"We scouted him very heavily in his draft year. Our amateur staff at the time was very high on him. All the reports and everything were indicating that he was someone we would've loved to have drafted had we had the opportunity. When the deal came into play, he became someone that we were very, very interested in acquiring."
-- Blackhawks Assistant General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff
The roster that claimed the organization's first Stanley Cup in 49 years in June wasn't going to come back intact -- for salary cap reasons as well as the normal turnover every team goes through.
"When you win a championship, you fall in love with all the players that you had because it was a special group of players," Blackhawks Assistant General Manager
said. "But it was a special group of players and it was a special time, and to say that you can just put that group back on the ice together and that'll mean another championship, that doesn't always happen. There's a little bit of change I think that's always necessary and keep things fresh."
