Blackhawks Sign Defenseman Madison Bowey

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Madison Bowey to a two-year contract.

The first year of the deal is a two-way contract with a $725K cap hit ($700,000 NHL/$200,000 AHL), and the second year is a one-way deal worth $750K. After the signing, the Blackhawks placed Bowey on waivers to complete the deal, as their intention is likely to assign him to the taxi squad or the AHL Rockford IceHogs.

The 25-year-old blueliner was a 2013 second-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals. He played most of the 2017-18 season in Washington before a trade sent him to the Detroit Red Wings. Bowey has recorded five goals and 34 assists in 154 career NHL games over parts of three seasons with the Capitals and Red Wings.

With Adam Boqvist on the shelf for the time being and a rotation of young defensemen seeing time this season, Bowey is a depth signing with NHL experience who will bolster the IceHogs’ blue line and the Blackhawks’ if needed. While there are a plethora of young defensemen already in the Blackhawks pipeline vying for ice time, the unpredictability of the 2021 NHL season due to COVID-19 opens the door for such a transaction. “You can never have too much depth” is likely the thought process at play here.