The Chicago Blackhawks bring back a familiar face in Teuvo Teravainen

A familiar face is returning to Chicago. According to PuckPedia and Chris Johnston, the Blackhawks are signing forward Teuvo Teravainen to a three year contract with a $5.4 million AAV.

Teravainen won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in his rookie season in 2015. After a successful sophomore campaign, he was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes to offload Bryan Bickell’s contract. He then blossomed into a bonafide top-six forward.

Last season, Teravainen notched 25 goals (the highest total of his career) and 53 points while contributing six points in 11 playoff games. Overall, in 555 games in Raleigh, he tallied 128 goals and 415 points.

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson wanted to improve his team this offseason, and he has done just that. In the past week, he has added Ilya Mikheyev, Tyler Bertuzzi, and now Teravainen to his top-nine forward group, making it incredibly more dangerous than it was last season.

The financials of this contract are also a win for Davidson. He didn’t give out too much term to a 29-year-old player (three years) and kept the cap hit under $6 million. Furthermore, Teravainen is capable of playing anywhere in the top nine thanks to his strong two-way game. He can light up opponents riding shotgun with Connor Bedard, or he can play alongside Frank Nazar or Landon Slaggert and show them how to succeed in the NHL.

Hawks fans always lamented giving up a young Teravainen as they watched him thrive in Carolina. Now he’s back as a veteran, hoping to bring the team that drafted him 12 years ago back to the playoffs.