Cam Barker Dealt to Minnesota Wild for Johnsson, Leddy

The Cam Barker Era is OVER!

The Blackhawks traded Barker to Minnesota for defenseman Kim Johnsson and the Wild's top pick in the 2009 draft, Nick Leddy.

Leddy is the prize in the deal, a solid young defenseman prospect taken 16th overall in 2009, and was described  this way by Hockey's Future: "You’d be hard pressed to find a better, more complete defenseman playing in the Minnesota state high school Class A/AA league this season than the Eden Prairie native. Leddy is also one of the early favorites for this year’s Mr. Hockey Award, which recognizes the top high school player from the state of Minnesota."

Listed at 5'11 and 185 pounds, Leddy joins a deep group of Hawks prospects on the blue line with Dylan Olsen and Shawn LaLonde. He was the third-ranked prospect in the Wild organization. Hockey's Future also says:

"One attribute that makes it all possible is his outstanding skating ability. Leddy is an agile skater with good speed and smoothness in his strides. This can particularly be seen in his transitioning and rushes up the ice. This past summer, Leddy added 15 pounds to his 5'11 frame. The result has enhanced his game tremendously, especially on the physical side."

"While many view Leddy as an offensive defenseman, he could potentially blossom into more of a two-way defenseman. His play is equally strong at both ends of the ice. Leddy combines superb offensive prowess with conscientious and responsible defensive zone play. He does an excellent job of taking away time and space from the opposition, and can also create it for both himself and his teammates."

Leddy will turn 19 on March 20.

Johnsson, 33, is an unrestricted free agent this summer, clearing cap space for the Hawks. In 52 games this year, Johnsson was leading the Wild in ice time at 23:46 per game. He has scored 14 points (6 G, 8 A) and is +3 for the season.

The Hawks finally unloading Barker, who has disappointed throughout this year, allows the team to slide a veteran, minutes-eating blue liner into his slot on the third defensive group for the rest of this season. Barker had 14 points (4 G, 10 A) and was +7 for the Hawks this year, averaging just 13:06 on ice this season.

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