Chicago traded three drafts picks to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday to reacquire Shaw, the gritty forward who was a key member of their championships teams in 2013 and 2015. The Blackhawks sent a 2020 second-round pick, a 2020 seventh-round pick and a 2021 third-round pick to the Canadiens to nab Shaw along with a 2021 seventh-round pick from Montreal.
Shaw, 27, had career-high marks of 28 assists and 47 points with the Canadiens this past season, when he also had 19 goals, one off his career-high. His contract carries an average annual value of $3.9 million and runs through the 2021-'22 season.
Shaw spent his first five NHL seasons with Chicago, from 2012-'16. The Blackhawks traded him to the Canadiens in June 2016, a move that general manager Stan Bowman called a "difficult decision" on "a very tough day." The Blackhawks were facing a salary cap crunch at the time.