Chicago Blackhawks: Players who ended in weird spots like Tom Brady

Beyond Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks didn’t have the center depth that other Stanley Cup contenders normally do but bringing in Brad Richards was a huge upgrade to that second line. He was very good in the middle of Patrick Kane and Brad Richards during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. He came to the Blackhawks in the second to last year of his career which was weird to see. Seeing him play for the Detroit Red Wings the following year was even more strange.

That is because he spent multiple years with a few other teams before Chicago. He was an integral part of the Tampa Bay Lightning early in his career. He formed a great core with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier that was able to win the Stanley Cup in 2004. He also had some really good years with the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers.

Richards is a little bit different than the other players on this list because he had a few more stops along the way but seeing him be great with Chicago was a bit strange nonetheless. It was clearly the right move, however, because he was a great second-line center on a Stanley Cup Champion. He made “the no-look pass” to Patrick Kane to seal game six against his old team in Tampa Bay. That allowed him to raise the Cup one last time late in his career.