Leave it to Stan Bowman to turn nothing into something.
With less than 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, the Blackhawks GM put together a deal to bring Stars defenseman Johnny Oduya back into the fold while giving up the equivalent of some outgrown clothing and a scratch off lottery ticket. On the official trade call those items are titled Mark McNeill and a conditional draft pick (with Dallas retaining 50 percent of Oduya’s salary).
Really, it’s the same difference.
None of that is to insult McNeill — a sturdy AHL player who never got a shot with the Hawks.