Versteeg Returns to the Blackhawks

The Florida Panthers have made their first big step in rebuilding their badly-damaged franchise. GM Dale Tallon has already made a coaching change and that was only his first step.

On Thursday night, Tallon announced that he is shipping out right winger Kris Versteeg in a four-player deal. His new team: the Chicago Blackhawks, his old team, where he won the 2010 Stanley Cup. He is sent to Chicago along with minor league forward Philippe Lefebvre. Forward Jimmy Hayes and defenseman Dylan Olsen were sent to Florida. Lefebvre, however, will have to remain in the ECHL for now, but the Blackhawks are not as excited about him right now as they are Kris Versteeg.

Versteeg was a two-time 20-goal scorer in Chicago and had six goals and 14 points during their 2010 Cup run. He was one of 10 players the Blackhawks had to ship out the following summer to get under the salary cup. In his case, he went to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Viktor Stalberg. He'll now be filling a third-line hole that was left by Stalberg's departure to the Nashville Predators.

Versteeg was signed by the Panthers in 2011-12 to a four-year contract, but apparently, the Panthers saw that they needed to cut ties in order to rebuild their team. He was also injured most of last season and was in a slump this season, with two goals and seven points in 18 games.

The Panthers are getting virtually nothing out of this deal, as the two players coming back haven't played in the NHL that much and haven't entirely produced in the games they were playing. But for the Panthers, this is a rebuilding situation. And they're trying to get the players they think can help do that. I'm not sure what Olsen or Hayes will bring to the Panthers, but hopefully it's some offensive and defensive production.

The Blackhawks got a big deal out of this. Versteeg may be in a slump but he's beloved by the Blackhawks organization and their fans. With this in mind, I think Versteeg might get out of his slump and help the Blackhawks. I'm not saying they're terrible right now, but not having Stalberg really hurt this team in a way. Now that Versteeg comes back into the mix, I'm sure he'll be able to produce for the Blackhawks quickly. It's a good deal for them. They get Versteeg and because of that, they get some more offense.