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Brian Campbell returning to Blackhawks: Report

GettyImages-524629414
GettyImages-524629414

The Chicago Blackhawks were done after one round last season partially because their defense was exposed.

Trevor van Riemsdyk, Erik Gustafsson and David Rundblad all weren’t ready for prime time. The loss of Johnny Oduya in the previous offseason – and the team’s inability to replace him with either Trevor Daley or Rob Scuderi, whom they acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Daley – left the team’s blue line thin.

So the Blackhawks have decided to dip into the past for some help: Brian Campbell, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the deal is done for July 1.

Campbell’s massive 8-year, $57-million contract that he signed with the Blackhaws in 2008 was moved by the team to the Florida Panthers and former GM Dale Tallon in 2011. He’s spent the last five years there, scoring 175 points in 376 games and being a steady hand on the blue line – especially in helping along phenom Aaron Ekblad. Campbell was a plus-31 last season.

He doesn’t have the wheels he once did with the Blackhawks, but he brings a palpable durability: Campbell hasn’t missed a game since the 2010-11 season, even as he’s 37 years old now.

Pierre LeBrun reports that the deal is a bonus-laden one-year contract with a cap hit of $2 million.

Campbell gets another shot at a Stanley Cup, and the Blackhawks have a known commodity to help their backend.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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