Who won the Johnny Oduya Trade?

When Kevin Cheveldayoff pulled the trigger on the Johnny Oduya trade in February of 2012, he was doing it with his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks.

As the General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets, he would make a few trades of this type, player for picks, but would not make a player for player trade until either the Eric Tangradi trade, or the Evander Kane trade, depending on your point of view.

Still, at the time of the deal it was viewed as a smart move. Oduya was a pending free agent likely on his way out the door after parts of three seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers / Winnipeg Jets. Any return had to be seen as a positive.

Oduya was and is a capable depth defenseman. He’s not the best guy on the team, but he can get the job done. That’s why he’s one of four defenseman getting the overwhelming majority of the ice time with the Hawks right now. Oduya had come to the franchise as part of the deal that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils. He moved with the team from Atlanta in the summer of 2011, and had put up 13 points in 63 games, including this goal:

Oduya has since been a regular part of the Hawks defensive schemes, with 43 points in 219 regular season games as a Hawk, with another 22 points in 66 playoff games since then, winning the Cup in 2013. He also picked up a silver medal at the Sochi Olympics playing for Sweden.

So that's what the Hawks got, but what about that local sports team?

Well at the time of the trade, they got a 2nd rounder and a 3rd rounder in the 2013 draft. So some time had to go by before the Jets even knew where they were picking.

On draft day 2013, they ended up trading the 2nd round pick (61st overall which became Zach Sanford) to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the Caps 3rd and 4th round picks (84th and 114th) as well as the 5th round Calgary pick the Caps had (127th).

So the Jets ended up with four draft picks out of the Oduya trade, with two 3rd round picks, a 4th rounder and a 5th rounder.

The Jets took Jimmy Lodge with the 84th pick. Playing for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL when drafted, Lodge is a centre who has refound his game after a poor post-draft year. He has been commended for playing strong two-way hockey on poor teams, first with the Spirit and then with the Mississauga Steelheads. He had 63 points in 58 games last year, and signed with the Jets in March. He looks to be playing with the Moose when next season starts.

With the 91st pick, Winnipeg selected J.C. Lipon. Lipon had just wrapped up a career with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, and joined the St. John’s IceCaps right away. After a rookie season of 42 points in 72 games, he regressed a bit in his sophomore year, with 26 points in 75 games. He figures to be playing for the Moose next year, and was one of the players who modelled the new jerseys when they were unveiled.

At pick 114, the Jets took Jan Kostalek. Kostalek played three years with the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. As most players do, he has gotten better with age, and looked quite good during this past season in the Q. He had 43 points in 57 regular season games, and helped Rimouski win the QMJHL title with 21 points in 20 games, advancing to the Memorial Cup tournament. He also picked up a goal and a pair of assists playing for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Kostalek signed an entry level deal with the Jets in March, and looks to be someone to watch when camp starts. Odds are he plays for the Moose, but it'll be interesting.

Tucker Poolman was taken with the 127th pick. Turning 22 this summer, he’s a big kid who plays D, but also plays forward. He’s also from Minnesota. Sound like anyone familiar? Poolman spent the last year with UND after a couple of seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. 18 points in 40 games as a defender with that school is impressive, helping that team to a Frozen Four appearance. Not under contract because the NCAA frowns on their players being happy eating well making money. His future with the Jets is the most in doubt, but I think he’s part of the plan.

So in the end the trade ended up like this:

To Chicago:

• Johnny Oduya

To Winnipeg:

• Jimmy Lodge
• J.C. Lipon
• Jan Kostalek
• Tucker Poolman

So while a few years have gone by, it still might be too early to decide who really won.

Let us know what you think in the comments.