After five seasons apart following the 2010 Stanley Cup victory, the Chicago Blackhawks and Brian Campbell are finally reunited.
The team traded Campbell to the Florida Panthers in a move that was widely accepted as a cap-crunch maneuver following their Cup victory. With the Stanley Cup window still wide open for Chicago, and Campbell wanting another Cup win under his belt, the marriage between the two seemed inevitable.
The one-year deal will see Campbell earn $2 million for the 2016-17 season. While Campbell himself believes he has enough left in the tank to play past next season, he’s made it clear that he is taking the rest of his career one step at a time, per the Chicago Tribune.
“I feel like I’m going to play more than one year, but I don’t want to (sign) anything and not be happy with it. I still have a lot of desire. I’m not chasing money. If I can keep playing then I’ll keep playing. I want to be happy.” – Brian Campbell
A veteran of over 15 seasons, the 37-year-old Campbell is still a very capable player in the NHL. Known as a puck-mover, Campbell has compiled 82 goals and 405 assists for 487 points in 1,002 career games. Last season, the left-shot defenseman had six goals and 25 assists for 31 points with Florida and is very capable of playing in a top-four role for Chicago next year.
The durable, puck-moving defenseman has 82 goals and 405 assists in 1,002 career games with the Sabres, Sharks, Hawks and Panthers. He had six goals and 25 assists during the 2015-16 season with Florida and is very capable of playing in a top-four role for Chicago next year. It is likely that Campbell will be reunited with former defensive partner Niklas Hjalmarsson on the ‘Hawks second pairing.