Before we get into this discussion, let’s preface it with the context that too often goes ignored on this topic.
He’s played 1,082 games in the NHL and all of them were in Chicago, beginning in the 2005-06 season when the Blackhawks existence was slightly more than a rumor. He steadily developed into an excellent NHL defenseman who was vital to each of the three Stanley Cups won by the Hawks. His pairing with Duncan Keith gave Chicago a top defensive pairing for the better part of a decade and his No. 7 should be hanging from the United Center rafters as soon as he’s retired.