It’s late, but here’s what we have, per the official site…
Florida Panthers forward Kris Versteeg & rights to F prospect Philippe Lefebvre have been dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for D Dylan Olsen and F Jimmy Hayes. Word on the street says Florida will take on half of Steeger’s paychecks going forward.
Not much question as to where this one found its genesis; Cats owed Hawks a little something after removing Brian Campbell from Chicago’s roster with little more than the promise of a Rusty Olesz rebirth. “Bad contract” for “bad contract”.
Finding a significant return on a Steeger deal surely wasn’t easy; no question current Chicago GM Stan Bowman has a soft spot for Panthers boss Dale Tallon, or maybe he’s just a fan of reclamation projects. Any case, Versteeg is once again a Hawk.
No argument on my end.
Here’s a look at the players the Panthers got back in the trade:
Jimmy Hayes is a product of the U.S. National Team Development program. He was taken in the 2nd round of the 2008 Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and acquired by the Blackhawks for a 2nd round selection in the 2010 draft. Hayes played for three seasons at Boston College before joining the Rockford IceHogs at the conclusion of his collegiate career. During the 2011-12 Hayes split his time between Rockford and the parent Blackhawks. He played 31 games with Chicago and scored 5 goals while adding 4 assists. With Rockford, he played 33 games and noctehd 7 goals and 16 assists. The next season saw Hayes played 67 games with the IceHogs where scored 25 goals and 20 assists. He did appear in 10 games with Chicago and scored 1 goal and 3 assists.
Your take on Versteeg deal
| Good for Cats…dude was a head-case | 240 |
| Bad for Cats…dude is going to make Dale think twice | 174 |