It was all quiet on a nice Friday night in July when the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks decided to make a trade involving veteran forward Patrick Sharp.
The Stars acquired Sharp and Steven Johns from Chicago in exchange for Ryan Garbutt and Trevor Daley.
Sharp has two years remaining on a contract that comes with a salary cap hit of $5.9 million per season. The dealing of Sharp was always expected, but with it not happening around the NHL Draft or start of free agency, many believed it wouldn’t come until closer to training camp.
“Patrick’s track record speaks for itself having won three Stanley Cups, a Calder Cup and an Olympic gold medal,” Stars GM Jim Nill said in a team press release. “He will provide leadership for our group and we love his shoot first mentality.”
This trade gives the Blackhawks a nice chunk of cap space relief as well as a proven NHL defenseman in Daley. For the Stars, the acquisition gives them a proven scoring winger to play alongside Jason Spezza on the second line.
The big question mark now involved free agent defenseman Johnny Oduya. It was reported by Andy Strickland this week that Oduya had turned down offers from other teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, in order to see what the Blackhawks do with their cap situation. With a new defenseman coming into the mix, it could signal the end of any chance of Oduya returning to Chicago next season.