The Chicago Blackhawks make it multiple Coles as they have signed Ian Cole to a one-year deal. This will come with a one-time cap hit of $4 million. He can earn up to $4.74 million with performance bonuses. 

Cole is a defensive defenseman who will bring a veteran presence to a young group that ended last season with one of the youngest defenses in the history of the NHL. Multiple Frozen Four college teams had older defenses by average age. 

Ian Cole is 36 years old, and he will turn 37 in February. He has had quite the NHL career, including two Stanley Cups during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Blackhawks will be his 10th NHL team, as he has hopped around a lot since leaving the St. Louis Blues in 2014-15. Along the way, he has played with some of the game's best, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov, amongst others. 

That type of experience will help the young Blackhawks, who are looking to improve in the standings during the 2026-27 season. 

In Ian Cole, you're going to get a solid defensive player who can make a good pass and chip in 3-5 goals a season. He played in all 82 games for the Utah Mammoth in 2025-26, and he had 3 goals and 20 assists for 23 goals on a good playoff-bound team.

Cole will play in his 1000th NHL game early with the Blackhawks, as he has 990 career games played. In those games, he has 38 goals and 195 assists for 233 points. For being a defensive defenseman, it's not horrible offensive production. 

If the Blackhawks are well out of it by the trade deadline, you may see them flip Cole for assets that will help them in the draft. If not, he'd be a great veteran to have in the locker room during meaningful games down the stretch. 

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