The Blackhawks have a history of reacquiring their former players and Shaw is merely the latest. Shaw, who turns 28 in July, is coming off a great season (his best in the NHL) and should slide in seamlessly in the Chicago lineup. He spent three seasons away from the 'Hawks but GM Stan Bowman felt the need to bring him back into the fold.

For Montreal, this is a trade that may be a precursor to a big free agent signing on July 1 (Matt Duchene? Anders Lee?). The Canadiens did well here to get both a second-rounder next year and a third-rounder in '21. Shaw was a good player for Montreal but the team may have decided to sell high on him coming off a career year in 2018-19.

Shaw was not expected to match his '18-19 totals with Montreal next season, but things may not be much better in Chicago. He could wind up playing on the second line with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome but that is not etched in stone at this time. Buyer beware on Shaw this season.