Chicago Blackhawks: Johnny Oduya and Jamal Mayers Re-Signed

In a joint press release, the Chicago Blackhawks announced on Tuesday that they had completed contract extensions with impending unrestricted free agents Johnny Oduya and Jamal Mayers.

Oduya, 30, reportedly signed a three-year extension with the Blackhawks. The Swedish-born defenseman helped stabilize Chicago's defense during its playoff push, pairing up next to youngster Nick Leddy. While he seemingly fell apart during the first-round series against Phoenix, Oduya's presence on defense for Chicago cannot be understated.

According to CSN's Chris Boden, Oduya took a pay cut from his $3.5 million salary in exchange for multiple contract years.

UPDATE: Chicago Sun-Times writer Adam Jahns reports on Twitter that Oduya's cap hit will be $3.375 million.

Mayers, 37, was arguably the top piece brought in during the ill-fated free-agent splurge coming into last season. While Ray Emery went 10-0-3 at the United Center, and Sami Lepisto's picture of his leg after blocking a shot in the playoffs went viral, Mayers was a consistent presence, mostly appearing as the fourth-line center and on the penalty kill.

Jammer managed to add the physicality the team needed and even appeared on the power play for a short while. While his 15 points don't jump off the score sheet, his career high is only 21 points. He did manage to win 56.1 percent of his faceoffs, second on the team behind only Jonathan Toews at 59.4 percent.

The contract extensions are the second and third for the Blackhawks since April 1, as Ray Emery was extended for another season back in April.

While neither move is wholly monumental, they could be the beginning of things to come. Does Oduya's extension cause Niklas Hjalmarsson to become expendable? Does Mayers give GM Stan Bowman enough confidence in his center depth to deal Dave Bolland?

Only time will tell in what should be an interesting offseason.