able to uncover that same offensive spark since then. He recorded 29 points in 66 games in 2019-20 before tallying just one goal and 11 assists in 29 contests last season while playing limited minutes with the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

Gustafsson suited up in 16 games during Montreal's run to the Stanley Cup Final this past spring, registering a goal and two assists while averaging 10 minutes per contest.

He spent this preseason on a professional tryout with the New York Islanders but didn't make the team.

The Blackhawks were in need of depth on the left side of their blue line after offseason acquisition Caleb Jones suffered a left wrist strain, which is expected to sideline him for six weeks.

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