Comments on: The Good,The Bad…Who Stays and Who Goes

By: Fashion Diva

Fashion Diva — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:58:31 +0000

haha I totally adore Justin Beiber!!

By: Hawks2010

Hawks2010 — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:52:01 +0000

I heard a very strange rumour, one that sends Seabrook to Ottawa for Michalek and a draft pick. And I was told it came right from Bryan Murrarys mouth before the Ottawa/Detroit game.
Dont want to believe it, it doesnt make sense for the Hawks, but it comes from a few media guys I know.

PLEASE tell me its wrong.

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:51:41 +0000

Exactly right on Dave….

$3-$4 million players with three year contracts can be traded without a lot of trouble these days….Bowman has a few players in that category.

By: Dave Morris

Dave Morris — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:34:38 +0000

Al, you have mentioned on a number of occasions that Stan Bowman doesn’t have to make cost-cutting moves until June.

This speaks to the fact that several teams are facing cap issues looking ahead to 2010.

This could alter the trade landscape significantly.

Bowman has some excellent bargaining chips, as he has several young players priced in the $3-4 million range (Versteeg, Byfuglien, Sharp) signed for a few years. They could be very attractive for teams who want to make acquisitions without getting into the free agent bidding wars.

Even Huet, with his $5.6 million hit, has just two years left. Top 10 netminders fetch from $5-7 million nowadays. Right now, there are 12 goalies with cap hits of $5 million or more as of 2010; and another three with cap hits of over $4.25 MM.

Who knows what Nabokov, and Chris Mason, the two top UFA goalies, will be asking for?

While there are a significant number of free agents who hit the market, as we have seen in the past, the very good ones command big money and long term contracts.

There are currently 72 players with cap hits of $5 million or more for 2010-11. (These figures are available from NHLNumbers.com. )

So a player with a cap hit of $3-4 million is now ‘mid-priced’.

We also don’t know yet what the real salary cap will be. The 09-10 cap was supposedly $56.8 million, but with the bonus cushion, it was actually $62 million.

If it goes up–and indications from the NHL is that league revenues overall have increased–by even a few million dollars, Bowman might have a ceiling of $64 million to work with.

Should that prove to be the case, how much trimming does he really have to do?

By: Josh

Josh — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:06:03 +0000

“Tomas Kopecky hasn’t been an effective as a fourth line player. Quenneville has tried to jump start him by allowing him to play alongside Hossa. He doesn’t seem to fit in there either.

Kopecky hasn’t had more than a handful of quality efforts all season. His unsportsmanlike penalty for snow showering the goalie last week says it all about his time with the Hawks. He has been a real disappointment.”

Not surprised by this at all, there was a reason the wings let him go away. He was just never very good and quite often scratched during his time in Detroit

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:30:41 +0000

My internet is cutting in and out…I will try to write in English.

The problems in Florida have little to do with Vokoun… If he goes to the Hawks they would have to pay up…..

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:27:46 +0000

The probelems in floida have little to do with Vokoun…if he goes to the Hawks they would have to pay up…..

By: Frank Stallone

Frank Stallone — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:25:00 +0000

There are very few players whom I would imagine are not expendable if it would mean acquiring a top-flight keeper like Vokoun. Basically, while I would be sad to see just about any ‘Hawk go (aside from Kopecky, who is worthless), I wouldn’t complain about anyone other than Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Seabrook, Kieth, or Hjalmarsson being included in a deal that ended up with the ‘Hawks acquiring Vokoun

By: shruew

shruew — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:36:39 +0000

“Never.” (Waits for lightning to strike)

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:38:11 +0000

Yep… you can never say never especially here.

By: Dave Morris

Dave Morris — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:05:34 +0000

Al, outstanding article. Kudos to you, sir.

I am finishing up a piece that goes into detail regarding possible trade scenarios involving Hawks goaltending. It will be posted soon here at Hockey Independent, and I invite your thoughts and those of our colleagues and posters.

You are absolutely right, that to trade the starting goaltender on the team with the best GAA in the league would be a shocker.

But there are those who believe Huet is no longer the starter.

And as we’ve already seen this year, some trades have already happened that shocked more than a few in the hockey world.

By: vito

vito — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:39:39 +0000

Al you got me sweating here, you make a lot of good points about how the hawks have played lately but do you think the hawks might be taking it easy because to me thats what it looks like as far as Buff a little fire in his rear from scotty and you’ll see the big buff with his stuff in the playoffs. i cant believe how bad bowman wants to trade huet. i dont believe in the stats in the game like the save percentage its the timely saves that mean more in the game and huet has not had that test yet in the playoffs with the hawks. great post BTW Al

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:59:28 +0000

Anyone who tells you specifics on theHawks salary cap doings and isn’t sitting at Stan Bowman’s desk…well I wouldn’t believe them.

You might have a good point.

By: shruew

shruew — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:33:55 +0000

Hmm, I’ll build on some of your thoughts and add one more theory:
Buy signing an NHL contract the Hawks will pay his salary instead of the Icehogs. Perhaps there’s some minor financial behind the scenes things going on.

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:21:29 +0000

I am teasing…no debate.

Cullimore was very slow two years ago.

We don’t know why he was signed although imo opinion he is well past his usefullness as a NHL player. Not even sure he would be the first call-up.

Also my opinion…they wouldn’t want to use anyone from the IceHogs blueline unless it was an extreme emergency.

Maybe they made a promise to Cullimore when he agreed to go to Rockford and now he got a bump in salary….who knows… they may want to keep him in the organization past this season.

We don’t know..what I do know is there is a lot better available than him.

The organization needs players in the AHL and many times they are there to earn a living rather then someday play in the NHL.

By: shruew

shruew — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:07:11 +0000

I’m not even sure what we’re debating. I never said he could play meaningful minutes.
But, the fact that the Hawks took one of their 50 reserve slots to sign him to an NHL contract would seem to indicate they aren’t completely opposed to give him minutes during late March / early April games.
There’s no restrictions to renewing PTO’s (Chelios) is doing it. So nothing forced the Hawks to sign him to an NHL contract.

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:53:29 +0000

I would like to debate you on a meaningful topic…not this one.

Cullimore is not an NHL player until proven otherwise.

He was on a try out contract and now he will play there the rest of the year in Rockford. They need players there also.

In a real emergency… sure he can play but they need NHL quality defenders if they fall into the same pinch the Flames were in.

To play someone who hasn’t been at NHL speed for quite awhile wouldn’t be good for the playoffs or in any meaningful games.

By: shruew

shruew — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:45:49 +0000

The only reason they would give him an NHL contract is they want to be able to call him up in a pinch. I never meant to imply he would be an impact player. But, he is a veteran that can eat minutes in meaningless games.

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:37:13 +0000

Cullimore was signed to try out contract and now they re-did the paper work.

If they are looking to win a Cup….. counting on him…someone every other team could have signed… is a real stretch.

By: shruew

shruew — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:24:43 +0000

Hawks sign Cullimore to an NHL contract (he was only AHL to the Hogs before).
I made the comment in a previous post when (I think it was Dave) listed a bunch of possible defense targets….”Who really all adds all the much more than Cullimore” — and I wasn’t implying Cullimore brings a lot. But, in a pinch, he can at least be called up now.
I agree that trading Huet is risky. Who would they get in return that we be so solid? A second string goalie on another team? A starter who it is unknown how they would react being a backup or at best splitting time?

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:17:57 +0000

Thanks for reading.

An Exelby type would never play in the playoffs unless an emergency, but could be used in the last 20 games as a number 6 sometimes.

I would take him but wouldn’t pay up.

There are others out there and depending on who else comes here toughness might not be an issue.

The old Hawk regime loved Colby Armstrong…that’s who I would shoot for.

By: Trent Kondo

Trent Kondo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:11:27 +0000

I agree with you on the Hawks lackluster play, and it has been going on since the Detroit game, like you said we are very lucky to get a lot of those wins. They have not been good for a month.
As for your statement about the last time a team with the lowest GAA traded for a goalie, well there is a first time for everything. If Vokoun came here that is a major upgrade. Huet is tough to deal because of his contract but if I had the choice of being stuck with either goaltender for approx the same salary it is not even close who I would chose. Vokoun without a doubt.
Exelby…tough blah, the guy will be a minor leaguer sooner then later. I have seen him play enough to say he is not impressive. IMO. Sure he has made improvements, going from a goon to a bit better then a good.
I have always liked Moreau but being from Edmonton and seeing almost all of the Oilers games he has simply lost a step..or two.
As to the Barker deal, nothing but high fives for Mr. Bowman.