Blackhawks bolster bottom six, reacquire fan favorite Andrew Shaw from Canadiens

Shaw won the Cup in 2013 and 2015 with the Blackhawks.

Old fan-favorite Andrew Shaw is coming back to Chicago.

The Blackhawks acquired the gritty forward, who will turn 28 next month, from the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday in exchange for a package of draft picks.

The Hawks sent a 2020 second-round pick and 2021 third-round pick to Montreal, and swapped a 2020 seventh-rounder for a 2021 seventh-rounder.

Shaw was a fifth-round pick of the Hawks in 2011 and spent the first five seasons of his NHL career in Chicago, winning the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015 and earning legendary status for his hard-working demeanor in spite of middling production (he never scored more than 39 points in any of the five seasons).

He was dealt to the Canadiens before the 2016-17 season for two second-round selections, . Despite dealing with frequent injuries — including multiple concussions, most concerning of all — during his time in Canada, he turned in his best offensive performance to date last season, scoring 47 points in 63 appearances.

Shaw had some injury problems in Montreal, but tallied an impressive 47 points in 63 games last season.

Shaw, who turns 28 in July, has three years left on a contract with a $3.9 million cap hit. That may seem like a slight overpay in a vacuum, but it should look increasingly rosy once a number of other middle-line forwards land ballooning deals when free agency opens.

Hawks general manager Stan Bowman has decreed all summer so far his preference for trades over free-agent signings, and although he’d already been active in the former category often — landing Olli Maatta, Calvin de Haan and John Quenneville all via trades — Sunday is the most dramatic example yet.

The news of the trade broke just 19 hours before the official opening of the free-agent market, and either the GM valued Shaw significantly above the likes of Patrick Maroon, Brett Connolly and Joonas Donskoi — UFAs projected to receive similar contracts to Shaw come 11 a.m. Monday — or was willing to give up two decent draft picks in order to simply avoid those frenzied bidding wars.

Even if it’s just to avoid that uncertainty, there are plenty of reasons to gamble on Shaw. He’s proven his fit with the Hawks’ organizational mentality, he’s far from a washed-up PR stunt, and advanced analytics indicate he can drive shots at solid rates, even though his game does grade out weaker in other regards.