CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year contract with Jason Dickinson, handing out another extension to a veteran forward.

Chicago announced the deal on Tuesday. It runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a salary-cap hit of $4.25 million.

“This is the place I want to be,” Dickinson said after the morning skate. “This takes the trade deadline out of play a little bit. It’s nice to be somewhere with a little continuity.”

The Blackhawks also finalized a new two-year contract with Nick Foligno last week. While the last-place team has struggled this season, Foligno and Dickinson have provided solid play on the ice and valuable leadership in the locker room.

The 28-year-old Dickinson has a career-high 14 goals in 43 games this season. He also has seven assists and ranks third on the team with 64 hits heading into Tuesday night's game against San Jose.

“Jason adds a unique two-way game to our lineup and his compete level is consistently strong every night,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a release. “He’s showing his offensive game this year, which has been a huge lift to our team. His leadership has been instrumental, and the impact has been evident around the room, particularly with our young guys."

Dickinson was acquired by Chicago in an October 2022 trade with Vancouver. He had nine goals and a career-best 21 assists in his first season with the Blackhawks.

“Things could turned out much different had I not been given the opportunity here,” Dickinson said. “I could have been struggling there still. I see something here; I see what’s down the line. I would love to be a part of that.”

The 6-foot-2 Dickinson was selected by Dallas in the first round of the 2013 draft and spent his first six seasons with the Stars. He has 53 goals and 72 assists in 404 career regular-season games.

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The Associated Press