Nov. 14--Somewhere in the back of his head, Johnny Oduya has filed away the fact that each time he suits up for the Blackhawks there is a real possibility he will be one game closer to the end of his tenure with the team.
The veteran defenseman is an unrestricted free agent after the season and the numbers -- using anyone's calculator -- just don't add up to the Hawks re-signing Oduya. The Hawks have around $66 million committed to 15 players for the 2015-16 season -- including the Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane contract extensions that each carry salary-cap hits of $10.5 million -- and restricted free agents Marcus Kruger and Brandon Saad are likely in line for raises. Even with a new Canadian TV contract set to infuse the NHL with money, the cap that currently sits at $69 million could remain stagnant as the value of the Canadian dollar sags.
All that adds up to a harsh reality that Oduya, among others, tries to forget about when taking the ice.
"It's just the reality of the game," said Oduya, who is in the final year of a three-year deal that carries a cap hit of $3.375 million. "Just as much as we know it's there, we also know it's something you can't really do anything about. ... We're worried about what we're doing now and not so much what's going to happen in the future."
At 33, Oduya has been through plenty in his eight-plus seasons in the NHL and those experiences -- along with a confidence and low-key demeanor -- help him with the task at hand.
"We're trying not to look too far ahead," the Stockholm native said. "We want to stay level-headed and compete every night. That's our main goal. I'm not going to deny we all know the trade rumors and stuff like that. You know it's there but you can't really do anything about it so you try to focus on things you can affect."
To that end, Oduya has quietly put together another solid season. Paired with fellow Swede Niklas Hjalmarsson, the duo has been rock solid defensively to help the Hawks rank second in the league by allowing 1.88 goals against per game.
"(Oduya) and his partner go ... along about their business and get some strong matchup assignments," coach Joel Quenneville said. "They don't get a lot of points, they don't get a lot of flair but being defensive-minded in tough situations is good for our team game. They get a lot of responsibility and they do it quietly."
That is just fine for the soft spoken yet insightful Oduya.
"My role is to be as solid as I can," he said. "Play well defensively and when there are opportunities join the offense and help the forwards out. I take big pride in our team game and how we play and how we compete. We have a lot of superstars on this team and they they're doing a good job of taking the spotlight."
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