Chicago Blackhawks’ Brian Campbell: Making Case For Return, Departure

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell underwhelmed in his return to the team last season, but the Blackhawks appear to be his only avenue for remaining in the league in 2017-18 and beyond

The Chicago Blackhawks have spent the last couple seasons trying to find a bona fide No. 4 defenseman. Ever since Johnny Oduya left for the Dallas Stars in free agency after the 2014-15 season, the Blackhawks have gone through guys like Trevor Daley, Brian Campbell and a returning Oduya as the No. 4 blueliner.

Today, we’re going to talk a little more about Campbell. Like Daley and Oduya, he didn’t work out as a true fourth defenseman for Chicago (you could argue Daley would probably be doing alright if he was given a little more rope, based on how he’s fared in Pittsburgh). But Campbell is the only one of these three who could realistically be on the Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season.

After the Blackhawks were quickly eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Campbell said he would only remain in the NHL next season if he signed a new deal with the Blackhawks. Campbell was brought back to Chicago on a one-year, $1.5 million last season after spending the previous five seasons in Florida.

Many fans assumed Campbell would serve as the Blackhawks’ fourth defenseman. He appeared to still have plenty of push in him with the Panthers, tallying 31 points in the 2015-16 season. Campbell is an offensive defenseman, but one who knows Chicago’s system. So it was figured he would bring offense and stability to the blue line.

He did not do that, obviously. Though he was eventually a fine third-pairing defenseman late in the season and into the postseason, that’s not what he was brought in for initially. So what will the Blackhawks do with him in 2017-18?

Chicago Blackhawks

The case for Campbell to stay

It’s a known fact the Blackhawks’ defensive prospects are anywhere from green to disappointing. You can look at some of the potential younger options for 2017-18 here.

That alone is a pretty good reason to try and re-sign Campbell for next season. Sure, he’s going to be 38 when the 2017-18 campaign begins, but it’s not like he was Michal Rozsival or Kimmo Timonen on the ice last season. He was just underwhelming given what fans, and probably the Blackhawks’ brass, expected of him.

Campbell could easily play on this team as a third-pairing guy. I don’t see why that’s a reach. Frankly, the Blackhawks need to put more stock in Michal Kempny anyway, especially if rumors about Trevor van Riemsdyk going to Vegas have any credibility. So signing Campbell and slotting him into a third-pairing role from the outset could work wonders.

Plus, it’s likely he’s going to come in on an even cheaper deal next season. His last one was at $1.5 million. The guy has made plenty of money, holding a salary in excess of $7 million for eight seasons.

I don’t think he’s sticking around the league because he’s in need of cash. So Campbell could sign for a cool $1 million, and the Blackhawks would have a dependable defenseman at a low cap hit.

And who in the system is currently that much better than Campbell anyway? That person or those people would have seen playing time when Campbell and Kempny were getting benched. The Blackhawks should be well aware of what they have now in Campbell.

The case for Campbell to depart

Isn’t it important for the Blackhawks to consciously move toward infusing their defense with youth? I mean, unless the plan is to bring in some other known commodity from the outside (how you’d do that with the team’s salary cap situation is beyond me, but let’s play the game), the Blackhawks are doing little to actually grow their defensive prospects.

How much better is a 38-year-old Brian Campbell than guys like Erik Gustafsson, Ville Pokka, Luc Snuggerud and Carl Dahlstrom? Campbell certainly has more NHL experience, but when are the guys I just mentioned ever going to get that same experience if there are veterans clogging up the system?

I guess it all depends on how general manager Stan Bowman approaches the 2017-18 season. He certainly wants to use the final good years of guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Corey Crawford in an effort to win a Stanley Cup. But can Bowman put together a roster than can actually do this?

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If he quietly (and it’d be very quietly) feels the answer is no, there’s really less of a case for signing Campbell. You could use him as a mentor for younger guys, sure, but the team might be better off just getting the young guns up to see what they’ve got.

On top of this, Campbell was not moving extremely well during this season. The Blackhawks need to make a conscious effort toward getting faster, especially on the blue line. Having Campbell around would go against that premise.

Will Campbell stay or go?

I think the argument for Campbell staying in Chicago at least one more season is strong than the argument against it.

The Blackhawks are likely going to keep pushing on as though their Stanley Cup window is not closed. What choice do they really have, anyway? Unless they actually go out and dump Seabrook during the draft, I’m pretty sure they still intend to be title contenders.

And so, it makes more sense to have a veteran presence like Campbell in the lineup. This is especially true if Kempny gets more playing time in 2017-18, and if van Riemsdyk is no longer on the team. The more guys you have familiar with your system, the better.

While Campbell’s suddenly-slower nature is certainly an issue, given what happened to Chicago against Nashville in the playoffs, it’s a bullet the Blackhawks are probably willing to take, especially if he’s getting third-pairing minutes.

Next: Blackhawks' Offensive Prep For 2017-18 Season

So I’d expect to see Campbell wearing an Indian Head in 2017-18, and I think it makes more sense than letting him walk into retireme