Florida Panthers Acquire D Brian Campbell From Chicago Blackhawks
in exchange for LW Rostislav Olesz
Stanley Cup Champion & Two-time NHL All-Star Joins Cats
ST. PAUL, MINN – Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the club has acquired D Brian Campbell from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for LW Rostislav Olesz.
“Brian is a top-four, mobile, puck-moving defenseman who we are very pleased to have acquired,” said Tallon. “He is a hard working and responsible player, who will be counted on to play an important role on our power play. We look forward to his immediate contribution to our club.”
Campbell, 32, has played in 626 National Hockey League games for Buffalo (2001-08), San Jose (2007-08) and Chicago (2008-11) scoring 54 goals with 258 assists, 167 PIM and a plus-53 rating. The 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season, assisting on the game-winning goal in game six of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. Campbell has played in 90 postseason games registering 38 points (8-30-38), appearing in the playoffs in six of his last seven seasons.
The Strathroy, Ontario native recorded a career best 52 points (7-45-52) with Chicago during the 2008-09 campaign. The two-time NHL All-Star (2007 & 2008) was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
Brian Campbell’s Career Statistics:
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1999-00 Rochester Americans AHL 67 2 24 26 22 21 0 3 3 0
1999-00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 1 4 5 4 -- -- -- -- --
2000-01 Rochester Americans AHL 65 7 25 32 24 4 0 1 1 0
2000-01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 8 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Rochester Americans AHL 45 2 35 37 13 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 29 3 3 6 12 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 2 17 19 20 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 53 3 8 11 12 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Jokerit Helsinki SM-li 44 12 13 25 12 12 3 4 7 6
2005-06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 12 32 44 16 18 0 6 6 12
2006-07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 6 42 48 35 16 3 4 7 14
2007-08 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 5 38 43 12 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 San Jose Sharks NHL 20 3 16 19 8 13 1 6 7 4
2008-09 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 82 7 45 52 22 17 2 8 10 0
2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 68 7 31 38 18 19 1 4 5 2
2010-11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 5 22 27 6 7 1 2 3 6
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NHL Totals 626 54 258 312 167 90 8 30 38 38
Taking on a $7 million dollar contract for 5 years, is plain stupidity. No other NHL was willing to take that contract, and Chicago has been tryin for two years to dump it.
Posted by: Clash | June 25, 2011 at 02:04 AM
you really arent too bright are you clash? like unloading a bad contract like olesz who is a player not good enough to crazy half the teams lineups. and then theres campbell a legit defensemen, so what if hes overpayed is it like florida cant afford it? the team go soo much better with this move.
Posted by: kevin | June 25, 2011 at 02:30 AM
Keep it up Tallon. Lifelong Panthers fan in Canada. IN TALLON WE TRUST!
Posted by: KJ | June 25, 2011 at 04:29 AM
This is a good short term bad long term trade for the Panthers. For the short term, 3 years, minus Olesz's $3 mil the Panthers are getting a very good puck moving blueliner in Brian Campbell for a net $4 mil a year without giving up a significant asset. Unfortunately, for the two years after that they will have the 36 and 37 year old $7 million Brian Campbell eating up a big part of their Cap Space. Will it be worth it?
Posted by: Ralph | June 25, 2011 at 06:22 AM
They can buy him out later. He is #1 defenseman and will be a great mentor for our young D.
Posted by: Big Slap Shot bob | June 25, 2011 at 07:11 AM
Great trade. Thought it was impossible to move Olesz who was a big negative. While Campbell too seems to have dropped after a big contract, he replaces McCabe and can mentor the young Ds. Cats had to spend $30 mn with a week free agent pool so it meets that need.
Posted by: Gretzkysdad | June 25, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Magical work by Tallon. Gudbrenson, Cambpell; kulikov ellerby; garrison etc... best D in NHL?
Posted by: in Tallon we trust | June 25, 2011 at 10:51 AM
Great move by Tallon. Picked up a really good defenseman by basically dumping the Panthers worse asset. Sure Campbell is overpaid but who cares about the contract as the team is no where near the cap anyway.
Posted by: One I Goalie | June 25, 2011 at 10:53 AM
It's overly simplistic to say but the winner of a trade is usually the team that got the better player. In this case, the Panthers.
What do we care as fans if Campbell is overpaid? I'm not signing his checks and the team has to pay somebody. Who would you rather they (over)pay: a top-four, +28 defenseman who can QB a power play or a big forward that won't use his size to his advantage and has a bad knee?
Posted by: jimh | June 25, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Panthers won't even get close to the salary cap. Who cares if Campbell is overpaid, the only person that affects is the guy signing his paychecks ::cough:: Yormark ::cough::
Great Trade!
Posted by: Jason | June 25, 2011 at 12:47 PM