Brian Campbell may have signed a massive eight-year, $57-million deal as a free agent to join the Chicago Blackhawks – but he didn’t end up playing out most of that contract with them.
No; three years into the deal, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, a victim of the salary cap.
As it so happens, the Panthers are his latest opponent, and the first time in years he’ll be facing off against them.
Campbell had some good seasons with the Panthers. Over 376 games, he scored 175 points for them; also, he was a mentor to the 2014-15 rookie of the year, Aaron Ekblad. And Ekblad, who spent most of his rookie season playing alongside Campbell, definitely hasn’t forgotten him:
Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad on former partner Brian Campbell. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/G4Iw6rxM1N
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) November 29, 2016
Campbell got the message, too.
Wow. Thx Ek! Always will b ur biggest fan. Proud of U. https://t.co/wOuCv5wYRL
— Brian Campbell (@bcampbell_51) November 29, 2016
Hopefully, the mentor shows up his protege a bit tonight – but either way, it’s always great to hear things like this. And hopefully Campbell is having a similar impact on Chicago’s young defensemen, too.