So now they care less about money than the quality of the team. Why go to arb in the first place then.

This is a cluster #$%^ from jump.

Come on. Goalies are being told to jump out of windows by GM’s all over the league and Zito takes this kid to arb for the exercise and then all he can get is 2m for 1yr.

You can’t tell me that some offer the Hawks made early on doesn’t beat the snot out 2m for 1 or at least was close.

Let’s say the offer was 2 years at 1.7; if being on a contender is so important just sign the contract.

Massive, Massive ineptitude and foresight.

This didn’t have to happen. There were several exits to get off this road.

Maybe this not from the current CBA???

But if so….

(c) If a Club exercises its walk-away right, the following
applies:

(i) If the player accepts an offer from a
New Club in respect of that year of the contract which the Prior
Club has walked-away from that is less than 80% of the award for
such year, the Prior Club may, within seven (7) days after the
date it receives the applicable Offer Sheet, elect to match the
offer of the New Club and the Player and the Prior Club shall
enter into a Player Contract on those terms and conditions; or

It was in the *previous* CBA though.

So maybe Antti didn’t want to stay in CHI after all? Maybe Zito asked for the max because he knew Hawks wouldn’t pay the $2.75? The mind boggles.

Wouldn’t that be sweet?!

what if (as Al would say) Hammer didn’t get a offer sheet? how much different would the situation be? maybe Niemi’s still here.

I’ll be very interested in your blog on this Al.

The impression I have is that the Hawks talked to Turco as soon as he was a free agent and lined up a deal.

In his interview given to a Finnish media outlet, Niemi appeared to suggest the same.

But the bottom line is the Hawks had a choice and they didn’t choose Niemi….even if Niemi would have signed before arbitartion for $2 mill it’s still $700,000 more than Turco…normally that would be a no brainer u sign the guy u had but not in this case.

If they had signed Antii to 3 years, $8 million before the offer sheet, would they have matched Hammer’s contract? In retrospect, they could have had both of them and still signed Pisani and Hendry, but they’d be right up against the cap with a 21-man roster. And NO flexibility for the rest of the year.

If they had the opportunity to sign Antii for $2 million, they’d only have $800,000 left with the current roster configuration (swapping Niemi for Turco).

Would a guy like Brouwer have been vulnerable? Could they afford to give him up, too? I personally think he’s much more valuable, especially with his contract, than Buffy or Versteeg.

I shudder when pondering the many possibilities.

With the changes that had to be made, I am satisfied with the current roster and the little bit of flexibility the team has going forward. Yeah, an injury-filled season would be a problem, but isn’t that true of any other club, if they lost a star player or two?

I wonder what you know that we don’t because you don’t seem to agree with the latter.

But you can imagine what another $1.4 or so(difference between Turco and Niemi) would have done to their cap situation.

That’s not a guy I want representing me… Zito.

Of course, if he could get ME $2 mil…

SJS would be now carrying 3 goalies…Greiss (who they were supposedly very strong on for only 500K, but who is an RFA next year), Niittymaki (for two years at $2mil each) and Niemi.

They would have about $1mil and change left after signing Niemi.

They haven’t replaced Rob Blake or Manny Malhotra.

Hard to figure this one, unless it’s just Doug Wilson trying to put the screws to the Hawks…which makes very little hockey sense.