Feb. 26--When Andrew Ladd saw Dustin Byfuglien, his teammate on the Jets, sign a long-term deal, Ladd knew his chances of signing a multi-year contract to stay in Winnipeg were slim.
At that point, the sweepstakes to acquire Ladd before the trade deadline were on, and Ladd was a little anxious about where he would land.
"You obviously start thinking and hoping if it is going to happen that you're going to go to a place that has a chance to win," Ladd said. "Chicago was at the top of my list for sure."
Now, after Ladd helped start the Hawks championship run in 2010, he is back to help them win a fourth Stanley Cup in seven seasons. And at least for the next few months, Ladd is where he wants to be after the Hawks traded a first-round pick and winger Marko Dano, along with a conditional third-round pick in 2018 for Ladd and minor leaguers Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison to bring Ladd back to Chicago.
Once Ladd arrives, he will zoom up to the top line, where coach Joel Quenneville will slot him with captain Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, once Hossa returns from a leg injury.
"If I end up playing with them, I think I play pretty simple style of hockey," Ladd said. "I know their games pretty well and they're obviously great two-way players. I think I should fit in well with that mold. Do I try to play a solid two-way game, but be able to chip in physically, make some room for them? I bring some offense to that table as well.
Ladd has 17 goals and 17 assists so far this season. Ladd's acquisition allows winger Andrew Shaw to slot down to a more defensive role on the bottom lines while still giving those lines a scoring presence.
The Hawks hope Ladd can help ignite a top line that has seen its goal production slip this season, especially during five-on-five play.
Making moves midseason can be a tricky proposition in terms of finding the right fit for a team. The Hawks landed a big acquisition at the deadline last season in center Antoine Vermette, but Vermette initially struggled in learning the Hawks' system and adjusting to their style of play.
One of the reasons the Hawks went after Ladd was because he's already familiar with how the Hawks play and he has stayed friends with several Hawks off the ice.
"You know what Andrew Ladd's intention is coming here, what he wants to do and what he wants to accomplish," captain Jonathan Toews said. "A lot of the guys do know what type of person and player he is, so that transition is going to be as easy as it possibly can."
Over the last five-plus seasons, Ladd, who also won a Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, has watched the Hawks soar to success while he has made the playoffs only one other time. A lot has changed since Ladd was first in Chicago.
"They're a lot more mature and you went from guys like Toews and (Patrick) Kane who were young and just coming into their own and now they're veteran players that have been around ..." Ladd said. "You've seen them all evolve as players, taking the next step in terms of playing that 200-foot game and when the game is on the line, they know how to play the right way and they come up big and in big situations."
The Hawks are hoping Ladd can help them with that one more time.
chine@tribpub.com
