29 Clubs Would Trade Places With Hawks
Al Cimaglia | Jul 02, 2010 | Comments 19
The goal of every NHL franchise is to win the Stanley Cup. In the salary cap era each team should do whatever possible to capture the grand prize. If successful a group of talented players will evolve. Eventually all the Cup winners can’t stay together because of salary cap consequences.
After every salary dumping trade more is written about the destruction of the Blackhawks. What should be realized is there are 29 owners which would gladly undergo a salary dumping purge today if they could have won the Cup.
There were decades, at least four or five, in which the Blackhawks seldom found top players via the draft. In recent years draft day misery has subsided as the Hawks have selected future stars and others who will be valuable NHL players.
During the new regime a priority has been placed on employing top scouts and other well thought of personnel in upper management positions. Now will be the time the strength of the organization is tested.
Fortunately the Blackhawks did not have to arm bend any franchise into taking the players which were dealt. The recent success of the team in general, as well as fine individual efforts enabled Bowman to decide the destinations for those traded.
Future success for the franchise will be influenced by those recently acquired in trades. Also players of recent drafts, which have been honing their skills in Rockford, will need to become contributors on the big club.
Credit needs to be given to Blackhawk management as top prospects haven’t been traded away in the last few years. Before recently acquired additions the Hawks may have lacked top end minor league talent. Now that may not be a concern.
There are many recent draftees who haven’t been rushed and soon their progress will be known. Hawk fans wills see some new faces next season and it isn’t necessarily bad.
If the decisions made by the organization have been correct the Hawks should be a playoff club for years to come. The upper end of the team has been secured, but now the depth of the organization will be tested.
Late yesterday afternoon Stan Bowman implied shedding more salary wasn’t a big concern following the Andrew Ladd trade.
No one should believe the Hawks are absolutely done trading away members of last season’s squad but management might not need to create additional cap space. It will depend on how negotiations go with restricted free agents Niklas Hjalmarsson and Antti Niemi.
Niemi poses the biggest cause for concern because he can go through the arbitration process. There’s no way of knowing for certain how much he could be awarded, the Hawks want to sign Niemi sooner than later. No doubt the Niemi variable makes signing Hjalmarsson more of a sticky issue although he doesn’t have an arbitration opportunity.
Bowman admitted in a conference call following the Ladd trade the Hawks salary cap woes were further impacted by around $ 4 million in bonuses. Naturally the Hawks GM didn’t go into specifics but a good portion of the approximate $ 4 million charged against next season’s cap was caused by the team’s success. Basically the cap hit is for performance bonuses achieved by some players after a long playoff run.
The Hawks GM is a good public speaker and he had a very good teacher. Bowman is well prepared and has the answers before questions are asked. Actually he has given similar answers after every recent trade no matter what the question. Also a sign of a well trained speaker is being able to stress certain issues.
The one point which Bowman continues to pound into the heads of Blackhawk fans is none of what has happened was unexpected.
Bowman has done a great job of getting value while dealing players which most of the hockey world knew needed to be traded. He also continually implies management has followed their plan to a tee. One still has to wonder how much of the $4 million in bonuses was anticipated when the post season script was originally written.
In my view trading Andrew Ladd was not on the pre-Stanley Cup script. Most likely Ladd was a cap casualty because of the added bonuses which were earned in the post season.
For many fans trading Ladd was not as significant as losing Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg. In my world, dealing Ladd in many ways was more difficult to swallow than the other two.
Ladd wasn’t paid a lot of money and was a solid a player. He played with the intelligence of a wise veteran although only 24 years old.
Management’s thinking is Bryan Bickell and or Jake Dowell will step up and provide the same grit and solid defensive play. Maybe that scenario plays out.
My feeling is Ladd was a player the Hawks didn’t want to part with but had no choice, more so than the others who have been shipped out of town.
Bowman also mentioned during Thursday’s conference call he had some flexibility to go out and sign free agents. He said they have already contacted a few players and were negotiating possible acquisitions. The Hawks may look to target a penalty killing specialist with available cap space, but they did make another acquisition on July 1.
Adam Burish has signed on in Dallas. Ben Eager and Colin Fraser have been traded. Ladd, possibly the toughest Blackhawks pound for pound is no longer here either. There was a need to fill and the Hawks attempted to do so.
Chicago signed free agent defenseman John Scott who played for the Wild last season.
Scott is 6’8” and doesn’t lose many fights. He didn’t get much pub as a fighter because Derek Boogard was on the same club, but he is a big strong guy.
His stats indicate he might be able to play well enough to take a regular shift on the third pairing. We will see, but it would be great if Scott could provide some physicality on the blueline beyond fighting.
His addition may mean the end of Jordan Hendry’s Blackhawks career. If Bowman can re-sign Hendry for the right price on a two-way contract he could be back. Hendry can skate but the Hawks need to have another crease clearer besides Brent Seabrook.
Hawk management will be primarily focused on re-signing Hjalmarsson and Niemi but Bowman said he will be meeting soon with Cristobal Huet’s agent. It appears Huet will have a choice, ether play in the AHL or overseas.
If Huet’s $5.6 million salary counted against the salary cap next season the Hawks would have to unload a top player and more. If so, the chances of gaining a playoff birth would greatly diminish. No doubt Huet will be elsewhere.
It seems like the Niemi signing should come in around 2.5-3 million dollars. Craig Anderson and Jonathan Quick earn about 1.8 million. Possibly winning the Cup gains Niemi an additional one million dollars. If it goes to arbitration the Hawks will look to use Anderson and Quick’s contracts as comparables.
The offer sheet speculation on Hjalmarsson and Niemi has died down. Hammer getting an offer sheet might still become a reality although unlikely. Unless a silly offer came in the Hawks would match, although they may have to make another trade.
Fans shouldn’t be too gloomy because there is a lot of talent left but the depth of the team will be tested. The fire sale could have been much worse if the salary cap went down instead of up. At least all of the trades happened after winning the Stanley Cup, not before.
The core of the team is just starting to get good and most will be better in years to come.
There is more mystery for next season and sometimes that can be fun.
Al’s Shots
I will be writing only as necessary, it has been a great season but now it’s time for a break.
Thanks to all who have continued to read over the years.
blackhawkswin@comcast.net
Filed Under: Al Cimaglia • Chicago Blackhawks • Featured • NHL
Al, thanks again for sharing your insights with us.
The fact that you have a first hand view of what Hawks management is doing is something we can appreciate.
There are plenty of opinions out there about the future of the Blackhawks, but as you say, Bowman & Company know as well as anyone what their challenges are.
They also know the value of the assets they have…after all, it’s what they are paid to do.
The effect of the salary cap on Championship teams is not limited to the NHL. The NFL has had to deal with it as well, though they address it differently.
As you point out, Bowman hasn’t ‘lost’ players due to cap constraints; he’s moved them and gotten younger, less expensive players in return.
Looking at the new additions, there’s lots of talent there.
What should be exciting for Hawks fans, is seeing this new talent develop.
Have a great Fourth of July.
Dave,
I agree with you. The trades present tremendous opportunity for the Blackhawks. That should translate into plenty of excitement going into training camp and throughout the season.
Thanks again to both of you for all of your interesting and informative work.
Have a good break Al. I always look here first.
Enjoy your summer.
Great insight Al! One thing is sure, the Hawks’ depth will be tested net season and sometimes it’s a good thing to allow youngters to contribute gradually to a good team!
True look at the Pens and how they blew up there team after winning the cup. Why make yourself a contender for years when you can blow your load in one run.
The goal is to win the Cup. Being a contender every year doesn’t mean you will succeed.
The Hawks will likley be a playoff team once again….
Blow up the team is a bit strong but not to those who look at the issue from a distance.
They traded away good players but…Buff wasn’t a top six forward much of the year.
Eager, Frasor, Ladd and Versteeg were 3rd 4th line players.
The Chicago depth will be tested for sure…but blow up is too strong in this case.
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The black hawks have Bulimia, they binged and now they have purged.
Great Website, Outstanding Blogger.
What the ‘sky-is-falling’ Blackhawk fans have to recall just some 60-90 days ago is that the concensus was that out of the ‘on-the-line-cap-hit-four’, made up of Buff, Steeger, Bolland, and Sharp, that only one of the four could be kept. To keep Bolland and Sharpe is such a shot-and-a-goal compared to this former concensus that little else should matter–save maybe for Hammer’s signing.
To put the cheery on top, he has traded most of the depth players to the other conference where the B’Hawks may not play that team but once every three years like the Bruins and Maple Leafs (a crying shame, Butthead Bettman, but this is for another rant).
All this was done before the Calendar turned to July—Bowman is putting on a clinic on General Managementship. Angelo and Paxon or Bowman—-pppffff ha ha ha ha ha ha
I said before in another post–in the salary cap era, no matter the sport, the farm system is the engine that makes the vehicle go. This is kinda why the Sox and Cubs are mediocre–rather non-descript farm systems. Angelo couldn’t perform a decent draft from a flowing beer keg. Paxon…..how the hell does he STILL have a job…?!
The up and coming youth from the farm system is the cheap labor to allow a team to fit under the cap. If the cheap labor can build the way to another Championship, then let the dynasty begin.
Thanks a lot.
Bowman says, in so many words, exactly what you have.
I will be the first to say it would have been nice to tie a ribbon around the whole group for another three or four years…couldn’t happen.
Don’t know if you read from about a week ago…Seven Untouchables..but management knew who they wanted to keep.
They then traded players they felt could be replaced for cheaper, were overpriced or a combination of both.
THe media…. especially up north and out east wants to dwell on the destruction of this team.
I wrote awhile back this will be different as no Cup winning team this young has been purgd because of the salary cap…..It is what it is.
Those which take a pragmatic view and know the sport like Ken Hitchcok…. thinks Bowman hit a homerun…as he has acquired younger skill.
Great blogs Al. My feeling is the Hawks need Bickel to step up as he could supply the banging on the front end It suprised me the Hawks had no dealings with Tallon at all. I guess he didn’t put the same value on his old troops now that he’s no longer here. Anyway have a great summer and I’ll keep looking for your blogs
I think Tallon put more value on his upcoming draft picks and wanted to hang onto them.
So, in looking at the roster, it seems like the Hawks need one more forward – who would y’all suggest? My thinking is Bill Guerin – does he have anything left in the tank?
One other thing, what happened with Niklas Persson (C/F from Sweden)? I thought he signed a one year deal with the Hawks and from what I read this morning, he signed a one year deal with Tampa Bay.
Persson was a figment of Chicago message boarders…The Hawks never sent me an official notice he was signed…so I didn’t write it up.
There a lot of Hawk GM wannabe’s out there…most of the time they get it wrong.
As far as Guerin ..not sure what kind of pay cut he would accept…when I hear something worthwhile I will post.
Deapends on what cap space is left…Moore?? who they almost got a couple of yrs ago..maybe…Asham??
Depends on how much Bowman has to play with…
There will be guys out there cuz money is tight with many clubs.
Al – I thought the Persson news was kind of weird. The news of the signing was in some places but not in others. After looking into him a bit, he seemed like an interesting player, one I could’ve seen the Hawks going after. In fact, even his Wikipedia page said he’d been signed by the Hawks. Oh well.
Yea, there’s time, and the price will come down for a few guys. Someone said that the second most important day in FA is August 1 – the time when guys start to accept less to get a contract and get into camp, and the same thing happened to Dominick Moore last year. I think he’d be serviceable, but I’d love to see the Hawks go after Asham. In the limited time I saw him, he seemed to me to be like Burish and Eager – has a strong motor but not as lippy and he could play a bit. If dollars and term could line up, I’d sign him. Perhaps two years at 700K per? Just me being the rotisserie GM though.
Can’t doubt what Stan’s been doing. High marks are definitely in order.
I learned the hard way a few years ago to be weary of info on the internet.
There was a time when the Hawks would quickly send an email to credentialed media announcing trades..signings etc.
Now they post it on their own site first and then release an email alert.
If is isn’t on the CBH website or on NHL.com/TSN it probably didn’t happen.
Al:
Last I looked a month ago, and now today can no longer find, I believe I saw Ben Eager on a UFA list of the 2009-2010 B’Hawk free agent list with Madden and Burish.
How, if this was the case, did Bowman manage to trade Eager? Are not UFA ‘strings free’ from any teams?
Thank You
As Fred said and Eager was not arbitration eligible.
Ben Eager became a restricted free agent on July 1st, that’s why Bowman was able to trade him.