All Entries in the "Chicago Blackhawks" Category
Niemi Watch
Will Antti Niemi be back in Chicago for the 2010-2011 season?
If you were thinking about buying a Niemi jersey to wear while watching him battle for the Blackhawks at the United Center….I would hold off on making the purchase.
As has been stated here on a few occasions Niemi is playing with a shorter stake than [...]
PuckCast: HockeeNight! Meets Hockey Independent for some hot stove talk on hot topics
Thanks to our good friends Fork and CT at HockeeNight! in Chicago (hockeenight.com), we’re pleased to bring you this two hour podcast recorded Tuesday, July 22.
Featuring NHL on XM Radio’s Hawks correspondent and HockeyIndependent.com columnist Al Cimaglia; Dave Morris, also a feature columnist at Hockey Independent; and hosts ForkLift and CT, it’s a lively, and [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Dismissing Blackhawks Possibly Signing & Trading Niemi Upon A Large Arbitration Reward
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Niemi At Risk…Will Hawks Move in a Different Direction?
Antti Niemi’s arbitration hearing is set for July 29, and the Blackhawks third annual Fan Convention begins the following day. It would be best for Hawks management to have Niemi’s contract put to bed by next Tuesday. In that way all media focus can be placed on the Fan Convention which will be a huge celebration [...]
Could Bobby Ryan receive an offer sheet? And other Ducks news
Many people wonder if Anaheim Ducks forward Bobby Ryan, who is a restricted free agent, could be a prime target for an offer sheet from an opposing team. A young talented winger of his age (23) and star caliber (71 goals, 60 assists for 131 points in 168 NHL games played) could be very enticing for [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Why Antti Niemi Cannot Receive An Offer Sheet
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To [...]
Arbitrate This
There are many reasons why the Blackhawks are in a salary cap bind.
There were a couple of big overpayments involving the Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet contracts. Another factor which isn’t brought up as much would involve players which went from earning close to the league minimum and then resigned multi-year extensions for around $3 million [...]
Five reasons I hate the Kris Versteeg trade
Questions need to be asked and heads need to roll. Dieter Kurtenbach is leading the pitch forked brigade.
Offer Sheet Oddities and The Panther Connection
A few weeks ago Stan Bowman seemed to be on course to complete his off season salary cap challenge. No doubt the Blackhawks weren’t going to be as deep but there appeared to be enough talent left to compete for the Western Conference crown. That was the case before the Sharks issued an offer sheet [...]
Wilson Looks To Deflate The Hawks
This shouldn’t come as a shock although it looked like the Hawks might have dodged a bullet. But Doug Wilson thought otherwise and signed Niklas Hjalmarsson to a four year, $14 million offer sheet.
As was outlined a few weeks ago this possibility made as much sense as any offer sheet could.
The Sharks needed to replace a [...]
Niemi, Hjalmarsson, Probert and Some Loose Ends
The deadline for eligible RFA’s to file for arbitration was on Monday. Antti Niemi did choose to file for arbitration which should not have been a surprise. The only reason Niemi wouldn’t have done so is if his new contract was signed, sealed and delivered.
From what I have heard Stan Bowman, and Niemi’s agent Bill [...]
UFA Daze: Hawks Play Hardball
The UFA Frenzy has passed. As the experts survey the after-effects, the front page news has alternated between ‘The Ilya Affair’ and ‘The Chicago Fire Sale’. The drama set off a few more fireworks on Canada Day and the Fourth of July, while the beer flowed and the barbecues sizzled.
The spice was laid on liberally to disguise the lack of meat in the stories. The blogosphere buzzed about Kovalchuk, but no one knew anything. As for the foofaraw about Chicago, it seemed everyone forgot there isn’t a single Stanley Cup winner since the lockout that hasn’t, following their victory, overhauled their roster. So why should this year’s Champion Blackhawks be any different?
Let’s all blame the NHL’s salary cap!
Many hockey fans blame the NHL’s salary cap for the Chicago Blackhawks ongoing firesale of recent trades. Kevin Burgundy doesn’t. Read why on HockeyIndependent now!
29 Clubs Would Trade Places With Hawks
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 [...]
HOCKEYINDEPENDENT FREE AGENCY LIVE CHAT: 11am Start!
HockeyIndependent’s Free Agency Live Chat Show
Bowman Deals Versteeg
As was the case in last weekend’s draft the Hawks acquired big, fast players, this time in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stan Bowman’s significant transaction since becoming general manager have had a common thread. He has traded potential All-Stars, which were already paid as if they were, for young talent which will [...]
Rumors and Scuttlebutt Pre-July 1
Gone are the days of a Blackhawk GM flipping a player an extra $500,000 as if he was tipping a parking attendant. The new Chicago regime will spend money but they won’t throw it around.
Fortunately Stan Bowman doesn’t have to pay the bad team premium to attract or to keep players any longer. The biggest [...]
HOCKEY INDEPENDENT’s FREE AGENCY LIVE SHOW: 11am to 5pm on July 1st. Be There!
The LIVE CHAT will open at 11am. We will have a breaking news twitter feed in the chat so we all know at the same time as things break. Cut through the blogosphere and twittersphere noise and spend your Free Agent Frenzy day with us!
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 [...]
BLACKHAWKS’ 2010 DRAFT: THE KNOWN UNKNOWNS
“We’ve said all along that the key to sustaining a team is bringing up young players year after year.” That was how Stan Bowman viewed the Chicago Blackhawks’ posture going into the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. As a Stanley Cup Champion, the Hawks executives clearly felt they could afford to look at prospects who would pay off long term, rather than focusing on immediate returns. The choices also reflect some of the new trends in player development.
Day One Comments, Day Two Possibilities
Many feel the Hawks fist round draft pick was a reach. Obviously Stan Bowman doesn’t feel the same as he traded up to acquire recent high school graduate Kevin Hayes, who plays right wing but is left handed.
Bowman commented the Hawks have had their eye on Hayes since last summer. The 18 years old is [...]
30 thoughts/facts/predictions around the 2010 NHL draft/free agency ***updated***
Three hours away from the beginning of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, California, there is a lot of talk surrounding what is likely to happen tonight, and before the start of the NHL free agency on July 1st.
Below, you will find 30 thoughts/facts/predictions about the NHL that might happen in the next [...]
Friday’s Thoughts….Will Hawks Move Campbell?
Yesterday a confident Stan Bowman explained a little about where the Blackhawks are at concerning their salary cap predicament. He commented it was sad to see players go but they have been preparing for this situation for many months. Maybe Hawks management had a contingency plan in place for the all the bonuses which were [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Lyle Addresses Wild Trade Rumors This Week That Will Likely Not Happen
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
What’s Next?
Stan Bowman did what he had to and got himself some breathing room heading into the draft. The young GM walked away with a well thought of prospect in Jeremy Morin, a good depth center in Marty Reasoner plus the 24th and 54th pick in the upcoming draft. Bowman’s salary cap clean-up is not over [...]
Why Trade With The Hawks?
The worse case scenario is the Hawks apparently are above next year’s cap limit even with the temporary cushion. A team can go above the salary cap by around 10% temporarily, as long as they get down to the required limit by the time the official rosters are turned into the NHL. The word going around [...]
Seven Blackhawk Untouchables
Here are some specifics as to which Chicago players might be traded in the next few days or before next season begins. Stan Bowman has a short list of seven untouchables, and every other Blackhawk player can be had with an acceptable offer.
Word going around to NHL general managers is Dave Bolland, Marian Hossa, Patrick [...]
Fire Sale Coming…Should Anyone Be Blamed?
We live in a finger pointing society. When things go bad there has to be fault to assign. The Blackhawks will be the first very young group of NHL Champions to be dismantled because of salary cap issues. Chicago fans may question if the salary dump was inevitable.
Winning the Stanley Cup should ease much of [...]
Big Bonuses + More Changes = Shark Bait
Stan Bowman’s summer has gotten more complicated since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Besides the anticipated tight cap predicament for next season Bowman has to now make room for some hefty performance bonuses. It has been reported Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will receive a total of approximately $4 million in bonuses which will count [...]
Post Parade and Some Salary Cap Reality
The parade and Stanley Cup rally are over and it was some show. I have been at many events involving huge crowds including the gigantic July 3 fireworks display at the lakefront. At no time has there been a larger crowd gathering in downtown Chicago than for the Hawks Cup celebration.
On Friday morning the mood [...]
Cup Vs. Cap: What’s Next For the Chicago Blackhawks?
The confetti has barely been swept up from the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Championship parade, and already salary-dumping scenarios for the Hawks are being concocted. While Islanders great Mike Bossy suggested the Hawks can become a dynasty, some observers say the party’s already over as The Cap, in their eyes, crushes all hope. Where the truth is, perhaps, only Chicago GM Stan Bowman knows. At least, Hawks fans hope he does.
Catching the Stanley Cup Cold
Building a dynasty team in the NHL just isn’t what it used to be. Post lock-out Cup winners have had trouble dealing with the costs of success and has led to 5 different champions in the 5 years since the Collective Bargaining Agreement was established. One has to wonder if winning the Cup these days isn’t like catching a cold?
Champions At Last
The team which many thought wasn’t ready for the main stage captured hockey’s top prize and is now Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks showed the world they are the best team in the NHL and the most exciting show in hockey. They are a fearless group of winners which has the ability to play with [...]
With a Win Hawks Can End a Very Long Journey
There is a feeling of nervous anxiousness among longtime Blackhawks fans. Those who were part of the dark decade, from the md-nineties until the Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane era are cautiously excited. Tonight the Hawks have a chance to make history. They won’t want to squander an opportunity to become Stanley Cup champions for [...]
MAINSTREAM MAYHEM: Embarrassing Chicago Tribulations & Other Journalistic Oddities
A funny thing happened on the way to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Along the way, the blogosphere, who some old guard still sit harrumphing over, juxtaposed with the mainstream media, as once again it is the desperate mainstream that is doing the questionable pieces lately.
As the blogosphere remains creative, exciting and [...]
Defining Moment?
Blackhawk fans have witnessed a season full of thrills and have watched this group mature during the post season. On Sunday night the Hawks were confident and sensed there were no second chances left.
Led by Jonathan Toews, Chicago was an angry bunch but managed to keep their focus. The Hawks played the best opening period [...]
Grading the Islanders: Part Four
Part four in a multiple part series that analyzes and grades the play of the New York Islanders. This part covers Mark Streit, Andy Sutton, Freddy Meyer, and Bruno Gervais.
BULLY AT HOME: Home Teams Winning, Who Can Finish The Job?
Interesting thing between these two teams is the fact that the Blackhawks allowed themselves to be bullied back on Broad Street. Meanwhile, it was Pronger who finally went flying for once, now 5 games in, letting him run the board for 4 of them.
While first three games were a back and forth toss up, it [...]
HAWKS-FLYERS CUP FINAL 2010: “IF”
Like the playoff series preceding it, this year’s Stanley Cup Final is making predictions obsolete.
At mainstream outlets like ESPN, RDS, TSN, Yahoo Sports and the NHL Network, many experts were picking the Blackhawks to win, though some hedged their bets by saying we would see a seven game series. Dissenters were favoring the Vegas underdogs from Philly.
Few expected that each game thus far, would be decided by a single goal (the empty netter in Game Four notwithstanding).
Mistakes Must Stop Now For Hawks
The Blackhawks started out being aggressive and moving the puck forward in Game 4, but couldn’t sustain the effort. The officials started out by calling a tighter game but they weren’t consistent either. Make no mistake the biggest problem the Blackhawks face is themselves and the Philadelphia Flyers, most likely in that order.
Give the Flyers [...]
Yellow Journalism
An oft-suspended blowhard from Chicago does his best to speed the death of newspapers in the United States.
Hawks Should Listen To Bobby and Attack…Ladd May Play
Andrew Ladd will be a game time decision and my guess is he will play. Most likely Joel Quenneville knows by now if Ladd is healthy enough to dress.
There is no need for Quenneville to make any official lineup changes hours before start time. By not making announcing any changes after the morning skate, Q. [...]
PRONGER’S PUCKS: We Uncover That His Puck Stealing Skills Are Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
We here at HockeyIndependent strive to investigate thoroughly any and all issue or NHL scandal. When Pronger stole the Stanley Cup game pucks, we here snapped into action. We have conducted a thorough investigation into Mr. Pronger and this is what we discovered in his Philly suburb house…
The Brinks Job:
If one looks closely, you can [...]
Philadelphia Flyers’ hidden gem: Claude Giroux
Four years ago when the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Claude Giroux, Bobby Clarke, the general manager at the time, drew a blank just before calling Giroux’s name at the podium. Now every hockey fan knows who Claude Giroux is after he scored his game-winning goal in the third game of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday. [...]
Hawks Should Look Back Before Going Forward
The Blackhawks didn’t become Western Conference Champions by playing tentative when the going gets tough. This young crew from Chicago needs to draw upon their past success to be able to succeed in their toughest challenge. No club forechecks better than the Flyers but the Hawks need to move forward with confidence.
Dustin Byfuglien should also look [...]
