Staal, van Riemsdyk Exit Stage Left

'Disappointment' would be the word most often used to describe what might have been when it comes to Eric Staal and James van Riemsdyk in Blackhawk uniforms this season.

Despite several attempts at jump-starting his season, Staal just never seemed to find a fit in Chicago. Once hoped to anchor the top line for the 2020-21 campaign, the 36-year old veteran quickly slipped down the lineup, eventually finding himself on the bench for a handful of games.

When he returned, there was nothing there. Frequently a minus player and removed from the power play unit after a stretch of scoreless contests, Staal once again was relegated to the bench as others took the reins and made the most of the opportunity, propelling the Hawks to a 35-18-4 record as of Tuesday's 4-3 overtime victory in Boston.

The writing was finally on the wall. Staal was shipped back to New Jersey tonight, to the team that signed him as a free agent (to his monstrous 3-year, $27 million contract) in the 2019 offseason, departing the press box in Boston after watching his now-former team earn a hard-fought victory. In return, Chicago welcomes back Nick Foligno, a veteran himself but one with seemingly plenty of juice left in the competition bank, with 13 goals and 22 points in 53 contests with the Devils.

When it comes to James van Riemsdyk, there was early talk of a franchise tag after a red-hot start. However, over the past 20-something games, the production all but stopped. His pending UFA status looming, GM Thomas Gidlow opted to move the left winger rather than retain him for a playoff run.

Gidlow shipped JVR, rarely-used depth defenseman Dakota Mermis, and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the surging Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Carter Rowney, defenseman Mark Borowiecki, prospect Michal Teply, and a fifth-round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft.

Borowiecki fills an expansion requirement for exposed defensemen and can provide much deeper depth if and when needed (he's already contributed an assist and is +2 in three games). Rowney provides versatility and is contracted through the 2022-23 season, while Teply, just 19, projects as a possible top-9 power forward in a few years while giving the Blackhawks a solid youth asset (an area that's improved a bit this season over previous years).

All in all, the tweaks this season have seemed to add steam to the locomotive rather than detract from it - another change from previous seasons. Though the moves have been far less frequent this year, Chicago continues to chug along, seemingly always the step-child to the mad-dash of powerhouses ahead of them in the Central Division.

But a five-game winning streak has put them eleven points ahead of Nashville with 25 games left to play. The Hawks sit seven and eight points behind Dallas and Colorado, respectively, and may be resigned to their spot no matter what happens. But Gidlow's learned from the past, and making changes to try to compete with those clubs hasn't gotten them out of the first round in the past three seasons.

Perhaps tweaking to keep the train moving is the right mix for this time 'round. We'll find out soon enough.