Blackhawks sign goaltender Dylan Wells to one-year contract

After Alex Stalock was injured in a collision with New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas on Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks have signed goaltender Dylan Wells to a one-year contract worth $750,000.

Wells, 24, had previously been on an AHL deal with the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago’s affiliate. Selected 123rd overall by Edmonton during the 2016 NHL Draft, Wells has mainly bounced around between the AHL and ECHL throughout his career. He occasionally served as a backup for the Oilers but never got into NHL duty.

He has a 1-1-0 record in three games with a .862 save percentage. Wells had played 25 AHL games over six seasons, boasting an 8-12-3 record with one shutout and a .894 save percentage.

There hasn’t been an update on Stalock’s status as of the time of publication, but he didn’t finish the end of Chicago’s meeting with the Islanders. Petr Mrazek has been practicing with the team after suffering a groin injury late last month. Arvid Soderblom will likely serve as Chicago’s starting goalie in the meantime, while Wells will act as backup until Mrazek returns. Mrazek has been practicing with the Blackhawks recently, so that return might not take much longer.

In Wells’ case, he’s there to make sure the team has enough goalies until one, or both, are back. If Wells were to play, he’d be the fourth goaltender to play for the team in a month.

The Blackhawks sit fourth in the Central Division with a 4-4-2 record but have lost the past four games. Despite that, Stalock was proving to be a valuable addition to the Blackhawks after missing most of the past two years due to heart issues. If his injury is long-term, he’ll be dearly missed in Chicago’s lineup.