Trades in March are usually made with the hope that they will pay dividends in June.
When Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys general manager Stan Bowman gave up a first-round pick and a prospect to acquire center Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes just before the trade deadline, he was clearly hoping that Vermette might provide the scoring depth that the team needed to help them win the Stanley Cup.
Saturday night Vermette showed he was worth the price when he scored two minutes into the third period for the game-winner in Chicago's 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The win leaves Blackhawks one win short of earning their third NHL championship since 2010.
"I read somewhere that (Vermette's) coach in (Arizona) said in big games, he comes up big and that's definitely what he's been doing for us here," said Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. "He's a guy who is great on faceoffs and he's an extremely nice guy off the ice. He's a great addition to the locker room."
The Blackhawks have three wins in the Stanley Cup Final, and Vermette has netted the game-winner in two of them.
"It's not a fluke or luck," Blackhawks winger Kris Versteeg said.
Vermette also scored the game-winner in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final in Tampa. He also had a game-winner against the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Final.
"He's been a huge part of our team success on the offensive and defensive side of the puck," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews Jersey said.
Players always talk about playing the game the "right way," and the Blackhawks have proven that they manage their team the "right way."
Whether the Blackhawks win or lose the Stanley Cup, they have proven beyond any question that they have an elite understanding of what it takes to win consistently in this league.
Five games have been played in this series, and the Blackhawks have won three times by a 2-1 decision. The Lightning are the NHL's most dangerous offensive team, and yet the Blackhawks have held them to two goals per game.
The Blackhawks have won when they played well, as they did in Game 5, and when they didn't play well, as happened in Game 4.
The Blackhawks have won 72 playoff games since 2009, and they are now 41-14 in Games 4-7 in a playoff series.
"We've got guys that have been there and done that," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think we can lean on these guys to share their experience of how you prepare the night before game day, morning skate, then the game."
Despite all of the Blackhawks' recent success, they will, on Monday, be trying to win their first Stanley Cup on home ice since 1938.
This is a team with overflowing confidence from the top of the organization through the fourth-liners. This is a team that sweats the small details when it plays the game and when it puts together the roster.
In March, it seemed like a first-round pick was a steep price to pay for Vermette, but Bowman knows his team. He knew it would need additional scoring depth to make a lengthy run.
Bowman knows he will have difficult contract decisions this summer. He will likely lose Johnny Oduya and Michal Rozsival to free agency, and he may have to trade a veteran forward or two to get the team's salary cap ready to absorb big raises that will be paid to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane next season.
The Blackhawks can't be sure how long the team's Stanley Cup window will be open, and Bowman clearly wanted to give his team its best shot to win it all this summer.
Many teams sought Antoine Vermette Jersey, but it was Bowman who landed him because he was willing to pay a heavy price.
The early reviews on the Vermette trade were not favorable because Vermette didn't score a goal in 19 regular-season games.
"In the beginning he struggled to learn the system," Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa recalled. "But he's come back to get some huge goals for us."
But Bowman didn't acquire him for the regular season. It's been different in the postseason.
"He's gotten better every game," Quenneville said.
It's almost as if Bowman knew that there would be a playoff game up the road where his team would need a big goal from a third liner. Vermette delivered that goal in Game 5.
If the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, Vermette's goal in Game 5 was worth a first-round pick.
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