Johnny Oduya is on his way out of Chicago as a casualty of the salary cap crunch.
PERISCOPE?! Not today.
BREAKING: #Stars sign D-man Johnny Oduya to a two-year contract. READ: http://t.co/TWAEKTLwPl pic.twitter.com/AGyly6B0e5
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 15, 2015
Age: 33, 2014-15 Cap Hit: $3.38 million
Oduya was a good candidate to get an inflated contract, and got a solid two-year $3.75 million deal from the Stars. That is just a little bit more than Trevor Daley‘s $3.3 million acquired in the Patrick Sharp deal, but when you’ve played a key role in winning two Stanley Cups in the last three years, it should come at no surprise.
Oduya started his career promisingly in New Jersey, scoring 26 points as a sophomore and setting a career high in points (29) the following season, before he was jettisoned to the purgatory of Atlanta as part of the Ilya Kovalchuk deal. The Swede contributed little of note as a Thrasher, playing 20:19 a night on a team featuring a young and emerging d-corps (which included a young Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom).
However, in February 2012, fate smiled on Oduya, when he was sent to the Blackhawks for two draft picks, and the rest is history. Through Oduya never quite managed to regain his offensive form, he didn’t really have to – all he had to do was be a steady presence on a blueline that featured Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, a role he played with aplomb.
There are, however, some worries about Oduya’s performance in the post-season that might make someone regret signing the two-time champion for too much money. Despite logging huge minutes (24:45) this past playoff run, Oduya posted a 48% Corsi For%, and a -6.4 Corsi For% relative. He’s still a great complimentary piece, but general managers shouldn’t be deceived and thrust him into a primary role, especially when he’ll be 34 before the season begins.
For more on the top ten UFAs, take a look at LWOS’s own Ken Hill’s piece—>https://lastwordonsports.com/?p=148717
More from the Dallas Stars Official Press Release:
Oduya, 33, posted 10 points (2-8=10) in 76 regular-season games played for Chicago in 2014-15. He finished the season third on the team with 123 blocked shots and his 20:17 of average time on ice per game was fourth. In 23 postseason contests, he registered five assists (0-5=5) and 63 blocked shots, which were second on Chicago. Averaging 24:45 of time on ice per game, he helped the Blackhawks to the 2015 Stanley Cup championship.
The nine-year NHL veteran has appeared in 664 career regular-season games, posting 152 career points (31-121=152) for New Jersey, Atlanta/Winnipeg and Chicago. He has appeared in the postseason seven times, winning two Stanley Cups (2013, 2015) and registering 25 points (5-20=25) in 89 career playoff games.
“Johnny is a steady, veteran presence on the blueline and he’ll complement our group nicely,” Nill said. “He has achieved a great deal of success, winning the Stanley Cup twice, and his championship-mentality will be valuable in our room.”
Oduya has represented Sweden three times in international competition, twice at the Olympics (2010, 2014) and once at the IIHF World Championships (2009).
The 6-foot-0, 188-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden was originally selected by Washington in the seventh round (221st overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft.
Press release courtesy of Stars.nhl.com
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