We still don't have an answer yet as to where veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya is going to end up playing for the 2015-16 NHL season, but we now know it won't be back in Chicago.
Despite recent reports indicating that Oduya's preference is to return to the Blackhawks, the team with which he just won his second Stanley Cup, it seem the blueliner has now ruled out a return to the Windy City.
"Johnny Oduya has ruled out the #Blackhawks, per his agent. He'll become the sixth player who played in Game 6 of the Final to leave," Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times tweeted Tuesday.
As Lazerus notes, Oduya joins a growing list of Hawks players whose final game with the franchise was their Stanley Cup-clinching victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6. Young power forward Brandon Saad was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Patrick Sharp was traded to the Dallas Stars, Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette departed in free agency and Kimmo Timonen called it a career after the first Cup win of his 16-year NHL career.
Oduya, 33, is the type of strong middle-to-bottom-pairing blueliner who blocks shots and, despite his limited offensive upside, plays clutch minutes.
He's said to be pursued by the Buffalo Sabres and GM Tim Murray, who reportedly have made him a "top target," though Oduya reportedly turned down a three-year, $15 million contract offer recently, and the Dallas Stars.
Both franchises could make good use of Oduya's lockerroom personality as much as his on-ice contributions, but it remains to be seen what his main consideration will be. Considering he reportedly turned down such a lucrative offer from the Sabres and Murray, it's unlikely that money will be the deciding factor in where he moves his family for the next couple of seasons.
