Rundblad likes fit with Blackhawks offense

His numbers might not show it, but new Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad considers himself an offensive player.

Rundblad had 1 assist in 12 games with Phoenix and has 9 points in 50 career NHL games, but he hopes coming to the offensive-minded Hawks will allow him to show what he can do.

"We haven't talked too much about my role," Rundblad said. "I'm an offensive guy who tries to make plays.

"You guys got a bunch of skilled players here and they play a fast and offensive game. Hopefully it's a good fit for me."

Rundblad is one of eight defensemen on the roster.

"It's a great team here," Rundblad said. "They won last year with a bunch of great players.

"It's always a little bit tough to get to know all the guys and I'm not the biggest talker either, but they seem like a bunch of great guys. I'm going to do everything I can to play here and stay here."

There's a good chance Rundblad makes his Hawks debut on Sunday at Buffalo.

"He's got some real nice assets that might complement our team," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think as he gets familiar with how we play and how he needs to play we'll get a better assessment."

Trade deadline leftovers:

Brandon Saad, for one, was happy the Hawks did little at the trade deadline.

"I think it's huge," Saad said. "Chemistry is a big part of it. We already have a lot of depth regardless of big name players. Sometimes you see guys come in and kind of disrupt the room. I think they do a great job of finding the right players here and it shows out there on the ice."

More than anything else, the Hawks need to be more consistent down the stretch, Saad said.

"There have been a couple games where we've been inconsistent and ended up losing," Saad said. "The home stretch is in sight here and we're looking to find that consistency."

The tightness of the race in the Central Division is a plus, according to Saad.

"It's beneficial for sure," he said. "I think being able to compete going into the playoffs and being in that playoff mode off the bat will help out in the long run."

Center depth:

While fans might see the center position as an area of weakness for the Hawks, general manager Stan Bowman doesn't.

That's why they traded center Brandon Pirri to Florida for two draft picks last Sunday.

"With the status of certain players, it you wait too long you might not be able to get back what you want," Bowman said. "We have some good young players coming. I think Brandon is going to be a good NHL player. He was great for us the last couple seasons at Rockford. I think he needs an opportunity to play and we wish him the best."

Teuvo Teravainen likely will be ready next season to compete for the No. 2 center spot.

"Whether it's Teravainen or Kevin Hayes," said Bowman. "And we've got some good players in Rockford, too."