Blackhawks Trade D-Man Leddy to Islanders

Tommie Lee
Oct 4, 2014
1 min read

Yep. I figured this would be the case.

Somehow I assumed the roster move would hit while I was out of town. Sure enough, as soon as I went to Ohio on Saturday to visit my son at college, the team announced that a deal had been struck with the New York Islanders.

It’s Nick Leddy and Kent Simpson for a pair of Defensemen, T.J. Brennan and Ville Pokka. We also get the rights to Goalie Anders Nilsson (probably no relation to the Harry Nilsson who had all those lost weekends with John Lennon. Yes, I know. I’m old.)

Brenna and Pokka will report directly to the Rockford Icehogs. Nilsson is blocking pucks in the KHL right now, and ordering in restaurants in Russian.

According to a Saturday afternoon statement from the Blackhawks, Pokka was one of New York’s top D prospects. He’s a 19 year-old kid who had 27 points in 54 games last season in Finland. As for Brennan, he’s the reigning Eddie Shore winner, the AHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman for 2014. Putting these two in Rockford means that team could begin the season with the top two scoring Defensemen. Brennan had 72 points last year. Adam Clendening finished the year with 59.

An hour before this move was made, the team announced that fan-fave Teuvo Teravainen and Klas Dahlbeck were assigned to Rockford, where they will wait for the phone to ring and continue to sharpen their skills.

These moves put the Blackhawks $800,000 below the cap.

Go Hawks!

– T