UPDATE: Hawks GM Stan Bowman said to reporters on Tuesday that Daley and his agent did not ask for a trade. It seems like a matter of semantics given what Daley has said since being traded, though. Maybe they just suggested that parting ways would be better for both sides or something else that wouldn’t necessarily be construed as a trade demand. Anyway, much ado about nothing considering the Hawks are now the proud employers of Rob Scuderi.
Bowman said Daley might’ve struggled adjusting to getting just 14 mins a game. Daley/his agent did not ask for a trade, though. #Blackhawks
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) December 15, 2015
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Trevor Daley is officially out of Chicago and apparently that’s just what he wanted. The veteran defenseman asked the Blackhawks to trade him before the team agreed to a deal with the Penguins on Monday night, according to Pens Inside Scoop’s Sam Kasan.
The Hawks traded Daley to Pittsburgh in exchange for fellow blue liner Rob Scuderi. The Penguins retained a portion of Scuderi’s contract in the deal, making it something of a salary dump for Chicago, which saves $1.05 million in cap space this year and next year as a result of the move. Getting rid of Daley was also clearly a driving factor after the 32-year-old requested a deal.
Daley told Kasan on Monday night that he enjoyed his time in Chicago, but didn’t feel the team was using him to the best of his abilities. “I have more to give than they allowed me to do,” Daley said.
An offensive-minded defenseman, Daley struggled to find his game with the Hawks. The team’s puck-moving, defensive-oriented style was a major change for the veteran after playing the first 11 seasons of his career with the Stars. While he showed signs of progress at times, it was clear early on that Daley and the Hawks weren’t an ideal fit. Not only was the team growing frustrated, but Daley was, too.
During his time in Dallas, Daley averaged nearly 21 minutes per game, including a career-high 22:53 last season. That number dropping to 14:46 this season probably helps explain what he meant when he said he has more to give than he’s been asked for.
So here’s to guessing this was at least some part of the formula that led the Hawks to pull the trigger on Monday night’s trade. While the team was under no obligation to follow through on Daley’s request, it’s apparent from this that both sides were ready to move on just a couple months into the relationship.