Throughout the 2019-20 season, NBC Sports Chicago will be unveiling its Blackhawks All-Decade Team. The roster will feature the 14 forwards, 7 defensemen and two goaltenders that made the biggest impact on the franchise from the 2010 through 2019 seasons.
Parts of five seasons, two Stanley Cup titles.
Johnny Oduya had one heck of run with the Blackhawks after coming over in a deadline day deal with the Winnipeg Jets in February 2012. The defenseman made up half the Blackhawks' dynamic Swedish duo, alongside Niklas Hjalmarsson, his longtime partner.
Oduya was a consistent presence on the Blackhawks' blue line and head coach Joel Quenneville leaned on him heavily during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Oduya averaged 24:45 time on ice per game, No. 4 on the team behind fellow defensemen Duncan Keith (31:07), Brent Seabrook (26:17) and Hjalmarsson (26:02).
Defense aside, Oduya also had several big playoff moments in the offensive zone during his Blackhawks tenure. He:
-Scored the go-ahead goal in the third period in Game 1 of the 2013 Western Conference semifinals vs. the Detroit Red Wings, and
-Scored the tying goal in the third period in Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. The Blackhawks went on to win the game in the third overtime period.
NHL
Oduya was one of many Blackhawks salary cap casualties during the six-year championship run. He departed in free agency after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015, joining the Dallas Stars on a two-year deal. The Blackhawks brought him back in February 2017 for a 15-game cameo, however, acquiring him from Dallas five years and a day after they acquired him from Winnipeg.
Oduya played a major role in two Chicago Stanley Cup championships. For that, he's earned a place on our Blackhawks All-Decade team on the third defense pairing.
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