Why is he on this roster?
It’s a question I’ve grappled with all season when it comes to Jordin Tootoo, and I’m not alone based on Twitter interactions with Blackhawks fans who’ve wondered the same.
Why is he here? Why was he even signed in the first place, over presumably another affordable veteran who’d play and score more? Why wasn’t he waived after producing exactly zero points in his first 37 games as a Blackhawk, averaging 6:28 per game?
All are valid questions, but until recently only one had an answer: Tootoo was signed last offseason primarily because he’s friends with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who skate with him in the summer.