A pair of familiar faces will return to the Blackhawks next season.
The Hawks re-signed defenseman Johnny Oduya to a three-year deal and forward Jamal Mayers to a one-year deal Tuesday. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Oduya, 30, immediately fit in with the Hawks' puck-moving defensemen when he joined the team Feb. 27. The Hawks acquired him from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a pair of draft picks, and he tallied five points (1 G, 4 A) and a plus-3 rating in 18 regular season games.
Mayers, 37, proved to be a reliable fourth-line forward in his first season with the Hawks in 2011-12. He finished the season with 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 91 penalty minutes in 81 games.
By re-signing both players now, the Hawks can focus on addressing other needs when free agents hit the open market July 1.
-Tom Musick
