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Blackhawks Add Veteran Defenseman Ian Cole On One-Year Contract
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- Blackhawks Add Veteran Defenseman Ian Cole On One-Year Contract
Blackhawks Add Veteran Defenseman Ian Cole On One-Year Contract
With their second free-agent signing of the day, the Chicago Blackhawks have added veteran left-handed defenseman Ian Cole on a one-year deal with a $4.75 million cap hit, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
Cole, 37, recorded 23 points (3G, 20A) in 82 games for the Utah Mammoth in the 2025-26 season, impressively the third-highest point total of his 16-year career. He's a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, with 990 games of NHL experience.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan native was a first-round pick (No. 18 overall) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Draft. He first cracked the NHL with the Blues in 2010-11 and has since spent time with Penguins (2015-2017), Columbus Blue Jackets (2018), Colorado Avalanche (2018-2020), Minnesota Wild (2020-21), Carolina Hurricanes (2021-22), Tampa Bay Lightning (2022-23), Vancouver Canucks (2023-24), and most recently, the Mammoth over the last two years.
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Cole is coming off a more than respectable 2025-26 campaign as a 36/37-year-old, proving he's still a somewhat capable puck-moving defenseman at this stage. He's also still reliable in the defensive zone as a third-pairing player, which will likely be his role with the Blackhawks next season.
With Connor Murphy no longer around as the elder veteran of the blue line, the Blackhawks wisely added an experienced depth piece here in Cole. It's a low-risk, high-upside one-year contract, while Cole additionally provides more size and physicality to the defensive corps. At 6-foot-1 and 237 pounds, Cole has a formidable frame and has dished out over 100 hits in three of the last five seasons.
Like Cole Smith , who signed shortly ahead of him, Cole fills multiple needs for the Blackhawks in 2026-27.
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The post Blackhawks Add Veteran Defenseman Ian Cole On One-Year Contract appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
