Campbell signs on with Chicago

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jul 1, 2008 | by David Pollak

Brian Campbell's stint as a Shark turned out to be a short one.

The 29-year-old defenseman signed an eight-year, $56.8 million contract Tuesday with the Chicago Blackhawks that made him the most expensive prize in the first day of the annual NHL free-agent market.

Campbell's future with the Sharks had been in doubt in recent weeks because of a family matter that made proximity to Southern Ontario a factor in where he wanted to continue his career.

But geography wasn't the only obstacle.

"The combination of family requirements with the type of contract he was looking for -- either one was not going to make it work," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "We knew what we were willing to do and what we weren't willing to do."

The Sharks acquired Campbell from the Buffalo Sabres at the February trade deadline to be the puck-carrying defenseman they felt they needed to generate their offense, a missing piece of a Stanley Cup puzzle under construction.

Campbell came at a price -- left wing Steve Bernier and a first- round draft pick -- but Wilson said he would "do that deal again in a second" even though Campbell played only 33 regular-season and 13 playoff games as a Shark. "When you're committed to winning, you have to be aggressive," the GM said.

Wilson said the Sharks were able to move Bernier because of the development of Ryane Clowe and Devin Setoguchi. He played down the loss of the draft choice -- which ended up being the 26th player taken overall last month -- as "basically a glorified second-round pick."

Campbell was available in February because the Sabres could not get him to re-sign and didn't want to risk losing him in July as a free agent.

The Sharks suggested that Campbell's childhood friendship with Joe Thornton and Wilson's longtime connection to Campbell's agent, Larry Kelly, might make Campbell more inclined to re-sign, but that was a secondary issue.

"When we acquired him, it wasn't necessarily a huge part of it for him to be staying here long-term," Wilson said. "It was to help our team to be in a position to win."

Campbell's regular-season performance was exactly as advertised as he scored 19 points in 20 games. However, his level of play dropped significantly against Calgary in the first round of the playoffs before rebounding against Dallas in the conference semifinals.

Campbell told a Canadian sports network that the Sharks are a first-class organization and "a part of me feels bad and a little guilty." Still, he added, "today's a huge celebration for me and everybody involved with me."

Several other offensive-minded defensemen were available as free agents and the Sharks were among the teams pursuing Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators before he eventually signed a six-year, $39 million contract with the New York Rangers.

Wilson said he would continue to look for ways to add another defenseman but suggested the trade route might work better.

Note: Another Shark, left wing Patrick Rissmiller, also will be elsewhere in the NHL next season. The team told Rissmiller earlier this week he would not be offered a new contract and Tuesday, he signed with the Rangers. Details were not disclosed.

Contact David Pollak at dpollak@mercurynews.com.