Wingels, Bouma among latest Blackhawks additions from free agency
Dwarfed by the headline-grabbing news that the Blackhawks signed Patrick Sharp to a one-year deal Saturday was that GM Stan Bowman added four other players on the first day of NHL free agency.
Two of them - Wilmette's Tommy Wingels and Flames castoff Lance Bouma - offer a gritty, in-your-face element that was sorely lacking last season.
"We wanted to add players who are going to be real high-tempo, competitive, energetic and bring an element to the team that will give us a bit of a different look," Bowman said. "Not dramatically different, but (Bouma and Wingels are) guys you notice out there with the way they play. They play a very direct style of hockey."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Wingels, who has 809 hits over the past four seasons, spent his entire career with the Sharks until he was traded to Ottawa last season. Now the 29-year-old returns home with his wife and 16-month-old daughter to play for the team he grew up rooting for as a kid.
"Playing against them as an opponent over the years was kind of difficult," said Wingels, who scored 31 goals from 2013-15 but managed just 7 in each of the past two seasons. "I'm incredibly humbled and thankful that the Blackhawks had interest in me. … I'm going to do my best to bring the Cup back to Chicago."
Wingels will likely start on the wing, although he does have the ability to play center. He took 260 draws last season, winning 42.7 percent of them.
The 6-2, 208-pound Bouma scored 16 goals for Calgary in 2014-15, then signed a three-year deal worth $6.6 million. Bouma scored just seven times in 105 games over the past two seasons, and the Flames bought out his contract Friday.
"It's tough because you're signed to a deal and you want to prove them right on what they signed you to. So it's disappointing to be bought out," said Bouma, who averages 200 hits per 82 games. "I'm just looking forward ... to coming to Chicago and obviously winning there and having fun there."
The additions of Sharp and Wingels were made in part because Bowman wants players who have been through the postseason grind. Wingels has played in 54 playoff games, 22 in 2016 when San Jose made it to the Stanley Cup Final.
"The regular season is one thing, but the playoffs are a whole different game," Wingels said. "The game is simpler. The game is faster. The game is harder. And players who haven't been there before don't realize that.
"When that opportunity comes again in April next year, I'll feel comfortable and be ready to contribute."
Other signings:
• The Hawks added goaltending depth by signing Jean-Francois Berube to a two-year deal. Berube had an .889 save percentage and 3.42 goals-against average in 14 games for the Islanders last season. He led the AHL with 37 victories in 2014-15 and helped lead the Manchester Monarchs to a Calder Cup title.
Berube figures to be the third goalie behind Corey Crawford and Anton Forsberg.
"It's critical that you've got at least three goaltenders," said GM Stan Bowman. "We saw last year when Corey was out for almost a month, we were fortunate that we were able to just lean on Scott Darling, and he played almost every single game."
• The Hawks also signed defenseman Jordan Oesterle to a two-year contract. Oesterle, 25, has spent most of the past three seasons in the AHL, although he did play in 25 NHL games over three seasons with the Oilers.