Stan The Man

The Hawks would be in fine form if Stan Bowman can retain his top restricted free agents and not have to deal Kris Versteeg. To survive this summer by making only one big salary dumping trade would be an outstanding accomplishment.  

If that’s the case the NHL should hand Bowman the award for the Top GM of the Year before next season even begins. On a side note, if possible I would love to hire the Hawks accountant. 

Many times it is wrong to assume.

There were those heavily involved with the NHL which thought Bowman had no chance to re-sign the Hawks big three. They were proven wrong as Pat Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews will be in Chicago for a long time.

Again some of the same people were recently speculating about the Blackhawks demise, as Bowman sat back and let the rumors swirl.

Rick Dudley indicated he had at least 50 conversations with Bowman about the big trade, maybe so but in my view he still overpaid. If big Buff scores 30 goals this season the trade would seem to favor Dudley, but not so fast.

Maybe Byfuglien will get the same juicy set-ups without Kane and Toews. Maybe the big guy will stay determined each game despite playing in front of a half filled arena on many nights.  Possibly if Dustin has a very good year he will choose to re-sign in Atlanta after the upcoming season when he becomes a UFA. Then again maybe Byfuglien would rather play in front of a full house close to home and choose someplace like Minnesota.

In any regard Byfuglien playing one very good season with the Thrashers isn’t a lock, let alone becoming a fixture there for years to come.

As long as either Jeremy Morin or Kevin Hayes can become contributors with the Hawks for more than one season, Bowman made a clever deal. The chances of either playing successfully with Chicago are not worse than Byfuglien becoming a fixture in Atlanta.

Over the weekend the hockey blogosphere continued to doubt, as the Blackhawk RFA’s were not immediately qualified. In typical Bowman style Niklas Hjalmarsson, Antti Niemi and Andrew Ladd were all qualified before the close of business on Monday. 

Quite possibly the Hawks are only a Cristobal Huet contract away from having their house in order.  

If Huet plays in parts unknown, and if there aren’t any offer sheets heading to Chicago Bowman can breathe a sigh of a relief. It is too early to celebrate as the Hawks could be a bad arbitration ruling or an aggressive offer sheet away from having problems. For now the coast is clear and with a little luck Hammer, Ladd and Niemi will be back in the fall.

Today no one knows exactly where the Blackhawks are at from a salary cap standpoint except Chicago management and the NHL. 

If not for the $4 million in performance bonuses due following the Stanley Cup victory my assumption would have been the Hawks were in good shape after the Atlanta trade. Naturally my view hinged upon Huet being anywhere but on the Blackhawks bench come October. I think that is one assumption we can make with confidence. 

If Bowman’s recent comments are accurate the Hawks are finished with their salary dump, $4 million in bonuses or not. It is wise not to make assumptions about the salary cap situation for a particular franchise. 

Bowman might have to make a trade if there is an arbitrator prices Ladd or Niemi too high. Hjalmarsson doesn’t have much leverage in contract negotiations although he is the most likely to receive an offer sheet. 

Up until yesterday whispers were still saying Versteeg was available. 

My thinking is if Bowman was soliciting offers for Versteeg it was just to get a sense of how much interest is out there. The Hawks will only deal the young winger if absolutely necessary.  Most likely such necessity would come because of a large offer sheet coming to Hjalmarsson.

Word was out on Sunday the Blackhawks made a qualifying offer to Andrew Ladd of $1.65 million. Ladd has arbitration rights but he might not be awarded a lot more if he goes through the process. 

Ladd is more valuable than his proposed salary would indicate. He has enough to skill to fill in on the top two lines. Ladd is also well suited for a checking line role. In addition he is a two time Cup winner and is only 24 years old. Plus Ladd plays bigger than his size, is well liked by his mates and is tough as nails.

All said Ladd is worth a lot more than $2 million to the Hawks but they just might be able to retain him for the same or less.

Does a 38 point player rate more than a $2 million contract from an arbitrator these days?

Ladd’s value might end up being decided by an arbitrator. But if he wants to stay in Chicago he could be motivated to sign before the hearing. Ladd may get awarded more than the Hawks can pay him and they would have no choice but to trade him. He would then have no say so as to where he ended up.

Sometimes getting every last dollar is not the goal. If Ladd gives in a little this time and signs a one year contract the Hawks could make it up to him in the future.

It won’t be long before Ladd is eligible to be a UFA, maybe he can be convinced he is part of the Hawks long range plans. If the cap goes up again next year Ladd could get a longer term contract including a nice raise, and be part of the Blackhawks for a long time.

My guess is if the Hawks can re-sign Ladd the magic number will be near $2 million. Possibly another franchise could write a $2.5 million offer sheet but they would lose a second round draft pick. But at this point does anyone feel secure they can get the upper hand on Bowman?

If a team wanted Ladd they probably would try to trade with the Hawks instead of writing an offer sheet. 

Now rumblings indicate there is a good chance the Hawks RFA’s will not receive an offer sheet from another franchise.  

The Hawks will try to not let Niemi’s negotiations drag out.  Both sides could be equally motivated.

Niemi could be looking for a little security and an arbitrator will award him only a one year contract. The favorable slant for Niemi would be he becomes an unrestricted free agent the following season. This could work in Niemi’s favor if he has a big campaign, but there could be reasons that won’t happen.

I have not encountered one person close to the Hawks who has said Niemi won the job during last summer’s training camp by being clearly better than Corey Crawford. It was more of a case of Crawford having a different contract status. If the pair ended up splitting duty next season or by chance Crawford became the starter, Niemi might not attract much interest as a UFA the following summer.

Should the Hawks sign Niemi to a two year contract for around $5.75 million maybe everyone will be content. If things stall and arbitration is necessary, Niemi could end up with a new address unless another player like Versteeg was dealt. 

Niklas Hjalmarsson is the one RFA the Hawks don’t want to lose and probably the only one which could attract an offer sheet. The edge for Bowman is they have control over Hjalmarsson if he doesn’t attract an offer sheet and they could play a little hard ball with the young defender.

Another franchise might suspect the Hawks can’t afford Hammer at $3 million a year. If he received an offer sheet at three million per season, with a three year term the Hawks might be hard pressed to match without making a trade.

Certainly there are other teams which would pay Hjalmarsson $3 million per year and sacrifice a second round draft pick. If a team like the Ducks made such an offer the Hawks would match it and make a trade if cap space was needed.

At the end of the day Hjalmarsson would be a Blackhawk and another franchise would have the wealthy Rocky Wirtz as an enemy.

The dust should settle soon and Stan the Man might still be sitting pretty.  

Final Draft Comments 

Certainly evaluating future careers for many draft prospects is more an art than a science. 

What has been shared with me is the consensus view from the draft floor, opinions of other teams, which is the Hawks had a very good weekend. Time will separate fact from fantasy but for now Bowman appears to have booked a solid first draft as a general manager.

The Chicago draft selections from this past weekend shouldn’t be considered to be a part of the big club for another three to five years. But if the consensus is correct the Hawks have selected some valuable NHL players for the future. Most important is the Hawks got the players they wanted even though they drafted at the bottom of the heap during round one. 

Al’s Shots 

By all accounts Cristobal Huet is a stand up individual and a good teammate. He probably is a good husband and a fine father as well.

Not to sound harsh but I don’t feel sorry Huet might be forced to play in the AHL or overseas next season.

There are always risks when you sign a contract. Sometimes the job turns out to not be what you imagined. Huet’s situation can be described in that same way.

But what needs to remembered is Huet is going to earn $5.6 million next year no matter where he is playing.

The travel accommodations in the AHL won’t be the same, playing overseas might be really inconvenient and unsettling…But Huet will get paid.

If anyone is looking to be compassionate there are better causes for concern.

I would have more empathy for someone who works 30 or 40 years in one job only to lose their pension because the company goes out of business.

Every day some hard working man or woman loses a job.

In many cases they don’t lose their gig because they were bad workers. Often jobs are eliminated or the employee just doesn’t fit into the company’s plans any longer.

Huet is facing a similar situation.

Huet is good enough to work in the NHL but he just doesn’t fit in, at least for the time being. Through a series of circumstances he has been overpriced, not that he should be blamed.

Fortunately for Huet and his family he will still earn over $5.6 million next season.

I will save my pity for others.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net