According to The Chicago Tribune, former Philadelphia Flyer Brandon Manning received a multi-year offer from the Nashville Predators. The physical blueliner opted to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks because the team offered him more money, and because both general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville reached out to him.
Jimmy Greenfield of the Tribune shared this bit of information in his feature on Manning last week. While explaining how two of the biggest names in the Blackhawks’ organization swayed the d-man to join their team, Greenfield mentioned how a Central Division rival attempted to land Manning with a lengthier contract:
This was unusual territory for a player who went undrafted both as a junior player and when he became NHL-eligible. But the calls were coming fast Friday, and one came from Hawks general manager Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville.
The call had a big impact. Despite the Predators offering three years, albeit at a little less money, the 28-year-old Manning chose to sign a two-year, $4.5 million deal with the Hawks.
He had his fair share of detractors in Philly, but Manning is considered a physical defenseman with stay-at-home tendencies, something that seems to be desired by at least a few teams each year in free agency. Seven goals may not be a number Manning duplicates again in his NHL career, but numbers similar to his 113 hits and 76 blocked shots are likely to happen again.
