Chicago Blackhawks: Learning about Matej Chalupa
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Matej Chalupa to a two-year deal.
Everybody loves a good Chalupa. The Chicago Blackhawks concur clearly because they signed forward Matej Chalupa to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $925,000. He is from the Czech Republic and he is coming off a year in their top professional league. In 50 games played for the HK Hradec Kralove, he had seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points. At 21 years old, it is fair to wonder what he might be able to bring at the NHL level.
Those 17 assists were tied for the team lead and he was fourth on the team in total scoring. He now makes his way over to North America in order to try and pursue his dream of playing in the National Hockey League. He is set to play with one of the Rockford Ice Hogs or Chicago Blackhawks, depending on how he plays in camp and preseason for Chicago.
He is still a young forward with a lot of promise and if he can come in and be a solid middle-six forward for Chicago it would be a great deal. He was teammates with Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik in the Czech Republic a few years ago so there is enough familiarity with someone in the organization to make him comfortable.
Kubalik came into the NHL with mixed expectations and was one of the league’s best rookies. He probably won’t win the Calder Trophy but he is going to get some top-three votes for sure. If Chalupa is able to recreate that, it would be really nice for the Blackhawks forward group. They have a lot of players that can score so if he can come in and join them it would go a long way in their chances to win.
Hot. Would the Blackhawks be better off in the lottery?. light
They need help on defense still but Chalupa is on a cheap deal for two years so they might be able to take that money and move it towards a position of need. Either way, this is a nice pickup for the Hawks and it is a good deal for a guy trying to make his way in the best league in the world.