Jamal Mayers could have been irate and looked for work elsewhere. Few would blame him if he did after he was scratched in the playoffs by Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.
Mayers went from being one of the Hawks' more consistent players in the regular season to being a healthy scratch against the Coyotes in the first round.
"It's tough as a competitor," Mayers said.
But Mayers, being the professional that he is, took into account his full body of work and still believed the Hawks -- who still wanted him around -- were still "a good fit."
"Once you take a step back and take a look at the whole year, I thought it was a good fit, both for myself and the Hawks," said Mayers, who signed one-year deal with a $600,000 cap hit. "You look at the whole season and try just not to look at the way things ended."
The 37-year-old forward and seasoned tough guy fulfilled the roles he was signed for last summer. Mayers even handled fourth-line center very well after sparingly playing in the middle in his career. He played on the penalty kill and even saw time on the power play in a net-front presence role.
"I still believe I have a lot to give," said Mayers, who had six goals, 15 points and 91 penalty minutes in 81 regular-season games.
Mayers has been part of five teams since the lockout so getting a chance to settle his family in Chicago for at least one more season was appealing.
"We are excited to be in the city of the Chicago and part of the Blackhawks family again," Mayers said.
Jamal hurt his knee but it was unreported. He was not a healthy scratch.