Today, the Blackhawks did exactly what any halfwit would have expected. They made two small splashes. One move was made to add to the team, and another to clear up a roster spot for the first. First of all, the Hawks traded two draft picks to former Assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets, for 30 year old Johnny Oduya. The second move was Bowman trading John Scott to the New York Rangers for a 5th round draft pick.
Do these moves fix all the problems that the Blackhawks have? Absolutely not, but the Oduya move addresses the Hawks biggest hole, which was on defense. Based on what was available, they probably got the best option on the market, to fit their needs. Not an ideal choice, but with the recent re-signings, there was a seriously depleted talent pool. In acquiring Oduya, they were carrying too many defensemen on their roster, and felt that keeping Dylan Olsen in the NHL and Sami Lepisto on the roster were in their best interest. That lead to the John Scott deal.
Johnny Oduya is a 30 year old, 6’0” 200lb, lefthanded defenseman from Sweden that will wear #27 for the Blackhawks, and probably debut Wednesday night against the Leafs. He was originally brought up in the strong New Jersey Devils system, and traded to Atlanta/Winnipeg, was part of the infamous Ilya Kovalchuk deal, in February of 2010. He has two 25+ point season for the Devils, so behind the right team, he can contribute offensively. The Blackhawks acquired him for 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2013.
He is regarded as a great skater, which is not to be confused with FAST SKATER. He’s strong on his skates, and has good balance. This means you won’t see him tripping over his own feet or getting turned around like a top. He is younger and probably a better skater than both Montador and O'Donnell. He will probably be the injury replacement for Montador, to begin with. If Montador makes it back this season, he'll somehow push O'Donnell and Lepisto back down to the #8 and #9 guys, or possibly push Olsen back to Rockford. This is a good move, but not a great move, and purely a rental, because Oduya is an UFA at the season's end. No one knows just how this one will turn out until the draft of 2013. Right now, it's low risk, and possible high reward.
The John Scott experiment has ended in Chicago. He was sent to the New York Rangers for a 5th round draft pick in this year's draft. For as many people that wanted him off the ice, they didn't necessarily want him gone. He was a good locker room guy, and his teammates loved him. The problem is that he is a terrible hockey player, but a talented face tenderizer. Maybe one of the worst hockey playing enforcers in recent memory. When he fought, he did is exceptionally, but there was no way around putting him on the ice to actually play hockey. People would argue that just the his mere presence would scare the bejesus out of the other team, and I would vehemently disagree. He was a clown; a sideshow act. He fought at the wrong times, took stupid penalties, and forced other players to incur extra ice time, because he was barely worthy of stepping on the ice. That's the cold hard truth.
BUT, alas, he is gone to the city that welcomed King Kong, and the Sultan of Swat. Surely, they will welcome the Big Slow. Maybe they are hoping he will be able to fill the big shoes left by the unfortunate death of Derek Boogaard. He may just fit right into that spot, because he is quite similar in stature and personality. Good luck in New York, John. Honestly and Sincerely.
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