A Year Full of Promise After an Endless Summer

As a new hockey season approaches the debut of the Hockey Independent website has arrived. I am looking forward to sharing some thoughts with an enthusiastic hockey audience. You will be kept informed of Blackhawk happenings as well as given a slightly different angle on some issues.

The summer which never seemed to end as far as Blackhawk brass were concerned, is finally over. Despite all of the off season turmoil and bad publicity, Hawk management has put this team in a very good position to succeed.

This is the best group of Blackhawks since the club which went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1992.  That said they are certainly not the favorite to win the Cup and maybe not the chalk to come out on top in the Central Division. The Western Conference is ultra competitive and although the Hawks had a great 2008-2009 campaign they were fortunate not to get overwhelmed with injuries. Enduring less injuries than the vast majority of clubs was a great benefit, but the Hawks still proved to be a very talented group. Last season only three other teams experienced fewer man games lost due to injury than Chicago.

It is an old adage but true, the game is not played on paper. That said the additions of Marian Hossa, John Madden and Tomas Kopecky give the Hawks a stronger lineup than last year. It could be too early to start thinking about the Stanley Cup, but if the goal tending can hold up the Hawks should prove to be an elite NHL team once again. This year coach Joel Quenneville will benefit from being with his group at the start of training camp. Another year of an experience will certainly help all involved.

There is one story which is already getting old but is important, as the Hawks must find a competent back-up goalie. It is unreasonable to believe in the rough and tumble Western Conference; Cristobal Huet will start more than 55 games. So whether it is Corey Crawford or Antti Niemi, one of those boys will have to be ready to give the team a chance to win in each one of their starts.

Right now I can’t pick between Crawford and Niemi. Other issues besides on ice performance could also be factored into management decisions concerning the pair. Both Crawford and Niemi earn similar money but Corey is signed for an additional year, through the 2010-2011 season.

The highly touted Niemi came to the US last year to play in the NHL, not to remain in Rockford. This most likely will be his make a break season here, as the Hawks still control Crawford’s contract rights  for another year. Maybe the organization will be more intent on first finding out about Niemi’s NHL potential, as his future in the States may not go beyond this season. The competition between the two is by far the most interesting story of the preseason. If neither can get the job done the Hawks will have to find someone, a poor record from a back-up goal tender can be very costly.

Last year it became apparent early on in training camp, Kris Versteeg should make the roster. Not only did he impress me more each time I saw him, but his contract worked well with the Hawks salary cap situation. Versteeg at close to the NHL minimum was one of the best bargains in hockey. The Hawks have some salary cap breathing room to start this season because of Hossa’s shoulder surgery, which will keep him on the shelf for awhile. This time around it is doubtful there will be any impact rookies cracking the roster.

Barring a slew of injuries it will be unlikely forwards Kyle Beach or Akim Aliu will stick around for long after camp ends. Beach is too young to play in the AHL, so unfortunately he will have to go back to juniors.  Aliu could turn up in Chicago later on but he probably needs at least a few months in Rockford, if not an entire season to round out his game.  Beach and Aliu can be top six forwards, but that time isn’t now with the caliber of talent the Hawks have for this season.

The days of force feeding grinders into top six forward positions is over. In the same regard a rookie power forward goal scorer will probably not be placed on the third or fourth line. If anything, a player like Jake Dowell who is having a good camp could be used in a grinder role.

That leaves us with winger Jack Skille, who is only 22 but needs to take the next step soon. The longer Skille, who was a high draft pick, is buried in the AHL the less trade value he will have. So far he hasn’t illustrated he can play well enough in all three zones to compete in the NHL.

Skille could be in a tough spot because he is not good enough to be a top six forward, and he might not be able to secure a checking line role either. He is a good competitor who is strong and faster than he looks, maybe management will find a place for him. If not he probably could be moved this year, while he still maintains enough perceived value.

As far as the defense is concerned Brent Sopel and Aaron Johnson would have to clear waivers to be sent to Rockford. That leaves Jordan Hendry as most likley starting the season with the Ice Hogs. There could still be a trade in the near future for a blueliner, and one of the trio mentioned could be involved. That issue will resolve itself in coming weeks as other clubs trim down their rosters.  It wouldn’t hurt to bring in a physical defender to replace Matt Walker’s toughness. It is very unlikely rookie Shawn Lalonde will be on the Hawks bench come October, although he has a bright NHL future ahead.

It is still early and injuries can always change things, but for right now the battle between the young goalies will be the key training camp drama.

Here’s a brief recap of this summers Blackhawk happenings.

Patrick Kane is still featured on the NHL 2010 EA Sports video game cover. The young guy should realize he can’t be just another kid from Buffalo, or anywhere else that has taxi cabs.  Hossa is progressing nicely after shoulder surgery, although he probably won’t be back in action until December. Stan Bowman is at the helm replacing Dale Tallon as general manager, as a few Chicago restricted free agents got bigger paychecks because their qualifying offers arrived late. The NHL is still investigating the long term, front loaded Hossa contract, but most likely no wrong doing will be found.

Kane was definitely guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His image will not suffer as long as he does not make screwing up a lifetime obsession. You can draw your own conclusion as to what actually happened with Kane, his cousin and the Buffalo cab driver. Actually there was never much of a chance of anything being proven, one way or the other.

When you make more money in a year than most earn in a lifetime, the court of public opinion will not give you much slack. We might be a society that is quick to forgive, but we are also quick to hate. Kane has better understanding of that now.

The word on Hossa is the Hawks, and every other NHL club knew he had a shoulder problem before he signed his mega deal.  At first Hossa’s shoulder didn’t appear to require surgery, but things changed shortly after the Blackhawk fan convention concluded.

Whispers were around it was Hossa’s idea to seek surgery, as he felt some added pressure to be at his best. Maybe he was influenced by thousands of pumped up Hawk fans at the convention and their robust enthusiasm convinced Hossa expectations are sky high.

Regardless of the timing, the Blackhawk organization did the right thing. The front office realized they should put Hossa in the best possible position to succeed from the start. I don’t expect Hossa to hit full stride until around February. In any event he should have a lot of jump for the playoffs.

As much as I think Stan Bowman deserves a shot to be an NHL general manager, it’s hard not to feel a little for Tallon’s plight. Many thought Tallon to be on a short leash once the Rocky Wirtz-John McDonough regime took control. He took the bullet for the qualifying offer screw up as the buck stopped with him, he said so himself. Tallon is a fine evaluator of young talent, and the Blackhawks were smart to keep him in the organization.

It is still remarkable the qualifying offer screw up ever happened. Practically the entire Blackhawk front office was in Montreal the weekend before those offer sheets had to be given to players. They could have hand delivered the contracts in time to the boys spending their summer north of the border. The bottom line was the organization was embarrassed and someone had to pay the price, so Tallon was reassigned.

Make no mistake; Rocky Wirtz paid the price also as some players will earn more than they would have if they were properly qualified. The amount of overpayment the Hawks had to come up with is subjective. By my cocktail napkin calculations it is about $1 million for next season. Fortunately players want to play in Chicago these days, so everyone stayed in the fold and some probably will make a bit more than they would have without the snafu. Good for those players, and now it is time to move on.

The NHL investigation concerning the Hossa 12 year front loaded contract will most likely end without any sanctions to the Hawks. The NHL wants to level the playing field and try for more parity, which is a nice thought. It won’t happen as long as there are so many teams losing money and not enough revenue sharing to go around. The strong will continue to attempt to get stronger and the weak will have a difficult time.

No matter how hard Gary Bettman tries to paint a different picture, things have not changed enough since the lockout. The list of teams which were the most profitable before the salary cap is almost exactly the same today. What is worse is the group of losing franchises is almost identical as well.

Those facts will not change regardless of whether or not some teams use long term front loaded contracts to their benefit.