The Chicago Blackhawks are turning back the clock once again.
After re-acquiring Brandon Saad in a blockbuster trade just one week ago, the team is bringing back another key player from its most recent Stanley Cup winning teams by signing forward Patrick Sharp to a one-year contract, the team announced on Saturday.
According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Sharp’s deal will pay him an $800,000 base salary, plus a $200,000 games played bonus.
For that price it is not a terrible gamble for the Blackhawks.
Sharp battled through a difficult 2016-17 season in Dallas due to injuries and a miserable 5.5 percent shooting percentage, managing just eight goals in 48 games. But if the Blackhawks can squeeze anything out of him they get a top-nine winger on a bargain basement contract, which is exactly the type of thing they need given their salary cap situation. If he truly is finished as a top-line player it only costs them $800,000, and it’s not like he is blocking any elite prospects that need playing time. It is a low-risk gamble with a reasonably high reward.
The Blackhawks had to trade Sharp two years ago due to yet another salary cap crunch. Sharp had his best seasons as a member of the Blackhawks, helping the team win three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015.