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O’Donnell, the NHL’s third-oldest player, likely done in Chicago

sean o'donnell

With Nicklas Lidstrom retired, Blackhawks defenseman Sean O’Donnell, 40, has vaulted to third spot among the league’s oldest players -- only Teemu Selanne (41) and Dwayne Roloson (42) are older.

O’Donnell has stated he’d like to continue playing next season -- he’ll be 41 in October -- but according to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago, it doesn’t sound as though he’ll be back in the Windy City.

“There are no hard feelings, but I think it’s one and done,” O’Donnell said of tenure in Chicago. “I saw a situation where I thought I could help the Blackhawks. It didn’t quite work.”

O’Donnell signed a one-year, $825,000 deal with the ‘Hawks last summer in the hopes of adding depth to the blueline as a third-pairing guy. Then plan never came to fruition -- he played just 51 regular season games and two playoff contests -- but the 19-year veteran figures he can still play in the league.

“I would like to play; I think I showed I can still play in the right circumstance,” O’Donnell said. “Maybe I’m not even an 82-game guy or a 20-minute guy. But the right fit, a good system…hopefully I can play.”

It’ll be interesting to see if O’Donnell has any takers. In 2010-11, he was a key contributor to the Flyers, appearing in all 82 games (and all 11 in the playoffs) while recording 18 points -- the second-highest total of his career.