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Andrew Ladd is back in Winnipeg again Friday night for a second game in two weeks, this time not battling the mixed emotions he had on March 18 during his first visit since being traded on on Feb. 25. "It felt weird the first time," the Chicago Blackhawks winger said over the phone Thursday. "Just going back to the rink for the first time so quickly after the trade, everything was so fresh that you're still processing the fact you're not coming back [as a Jet]. But having gone through that game, experienced the ovations from the fans and the nice tribute they gave me; after having some time to think about it, it was a pretty cool moment for me to go back there and definitely appreciate the response I got." This time it's just another road game and the priority for Ladd and his new teammates is to shake a March swoon that saw the reigning Stanley Cup champs win just five of 13 games. With goalie Corey Crawford still out and top defenseman Duncan Keith facing a suspension, there are question marks around this Hawks team as the playoffs approach. But Ladd has rediscovered in Chicago's dressing room what he saw first-hand in 2010 before he left: There's a quiet confidence within the core of this dynasty team that remains intact no matter what. "There's still a sense of confidence in the room," Ladd said. "You really pick that up after not having been around for a while and forget kind of how it was. There's confidence that in big games everyone on this team steps up their games. Not that things aren't important right now, but I think you know in the dressing room when you look across from Patrick Kane, or Brent Seabrook, or Duncan Keith, or Jonathan Toews or Marian Hossa, you know that those guys in big games are going to play big. They instilled that confidence in the group. "We realize we have to get to another level, mostly defensively, just checking a lot better than we have been. But there's also the confidence that we can [get] there and play that way as well."  There's also the confidence that Ladd has in himself, one that grew by leaps and bounds only after he left the Blackhawks in 2010 after they won the Stanley Cup. As much as he hated to leave that group right after winning with them, it is really only through his six years in Atlanta and Winnipeg that Ladd was able to develop as the top-line force that he is today. And so whereas he was a bottom-six forward when he left Chicago in 2010, he returned via trade before the deadline in late February a dependable, veteran top-six man. "Oh yeah, 100 percent," Ladd responded when it was suggested he really needed to leave in order to get that chance. "That was my mindset when I was going to Atlanta in terms of the excitement level I had to go there was that I knew I could get a chance to play a bigger role. I didn't even penalty-kill when I was in Chicago the first time, I pretty much just played five-on-five. So I was able to work on the penalty kill and get opportunities on the power play and play a lot more minutes. Just playing more minutes you get more comfortable with the puck. You just get confidence all-around from being on the ice more. That was massive for me getting that in Atlanta and Winnipeg." You certainly can't blame Ladd for the Hawks' March letdown, the 30-year-old native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has put up six goals and three assists in 14 games since coming over. "He's a pro's pro," Blackhawks and national analyst Ed Olczyk said Friday morning. "He knows his strengths, that's the one thing that separates him from a lot of players. He knows what he can do and plays to those strengths. He's well-respected within that [Hawks] room. I know there are guys in there who were really jacked up when they found out he was coming back. "He can do a lot of different things. I think as the games have gone on here, he's gained confidence and traction. It's worked out, he's looked very comfortable the last 10 games or so." Not that the adjustment was smooth and immediate. It needed a bit of time. "You know what, in terms of style of play, there definitely was an adjustment," Ladd said. "The details that Joel [Quenneville] likes to see night in and night out, I think that came back pretty quick, it's something I've tried to keep in my game [since he left Chicago the first time]. One thing he teaches, which I think is really effective, is how to be good using your stick and all that stuff; so I tried to keep that in my game and I think that part was a smooth transition."  But in terms of the style of game, systems play, that was different from Winnipeg to Chicago and it took Ladd a bit to re-train his brain. "I played Atlanta and Winnipeg for six years. You start to have a comfort level playing a certain way; it's more muscle memory than anything else. Your body is heading one way and your mind has to kind of counteract it and get used to the new stuff. It didn't take me too long, and obviously having the relationships that I had with the guys in the room from previously, that goes a long way in getting you comfortable in the room. You're comfortable asking questions." Knowing Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith and Hossa from his first go-around has allowed for a smooth re-entry into the culture of the team. "Yeah, those are the guys that run that room," Ladd said. "It's nice to have that relationship right off the hop. You just know that we've known each long enough that you can be direct with each other and that's nice to have right away." Oh, and about playing with Toews and Hossa on the same line, well, that's OK, too. "Yeah, that's been all right," Ladd said, chuckling. "It's been good. There's still an adjustment period, everyone thinks you put certain kinds of players together and automatically it's going to happen. But it's something you have to work at. I really didn't play with those two guys when I was here the first time. The last few games I think the three of us have been more comfortable with the style that we need to play to be successful. I think we've really started to gel the last few games." The Blackhawks need their goalie back and have questions on the back end, but there's no arguing that bringing Ladd back and putting him on Toews' left wing was a perfect fit. One suspects that will be proven truer once the real season begins.
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