Veteran defenseman Michal Rozsíval will again play for the Chicago Blackhawks in the upcoming season as he agreed to a one-year deal with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Rozsíval's new deal is worth $600,000 and can have an additional $200,000 in bonuses, according to ESPN.
Last season, Rozsíval played in 65 regular season games and tallied 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 17:01 minutes of ice time per contest.
The 37-year-old defenseman is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and there is still no timetable for his return.
Although NHL.com reported that Rozsíval is already skating lightly but is not participating in scrimmages.
"It was a tough ending to my season last year. But it was a great ending for the organization and for the whole city of Chicago," Rozsíval said, according to the league's website.
"It was definitely on my mind all summer long that I definitely wanted to be back in Chicago for this year again," he added, also stating that the amount of his contract does not matter.
Meanwhile, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said the signing of Rozsíval assures the team another experienced player whom they are comfortable with in any situation.
"It's reliability, and obviously we kind of missed some important minutes without him there in some key situations in the playoffs last year. [It's] nice having him back and giving us some depth," Quenneville also said.
In his 14-year career in the National Hockey League (NHL), Rozsíval has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and the then Phoenix Coyotes before joining the Blackhawks.
In the upcoming 2015–16 season, he will try to help Chicago win another Stanley Cup, which would then be the team's fourth in seven seasons.
Last season's Stanley Cup victory was the third for the Blackhawks in the past six seasons.
