Before Friday’s game against the Blue Jackets, veteran defenseman Brian Campbell was expected to be a healthy scratch, with Trevor van Riemsdyk most likely taking his place in the lineup. Campbell had not been bad for the Blackhawks, but at the time, coach Joel Quenneville said that he didn’t “want to see the same guys sitting out for extended periods of time.”
Even though Campbell ended up not being scratched and played in the game, I thought it was interesting that the Hawks were even considering it. Here was one of the top defensemen from the Florida Panthers (and available from free agency), who hasn’t missed a game in over five years, and the Blackhawks were close to making him a healthy scratch.