Chicago Blackhawks: Bringing back Andrew Shaw is different

The Chicago Blackhawks have brought back the mutt, but what is it that made the team decide they wanted to bring him back?

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a recent history of bringing back players that they once let go. The list is longer than you might think. Andrew Ladd, Johnny Oduya, Brian Campbell, Brandon Saad, and Patrick Sharp are a few examples. The recently traded to reacquire Andrew Shaw from the Montreal Canadiens.

Normally, bringing back former players is weird but this one feels different. Normally when guys come back, they’re older and less of a player than they once were. The same cannot be said for Andrew Shaw. He is coming off of a career year with the Canadiens. The Blackhawks also need a bit of what Shaw can bring in the dirty areas. His gritty game and enjoyment of getting under the skin of the opposition is something that the Blackhawks desperately need.

He had 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points last year with Montreal. That is great for a player that in Chicago, will likely play on all four lines at different points. He is one of the few players on this team that has the ability to do so. He is only 28 years old so you can still expect him to be on top of his game at this point in his career. He can also play center and wing, which is something that makes him valuable as well.

Andrew Shaw is also probably going to be a decent special teams player for the Blackhawks. He can kill penalties. He is also going to provide value on the power play. The Blackhawks man advantage was much better last year than in years before, but Shaw might provide a net-front presence for them. For a little guy, he can get to the hard to play in areas and create havoc. It depends if the coaching staff chose to use Shaw in this role on either unit, but he is there as an option.

Andrew Shaw is still a good player and his stats show it. He is also capable of contributing some offense as well as some of the other attributes that go unnoticed on score sheets. It will be so fun to have this guy back in Chicago on his personality alone as well. He is the type of guy that you would just consider “fun”. October cannot come soon enough.