Welcome Back Kotter!!!  The Black Hawks make a move before the trade deadline and welcome back former teammate, Johnny Oduya, back in the fold. The Blackhawks sent prospect Mark McNeil and a couple draft picks to the Dallas Stars to acquire Oduya.  Johnny has only played 37 games this year due to some injuries. He has only scored one goal while tallying six assists this year when he’s been on the ice.

They say defense wins championships in sports and the Hawks bring back a guy that helped them win the cup in 2013 and 2015. It’s not a splashy move, but it’s a solid move that will strengthen the defense. In the past, the Hawks went to the playoffs very thin on the defensive front. These moves give you depth at that position and this might be a year they are the strongest at that position.

With the Blackhawks salary cap, it is very hard to make a huge deal. Stan Bowman has went down this road before, last year by trading for former Blackhawk, Andrew Ladd. That deal did not make or break the Hawks. But they probably thought they might catch lightning in a bottle and get more production out of Ladd.  The Blackhawks have solid goaltending. They have plenty of offensive fire power as well. This move will improve the whole team.

Oduya is a great teammate. He is a scrappy player that does all the little things that are not in the stat book at the end of the game. He might only be a rental player, but if he helps you snag another cup, it will be worth it. What I love about the move is he already has chemistry with the core players on the team. I think he did not want to leave the team when he became a free agent a few seasons ago. I think the Hawks wanted him, but with the salary cap the way it is, they could not afford him. This season has been a down year for him, dealing with injuries. Now being traded to a team that has a chance to win the cup. Plus a team you have played on for several years. That will give somebody a different mind set and it can give the Blackhawks more energy to continue the red hot streak they already on.