Blackhawks: Signing Tyler Ennis

The Blackhawks need to look for low risk, high reward options this off-season. Looking into an almost perfect candidate: Tyler Ennis. Ennis is a 32 year old right winger most commonly known for his ability to play a middle six role, and prove himself to be useful offensively when called upon. With the Senators this past season, Ennis put up 24 points in 57 games played, and currently has exactly 700 games of NHL experience under his belt. Similar to Vesey who was the topic of the previous article, Ennis is a guy that has played for rebuilding teams and knows his role well.

Standing at 5'9, 180, Ennis is a speedster that has a complete 200 foot game. Insiders around the NHL believe Ennis will test free agency this off-season, and the Senators won't offer him a new contract. The former first round picks price tag would likely be in the $750-900k per season range, and on that cheap of a contract he becomes the perfect candidate for the Blackhawks.

If Ennis pans out and finds a new gear with the Blackhawks, he could become a vital part of the teams future. As a veteran, Ennis knows the game inside and out. While providing much needed leadership in the organization, Ennis will produce on the ice as well. A guy like him, putting up 30-40 points a season in the bottom 6 is something every team will be hunting for this summer, but Ennis and the Blackhawks both benefit from a contract. The Blackhawks gain depth with a low risk project, and Ennis gets an opportunity to prove why he deserves to stay around in the NHL. If it doesn't pan out for him, he has a season or two to prove to the rest of the NHL that he still has a scoring touch, and will earn himself a new contract elsewhere.