In what may qualify as one of the weirder ways in which a potential story has broken for the Chicago Blackhawks, Nick Leddy's agent Neil Sheehy had this to say on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon:
Nick Leddy loves playing for the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. Expect an announcement from the Hawks on Nick's future with Club. — NEIL SHEEHY (@ICEHockeyAgent) July 3, 2013
Sure enough, right after the tweet hit the web, Blackhawks reporters started pouncing on the story. The contract is reported to be a two year deal. Here is what Sun-Times scribe Mark Lazerus had to say about the deal:
"The move comes as no surprise, as Hawks general manager Stan Bowman has said repeatedly that he would re-sign Leddy, and would match any offer sheets that came his way."
Leddy, who came to the Hawks in a trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent defenseman Cam Barker north, has always been viewed as a great offensive facilitator from the blue line. His trademark move during the 2013 season was to carry the puck into the zone quickly, where he would then either fire it on net or dish it to a rushing Hawks forward.
His speed and puck moving ability keep defenses off-balance, and while his defensive game does need work, it is possible to help him in that area by putting a more responsible blue liner like Niklas Hjalmarsson alongside him.
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We'll have more as the story develops.
