Report: Brandon Davidson to attend Blackhawks camp on PTO basis

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The Blackhawks are bringing in defenseman Brandon Davidson to training camp on a professional tryout basis and are prepared to sign him to a one-year, one-way contract if he performs well, according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. He reportedly had 10 PTO options on the table and chose Chicago.

Davidson, 27, had four goals and three assists in 51 games last season with the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders, and averaged 16:49 of ice time per game. He also set a career high with 105 hits and registered 89 blocked shots, which would have ranked fifth on the Blackhawks last season.

A sixth-round pick (No. 162 overall) in 2010 by Edmonton, Davidson was traded from the Oilers to the Islanders in February for a 2019 third-round draft pick and was one of New York's better defenders down the stretch, albeit in a small sample size (15 games) and in a third-pairing role. And that's likely where he'd slot in with the Blackhawks, as well.

Davidson, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Islanders, joins a crowded blue line full of bottom pairing defenders with left-handed shots and one that is in need of an impact-type player. He doesn't exactly fit the bill there, but it doesn't hurt to add a veteran depth defenseman into the mix for competition and with nothing to lose. Gustav Forsling is expected to miss the first month of the season because of a wrist injury and Henri Jokiharju is no lock to make the 23-man roster out of camp, creating a potential opening for a sixth or seventh defenseman spot to start the year.

Davidson was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2012, his first year as a professional, after a routine medical exam but made a full recovery the following season, where he was the recipient of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Trophy as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.

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