Chicago Blackhawks Make Fantastic Move Bringing Back Johnny Oduya

The Chicago Blackhawks have added a familiar face back to their roster, they acquired Defensemen Johnny Oduya in a trade Tuesday night with the Dallas Stars.

Welcome back to the Chicago Blackhawks Johnny Oduya. The defensemen played with the Blackhawks from 2012-2015 winning two Stanley Cups. After the 2015 championship run Oduya found himself highly coveted by many teams. He decided to sign a free agent contract with the Dallas Stars.

Oduya never really found his place in Dallas. Fighting with injuries and a playing style that didn’t really fit his type of game. With the Blackhawks needing to add depth to their defensive front, personally I love the move. Yes, Oduya is 35-years-old and not exactly in his prime. However, thee is such a familiarity here for both sides. Oduya already knows what is expected of him from Coach Q and the Blackhawks know what he can give them.

Perhaps the biggest take away from this trade is the fact that Dallas will retain 50% of Oduya’s, contract meaning the Blackhawks will only owe just over $1 million. The Blackhawks will also send center Mark McNeill and a conditional 4th round pick to Dallas.

Given that Oduya is 35 years old and coming off an ankle injury, Hawk fans shouldn’t expect to see the Oduya of old. But that shouldn’t stop them from being excited to see Oduya dawn the Blackhawk sweater again.

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Oduya is a perfect fit for the way the Chicago Blackhawks play. He is a good defenseman with an offensive mentality. He has no issue throwing his body in front of a puck and taking one for the team. This trade couldn’t have come at a better time with Niklas Hjalmarsson being injured last week and potentially being out another week, and with defenseman Trevor vanRiemsdyk struggling as of late.

I look for Oduya to jump right into the lineup perhaps paired with Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook for the first few games until Hjalmarsson can get back healthy. I also look for Oduya to make an instant impact when he jumps into the lineup. He may not put up points right away but players like Oduya impact the game in other ways than scoring goals. Strong defense and puck awareness are underrated assets of Oduya’s game.

Did the Blackhawks land a huge name player that instantly shoots them to favorites? No, but I don’t think that is what was needed with this team. The Chicago Blackhawks are built around their key players Kane, Toews etc. In my opinion they didn’t need to make a huge splash. They needed to add some depth and that’s exactly what Oduya brings to the team; depth and experience. You cannot teach experience when it come to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Next: Grading Both Teams in Oduya Trade

Welcome back to the Chicago Blackhawks Johnny Oduya! Help bring another Stanley Cup back to the Windy City.