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Blackhawks re-acquire defenseman Johnny Oduya

The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Johnny Oduya from the Dallas Stars for minor-league forward Mark McNeill and a conditional fourth-round draft pick, the team announced Tuesday.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN first reported the news.

This is a relatively cheap deal for the Hawks, who didn’t really have a place for center McNeill in the future and needed only some extra depth on the blue line to solidify their playoff roster.

Oduya, 35, returns to Chicago where he played from 2012-2015 and won two Stanley Cups (2013, 2015). He scored nine goals and 34 assists in 219 regular-season games in his first stint with the Hawks. He also added five goals and 18 assists in 71 playoff games with Chicago.

The Stars will retain $1.875 million of Oduya’s contract, according to CapFriendly.com. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

In trading away McNeill, the Hawks have given up on a former 2011 first-round pick (18th overall). McNeill, 24, appeared in only one regular-season game for Chicago. He scored 72 goals and 85 assists in 273 games with the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

While McNeill is young, the Hawks have a logjam at center and he didn’t appear to be close to getting a shot to crack the main roster – making it easier for both sides to move on.

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