Hawks Shouldn’t Force A Trade

It was my opinion this summer the Blackhawks should have been aggressive in trading players to open up salary cap space for the coming season. There could have been a benefit for this year and next when the cap crunch will really hit. 

It was an unsettling summer for the Blackhawks front office.  There was the unexplainable qualifying offer escapade and then the general manager change after the NHL draft. The Marian Hossa’s shoulder concerns arose and Patrick Kane’s off ice problems in Buffalo. 

Before we all knew it training camp was upon us and the Hawks did not make a trade to clear salary cap space. Today Hawk followers are divided on their opinions concerning player transactions. 

Blackhawk fans can be separated into three groups. 

1.  Some believe the Hawks are late in starting their salary cap house cleaning and now will be forced into trades.  They feel management will not have an edge in any deals and the result will be a less productive team for this season. 

2.  Others believe there wouldn’t be any trade rumblings today if the re-signing story did not recently surface. Those Hawk followers feel there is no reason to rock the boat and rush to trade players so there can be a media splash featuring Kane, Keith and Toews. They believe there is a panic to trade players so the team can announce the contract extensions of their prized restricted free agents 

3. Lastly, some fans believe it is better to plan for the future while also trying to make the team better today. 

There are Blackhawk loyalists who are cautious, others skeptical and curious while some appear to be more pragmatic. 

We will find out soon if general manager Stan Bowman is more of the mind set of group one or three. All Blackhawk followers should hope those in group two are way off base although at this point it’s not clear if they are truly misguided. 

Time will tell what course of action management takes and their true motivation will eventually surface. 

I’ve always liked Patrick Sharp, even before he was considered a goal scorer. He is a very smart hockey player who reminds me a little of Steve Larmer. Sharp has a ways to go to justify that comparison but he does a lot of things well. 

In the summer it was brought to my attention Patrick was supposedly on the trading block. 

Through some meaningful whispers and practical analyses Sharp appeared to be headed to Toronto. It made sense in a few ways as before the Hossa surgery Sharp appeared to be expendable. After Hossa opted for a shoulder operation the Sharp to anywhere rumor quickly subsided. The Hawks couldn’t afford to trade a goal scorer while their top sniper was out of action. 

Some others who normally are in the know have told me Sharp was never really a serious part of trade talks in the summer. Take your pick on what story was accurate then because more Sharp trade chatter has arrived. 

Although I haven’t heard anything specific there are rumblings Patrick is on his way out of town again.  This is a rumor and I can’t give an opinion either way on its validity. But it has been mentioned on Hockey Buzz.com. 

For every motive there could be to trade Sharp there are as many or more reasons to keep him in Chicago. Getting shipped to another team is the downside of being a professional athlete. Trade rumors are part of the game but there is no way Sharp wants to leave Chicago at this point. Maybe the only positive for him would be a sense of relief if the trade chatter was put to rest. 

There are two facts which can’t be overlooked. 

Sharp is a $3.9 million salary cap hit through the 2011-2012 campaign. Patrick will also be 28 years old next month. 

The salary cap hit combined with Sharp’s age, may mean if the Hawks are going to trade a forward he is the likely candidate. 

There are other Hawk forwards signed to substantial multi year contracts but they are all a few years younger than Sharp. Dustin Byfuglien is 24 years of age, while Kris Versteeg and Dave Bolland are only 23. Blackhawk management may conclude they have more upside than Sharp. 

I was all in concerning trading Sharp this summer but now it is a risky move. There is no way Sharp will be dealt unless it is the perfect trade set-up for Bowman. Sharp’s departure could be disruptive as he is one of the most popular players in the dressing room. 

All is going great for the Hawks and at this point they have surpassed my early season expectations but there are concerns. 

Bolland’s 19 goals and 28 assists from last year have not been replaced. The Hawks have scored four goals or more six times in 22 games this season but two of those performances came recently against the Flames and Oilers.  In many games the Chicago offense couldn’t be categorized as explosive but there have been injuries. 

The Hawks were among the least injured teams last season. If they stay on their same pace they will be in the top 20% of the most injured clubs for this season. That is a huge difference. 

Maybe with the return of Marian Hossa the goal scoring will automatically increase, it probably should. But the Hawks are still missing a true second line center. It’s harder to find fault with the Hawks while they are on such a great run. Hossa returning should make them even better but sometime bad luck concerning injuries stays consistent. 

My thinking is unless Sharp is traded as part of a deal for a talented pivot who is  signed only through this season, he will remain in Chicago for the time being. 

There will be those which will conclude if Sharp is dealt it is because he is linked with former Blackhawk GM Dale Tallon. Sharp was part of the best trade Tallon ever made. Some believe the former Hawk general manager valued Sharp more than anyone up in the front office today. 

Those in that camp have the same thinking as those in group two from earlier. They feel non hockey factors have too much emphases on Blackhawk decision making. 

My reasons for possibly trading Sharp make a lot more sense from a hockey standpoint. 

Prudent hockey logic should be the only thing which matters. 

The other most mentioned Hawk player in trade rumors is Brent Sopel. 

Garnet Exelby has been on my radar screen since last year’s trade deadline. He is only signed through this season for approximately $1.4 million. Exelby is more physical than Sopel, but he hasn’t been playing as well. 

The key here is Sopel carries some baggage. He is $2.33 million cap hit for this season and next  and that  is a problem for the Hawks, even before the expected contract extensions. 

Exelby isn’t going to get any style points for his skating but he could provide the Hawks with some toughness. It is my belief, if he could be acquired straight up for Sopel Bowman pulls the trigger. 

The Maple Leafs, who should not have an edge on any team concerning a trade, supposedly wanted a Hawks second round draft pick along with Sopel. It’s true the Leafs would be swallowing some salary for the better part of two seasons so a mid round pick could have been included. But Sopel could play top four minutes in Toronto while Exelby has been a frequent healthy scratch. There is no need to pay up for Exelby. 

Lately the Sopel to the Leafs chatter has died down but other clubs could be interested. Sopel has rebounded nicely from an injury plagued season. 

During the summer I had a chance to speak to Stan Bowman for a few minutes. My thinking at the time was the Hawks should make a couple of deals to set up for their costly free agent re-signings.  Bowman didn’t hint he would be active on the trade front.  Actually his comments indicated probably nothing significant would happen and it didn’t.  But now he could be forced to deal someone who isn’t on an expiring contract because of CBA tagging issues. 

Trading Sopel barely puts a dent into the $10 million or so in salary cap space which has to be created for next season. His departure would have more to do with short term salary cap concerns. 

The Hawks can’t trade Sopel without getting a solid defenseman in exchange. 

If Sharp is dealt and a top six forward goes down with a lengthy injury trouble could follow. 

The Blackhawks are one of the best teams in hockey. 

Are they ready to win a Stanley Cup? 

If their goal tending stays good and the lengthy injuries subside they have a shot. What will matter most is the condition of the team when the playoffs start in April. 

So what does the Hawks rookie general manager do now?

My guess is Sopel is likely to go. 

The Hawks have some chips to throw in the pot to get a player they want in return. Ice Hogs, Jack Skille and Akim Aliu could be expendable and do have some trade value. The Hawks can sacrifice some draft picks as they will pick some up when the real salary dump starts. 

Bowman knows his team is very good and that there is a fine line between winning and losing. Sharp stays for now unless the perfect trade comes along, same with Cam Barker. 

Sopel, Sharp, Barker and other Blackhawks could have new teammates next fall.  But any trades now should happen only becuase they can’t be passed up.  

I would have preferred some trade action last summer, but what wasn’t done was done. Now there is no need to be over reactive. 

Al’s Shots 

Coach Q. probably starts Hossa out with Kane and Toews. Patrick will have to go to the other wing as Hossa has seniority. 

Look for Hossa to play on every line in the next few games. It will be interesting to watch how much playing time he gets in the next week or so. 

Although Hossa is a great player it may take awhile for him to get rolling. 

The Ladd, Madden and Brouwer line should stay together. 

My preference would be for Sharp, Toews and Kane to skate as a unit. 

But it makes sense to get Hossa going with the only true offensive center left, Toews. 

The hockey world is buzzing about the Blackhawks these days.

If they win tonight in San Jose they are set up for a very good road trip. If they can win two of the next three it will be an outstanding circus trip. 

I will be back in a few days unless something important breaks. 

Have a great Thanksgiving. 

blackhawksin@comcast.net