When the Blackhawks acquired Trevor Daley in July, it was going to be a change.
Daley was more of an offensive defenseman, one coming off a career year in Dallas in terms of goals (16) and assists (22). One wondered if it was a good fit.
Apparently it wasn’t.
The Blackhawks traded Daley to Pittsburgh in exchange for Rob Scuderi on Monday night. The 36-year-old Scuderi has four assists and 32 blocked shots in 25 games with the Penguins this season.
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In terms of cap space, the Blackhawks get some breathing room. According to generalfanager.com, the Penguins take all of Daley’s $3.3 million salary and retain a third of Scuderi’s salary. The Blackhawks pick up the other two-thirds of Scuderi’s deal ($2.25 million per season), which runs through the 2016-17 season. That gives the Blackhawks just under $2.2 million of cap space.
Daley had a tough start with the Blackhawks but was playing better as of late. He suffered a frightening neck injury on Dec. 6 against the Winnipeg Jets but returned on Friday when the Blackhawks hosted the Jets again at the United Center. He had six assists and was a plus-1 in 29 games.
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Daley was certainly in a different role with the Blackhawks than he was with the Stars. In Dallas last season, he averaged nearly 23 minutes a game; this season with the Blackhawks, as their No. 5 defenseman, he was playing about 15 minutes a contest.
In Scuderi the Blackhawks get a veteran stay-at-home defenseman who’s known for killing penalties. They also get another player with a Stanley Cup pedigree; Scuderi won Cups with the Penguins in 2009 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. When Scuderi joins the Blackhawks is unknown at this time.
The Blackhawks host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on CSN.