Blackhawks get Their Center
It was no secret going into the trade deadline that the Blackhawks were in the market for a third line center to complete a team they think can compete for the Stanley Cup. The deal breaks down as James Wisniewski and minor leaguer Petri Kontiola to Anaheim for center Samuel Pahlsson, minor leaguer Logan Stephenson, and a conditional draft pick.
In Pahlsson the Blackhawks get exactly the player they wanted. Pahlsson won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks a couple years ago and won a gold medal with Sweden in the Olympics, giving him the experience the Hawks were looking for. He’s an excellent defensive forward and ranks toward the top of the league in face-off percentage.
Again, the main draw for Pahlsson is the experience and history of winning that will be extremely important in the locker room when the playoffs come around. If you get in that situation of being down a couple of games in a series, Pahlsson is the kind of guy you can look to for some perspective and direction.
The downside is that Pahlsson has never been an offensive stat-filler. His best season was two years ago when he had 8 goals and 18 assists, though he did have 3 goals and 9 assists in the Ducks’ playoff run that season. Another issue is that Pahlsson is out right now with mono and won’t be back for a few weeks. It’s tough enough coming onto a team mid-season, but Sammy will have even less time to adjust before the playoffs than usual. While I understand the point that he is mainly being brought on board for once the Hawks are in the playoffs, it couldn’t hurt to get him comfortable before that happens.
Plus, with some of the moves Calgary made today, it would be nice to have the Blackhawks at full strength as soon as possible. The Flames are a point ahead of the Blackhawks right now and with Vancouver still in the mix in their division, it would be nice to make sure you finish ahead of the second place team there in terms of home ice. Calgary grabbed a couple of guys I hoped the Blackhawks would be able to land in centerman Olli Jokinen and defenseman Jordan Leopold. Wait, flames fans are not happy?*
In terms of losing Wisniewski, it shouldn’t hurt the Blackhawks too much. He was gone for most of the first half of this season and I’m sure a lot of fans didn’t really notice, but he’s a solid defender that was a great fit in Chicago. He’s a good pick-up for the Ducks and will fit in well with their physically intimidating style.
Overall, you have to be happy with this trade as a Hawks fan. This was not one of the flashiest trades they could have pulled off, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. It would have been nice to get an offensive presence from a guy like Jokinen, or a bigger body like Nik Antropov, but in the end they went with the defensive specialist with Stanley Cup experience. Moreover, they probably got Pahlsson for cheaper than they could have gotten those other guys. This team has enough offense and is sorely lacking in the experience category. In the end, Chicago addressed its biggest need and didn’t give up anything that will hurt them this season in the process. Well done Mr. Tallon.
*h/t: Puck Daddy
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Comments
Comment from StevieY19
Time March 5, 2009 at 1:17 pm
In fairness to Pahlsson, the last guy named Samuel to get any from the ladies had to change his name to Mark.
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Comment from Ethan
Time March 5, 2009 at 1:15 pm
he’s out with mono???? who the hell gets mono after age 14? well i did. but still, what professional athlete gets mono? haven’t they all made out with enough chicks that they got mono out of their system at latest by their 2nd year?