Blackhawks Sign Johnny Oduya to Three-Year Deal

The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Tuesday that they have signed defenseman Johnny Oduya to a three-year contract extension worth $10.125 million.  The deal will average out to $3.375 million per season.  He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer.  He was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets on February 27 in exchange for a second and third round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft.  In 81 games this past season with Winnipeg and Chicago, he had three goals and 15 assists for 18 points.  This is an okay signing for the Blackhawks, as Oduya has some mobility and shutdown skill.  However, almost $3.5 million is a bit much for a defenseman who turns over the puck a little too much and will likely play a third-pairing role on the team.  The Blackhawks probably could have found a much better alternative on the free agent market this summer.

Blackhawks Acquire Johnny Oduya from Jets

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have acquired defenseman Johnny Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets for a second and a third round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft. In 63 games so far this season, he has two goals and 11 assists for 13 points. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. The Blackhawks were desperate for some defensive depth and they got it in Oduya. He's a very mobile defenseman who can play a shutdown role and can add some grit to his game when needed. Chicago paid a steep price to land him, but they needed to add some defensive depth to their struggling blueline. As for the Jets, Oduya had pretty much been replaced when they plucked Grant Clitsome off waivers earlier in the day. While Clitsome isn't as good as Oduya, the acquisition of the draft picks made it a great move for Winnipeg.

Thrashers Trade Kovalchuk to Devils

The Atlanta Thrashers have finally parted ways with superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. The team has traded the left winger along with defenseman Anssi Salmela to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Johnny Oduya, right wing Niclas Bergfors, prospect center Patrice Cormier, and the Devils' first round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. The teams also swapped second round draft picks in 2010 as well. Kovalchuk became the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks when it was reported he had turned down a multi-year contract extension from the Thrashers. He is in the final year of his current contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1.

In 49 games this season with the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has 31 goals and 27 assists for 58 points. Salmela, who will begin his second stint with the Devils, has played in 29 games this season with the Thrashers, scoring one goal and four assists for five points. The Devils traded the Finnish defenseman to the Thrashers last March for defenseman Niclas Havelid. Oduya has played in 40 games this season with the Devils, scoring two goals and two assists for four points. He missed 15 games earlier in the season with a groin injury. In 54 games this season with the Devils, Bergfors has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. Cormier, who has no NHL experience, had been playing with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL until he was recently suspended for the remainder of the season after delivering a vicious elbow to the head of Quebec Remparts' Mikael Tam.

It's a shame to see the Thrashers cut ties with a player as talented as Kovalchuk, but they sure didn't get a good return for their franchise forward. Sure, the Thrashers were not going to get a player in return comparable to Kovalchuk, but they probably could have gotten a player or two with a little bit more offensive production than they got. Oduya on the other hand, should be a good addition to the Thrashers' blueline. He does have some offensive skill and should mesh well with Atlanta's other defensemen, but his production will hardly replace that of Kovalchuk. Bergfors does possess some offensive skill and has shown a knack for scoring goals in his rookie season, but like Oduya, his offensive skill will not replace Kovalchuk's. Bergfors will likely be a second-line forward at best. Cormier was considered to be one of the Devil's top prospects and could develop into a physical, scoring forward one day, but that remains to be seen.

This move is a good one for the Devils, who have added one of the most dynamic scorers in the league and should help spark their recently sluggish offense. Plus, this trade will likely make the Devils one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season. If this move does not pan out for the Devils and Kovalchuk leaves via unrestricted free agency, the return will not be a significant loss to the team given their depth in prospects. As for the Thrashers, this trade likely won't sit well with the fan base. This is another lousy move from a team that is starting to develop a history of making bad trades, and many fans may abandon the franchise because of this. Only time will tell if the return for Kovalchuk will help the franchise out in any way, but I have to say, the Thrashers got screwed big time on this trade.

Devils Sign Defenseman Johnny Oduya to Three-Year Contract Extension

The New Jersey Devils locked-up an important piece of their future on Tuesday by signing defenseman Johnny Oduya to a three-year contract extension worth $9 million. The deal averages out to $3 million per season. He would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and would have surely attracted plenty of interest from other teams. In all 82 games last season, Oduya scored seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points. In three seasons, all with the Devils, he has appeared in 233 games, scoring 15 goals and 51 assists for 66 points. This is an excellent signing for the Devils, as Oduya has lots of offensive potential on the blueline and great skills on the power play. His numbers have improved every season since he was a rookie, and if his numbers keep increasing, not only will his $3 million per season will make him a bargain top-four defenseman, it will keep him in a Devils uniform for many years to come.