Jan. 24--Jiri Sekac didn't pretend as if his trade from the Ducks to the Blackhawks was the best thing that happened to him, as many do when coming to a defending Stanley Cup champions.
Sekac instead had a more realistic outlook for what the trade means for his career.
"It can be bad, it can be good," he said. "I'm just going to do my thing, play my game and see what happens."
This is Sekac's third team in two seasons after coming over from the KHL. The Canadiens signed the 23-year-old winger from the Czech Republic before last season, only to trade him to Ducks, who traded him to the Hawks on Thursday.
He made his Hawks debut in a 4-0 loss to the Panthers on Friday, playing 11 minutes, 19 seconds and registering two shots. Sekac said he is hoping his career can gain some stability even though he is a restricted free agent after the season.
"Every player is looking for a spot on a team and wants to stay with the same as long as he can," Sekac said. "I don't know how to say it, but every player wants to be on one team as long as it's possible. I'm hoping for the same thing."
Sekac played on the fourth line with Dennis Rasmussen and Richard Panik.
Bold move: Coach Joel Quenneville made an interesting move in Friday's loss. He pulled goaltender Scott Darling with more than eight minutes remaining in the third period for an extra attacker.
It didn't factor much, but it's worth noting for future games if the Hawks are down multiple goals. Quenneville also pulled his goalie fairly early in a 4-2 loss to the Devils on Nov. 6.
"You never know," Quenneville said. "You get one and then all of a sudden you get excited. ... We started seeing it last year and experimented with it a couple of times this year. It's usually not my go-to move. You never know, could happen one day where it works."
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