From the Hawks Media department…

The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned forwards Evan Brophey and Jeff Taffe to the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. In addition, the Blackhawks have assigned goaltender Cristobal Huet to HC Fribourg-Gotteron SA of the Swiss National League A.

Chicago’s training camp roster now stands at 33 active players, which includes 19 forwards, 10 defensemen and four goaltenders. An updated training camp roster is attached.

The Blackhawks next preseason game is on Tuesday, September 28 at 6:00 P.M. (CT) when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center.

If that’s the case the NHL should hand Bowman the award for the Top GM of the Year before next season even begins. On a side note, if possible I would love to hire the Hawks accountant. 

Many times it is wrong to assume.

There were those heavily involved with the NHL which thought Bowman had no chance to re-sign the Hawks big three. They were proven wrong as Pat Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews will be in Chicago for a long time.

Again some of the same people were recently speculating about the Blackhawks demise, as Bowman sat back and let the rumors swirl.

Rick Dudley indicated he had at least 50 conversations with Bowman about the big trade, maybe so but in my view he still overpaid. If big Buff scores 30 goals this season the trade would seem to favor Dudley, but not so fast.

Maybe Byfuglien will get the same juicy set-ups without Kane and Toews. Maybe the big guy will stay determined each game despite playing in front of a half filled arena on many nights.  Possibly if Dustin has a very good year he will choose to re-sign in Atlanta after the upcoming season when he becomes a UFA. Then again maybe Byfuglien would rather play in front of a full house close to home and choose someplace like Minnesota.

In any regard Byfuglien playing one very good season with the Thrashers isn’t a lock, let alone becoming a fixture there for years to come.

As long as either Jeremy Morin or Kevin Hayes can become contributors with the Hawks for more than one season, Bowman made a clever deal. The chances of either playing successfully with Chicago are not worse than Byfuglien becoming a fixture in Atlanta.

Over the weekend the hockey blogosphere continued to doubt, as the Blackhawk RFA’s were not immediately qualified. In typical Bowman style Niklas Hjalmarsson, Antti Niemi and Andrew Ladd were all qualified before the close of business on Monday. 

Quite possibly the Hawks are only a Cristobal Huet contract away from having their house in order.  

If Huet plays in parts unknown, and if there aren’t any offer sheets heading to Chicago Bowman can breathe a sigh of a relief. It is too early to celebrate as the Hawks could be a bad arbitration ruling or an aggressive offer sheet away from having problems. For now the coast is clear and with a little luck Hammer, Ladd and Niemi will be back in the fall.

Today no one knows exactly where the Blackhawks are at from a salary cap standpoint except Chicago management and the NHL. 

If not for the $4 million in performance bonuses due following the Stanley Cup victory my assumption would have been the Hawks were in good shape after the Atlanta trade. Naturally my view hinged upon Huet being anywhere but on the Blackhawks bench come October. I think that is one assumption we can make with confidence. 

If Bowman’s recent comments are accurate the Hawks are finished with their salary dump, $4 million in bonuses or not. It is wise not to make assumptions about the salary cap situation for a particular franchise. 

Bowman might have to make a trade if there is an arbitrator prices Ladd or Niemi too high. Hjalmarsson doesn’t have much leverage in contract negotiations although he is the most likely to receive an offer sheet. 

Up until yesterday whispers were still saying Versteeg was available. 

My thinking is if Bowman was soliciting offers for Versteeg it was just to get a sense of how much interest is out there. The Hawks will only deal the young winger if absolutely necessary.  Most likely such necessity would come because of a large offer sheet coming to Hjalmarsson.

Word was out on Sunday the Blackhawks made a qualifying offer to Andrew Ladd of $1.65 million. Ladd has arbitration rights but he might not be awarded a lot more if he goes through the process. 

Ladd is more valuable than his proposed salary would indicate. He has enough to skill to fill in on the top two lines. Ladd is also well suited for a checking line role. In addition he is a two time Cup winner and is only 24 years old. Plus Ladd plays bigger than his size, is well liked by his mates and is tough as nails.

All said Ladd is worth a lot more than $2 million to the Hawks but they just might be able to retain him for the same or less.

Does a 38 point player rate more than a $2 million contract from an arbitrator these days?

Ladd’s value might end up being decided by an arbitrator. But if he wants to stay in Chicago he could be motivated to sign before the hearing. Ladd may get awarded more than the Hawks can pay him and they would have no choice but to trade him. He would then have no say so as to where he ended up.

Sometimes getting every last dollar is not the goal. If Ladd gives in a little this time and signs a one year contract the Hawks could make it up to him in the future.

It won’t be long before Ladd is eligible to be a UFA, maybe he can be convinced he is part of the Hawks long range plans. If the cap goes up again next year Ladd could get a longer term contract including a nice raise, and be part of the Blackhawks for a long time.

My guess is if the Hawks can re-sign Ladd the magic number will be near $2 million. Possibly another franchise could write a $2.5 million offer sheet but they would lose a second round draft pick. But at this point does anyone feel secure they can get the upper hand on Bowman?

If a team wanted Ladd they probably would try to trade with the Hawks instead of writing an offer sheet. 

Now rumblings indicate there is a good chance the Hawks RFA’s will not receive an offer sheet from another franchise.  

The Hawks will try to not let Niemi’s negotiations drag out.  Both sides could be equally motivated.

Niemi could be looking for a little security and an arbitrator will award him only a one year contract. The favorable slant for Niemi would be he becomes an unrestricted free agent the following season. This could work in Niemi’s favor if he has a big campaign, but there could be reasons that won’t happen.

I have not encountered one person close to the Hawks who has said Niemi won the job during last summer’s training camp by being clearly better than Corey Crawford. It was more of a case of Crawford having a different contract status. If the pair ended up splitting duty next season or by chance Crawford became the starter, Niemi might not attract much interest as a UFA the following summer.

Should the Hawks sign Niemi to a two year contract for around $5.75 million maybe everyone will be content. If things stall and arbitration is necessary, Niemi could end up with a new address unless another player like Versteeg was dealt. 

Niklas Hjalmarsson is the one RFA the Hawks don’t want to lose and probably the only one which could attract an offer sheet. The edge for Bowman is they have control over Hjalmarsson if he doesn’t attract an offer sheet and they could play a little hard ball with the young defender.

Another franchise might suspect the Hawks can’t afford Hammer at $3 million a year. If he received an offer sheet at three million per season, with a three year term the Hawks might be hard pressed to match without making a trade.

Certainly there are other teams which would pay Hjalmarsson $3 million per year and sacrifice a second round draft pick. If a team like the Ducks made such an offer the Hawks would match it and make a trade if cap space was needed.

At the end of the day Hjalmarsson would be a Blackhawk and another franchise would have the wealthy Rocky Wirtz as an enemy.

The dust should settle soon and Stan the Man might still be sitting pretty.  

Final Draft Comments 

Certainly evaluating future careers for many draft prospects is more an art than a science. 

What has been shared with me is the consensus view from the draft floor, opinions of other teams, which is the Hawks had a very good weekend. Time will separate fact from fantasy but for now Bowman appears to have booked a solid first draft as a general manager.

The Chicago draft selections from this past weekend shouldn’t be considered to be a part of the big club for another three to five years. But if the consensus is correct the Hawks have selected some valuable NHL players for the future. Most important is the Hawks got the players they wanted even though they drafted at the bottom of the heap during round one. 

Al’s Shots 

By all accounts Cristobal Huet is a stand up individual and a good teammate. He probably is a good husband and a fine father as well.

Not to sound harsh but I don’t feel sorry Huet might be forced to play in the AHL or overseas next season.

There are always risks when you sign a contract. Sometimes the job turns out to not be what you imagined. Huet’s situation can be described in that same way.

But what needs to remembered is Huet is going to earn $5.6 million next year no matter where he is playing.

The travel accommodations in the AHL won’t be the same, playing overseas might be really inconvenient and unsettling…But Huet will get paid.

If anyone is looking to be compassionate there are better causes for concern.

I would have more empathy for someone who works 30 or 40 years in one job only to lose their pension because the company goes out of business.

Every day some hard working man or woman loses a job.

In many cases they don’t lose their gig because they were bad workers. Often jobs are eliminated or the employee just doesn’t fit into the company’s plans any longer.

Huet is facing a similar situation.

Huet is good enough to work in the NHL but he just doesn’t fit in, at least for the time being. Through a series of circumstances he has been overpriced, not that he should be blamed.

Fortunately for Huet and his family he will still earn over $5.6 million next season.

I will save my pity for others.

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On Friday morning the mood was so festive John McDonough cracked a smile. Blackhawks players, coaches, alumni and announcers were truly excited beyond belief and their elation was clearly visible.

All of the dark days of the past disappeared. The celebration was even more special because of how far this team has progressed in only three years. Since the parade the Cup has toured Wrigley Field and is headed to California to make a special appearance on the Jay Leno show on Monday evening. The Cup has also been to other less famous Chicago venues and will probably travel north of the border shortly for a well earned rest.

Before we discuss all of the salary cap details and whispers about possible deals let’s start with what is most important today. For now here are Stan Bowman’s top priorities and some players which most likely won’t be in Chicago for training camp. 

1. To re-sign restricted free agent Niklas Hjalmarsson. My guess is Bowman will try to get the young defender in the fold for somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million over three seasons. 

Offer sheets have been few and far between in the NHL, but when they do occur it is not for top end free agents. The Hawks will try to lock Hjalmarsson up for less than $3 million a year. 

There might be teams interested in writing an offer sheet for $3 million and giving a second round draft choice as compensation for the Hawks young defender. If an offer was made to Hjalmarsson for over $3.1 million the Hawks would receive a first and third round pick in next year’s entry draft.

The Hawks wouldn’t want either scenario to play out but they probably can’t afford to pay Hjalmarsson over $3 million. Brent Seabrook will earn $3.5 million next year, in the last season of his contract.

It is not smart business for a franchise to write an offer sheet to a restricted free agent unless they are sure they can acquire him. Just squeezing another club into pay more money is a good way to make an enemy.

The wealthy Rocky Wirtz  should be at the bottom of the list for those thinking about making any enemies, but the Hawks are in a tough spot. They can’t seek retribution by looking to snag a RFA back from the ‘poaching’ club for a long time. The Hawks won’t be able to overspend to prove a point and the rest of the NHL realizes the same.

2. To re-sign Antti Niemi to an extension, and in this case Bowman may not have to worry about an offer sheet coming from another franchise. There is a glut of goalies available this summer. Niemi is a Cup winner but doesn’t have a very long NHL resume.

Niemi is a restricted free agent who is arbitration eligible. Bowman may have some leverage because my feeling is Niemi won’t receive an offer sheet. Regardless, Bowman won’t want any prolonged negotiations which would lead to an arbitration ruling.

The Hawks don’t play well with arbitrators. Kyle Calder was the last Hawk to go that route. He was awarded a hefty contract and was promptly traded only a few days later.

Once these two players are in the fold Bowman will have a better idea how much cap space he will have for other signings. There are a few players who have been valuable contributors but likely won’t be back. 

My list of those not being a part of the 2010-2011 Chicago roster includes, UFA Adam Burish, Cristobal Huet, UFA John Madden and Brent Sopel. There will be others headed out of town, but this is my short list of those most likely to be gone. 

My view is Burish will be able to earn more with another team than the Hawks will offer him. He serves a purpose but he was often not a top choice for Joel Quenneville in the playoffs. Burish would probably fit well on a club which could use a stronger image, maybe the San Jose Sharks would be an option. 

In some ways Burish acts younger than he is, and at 27 he needs to get the best deal possible. Even if he were to give the Hawks a hometown discount it might not be enough to keep him in Chicago next season.

Burish is a fun guy, and he likes to talk a lot. When you are a top player management is more forgiving of dumb statements, to a point. Jeremy Roenick lasted here for years but management finally had enough of him too.  Burish has never met a question he won’t answer. As much as I hate to say it, sometimes saying nothing or very little is the best option for a player.

Burish says things McDonough and company could probably do without. Some questions need to be handled carefully.  After a team wins the grand prize it is a good idea not to trash a player from the losing squad, even if you are asked.    

Huet will probably be playing overseas in the fall or for Rockford of the AHL. If he plays for the Ice Hogs Rocky Wirtz will foot the bill. But Huet would be landlocked in Rockford as the Hawks may not be able to re-call him due to cap constraints. 

If Huet decides playing in a foreign country is an option, Wirtz may be able to lease Huet and get some money back in return. Regardless Huet’s salary cap hit will be off the books.

I have been told it is permissible under the CBA for Huet to negotiate a larger contract with permission. If my info is correct Huet might be able to make more than $5.6 million if he wants to play in the KHL. Maybe Huet will consider playing abroad in the final two years of his contract as a way to bank more money. He then could choose to return to the NHL or possibly retire.

If Huet had only one more year left on his deal there might be a chance he could be traded. Bowman could bundle Huet with another player, let’s say Kris Versteeg and probably get some takers. But with two years left on his fat contract Huet is most likely untradeable, but nothing is impossible.

A player which has only one year remaining on his deal and can be packaged with another Blackhawk salary cap casualty is Sopel. The veteran defender is a warrior and good guy in the locker room.  But his salary of $2.33 million, for a number five defenseman, is not going to work in Chicago next season. 

Madden served a key role last year but he won’t be back either. Next season the Hawks can’t afford to pay a fourth line center $2.7 million.  Madden will find another club in a position to meet his salary demands. If he would accept a deep discount maybe,  but realistically Madden can earn more elsewhere. 

There will be many opinions about what the Hawks will do to solve their salary cap situation for next year. It would be a good bet if Hjalmarsson and Niemi aren’t re-signed within  the next 10 days or so, Bowman’s task will become much more difficult.

For the first time in a few years the Blackhawks will do nothing significant on July 1. But the June 25th NHL draft in LA will be a busy one for Mr. Bowman. That will be the time when clubs will offer draft picks and prospects for some proven Blackhawk players. 

Al’s Shots 

The link below is from a XM chat with Jamie Shalley and Boomer Gordon. We discussed my interesting parade/rally experience,the Hawks cap situation,  assistant coaches leaving and the Toews bonus.

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My speculation on Marian Hossa having a hand or wrist injury was off target. Hossa was injured but he was nursing a sprained knee during the playoffs.

Andrew Ladd suffered a fractured shoulder and came back in the Finals. Ladd is a RFA, and his future with the Hawks is uncertain.

It has been reported Jonathan Toews earned a $1.3 million dollar bonus for winning the Conn Smythe trophy.

The bonus will count against next season’s cap and will make it more difficult to re-sign a player like Ladd.

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The playoff battle which many thought would be over the quickest will go seven games. The Red Wings will look to regroup and win in Phoenix. It may take a bit more than regrouping as Jimmy Howard will have to be better and the Wings will have to limit their turnovers.

The San Jose Sharks are enjoying a break after disposing of the Avalanche in six games.

Tonight the Blackhawks will try to keep the momentum from Game 5 and jump on the Predators early and often.

Nashville loyalists aren’t happy with the final outcome from Saturday and are not thrilled with Marian Hossa avoiding suspension. It is easy to get emotional but the Predators have only their lack of effective play at the most crucial time in the game to blame.

If they lose the series Nashville will go down infamy.

They are the only team during the playoffs to allow an opponent to tie the score in the last minute of play while shorthanded. It was also interesting three of the same Predators were on the ice for the last two Chicago scores.

Shea Weber, Jason Arnott and Martin Erat will replay those costly moments over and over this summer if Nashville can’t rebound.

The Preds are looking for their boisterous fans to help make the difference tonight. The Bridgestone Arena was sold out (17,113) for Game 4, and should be packed tonight.

Simply put this contest will hinge upon which team can play the most consistent hockey.

The Hawks have to avoid penalties….Doesn’t Nashville have to score at least one power play goal in this series?

Not to put the cart before the horse but it is important for Chicago to close out the Predators tonight.

The Canucks high powered offense will be a problem to deal with and allowing them to rest longer probably won’t slow them down.

If the Hawks defensive zone coverage doesn’t improve tonight, and in the next series if they do advance they are on borrowed time most likely anyway.

The good news for Hawk fans is they haven’t seen the best from their favorite team.

Maybe, just maybe the best is yet to come.

Al’s Shots

In my Sirius/XM Ice Cap interview on Sunday, Patrik Hornqvist’s injury woes were discussed.

I said he is a big loss for Nashville because of his size and ability to play in high traffic areas.

A more accurate statement would have been Hornqvist plays bigger than his size. He is only about six feet tall.

Regardless he is the Predator player who does score on the power play and his loss has made a difference. We will see if he will return tonight.

On Saturday Corey Crawford was recalled from Rockford.

The Ice Hogs season ended Friday night and Stan Bowman wasted no time getting Crawford to Chicago.

If Antti Niemi would suffer an injury during a game, he would be replaced by Cristobal Huet.

But if the man from France was invisible as in his last start in Columbus, don’t think for a second Crawford wouldn’t be used if Niemi was seriously injured.

I would have thought Kyle Beach and a few others would have been called up from Rockford to serve as ‘black aces’, but not as of yet. The Hawks are probably going to do so if they advance.

Beach scored two goals in the Ice Hogs Friday night loss.

There are no lineup changes expected for tonight.

But Joel Quenneville will quickly change linemates if things aren’t going to plan.

Below is the Ice Cap audio link with Terry and Norm from last night.

We discussed the Hossa non-suspension, Game 5 and Game 6, and the high expectations for the Hawks.

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Double click on OPEN only.

Stream this audio by clicking on the blue play button below:

The other positive was Ben Eager answered the bell against Blues tough guy Cam Janssen. Eager probably wishes he never had to drop the gloves. I’m sure he would rather fight only a couple times a year and play a 3^rd line role and score some goals. Janssen fights because that is what he does best and he can take a punch like only a few can. 

Eager hit Janssen squarely with a bomb once, but it hardly fazed him. Although Eager doesn’t answer every challenge he has  fought all of the top sluggers in the Western Conference and has held his own. Eager’s tough guy performance shouldn’t be faulted but he is not a Matt Walker type. That isn’t his fault. 

Those fans which want to focus on only the positives can stop reading. 

Now for the real story… 

The Blackhawks were only partially engaged last night and as the game went on their interest and confidence appeared to wane. The response when they fell behind wasn’t that of a winning team. The best team won last night.

It’s difficult to blame a goalie for a loss when his team scores only two goals. But Antti Niemi wasn’t very good and was outplayed by the Blues Chris Mason. The third Blues goal should have been saved and probably at least one other St. Louis score as well.   

Niemi also doesn’t appear very confident and is over playing the puck. 

On the final Blues goal the Hawks had five skaters on the ice. Three of those players were guilty of mistakes. Brent Sopel was on the wrong side of the puck battle, Duncan Keith left the slot open and Patrick Sharp blew the coverage on Erik Johnson. Lastly Niemi didn’t come up with a big save, although it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway. 

Mason did stop Marian Hossa on a breakaway while the score was tied at two….that was a huge save. 

The Blues still managed 30 shots on goals as the Hawks were only able to block seven of their attempts. On the flip side the Blues blocked 20 Chicago shots as Mason made 32 saves. 

Is that an indication of a more determined team? 

The answer would have to be…. yes. 

The Hawks scored by taking advantage of the Blues mistakes and being in the correct position to score. Hossa has been getting goals because he realizes where the best chances come from. You can’t score goals while facing the boards. 

The Hawks offense, if you want to call it an offense these days, has become cycle paralyzed. 

There are reasons to cycle the puck. 

The main reason is to create scoring chances from possessing the puck which then would lead to a good goal scoring opportunity. If a team can control the puck in the offensive zone they will give the opposition less opportunities to score against them, in theory. It is also very tiring to chase the puck.

When the Hawks were firing on all cylinders they got stronger as the game went on and their opponents weakened. That is no longer the case. 

Pat Kane and Kris Versteeg cycled themselves into submission for the most part but they did create a few good scoring opportunities. But the player that was on the receiving end of the set-up passes couldn’t finish and the line went scoreless. 

Dustin Byfuglien should be along the boards fighting for pucks or standing in front of the goalie. Byfuglien catching a pass in the slot area and scoring seldom happens. His strength is not scoring goals. Unfortunately Buffs screen setting ability is not the best either. Byfuglien is still trying to master the art of scoring from close in and he doesn’t deflect enough shots. He played with passion for the whole game and his effort shouldn’t be questioned. 

Byfuglien like other Hawks these days is being cast in the wrong role.  

Byfuglien shouldn’t be the finisher on a line with Kane and Versteeg. Interestingly Kane and Versteeg weren’t much of a threat to score last night. But the newly created line was a cumulative minus four. 

The Blues defense kept Kane and Versteeg along the boards and they weren’t able to set each other up. Their efforts led to some good scoring opportunities for Byfuglien who isn’t a goal scorer. 

Shortly after Troy Brouwer scored his 20^th goal of the season he seems to have disappeared.  

No longer is he in front of the net on the power play, somehow Brouwer has fallen out of favor. Maybe his demotion to the third line is deserved but Joel Quenneville doesn’t have a team loaded with finishers, despite what many think. Brouwer was a legit goal scorer in the AHL and at least was finishing a portion of his chances in the NHL. 

Byfuglien’s future in the NHL may turn out to be on the blueline.

Although he can’t turn and skate as well as top defenders he has shown more maturity on defense than in the past. Big Buff has a good stick and can use his strength to punish the other team. He also loves to shoot in space. Byfuglien shooting the puck at the point is probably his best chance of hitting the score sheet. By playing defense he could also get more ice time than playing on a third or fourth line. 

The Hawks are fortunate the Predators lost last night. 

The Central division title is now in jeopardy. The lead over Nashville is down to five points but they have played 78 games, three more than the Hawks. The bigger threat is the Red Wings who are six points behind and have played only one more game than the Hawks. Games in hand are only great as long as they are won. 

Not to pile on with more concerning news but Vancouver only trails Chicago by three points and have played one more game. It wouldn’t be good for the Hawks to finish with fewer points than the Canucks if Vancouver wins their division. 

Tonight the Blackhawks will use up a game in hand. 

Let’s see who shows up in Minnesota. 

Al’s Shots 

Questions for tonight… 

1. Should Cristobal Huet start tonight? 

2. Should Byfuglien stay on offense? 

3. Will Keith and Brent Seabrook still be split up? 

My thoughts… 

1. Yes….If Huet doesn’t start tonight he shouldn’t be on the team. Niemi wasn’t at his best and the Hawks have three games coming up in five days. 

2. No….Kim Johnsson hasn’t skated in a long time, as stated here awhile ago he probably is concussed. Byfuglien played fine with Nik Hjalmarsson all things considered, they should be hooked up. 

3. No….They should be reunited. Keith has looked worse than Seabrook since being separated. 

Play the third pair defenders about 10 minutes. Keith and Seabrook should play about 28 minutes. Buff and Hammer would get about 22 minutes of ice time….that would be my plan. 

Then get Brouwer up to the line with Kane and Versteeg…if those two are staying together. 

The Blackhawks marketing department may want to see more drama, but the Hawks need to step up tonight. 

Speaking of the Hawks marketing department…. 

Who would have approved the image used of Jonathan Toews on an Expressway mural? 

Not a good likeness. When things go bad they go bad…..

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The Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t a very good hockey team but they don’t get paid in beer and pizza. The Blackhawks are much better but not good enough to survive a terrible goal tending performance. 

Simply put Cristobal Huet was in goal last night because he has to play some games before the end of the season. The Hawks were in the midst of a five games in nine day stretch and Antti Niemi is not Marty Brodeur. Huet had been sick with the flu but was deemed fit to see action…Or so Joel Quenneville thought. 

Quenneville hasn’t mentioned it to me, but given the choice my belief is he would rather play Huet on the road. So last night the Blue Jackets were the lucky hosts. 

Huet hadn’t played since losing to the Flyers on March 13. 

Unfortunately it appeared Huet hadn’t seen action since March 13 of 2009. 

What occurred in Columbus last night might signal the beginning of the end of Cristobal Huet’s time in Chicago. Almost every one of the seven goals scored on Huet was directly his fault. If body language can indicate such, Huet looked like a beaten man after the second goal. 

The 8-3 loss was as bad as the score indicated and was painful to watch.

To make matters worse for Hawk fans Huet couldn’t have picked a worse night to be bad, as many of his teammates weren’t very good either.

It’s not easy to feel sorry for a player making over $5 million dollars but Huet appears to be a mess. He is the type of person fans should want to root for as he shoulders the blame and doesn’t make excuses. But last night he looked as if he didn’t want to touch the puck let alone stop it. 

It would not be a stretch to say Huet has never really fit in with the Blackhawks. Now he appears to have lost his confidence. Down deep his teammates must feel like they can’t afford to make any errors in front of him. Last night’s performance was one of the worse goal keeping efforts I have seen. 

Let’s cut through the pretense the number one goal keeping job in Chicago wasn’t open for debate before last night’s game. Huet will get a few more starts before the end of the season but time is running out for him to regain his form. 

The real issue now is if Huet can be useful at all, or is he broken beyond repair. 

Quenneville pulled Huet in the middle frame but brought him back for the final period. 

It’s easy to say now, but it might have been best for the Hawks bench boss to wait for another day to get Huet back on track. But maybe Quenneville was more afraid of exposing Niemi to another twenty minutes of the Blue Jacket attack. 

Having one shaky goal keeper is bad but two is much worse. 

After making an ordinary save in the final period Huet heard the Bronx cheer from the Hawk fans in attendance. Probably the best thing about last night for Huet was his stinker wasn’t at the United Center. 

With the loss Chicago blew their chance to lessen the burden in the final nine games. The Hawks are now 4-1 against the Jackets and will meet them for the final time on Sunday night at the United Center. 

The injury riddled Hawks will conclude the regular season playing nine games in 15 days. Because of the heavy workload Huet will be needed again. 

The fate of Huet in Chicago will ultimately rest with Rocky Wirtz.  Unlike his predecessors Rocky knows it cost money to make money. 

With a crowded UFA goalie market on tap this summer Huet’s salary will make it almost impossible to trade him. If he is gift wrapped with a couple of desired players the Hawks could be cutting off their nose to spite their face by making such a trade. Even with an ample amount of bait, trading Huet would be a big task for Stan Bowman. 

My guess is Huet will somehow be elsewhere next season, with Mr.Wrtz paying all or a good portion of his pay. The benefit to Bowman will be the $4,875,000, which is the difference between Huet’s salary and Corey Crawford’s cap hit. 

What to do with Huet this summer is the minor concern for now. Brain Campbell will probably miss at least another six weeks and the team is not playing their best. 

The playoffs are just around the corner and Quenneville will have to hope Huet is not broken beyond repair. 

Al’s Shots 

The Hawks clinched a playoff birth because the Flames lost to the Islanders. 

But no one felt like throwing a party. 

Kris Versteeg was a team worse -4. 

Nick Boynton was a +1, the only plus Hawk. That’s hard to do when your team surrenders seven even strength goals. 

Boynton played almost 19 minutes last night and has done a nice job since being called up. 

Even Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane weren’t very noticeable in Columbus. They seldom disappear and usually not together. 

Huet allowed seven goals on 27 shots…that will help destroy a save percentage.

Does that even matter anymore? 

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The Blackhawks were the better team for most of the contest against the Flyers but Philadelphia was opportunistic and deserved the 3-2 victory. 

The Flyers defense was strong and made fewer mistakes which were the difference between a win and a loss for the Hawks. Defensive miscues weren’t the Hawks only shortcoming as Patrick Kane had another off game. 

Maybe the Olympic stress has caught up with Kane. Another Olympian Brent Seabrook, wasn’t at his best either. 

Kane is making the game more complicated than needed and lately has resembled a struggling Kris Versteeg.

Kane has passed up shots and the play has ended with him too often in the last few games. That has led to odd man breaks against and squandered scoring chances for the Hawks. 

As pointed out last Sunday Kane is also overstaying his shifts. 

Hawks commentator Ed Olczyk mentioned Kane was averaging 1:18 on each shift in the second period….too long. For the game Marian Hossa averaged only 45 seconds a shift and Jonathan Toews shift average was 53 seconds. Kane’s average for the game was 1:01 each shift and that has to change. 

Kane’s extended stays will be on Joel Quenneville’s to do list. 

Now for the good news…. 

The Hawks had their most complete effort in weeks. They skated well and stuck to their structure for three periods. Their performance didn’t drop off. 

Kris Versteeg has looked like a different player of late. 

Maybe the influence of John Madden and the steady Andrew Ladd has rubbed off. Versteeg has simplified his game and has gone to the net. The results speak for themselves. 

The Flyers took advantage of Hawk miscues in the last three minutes but Cristobal Huet couldn’t be faulted. Actually Huet was very good, much better than any Hawk goalie has been in quite awhile. 

Quenneville made the obvious goal tending choice for Saturday. 

His thinking probably was it would be better to get Huet going on the road. Also neither Hawk goalie was going to start both afternoon contests this weekend. Niemi will get his chance on Sunday versus the skilful Capitals. 

All season the Hawks bench boss has done a great job of stifling any goal tending controversy. Now it would be nice if both goalies played equally well and there was some debate as to who should be the top keeper. 

For now it appears to be Niemi’s job to lose but nothing is etched in stone for the playoffs. 

Many believe the Hawks and Capitals are the two best teams in the NHL. Some think they will face each other in the Stanley Cup finals. 

A strong case could be made so far that the Hawks have been the better more consistent team although the Caps have earned more points. Chicago has had the tougher schedule and hasn’t been completely healthy for any game this season until last weekend. The Capitals will catch the Blackhawks in the last half of one of many back to back games this season. 

It doesn’t matter much who the stronger club is in March. Both teams can reach their Conference finals and then again it wouldn’t be shocking if neither did. 

Goalies, Goalies, Goalies??? 

The belief across the NHL is the Hawks and Caps have suspect goal tending. It will be interesting to see how things play out in Chicago and Washington. 

In addition there could be another Cup contender with a different starting goalie in the fall. It would not be surprising if the top three teams from this year had different starting goal keepers for next season. 

The Capitals could benefit from a Russian connection. 

If the Caps fall short on their bid for Lord Stanley maybe they pursue an Olympic teammate of Alex Ovechkin. 

It wouldn’t be a shock for the Capitals to make a strong play for the San Jose Sharks number one net minder Evgeni Nabokov this summer. He will become an unrestrictive free agent on July 1. 

The Capitals would have to create salary cap space but if goal tending proved to be their Achilles’ heel changes could be made. Although they would probably sacrifice offensive skill to be in a position to acquire Nabokov the move could be necessary. 

Not many Hawk fans would assume both Huet and Niemi are a lock to be here next year regardless of post season performance. Once again there are salary cap implications involved. 

If the Sharks fail to make strong Cup run anything is possible this summer. They also have to deal with Patrick Marleau becoming an upcoming UFA which could complicate their salary cap situation. Maybe Nabokov would relish a change of scenery to the East Coast and a chance to play with fellow countryman Ovechkin. 

Regardless if the Hawks win the Stanley Cup or get eliminated early on it will be an eventful summer for general manager Stan Bowman. 

I wonder if the Capitals general manager George McPhee ever wishes he would have re-signed Huet? 

There is a lot uncertainty for even the best teams.

Al’s Shots

Chris Pronger picked the perfect spot to join the rush and scored the game winner. There is no substitute for experience.

Here’ s hoping former Hawk Michael Leighton gets a chance to stay in Philly next season.

Leighton is a scrambler, a little like the Bruins Tim Thomas.

The Hawks will have to play physical against the Caps.

Let’s hope for a great match.

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There were still defensive turnovers and missed goal scoring chances. The Hawks power play at the United Center is not productive. They didn’t take advantage of a lengthy five on three advantage in the opening period. 

The Chicago weak home ice power play is a concern. If the playoffs began today that would be a reason they could be sent packing early. 

As everyone who pays only a little attention realizes, the other big issue is opponents can’t be given gift goals. 

Unfortunately Antti Niemi didn’t do much to step forward and cement his position as the starting goal keeper. 

Actually Niemi looked similar to the bad Cristobal Huet. 

He was scrambling and not strong in his crease. Niemi gave a weak first goal to the Kings Dustin Brown and the Anze Kopitar strike should have been saved. 

The Kings are a formidable opponent. They are well coached, have a great young goalie and play a sound structure. No one will want to face them in the playoffs. 

On Wednesday the Hawks had more chances to score and stayed discipline throughout the game. The end result should have been a regulation win. 

It is true Niemi came up with some big stops in the third period. But they were key saves only because he already allowed two soft goals. This game should not have gone to overtime. 

LA will continue to improve. 

According to some they have a pipeline full of quality players and also have a top goaltending prospect in the minors. They probably will be tweaking their roster this summer because they are going to be competing for a playoff spot for years to come.  Actually with some added experience they will be a bona fide Cup contender. 

One question for Hawk fans is…. 

Will the Hawks have a long playoff run? 

After Adam Burish was activated on Sunday it was the first time this season everyone has been healthy. 

Dave Bolland is getting better every game. He is able to do all the little things which go unnoticed if they don’t lead to a score. Last night his take-away to allow Patrick Sharp a great OT scoring chance for the game winner is an example of his talent. 

Burish is fun to watch and will contribute on the fourth line. He did that last night with a nice assist and a scrap before he broke a sweat. 

Playoffs success will come down to staying away from bad injuries and getting the power play into gear, especially at home. Last but not least their goalies must not allow bad goals and be able to come up with a big save when needed. 

Joel Quenneville would feel a lot better if one of two things were to happen. 

1. Both Niemi and Huet were playing so well he had a difficult time choosing a starter. 

2. Either Niemi or Huet were playing at a high level as to make it obvious which should be the playoff goalie. 

I will share a conversation from last night with a former player who is now a scout. 

We chatted about the Kings and he concurred they are a strong club with a lot of promise for the future. 

I said they remind me a little of the Hawks of a few years ago but have more size. He said he could see some comparison too. 

I then said this game shouldn’t have gone to overtime. He responded that both King goals should have been saved. 

I told him neither goalie wants to take control and Quenneville is running out of games to find a starter. He agreed it would be best to stay with one goalie and let him continue to play most of the games. 

Then his last sentence hit home….. 

It’s too bad what’s happening here.

The sky isn’t falling yet, but Quenneville realizes time is fleeting. The Hawks have a team built to contend for the Stanley Cup but they need a consistent goalie. 

The Hawks have accumulated 93 points in 66 games and still the goal tending issue is there. Maybe it won’t matter, then again it usually does. 

Who will be the playoff goalie? 

Even more important…Does either Niemi or Huet look like they can be effective in the post season?  

Blackhawk Media Notes 

Patrick Sharp owns the LA Kings. 

In 14 career games he has 13 goals and eight assists. 

Last season the Hawks were 15-4-1 versus the Pacific division. 

This year they are only 7-6-2 against the Pacific. 

Overall Chicago is 28-7-2 versus Western Conference foes. 

Through Sunday, the Hawks have hosted the 16 largest indoor crowds of the season. 

Only three of the NHL’s Top-50 scorers are under the age of 22. 

They are Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos. 

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A national TV audience, the most hated rival and the largest United Center crowd of the season were waiting. The Blackhawks had a chance to follow their smack down of the Vancouver Canucks with another significant triumph but it wouldn’t be so. 

Losing to the Detroit Red Wings isn’t necessarily an embarrassment. But when a team blows a 2-0 lead on home ice and allows the opponent to score five straight goals a bit of humiliation should be felt. 

It’s time for the Blackhawks to recognize their deficiencies and shrink their egos if they want to have a successful post season run. In many ways this young exciting group is a victim of its own success. A team can get away with bad habits for only so long. 

The strong uncomplicated effort which led to a Chicago victory over Vancouver was replaced with a scattered and careless performance. Joel Quenneville was outcoached and his squad was outsmarted. The result was a stinging 5-4 loss to Detroit. 

The person in charge with keeping his young talented club in check is the head coach. Since arriving in Chicago, Quenneville has steered his group to near perfection and has deserves a great deal of praise. But Q.’s coaching resume wasn’t enhanced on Sunday afternoon. 

Quenneville wasn’t able to get the point across as his squad continued to turn the puck over during the opening forty minutes. He was late in pulling a shaky Cristobal Huet and didn’t show enough displeasure toward officials after a costly blown call. Last but not least, Quenneville let Patrick Kane off the hook. 

Hawk fans shouldn’t be fooled by the early two goal lead against Detroit. Chicago turned the puck over in the neutral zone and at the offensive blueline far too often. They dodged a bullet in the opening period but the Wings took advantage of Blackhawk negligence in the second frame. 

Careless, stupid play was exhibited by the Hawks which can’t be accepted by a veteran coach. 

From the outset Huet looked unsure. As soon as the Wings tied the score at two it was apparent he was wobbly. 

Huet can’t be blamed for the first goal and might have been partially screened on the second Detroit tally. But on the Wings third score he over played the puck and lost his net.  

That would have been the perfect time to bring in Antti Niemi. Detroit’s momentum could have been slowed. But Quenneville waited until the next Red Wing goal to make the inevitable change. Huet shouldn’t be blamed for the defeat but he wasn’t very good. 

Neither was Detroit’s Jimmy Howard. He was rebound machine all day. Any shot Howard couldn’t catch resulted in a goal or a juicy rebound. Howard wasn’t on top of his game, which should have been another reason to pull Huet sooner. 

Maybe Quenneville hesitated to avoid embarrassment for Huet in front of the United Center crowd. But it’s too late in the year to worry about bruised feelings. 

It is also too late to worry about upsetting officials. 

In the first game back from the break, against the Islanders, Dustin Byfuglien was called for goal keeper interference and the result was a waived off goal. It was an incorrect call. 

Once again yesterday Byfuglien was whistled for goal keeper interference and once again it was a terrible call. 

No one is going to convince me the officials weren’t told to concentrate on goalie interference as the playoffs approach. As far as the Hawks are concerned they have been wrongly accused twice in less than a week.

Against the Wings the Hawks should have had a three goal lead. But after the waive off Detroit scored five goals in a row and took control. 

In the long run maybe the young confident Hawks will be better off because of the loss. 

Although Chicago may have been victimized by officiating, Detroit was the better team. But the blown goalie interference call could not have come at a worse time. 

If a player interferes with a goal keeper in such an egregious fashion as to have a goal disallowed shouldn’t it be an automatic penalty?
NHL referees have enough trouble determining the correct call, no need to add more subjectivity to their job. In the case of goal keepers interference it doesn’t necessarily have to result in a minor penalty. Maybe the thinking is having a goal taken away is enough punishment. 

Lately it all seems so contrived. 

Officials need to whistle what they see not what they think happened, especially if the resulting call means a cancelled goal. Officials are overly concerned with protecting goal keepers as the NHL continues to struggle to find the correct balance. 

On Sunday Quenneville took another blown call in stride. It would have been a great opportunity to show some displeasure especially because it was a repeat occurrence for his squad. The officiating for the entire game was inconsistent and a veteran coach has to make a point sooner or later. 

With the Hawks down by two goals, with about 12 seconds to go in a horrendous second period Patrick Kane committed the worse turnover of the game. 

Every player makes mistakes and can have a poor game. Actually Kane has been consistently good all season.  But in front of a huge audience Kane’s past rookie mistakes resurfaced. He was trying to do too much and the results were blueline turnovers. Kane was also taking some longer shifts and struggled to get back to defend. 

Kane was victimized by Pavel Datsyuk. The Hawks skilful forward was the last man back in the closing seconds of the middle period. It was an inexcusable blunder to give the puck away to Datsyuk who leads the NHL in take-aways. 

The Detroit sniper added to his league leading take-away total with another four on Sunday. He is far ahead of Ryan Kesler who is second in that department. If Datsyuk’s season ended today he probably still would finish with the most take-aways. 

Kane has to be aware of  who is defending him. He can’t lose a puck to Datsyuk in that situation. The skilful Red Wing scored with ease on a breakaway after the Kane blunder. 

Quenneville then missed an opportunity to open some eyes. 

Kane should have been benched for a few shifts to start the third period. It would have sent a strong message not only to Kane but to the entire team. 

Instead of being punished Kane was on the ice for 7:45 of playing time in the final period. That was only two second less than Jonathan Toews and one second less than Marian Hossa and neither had a great game. Kane actually played quite a bit more in the last frame compared to the opening two periods. 

Quenneville could have it done it differently but he accepted Kane’s poor play. Maybe he hoped Kane could help spark a comeback. 

The Hawks final period rally was too little too late and the Wings held on for a big victory. 

Instead of rolling into the week on a high note the Hawks will have to regroup quickly. 

On Wednesday they will face LA at the UC. 

The Kings are on a nice run and are anxious to show the world they can compete with the best teams in the Western Conference. The Hawks often have trouble with LA and this is a much stronger squad. 

It won’t get any easier as the Hawks go east to face the Flyers on Saturday and return home to battle the Capitals. 

Next Sunday the Blackhawks will have a second chance in front of a large home crowd and another huge  TV audience. They will attempt  to strut their stuff against Alex Ovechkin and company.  

Maybe the Wings taught the Hawks a meaningful lesson which won’t be forgotten. 

Chicago fans will find out soon. 

Al’s Shots 

Look for a few lineup changes on Wednesday. 

Adam Burish most likely will be back and Niemi will probably get the start in goal. 

Q. might try to reunite Burish with Ben Eager and Tomas Kopecky will sit out. 

If he really wants to shuffle the deck Colin Frasor could get a chance to play… 

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Luongo didn’t see the ice in the second period but he did provide the 22,235 in attendance with a nice tantrum after the opening frame ended. Bobby Lu wasn’t successful in breaking his stick, although he tried smashing it a few times. The 6-3 score was flattering to the boys from Vancouver as they were soundly beaten. 

This game caught the Canucks in the same predicament they encountered in last season’s playoffs. They couldn’t intimidate or outwork the Hawks and their faulty defensive zone coverage was exploited.  Luongo couldn’t be the difference because he was overwhelmed with shots and bodies in his crease. 

They will never admit it, but down deep the Canucks must have doubts they can beat the Blackhawks in a seven game series. 

As soon as the game began Andrew Ladd challenged Ryan Kesler to a return dust up. Kesler kept his gloves on and didn’t want any part of Ladd. But Vancouver’s Shane O’Brien did what he usually does when playing Chicago. He arrived late to the squirmish and only accomplished putting his team in a penalty killing situation. Alex Burrows showed a lack of discipline as well and hurt his club at the start of the contest. 

Killing too many penalties can stifle any offense and wear out a defense. The Hawks only were successful one time with the man advantage but the Canucks gave them ten opportunities. 

The Blackhawks couldn’t convert on an early five on three power play with Pat Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa on the ice for the majority of the time. But this was not going to be a night for the Hawks top line offensive players to shine.

Cristobal Huet made some vey good stops when needed in the opening period and again on a Canucks power play early in the second frame. Unfortunately Huet probably should have saved the first two Canucks goals but the Hawks offense made sure it didn’t matter. 

The Chicago worker bees played with determination and had an effective effort.

Dustin Byfuglien displayed a nasty edge which isn’t seen often enough. Andrew Ladd, Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg all came away with goals. 

Amazingly Versteeg went 19 games without a goal until last night. Unfortunately he still doesn’t create as many offensive chances as he should. 

His simple play last night highlighted his ability but also showed his faults.

Versteeg is best when he can creates space on his own and score, which usually doesn’t happen.  

When he tries to pass or make a play it isn’t the correct choice on many occasions. He tries the riskiest pass and usually doesn’t create a scoring chance. Many times the play ends with Versteeg and his skill isn’t being utilized. Until he realizes simple is often best it will remain that way. 

Ladd had a good game and was rewarded with a goal. He set the tone early with Kesler without putting his team at a disadvantage. He is the type of player who won’t be missed until gone. Ladd always brings a consistent effort and is a smart hockey player. 

If Byfuglien can frustrate most teams like he does the Canucks the big guy would be an All-Star. He is like Versteeg in some respects…Still trying to figure things out. 

Byfuglien’s strength and ability to keep the puck along the boards is something to behold. Now if he can learn to consistently screen effectively and pot rebounds, well….We have been saying the same for awhile. 

Normally the Hawks could be set-up to fail, after having coming off an emotional win against a hated foe. Chicago’s biggest rivalry will heat up with a late morning affair at the United Center on Sunday versus Detroit. The team should have no problem staying focused. 

The Hawks players dislike for the Canucks more but most Chicago fans enjoy beating the Red Wings the most. 

For the first time this year Hawks will face a healthy Red Wing team. It is always a big game when the Wings come into town but this one is far more important to Detroit. 

The Wings have been treading water all year which is a nice accomplishment considering their many injuries. If the playoffs started today Chicago would face Detroit in the opening round. 

For the Hawks to prevail they will have to avoid being too emotional. The Wings have big game experience and they are clinging to a slim lead in the playoff race. After beating the Predators on Friday the Wings will be primed for this encounter.

The Hawks winning formula will be to roll four lines, stay out of the penalty box and crash the net. They must only dangle when needed and utilize their better team speed. 

Many clubs won’t want to face the Wings in the playoffs, especially in the first round. 

I believe Hawk players would love the opportunity to knock them off.

Al’s Shots 

As reported by Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune…. 

Burish won’t play on Sunday…probably Wednesday versus the Kings. He was  taken off the IR and activated on Saturday. 

Huet will start in goal again. 

Most likely it will be the same lineup according to comments from Quenneville following Saturday’s practice. 

Jordan Hendry didn’t look like a seventh defenseman while scoring his first goal of the year against Luongo. 

Hendry, who is a very good skater, roofed a backhander in top goal scorer fashion. 

Hendry deserves to play more often. 

Most likely he will be re-signed after this season and will get a regular slot on the Hawks blueline next year. 

Ben Eager was in good form versus the Canucks. 

Marian Hossa is starting to heat up. 

Kim Johnsson was a plus four. 

Tomas Kopecky was playing on the fourth line Friday night and wasn’t very noticeable. 

He was held without a point. Kopecky had one shot on goal and a was a winner in only 45% of his faceoffs. 

Kopecky still can’t find his niche in Chicago. 

Both Colin Frasor and Brent Sopel were scratches for the second consecutive game. 

Did anyone notice? 

Brent Seabrook wore a shield for a few games before the Olympic break. He knew he would have to put on a visor for Olympic competition.

About the same time Seabrook tried out a shield, Niklas Hjalmarsson took his off. 

The Hawks young defenseman has been playing without a visor since. 

XM Radio Interview on March 4.

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/830497306/5f022444714ca1d7a56a6dc7ce5803b0

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In general the Hawks dominated the action against a weak opponent. But they still committed enough mistakes to allow the Oilers to be in the contest after 40 minutes. 

The errors came in the fashion of  defensive zone turnovers plus a lack consistent effort. Last but not least was another sub-par goal tending performance by Cristobal Huet. 

Every goal tending coach wannabe on local message boards knows Huet carries his glove too low and can be beaten high. 

I have come to accept those deficiencies. 

But the goal mouth scrambles, where he loses the puck and gets pushed into his net are intolerable. Getting beat by average wrist shots through the five hole are also unbearable. 

The Hawks haven’t played as well as their record indicates lately, actually for about the last six weeks. But they haven’t hit a long losing streak yet, which is a sign of a very good team. 

Soon the rubber will hit the road and the Hawks will continue on their way to the Presidents’ Trophy or fall off down the stretch. It would be a shame if they faltered in the last 20 games especially after being so consistent all season long. 

Sorry for the repetition, but at some point soon the Hawks have to put pretty away. 

They need to go north and south. While puck possession can dazzle crash and bang wins championships. So does good goal keeping. 

That brings us to the inactivity on trade deadline day for the Blackhawks. 

My thinking was the Hawks would make a meaningful move to acquire a bull rush forward. Someone like Raffi Torres would have made sense for the third or fourth line. Maybe the thinking was with the return of Adam Burish there wasn’t a need to add another player. 

After picking up Nick Boynton for defensive insurance, Stan Bowman and company went quietly. 

A big part of Stan’s posse is his dad, Scotty.

Listening to an interview by the venerable Scotty is like eating at a Chinese buffet. You are satisfied when finished but soon the hunger returns. 

There is a reason for everything Scotty says, he doesn’t misspeak. He knows how to play the media. He says a lot but often doesn’t give exact answers.

Yesterday afternoon I heard a replay of an interview he gave before the deadline on a Canadian radio station. 

It was a little surprising Scotty would have granted an interview in the midst of deadline day. But in a backhanded fashion he indicated the Hawks were satisfied with Huet and Niemi. But in usual Scotty fashion he didn’t say so exactly, at least from what I heard. 

In Bowman’s  comments  he indicated the media was trying to create a trade for Tomas Vokoun. He then said there was no way it would happen. 

Scotty then added “they” were just laughing about the persistent rumor of the Hawks trading for Vokoun. 

I suppose by ‘they’ he meant those in the front office including his son Stan. 

What I do know for certain, after the Oilers took the lead in the middle frame last night on two very soft goals…’they’ weren’t laughing. 

Stan and Scotty were in a tough spot. 

No one trades a starting goalie from a team which leads the conference in goals against. 

If they did ship Huet off and his replacement wasn’t better they would have caught criticism for fixing what wasn’t broken. 

By standing pat and not acquiring an affordable experienced replacement like Dwayne Roloson, they also have left themselves open for criticism. 

If Huet performs like he did last night in the playoffs the Hawks will be on the golf course early. 

The Hawks GM commented yesterday they have confidence in their goal keepers. 

A few more performances like last night and Hawk players won’t feel very confident in Huet. 

Antti Niemi is still a question mark for me. He could be the answer and then again not. 

Regardless both have played well enough thus far to allow Hawk management time to do nothing. 

But it is only a matter of when players will be shipped out so next year’s salary cap limit won’t be violated. The Bowman’s time didn’t begin in March but it should be a very interesting summer. 

Scotty and Stan have chosen to wait and stick with their goal tending duo for the rest of the season. 

Someone will have the last laugh… 

Al’s Shots 

The Oilers did it the old fashion way and traded away any likelihood of a late season resurgence. 

Oiler fans will end up with a top draft pick and most likely a very good player. 

Quenneville gave the troops another day off . 

Don’t interpret it as a reward. 

There are only a handful of available off days through the rest of season. 

Rest is very important. 

As is playing at top effort for 60 minutes. 

To keep winning in the next 10 days the Hawks will have to be a lot better. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in the live blog. 

It was good to see many from other websites, we had a solid crew. 

Also a special thanks to those from XM Home Ice who were able to stop by on a hectic day. 

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It was worst secret ever by an organization that now takes great care on what goes to the press and rumormill. When the Isles added Marty Biron along with Dwayne Roloson it was universally lauded as an insurance plan move that would pay-off come trade deadline.

As Dwayne Roloson played to an all-star level to get this team remotely competitive, Biron was left in a losing record cloud. As DiPietro, despite the bouts of swollen knee, came back…Biron wasn’t really getting playing time.

So as we crept into the Olympic break, Garth quickly found out that more were interested in Roloson than Biron. Gears changed, and after Andy Sutton was dealt, many got giddy when they saw Emery was now out for the season. Pressure was on teams like Chicago and the Flyers to make a playoff impact.

When as Isles source declared that there was a 95% chance Roloson goes. they even considered the possibility…despite they didn’t think it likely, that perhaps the Isles could deal Biron as well. The Islanders felt they could get a good goalie over the UFA to be backup over the summer for next season.

The Islanders, I was told, were deeply scouting this coming entry draft players. They really wanted a late first or another 2nd rounder so they could put trust in their drafting schema system that has led to character players that fit their rebuild vision.

There have been question on how many years are involved in this rebuild. That answer was mentioned to me two days ago, as they touted Roloson’s chances: “Look Garth knows we are not winning a cup this year or even next season”.

So how long is the rebuild, when other teams have turned around faster (and many slower, I might add)?

Chances are, it encompasses Gordon’s full three year contract. That year 4 is that proof positive, with another real step forward expected next season with younger players making the jump and developing.

However, as we saw with this deadline, besides giddy wishes, there are no guarantees. The Flyers and Islanders did talk, but per a Flyer media person, they looked elsewhere. The Flyers had no 1st or 2nd round draft pick, only a 3rd.

The Chicago and Islanders game led to two thick rumors in the din. One via Botta about an offer involving salary dumping. Another got hot as an Islanders source cited that Chicago liked Bergenheim.

“Bowman is there. Garth is there” said the source, citing that they felt it was possible a deal would be struck…just not during game or even immediately after. “As for the salary deal offer…if it’s Huet, a 1st rounder has to be coming back.”

Will Charles even go for that, I asked.

“Well, Charles and Garth are sitting together tonight. You bet they are discussing it”

Whether Huet was on the table got answered later on that night as a NHL source got back to me.

“Huet is NOT part of the Islanders and Chicago discussions” was the declaration.

We plowed into the next day with Roloson rumors and talk not only on twitter, but on TSN as well. Islanders have been shopping him and then Biron and not liking the return value.
One team cited that they were unhappy with the dead-weight they were throwing in with Roloson, and that was hurting any negotiations.

As the day went on, goalie talk on Long Island got quiet. Garth was likely standing at his offer amounts, considering two things: DiPietro was injured again. Add on, Roloson was good for the team and still not that expensive on his next season. Biron’s value was clearly not getting back much…and insurance was not a bad thing for 20 games left.

My guess is the Isles hoped someone would meet their price in the 11th hour.

They did not.

Meanwhile, Park rumors hit the feeders. Some yutz decided to declare that the deal was done on twitter…more as to reap the rewards of predicting something over actually knowing something. I contacted a source who said the deal was NOT done…though they felt it was close.

Soon after, the Washington Caps pulled off the Eric Belanger deal for a 2nd rounder. I can only conjecture on my gut feeling that it was a Caps inquiry.

Once the Caps deal happened, I declared the Park option dead. Looks like I was right, because after the Islanders went quiet.

Newsday reported that a good source declared that Biron and Roloson were likely remaining. It meant nobody was coming to the prices set.

I sent a note, and the answer on that rumor that: “That’s because things are quiet”.

Quiet it stayed. Nobody bit the Isles prices. One will question if the price and extra players they tried to move hurt their shot. A team in rebuild and scouting a draft really did not get much except for a late 2nd round pick for Sutton.

Besides the Kevin Lowe bite on the Isles shopping Nilsson/O’Mara for Ryan Smyth, and Marc-Andre Bergeron gotten….the Islanders have had modestly good results when forced to deal. Guerin was a conditional pick 3-5. Simon and MAB became picks. Comrie and Campoli got a late 1st and MacAmmond.

This might be the first year they failed to capitalize on what they had planned and considered, except for when under Nolan as coach they were forced to stand pat with Fedotenko (failed deal to Calgary) and Satan. Whatever went on then, this one seemed to be a standing by values.

So Andy MacDonald has a 4 year deal and now out 4-6 weeks. DiPietro is still a question mark on his longterm health. The Isles still have Roloson in goal and Biron as backup. They do still have a shot at the playoffs with Hillen returning. Maybe that will be about the only thing to wash away the wonderment by fans on this past deadline is if the Isles somehow scrap into a tight playoff race.

BLOGGER(S) SHUT OUT:

The Islanders Blog Box was not invited to the trade deadline this year. In fact, nobody ever let the Isles bloggers know they were even opening the Coliseum to the press. Only one blogger had access to the Coliseum, and that was AOL Fanhouse blogger and IslandersPointBlank’s Chris Botta along with Dan Martin of the NY Post and Katie Strang of Newsday.

Only the two publication representatives were chosen to speak to Garth post-deadline. It led to quite a public blog row.

Welcome to the blogosphere Mr. Botta. We even under Chris in the Blog Box received the same treatment. Bloggers do not get the golden key. We do not get access we all wish. We do the best we can…even if Botta was one of the very reasons we were getting that extra access. For that we owe him greatly, because not many teams give bloggers press access.

When with Botta there, we of the Blog Box DID get to speak to Garth and Ted Nolan after the trade deadline. However, there were many times we did not get access carte blanche like regular media. You will find this reality across the NHL. The NY Islanders have a history of dealing with publication/radio members and blog media members differently. They get to choose that. They control the access. Bloggers are independent entities with no union or groups to back them up. No professional writers associations. Nada.

It is tough. Sometimes even hard to swallow. Many of us do this on top of full time gigs due to our passion for teams and the sport. We make sacrifices. We give our hard-earned time, personal or professional.

C’est la vie.

If you thought the Hawks needed an upgrade in goal tending before last night…. 

I don’t know if Antti Niemi spent time in Jamaica like some of the Hawks but he played like he was still on vacation. He wasn’t dialed in and looked bad on a couple of Islander goals. 

Niemi was replaced by Cristobal Huet who didn’t look any better. Huet had an excuse as he hasn’t played in a game for close to a month. 

As trade rumors still swirl, Huet probably wasn’t day dreaming about an island beach. He could have been more concerned about what uniform he will be in later this week. 

The wrong call was made on a goal last night. 

The Ben Eager deflection was waved off for a half baked reason. Incidental contact with the goal keeper was the explanation although Eager was pushed into the Roloson.  If Eager made contact and it was serious enough to negate a score…Shouldn’t he have been penalized for goal tender interference? 

No excuses….The Hawks got what they deserved and now have made the rest of their week much more difficult. 

Chicago has a great record in the second game of back to backs and they need to refocus and put away the Oilers tonight. Some formidable foes will be coming into the United Center, it doesn’t get any easier. 

Trade Chatter 

The Hawks satisfied their need for an eight defenseman and made a nice acquisition. 

Stan Bowman got together with Ducks GM Bob Murray and acquired defenseman Nick Boynton and was able to send him directly to Rockford. 

He is a tough customer who will be brought up at the end of the season or sooner in case of emergency. The Hawks will send compensation to Anaheim once the season is finished. 

That was the good news… 

The young Hawks general manager is learning the meaning of the expression…Give until it hurts.  

The only available goalie which could be considered a true upgrade is Tomas Vokoun. But so far he hasn’t proven to be an outstanding goal keeper year after year. 

Word is Vokoun will consider waiving his no trade clause for the right opportunity. Chicago would be considered a good destination. The probable reason a deal hasn’t been made is because the compensation wanted for Vokoun’s services are too high. 

If it were only a matter of shipping Kris Versteeg, a prospect and a draft pick along with Huet to get the Panthers net minder the trade would probably have been done. 

There are only a coupe of prospects the Hawks would be reluctant to part with and trading draft picks shouldn’t be an issue. 

The hang-up I believe is it will take all of the above plus another proven NHL player, maybe Dustin Byfuglien.

Or substitute Patrick Sharp as he could probably take the place of both Versteeg and Byfuglien. Actually the Panthers and others probably would prefer Sharp over the other two.

Giving up both Versteeg and Byfuglien would be a stiff price. Florida has to come away with a lot more than they give otherwise….Why give up a starting goal keeper who has the top save percentage in the NHL? Not to mention absorbing Huet’s salary for two more years. 

Sharp is one of the better all around players on the team. He is older than the others, which would be the only reason trading him should be considered. 

My feeling was the organization would part with him before Versteeg, but that would not necessarily be my choice. 

Trading Sharp now would mess with team chemistry and screw up the Hawks top line.  Chicago management would be sacrificing a well liked team leader. The chemistry Toews and Kane have with Sharp  would also be lost.  The Hawks power play, which hasn’t been good at the UC, would suffer. 

If the Hawks would trade Sharp they could get Vokoun. But I would be surprised if they included him in any deal before the deadline. 

Which leaves Hawk management to consider …….How much is too much? 

Al’s Shots 

I knew Niemi was off and Quenneville was correct in changing goalies. But if Huet was going to be part of a trade Niemi probably would have gone back in to start the third period. 

If there was a deal about to go down… 

Why risk injury to Huet in the last period of a game the Hawks were about to lose? 

In the same way if there was a feasible trade for Dwayne Roloson on the table… 

Why play him at all last night? 

Let’s see if the Hawks acquire another forward to bolster the third or fourth line. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

As many wait anxiously to see if the Hawks will deal Cristobal Huet for another goalie, that scenario may not play out. But Blackhawk management will have motive to make a significant trade which will help secure their goal keeping position for years to come. 

Stan Bowman may do what he can now so he isn’t in a more helpless position later, concerning the re-signing of Antti Niemi.

The longer the Hawks have to wait the larger the contract for Niemi if his performances stay as good through the playoffs. If the Hawks are going to place all their chips on Niemi as their newly anointed number one goalie, Bowman may want to act sooner than later. There could be salary cap savings realized by signing Niemi to a contract extension before he becomes arbitration eligible on July 1. 

By opening salary cap space for next season through a trade before the deadline the Hawks will have tagging room to sign Niemi to an extension. 

Unless Niemi falters, the longer it takes to come to an agreement on an extension the more the Hawks will have to spend to retain him. 

The Blackhawks are in no position to pay up for anyone and Bowman may not be able to wait. Every penny matters to the Hawks because of their many hefty long term contract commitments. 

Niemi becomes an arbitration eligible restricted free agent on July 1. At that time he could choose to go through the arbitration process. In essence an arbitrator will decide Niemi’s value and award him a one year contract. 

It is always a crap shoot as to what contract value an arbitrator will decide. It is a sticky situation which Bowman will want to avoid. 

My guess is Niemi could finish the season with around 35 appearances which would be a good sample of his work. With continued success Niemi could further the likelihood of a large increase over his current salary cap hit of $826,875. 

Niemi doesn’t have a long resume and he might not live up to expectations. But….. 

What would an arbitrator award a young goalie who was in the running for the Jennings Trophy in his first full season? 

The Hawks have reason not to wait to find out. 

After arbitration the Hawks will have two choices. 

They can pay Niemi whatever his awarded contract amount states or trade him.   

Bowman is in a tough spot because the next contract for Niemi as well as soon to be RFA Niklas Hjalmarsson will be influenced by their continued strong play. Both have exceeded expectations and the Hawks would want them as part of next season’s group. 

Hjalmarsson is not arbitration eligible so the Hawks have some leverage unlike Niemi.

Since the lockout only one Chicago player, Kyle Calder, has taken the Hawks to arbitration. After being awarded a big raise Calder was traded within a few days. 

If the Hawks believe Niemi is their goalie of the future they won’t want to go through the sticky arbitration process and most likely would want to sign him to a longer term contract. 

Bowman would be motivated to sign Niemi before he has a chance to be awarded the Jennings Trophy. That award goes to goalies who have played at least 25 games for the team with the best GAA. 

Currently the New Jersey Devils have allowed the fewest goals against, 144 which is only two less than the Blackhawks. Unless Niemi suffers a bad injury he will qualify for the Jennings because he already has played in 22 games. If the Hawks keep their current pace Niemi could have a well respected award on his resume to show off to an arbitrator. 

My guess is Niemi could finish the regular season with around 35 appearances which would be a decent sample of his work. With a strong playoff run he would be in better position for a hefty raise.

The Hawks may want to make a trade now to be able to secure Niemi at a more cap friendly rate. 

There were two areas the Hawks committed too much salary cap space to before this season began. 

They had a lot of money tied up in goalies and third pairing defensemen. With the Cam Barker trade Bowman has started to whittle away at that area of expense. Next he could try to initiate a plan to create cap space in the goal tending department. 

Trading Huet for a goalie which will earn about the same as him, Tomas Vokoun for example, will mean Niemi is not in the Hawks future plans. They probably can’t afford to tie up as much cap space for that position as this year, let alone more. 

Trading Huet is a difficult task but others on the Hawk roster are desired. 

The Hawks may have to wait to orchestrate a trade of Huet until the summer or may seek other ways to eliminate his cap hit then. 

If Niemi is their goalie of the future look for them to trade now to open cap space so that he can be re-signed sooner than later. 

Trade rumors surrounding the Hawks may have more to do with Bowman securing Niemi as their goalie for the future than trading Huet before the deadline. 

Al’s Shots 

A great finish to the men’s Olympic hockey, a truly exciting game. 

I would be surprised if the NHL participates in the Sochi games. Because of the time difference and extended travel the league would probably have to shut down for three weeks. 

Congratulations go out to the to the Chicago gold medal winners, Keith, Seabrook and Toews. 

Toews was selected to the Olympic tourney’s All-Star team. He was chosen as the Best Forward of the tourney. (Thanks to Puck Daddy’s Sean Leahy) 

Captain Serious showed the world why he has been compared to the great Bryan Trottier. 

Kane also had a fine tourney and Blackhawk fans should be proud of all of them. 

Scott Niedermayer played in the Olympic tournament the way he approaches the regular season. He starts out slow and finishes strong. 

If Niedermayer gives the go ahead to GM Bob Murray look for the Hawks to make a strong push to make him a Blackhawk.

The Vokoun for Huet plus… plus rumor has lost a lot of steam. 

If Vokoun is going to be traded they should be asking him to lift his no trade clause now. If so the Hawks would be in the hunt. 

Don’t exclude the Maple Leafs as a possible Blackhawk trade partner. 

I still believe the Hawks will add a bottom six forward and a defenseman by March 3. 

Don’t forget about the trade deadline live chat featuring many on air personalities from XM Home Ice. 

1:00 CST

From The Blackhawk Media Dept.

The Hawks have acquired goalie Hannu Toivonen and defenseman Danny Richmond from the Blues in exchange  for Ice Hog goal keeper Joe Fallon.

Both players have been assigned to Rockford and this deal may make a rumored trade of Corey Crawford more unlikley.

Stay tuned….

blackhawkswin@comcast .net

Kane wasn’t noticeable for the most part in the opening game, a 3-1 victory over Switzerland. Actually the US was effective but it wasn’t a great performance in total. In the next match Kane performed well and he wound up with a goal.  His performance against Canada was solid. In the last US-Swiss contest Kane was held scoreless but one couldn’t fault his effort. So far Kane hasn’t been much of a factor in the US offense.

Judging from some of the recent criticism leveled against him, many seem to believe Kane is a goal scoring machine. While Wilson hasn’t publicly bashed Kane he hasn’t found the correct formula to benefit from his talent. 

Maybe Wilson was influenced like many who don’t usually watch Kane on a regular basis. Some have formed an opinion possibly because of the fist pumps and highlight reel goals which lead them to think Kane is a 40 or 50 goal scorer. 

He isn’t, at least not yet. 

Kane ranks ninth in scoring but has registered just 25 goals. Of the top ten scorers only Martin St. Louis, and Joe Thorton who never shoots have scored fewer goals than Kane. 

Kane’s magic and offensive contributions are because of his creativeness, ability to stick handle and pass. If Kane isn’t the top perimeter player in the NHL there aren’t many better, and he is just starting to get good. 

In Kane’s case being a perimeter player should be a term of endearment. 

Kane is not a floater who avoids contact. He drives the net, goes into tough areas and can keyhole backhanders with the best of them. Kane has become a complete player but his real strength is helping to create scoring chances and in controlling the puck. 

If the US fails to medal the Kane bashers will come out in full force. This time there are reasons he isn’t creating scoring opportunities for his teammates and potting a few more goals himself. 

One way to defend against Kane is to not allow him to carry the puck into the offensive zone. The US power play has been awful and Wilson and his assistants have to take much of the blame. Actually Wilson was completely out coached in the first two periods the other day. Fortunately he adjusted in the final frame and the US controlled much of the play and finally scored a goal and defeated the Swiss again. 

Using Kane on the power play, only to have him stop short of the blueline and fire the puck into the offensive zone is a waste. He has no available outlets, his teammates are standing still at the blueline waiting and watching him. Many times because the US players are not in motion they don’t come away with the puck after Kane shoots it around the boards. Kane has to receive a pass in motion or be able to deliver the puck to others who are advancing into the offensive zone. 

The way Kane is being utilized is like bringing a prima ballerina to hoedown.

She probably can learn to square dance but her talent is wasted.  

Maybe it was my imagination but Kane, Kesler and Ryan seemed to have something going against Canada. Then for some reason in the last game he hardly played with either. Wilson should reunite that line or possibly get Joe Pavelski into the mix and stay with a combination.  

Kane needs linemates who keep it simple but are effective. Then he can help control the offense. 

If Wilson can’t find a way to benefit from Kane’s strengths the US offense will probably continue to struggle. I have to wonder if the US coaching staff spent enough time analyzing Kane’s game. He should have been a prominent part of the offense because they really don’t have another player with the same skill set. 

The Canadians have found chemistry and although winning the US really hasn’t and soon that will matter. 

Yep, Kane is a wing who plays like a center and it is should have been embraced. 

Trade Chatter 

NHL general managers hate to buyout contracts. 

In rare circumstances it can’t be avoided but GM’s don’t like to stare at mistakes for years. They would prefer to find a way to dispose of their problem player through a trade. 

To believe The Hawks can deal Cristobal Huet to another team which will automatically absorb his salary through a buyout is silly. 

It’s not only foolish to think another franchise would plan to eat most of his salary but it is also disrespectful. Being overpaid is not the same as being bad. 

Every franchise knows how the salary cap movie will end in Chicago. What remains to be seen is what players will be around when the lights go on at the United Center in September. 

The latest trade banter which has surfaced involves the Hawks and Islanders. 

The Islanders have an extra goalie and a need to build for the future. Mix it all together and a Dwayne Roloson to Chicago trade rumor surfaces. 

The likelihood of this trade happening is black and white. 

Do the Hawks want to pay in the neighborhood of $6 million for their goal tending tandem next season? 

Considering if Huet is gone and Roloson is his replacement, at a cap hit of 2.5 million for next season….Is that too much? 

Certainly the arbitration eligible Antti Niemi would have a strong case to seek a higher salary than his back-up. 

Maybe Niemi could squeeze out another million beyond Roloson’s salary and then the total paid for Hawk goal keepers next year would be $6 million.  

Which would only about $400,000 less than this year. Most likely not enough of a salary cap reduction for that position.  

If a team is really hot to acquire a Kris Versteeg or Dustin Byfuglien they could have a deal worked out already with Stan Bowman. Maybe if both players go the same way and other considerations are tossed into the pot a team like the Islanders will bite. 

But it would have to be a really juicy deal to entice the Islanders to tie up over $10 million of  cap space in two goalies for next season. 

If the Hawks and Islanders are going to make a deal look for defenseman Andy Sutton to come to Chicago, that trade has a much better chance of happening. 

Al’s Shots 

Right on schedule, Joel Quenneville has made a point of taking over the goal tending decision making. 

Actually Q. was always in control but now that March is about to roll in he has become adamant about his reasoning. 

Yesterday, in an ESPN Chicago interview Quenneville commented Niemi deserves the net by the way he has performed. He has it now and it would have been difficult to not play him in the last game before the break. 

Whether Huet is here or not Q. may have already decided on a playoff goalie. He probably slants things toward Niemi and makes it his job to lose. 

All season long Quenneville did a great job of playing down any goal tending controversy. 

Now all of his focus will be to get his team ready for the post season. 

I have heard more good remarks this year about the Ice Hogs “back-up” goalie Joe Fallon than Corey Crawford. 

Fallon notched his 15^th win of the season last night in 29 games. 

Crawford has one more win in 31 appearances. 

Crawford and Fallon are both 25 years old and have similar save percentages, .910 and .912. 

Crawford was the 52^nd overall pick in the 2003 entry draft. 

Fallon was the 167^th player selected in the 2005 entry draft. 

It’s time for the Hawks to decide if Crawford is ever going to play in Chicago on a regular basis.

No doubt another of the many upcoming decisions for Mr. Bowman. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Some believe there were never such a trade on the table and the belief of others lies some where in between. My take is closer to the latter. 

It should be understood Stan Bowman may have some options, like he supposedly had before trading Cam Barker. 

What also has to be realized is a NHL general manager is never going to ask a player to waive a no trade clause during his Olympic participation. 

Think about it, a player is concentrating on representing his country and a GM approaches him or his agent and says…By the way would you consider…. 

Neither the time nor the place. 

That said my view is if the Hawks are going to trade players off their roster they would want the transactions to happen before they play the Islanders on March 2. If they have a choice a press conference would be scheduled on the afternoon of March 3 before the Hawks face the Oilers at the United Center to introduce the newly acquired. 

If Bowman is in control he would want it to play out that way. 

The more games the newly acquired Blackhawks could play before the playoffs begin the better. The Hawks will play four of five games after the break at the United Center. They want to take advantage of home ice and keep the momentum they had before the Olympics. 

Also there is no reason Bowman would want Huet, or anyone else to hang in limbo any longer than necessary. 

If Huet doesn’t start against the Islanders the trade chatter will intensify. The same can be said if Kris Versteeg is a scratch or hardly plays at all on March 2. 

The psyche of goalies can be fragile and the less encumbered Huet’s thinking is for the rest of the season the better for the Hawks. Regardless if a trade is never consummated, if Huet thought he was close to being dealt the psychological effect could linger. 

There are many reasons why a trade goes down at the last minute. But in this case the longer it takes to announce a deal the less likely it is to happen. 

Once the Olympics are finished things will move quickly concerning transactions which have been fined tuned for the last couple of weeks.  Soon after the NHL’s Olympic obligation concludes, players will be asked to waive their no trade clauses, and then deals will be finalized. 

GM’s most likely will want the rumor mill to die down as soon as possible and business as usual to take place for their franchises. 

Basically the only thing going in and out of the United Center this week are the lunches for those still working there, not trade details. Most of the Blackhawk decision makers are in Vancouver and elsewhere. They will be eager to tie up loose ends once the time is right. 

The Gold Medal game will be played on Sunday afternoon. 

Al’s Shots 

If Canada is going to defeat Russia tonight Mike Babcock will have to use the entire bench. 

Players like Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook will have to play more often.  

It shouldn’t only come down to the Sharks top line versus AO and Malkin, at least not in my view. Canada has a deep squad which should be utililized. 

XM Home Ice Interview Audio Clip

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/825025655/bf0f66a7a67db7bd7fa0f21d9d3d0e28. 

On Tuesday evening, XM’s Jamie Shalley, Jim “Boomer” Gordon and I covered a lot of ground concerning Hawk trade scenarios. 

Time was running short and the audio clip cut off so I will clarify some of my blabbing. 

Antti Niemi hasn’t played 50 games in any professional season…I stated the total was in the low forties. Actually the most work he has seen in one year was back in Finland during the 2007-2008 season…49 games. 

Last season Niemi played in 38 games for the Ice Hogs and three for the Hawks. 

The proposed trade discussed at the end of the audio clip was the rumored Huet and Versteeg for Vokoun deal. 

blackhawkswin@comcsat.net

As the story has progressed Kris Versteeg has been added to the mix with a defenseman coming back to the Hawks. My thinking is Vokoun and Dennis Seidenberg for whoever the Blackhawks have to give up…..Within reason. 

As far as the Hawks are concerned, if the transaction was only Huet and Versteeg for Vokoun and Seidenberg this deal would probably get done. 

The other rumored name involved from the Chicago side is Corey Crawford. His addition to the transaction would be of no consequence to the Blackhawks. 

Crawford has hit a dead end here and needs to play NHL minutes. He could be the real deal someday, but that day may never come in Chicago. 

Vokoun is a world class goal keeper, but he has some warts. 

He has only played in eleven playoff games and is 3-8 as a post season starter although his GAA is only 2.47. Vokoun has had injury setbacks and is $5.7 million cap hit through the 2010-2011 season. Huet is a $5.63 million cap hit but is signed for two more years. which makes this deal even more appealing to Stan Bowman. 

Here are some reasons why Florida pulls the trigger. 

A. The Panthers would have a high regard for Kris Versteeg and or Dustin Byfuglien, the most likely forwards to be traded off the current roster. Both have contracts with some term left and the Panthers will have time to evaluate them. Florida’s GM Randy Sexton would have to believe the acquired Blackhawks would flourish because of getting a better opportunity with the Panthers. 

B. Florida believes Huet is somewhat comparable to Vokoun or close enough because they highly value the other players to be included. 

C. The Panthers will have the edge in the trade and may likely receive two other players besides Huet, which can be plugged into their lineup immediately. 

D. The Panthers fan base is looking for new blood, so I am not sure Sexton will bite on a deal loaded with Hawk prospects. But acquiring ready made young NHL players is the way to more quickly build a winning franchise. My belief is the Hawks would include prospects but would be reluctant to part with Kyle Beach or Shawn Lalonde. 

E. Whatever shakes out the Panthers would be getting more than they give up. 

Here is why the Hawks would make the trade with the Panthers. 

A consistently good franchise finds players for certain roles and allows them to function where they are best suited. 

For years the Hawks took third and fourth line players and tried to turn them into top performers.  Today they have identifiable top line forwards but certain players could still be in the wrong roles.

Recently traded Cam Barker was one example, Kris Versteeg is another and Dustin Byfuglien could be in awkward position also. 

Versteeg can’t crack the top two lines and may not be able to produce while skating as a bottom six forward. 

He could greatly benefit from playing with more skilful mates. If he were to go to Florida and get top six minutes he could flourish. Versteeg could turn into Radim Vrbata type player, or more, but needs the right setting. Here he is getting less ice time than in the past. 

Byfuglien’s last two seasons can accurately be described as inconsistent. 

To be fair he has been asked to learn an entirely new position while playing at the highest level of competition. He has natural qualities, his core strength and dexterity are amazing. He could become a Steve Ott like player but has to show the drive and determination each shift. 

Byfuglien’s ability to do certain tasks, like set screens and pick up rebound goals really hasn’t improved from last year. Sometimes I think the big guy would be better off playing 13-15 minutes a night as a defenseman while being used on the point for the power play. 

The Hawks could stay patient for a bit longer with Byfuglien, his size and strength can’t be taught. But there are other power forwards in the pipeline. There is no need for  Brouwer, Byfuglien, Skille, Beach, Aliu, and Davis to someday all be on the same roster. 

Someone will be going elsewhere. 

If the Hawks had to ship Versteeg and Byfuglien to Florida along with Huet they may do so. If Chicago could also acquire a pick or prospect, plus Vokoun and  Seidenberg they may sweeten the deal. 

Seidenberg leads the NHL in blocked shots and would be an improvement over Brent Sopel. He would only be here for this season and wouldn’t impact next year’s salary cap. 

The Hawks would get out of a Huet’s long term contract, and that is a big deal. Plus they would have to feel better about their chances with Vokoun in goal rather than Huet. 

Otherwise why make the trade at all? 

It is too early to tell how good Antti Niemi will be going forward. Although I’m sure the Hawks would relish the opportunity to develop him into a number one goalie. With Vokoun in place for next year the Hawks could take their time with Niemi. 

Why the trade won’t happen. 

The main hindrance is if Vokoun prefers to stay in Florida.

He is not eligible for a contract extension until after this season, I had originally written he was.  So Vokoun can’t use that as leverage. My thinking on his extension demands was not correct although he could choose to stay put.  Players can’t be be extended until after July 1 of the final season in their current contract.

But Vokoun my like to jet ski year round and he is holding all the cards because of his no trade clause. 

This trade is worth writing about because… 

The Panthers have announced to their season ticket holders changes and improvements will be made. Florida needs to pump some new life into their franchise and the Hawks have young players they could utilize. Vokoun would probably agree to a deal to come to Chicago.

In Chicago there was a time not very long ago the GM would dictate, or would try to control how much ice time certain players would receive. That time has come and gone. 

But a general manager will tell a head coach to play certain players to showcase them before the trade deadline. In the same regard a veteran head coach will listen to a GM if asked not to play someone to prevent an injury which would nix a trade. 

I wrote recently Versteeg or Byfuglien could be next to be a healthy scratch. Well that hasn’t happened, maybe because of the injuries to John Madden, Marian Hossa and Ben Eager. But it appears Joel Quenneville could be disgusted with the sporadic performances from these two. 

The last game before the break Versteeg was on the ice for only 4:54 of playing time. I didn’t see him get hurt nor did I hear about an injury. 

Versteeg’s lack of playing time is curious. 

After all this would have been a great opportunity for Versteeg to play even more than usual. Hossa was out of the lineup and two Ice Hog forwards were called up. 

Maybe Versteeg was injured or Quenneville is sending him a distinct message. 

Or possibly the word came down from Bowman to limit his ice time to prevent injury. In any event Versteeg had five shifts in the opening frame and only one in the second period and didn’t see the ice again. 

Huet did not start the game in Columbus in a prime back to back playing opportunity, a day game following a night contest. Possibly the Hawks wanted to test Niemi’s endurance with a back to back start. But maybe Bowman told Quenneville to sit Huet as to not risk injury. 

The combination of Versteeg’s lack of playing time and Huet sitting on the bench, has  fueled this trade speculation. 

The trade would not have made sense to happen before the break. 

What if Vokoun got injured while playing in the Olympics? 

There is enough meaningful smoke to pay attention to this one. 

If Vokoun doesn’t ask for a contract extension the Hawks will give up players and make this trade if presented the opportunity. 

If Versteeg and Huet were the only players to go off the roster the Hawks would save about $3,000,000 in cap space. If Byfuglien were included it would be a total of $6,000,000 in additional cap space for next season. 

Actually less because their roster spots will have to be filled, albeit with less expensive players. So the total salary cap savings may only be about $4.5 million, which is still meaningful. 

The Hawks will have to shed even more salary if Niemi and Niklas Hjalmarsson are to be re-signed. 

Bowman could begin to solve next season’s salary cap dilemma sooner than later if this trade becomes a reality. 

Al’s Shots 

I am hopeful the U.S-Canada game on Sunday will live up to expectations. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Canada easily won. 

Ryan Miller will have to be at his best and the defensive structure for the Americans will have to improve. 

Judging by his comments Ron Wilson seems to have had an epiphany and now realizes Patrick Kane plays wing as if he is a center….At least in the offensive zone. 

Nice Wilson finally noticed. 

Kane should do better playing with Ryan and Kessler and so should the US offense. 

It would be best if it all possible, Wilson doesn’t have Kane out for many shifts versus Keith and Seabrook.

They are familar with Kane’s bag of tricks.

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As far as the winning the last stretch of games; it was an unimpressive four game win streak. The Hawks played some of their worse hockey of the season recently. Without the benefit of successful shootouts they could easily have been 1-5 over the last six games. The Hawks only won one time in regulation during that span. 

Coach Joel Quenneville appears to be testing the endurance of Antti Niemi, which makes sense. Once returning from hiatus it will be all business for Q.’s troops as he will have to determine who will be his playoff goal tender. Niemi hasn’t endured the rigors of a full NHL schedule not to mention the playoffs. 

Quenneville has his work cut out because he still also needs to settle on set line combinations. Since the return of Dave Bolland, Q. has shuffled things around more than usual. One thing is certain some Hawk players have looked anything but great. 

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have been the best Blackhawks….. Period. 

After being reunited with Patrick Sharp, they have become a powerful trio. If I was coaching, those three would always stay together. Stan Bowman could be trying to find a way so that line can stay intact next season as well. 

Except for those three, none of the top players have been consistently good. 

It is difficult to criticize Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. 

But since being named to the Canadian Olympic team they have played their worse stretch of games in two years. On some nights they still have been very good but their consistency has fallen off. They have been guilty of many turnovers and missed assignments. 

It is the dog days of the season, combined with the compressed schedule due to the Olympics and it is no wonder why some players look fatigued. Whichever franchise benefits by getting their Olympic players back in the best shape will have an edge. Right now it is anyone’s guess as to how the Olympics will affect the star players. 

The top clubs find a way to win when they are not at their best and so far the same can be said about the Hawks. 

Some believe Stan Bowman fleeced the Minnesota Wild in the Cam Barker trade. That’s a bit extreme. But if Nick Leddy can become a top four defender someday, Bowman was very successful. 

Barker was not top four material here with the emergence Of Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Kim Johnsson is better defensively than Barker so the Hawks improved for this season. Depending on what the future holds they may have acquired a very good asset in young Leddy.

The Wild are happy they acquired a young defenseman and won’t have to worry about contract negotiations with Barker for a couple of years. 

Trade Chatter 

There was a Blackhawk trade rumor mentioned during Monday’s Afternoon Saloon radio show on AM 1000. 

As the story goes Cristobal Huet and Corey Crawford would be included in a trade for a power forward and another goalie. No potential trade partners or particular players were specified, although it was thought serious negotiations were going on. 

The rumor was bolstered because Huet did not start on Sunday as Niemi played in back to back games, actually his fourth start in a row. The thinking being the Hawks front office wanted to make sure Huet would not get injured. 

Although it is unlikely the Hawks would be able to trade Huet before the deadline it isn’t impossible. But….. 

When was the last time a team with the lowest GAA in their conference traded their starting goalie before the trade deadline? 

If someone has an answer besides never, please let me know. 

Even if Niemi is considered the starter at this point, it would be a gutsy move on the part of  Bowman to tamper with his goal tending duo. If the move fails Bowman would be accused of trying to fix what wasn’t broken. 

The Florida Panther ownership has finally come clean and informed season ticket holders they may have chosen the wrong players in the past. Ownership sent a letter out basically stating there would be changes. So all eyes are focused on the Panthers for potential trades before the deadline. 

If Huet could be traded without taking back a big long term contract in return, Bowman would have to listen. He would be interested in hearing different scenarios. A trade of Huet is more likley in the summer but sometimes those deals are worked on far in advance.

Actually Florida’s goalie Tomas Vokoun and UFA defender Dennis Seidenberg would be great additions to the Hawks. Acquiring a power forward from Florida is more unlikely unless part of a much bigger trade. Their young forwards, like Nathan Horton, have larger contracts and have been inconsistent. Horton’s work ethic always seems to be in question. 

The problem in trading Vokoun could involve his no trade clause as he could look for a contract extension before agreeing to a deal. Even without an extension Vokoun’s cap hit of $5.7 million is slightly larger than Huet’s although his contract runs only through next year. 

Here’s what I believe to have been the case. 

Stan Bowman was in negotiations with the Ducks to acquire James Wisniewski but Bob Murray wouldn’t agree to everything Bowman wanted. The Hawks would have dealt Barker but they needed another player back besides Wisniewski so the deal never happened. I heard the same story from two people who are in the know. 

Bowman wound up with a player he could use now and possibly a valuable prospect. Besides Wisniewski, Bowman wanted a third or fouth line young energy type player from the Ducks.  They said no and the deal never happened. Maybe the Ducks and Hawks will revisit some trade scenarios in the next couple of weeks. 

It is my belief the Hawks will find someone to bolster their bottom six forwards and acquire a physical player with some skill. The reason Chicago defeated Vancouver in last year’s playoffs was because of their fourth line. Bowman will look to strengthen his group of bottom six forwards before the deadline. 

Players like Ethan Moreau and Colby Armstrong have experience and the grit the Hawks could use. Both have expiring contracts and should be available. 

Chicago still needs another defenseman. 

Jordan Hendry has played really well, but if two defensemen were to get injured at the same time the Hawks would be in deep trouble. It could happen, just ask a Calgary Flames fan. There is no one in Rockford that can do the job of Hendry. So the Hawks would be vulnerable. 

My thinking is Bowman will acquire a big defenseman that can skate. The Leafs Garnet Exleby has been mentioned here a few times and could provide a physical presence. The Panthers Seidenberg is a strong shot blocker and might be on Bowman’s radar. 

Hawks fans want to dwell on the goal keeping as being the Hawks soft spot. Quenneville has done an outstanding job of not giving fans or the media any more reason to fuel a goal tending controversy. He has consistently implied Huet is number one. 

That may have been the case, but March will be the time when all bets will be placed on the starter for the playoffs. Even if Huet is named the playoff starter Niemi will be waiting in the wings.

Quenneville won’t hesitate to make a change and by that time Niemi will be tested and as ready as he could be.

Concerns 

What has developed into a problem for the Blackhawks is certain players have fallen off and haven’t performed as well as was hoped. Not only recently but for the majority of the season. 

Quenneville has shown a great deal of patience with some but it won’t be the case moving forward. 

Kris Versteeg is looking like a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. He is creative and skillful. But he still lacks the finish and strength to be a top goal scorer. Versteeg needs to play with skillful mates and he isn’t good enough to be a top six forward here. 

Maybe Versteeg can become more responsible defensively and find a spot on the Bolland- Hossa line. There are reasons he hasn’t been used in that role as of yet, but maybe he will get a shot. Otherwise Versteeg like Barker might be better off elsewhere.

Tomas Kopecky hasn’t been an effective as a fourth line player. Quenneville has tried to jump start him by allowing him to play alongside Hossa. He doesn’t seem to fit in there either. 

Kopecky hasn’t had more than a handful of quality efforts all season. His unsportsmanlike penalty for snow showering the goalie last week says it all about his time with the Hawks. He has been a real disappointment. 

Another player that can’t string together quality efforts is Dustin Byfuglien. The big guy can be a force but has limited ability. He needs to go north and south and be physical for the entire game. He shows only flashes of dominance. 

Byfuglien still has trouble setting screens, which should be his strength. I don’t think he will survive the whole summer as a Blackhawk by just having a good performance in the playoff. Byfuglien has to get it going now and prove he can bring a top effort each game for every shift. If he could the Hawks would have a stud, as of now he is expendable. 

Top players like Kane and Toews have a handful of shifts in each contest when they aren’t very noticeable. 

Byfuglien, Kopecky and Versteeg only have a few shifts each game when they appear to be playing at a high level. 

This won’t be the last time I will write this… 

By the end of the playoffs it will be obvious in most cases which Blackhawks will be traded over the summer to create salary cap space. 

Al’s Shots

The link below is for anyone wishing to donate for breast cancer research. For additional info please visit the HockeeNight.com website.

http://chicagoland.info-komen.org/site/TR/Events/HIL_ChicagolandAreaAffiliate?pxfid=124650&fr_id=1750&pg=fund

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Actually the Blackhawks best players, Toews, Kane, Sharp, Keith and Seabrook made an impact, which hasn’t been the case recently. But when everyone is dialed in the Hawks are difficult to beat. 

That is not to say they dominated the Blues, far from it. 

Actually if St. Louis had a few more legitimate goal scorers they could have easily won. 

Niemi is difficult to beat low, that should be the word around the entire league. For whatever reason, probably because they can’t finish, the Blues consistently shot pucks into Niemi strength. 

The Blues had many opportunities to score, and would have if they could have sent pucks on net more than 12 inches off the ice. Niemi provided many big rebounds and the Hawks would have lost to a more skillful group of goal scorers. 

Niemi hadn’t played in a couple of weeks, so there was probably some rust. But he won’t get away with shoddy rebound control against the better clubs. 

NHL Trade rumors which are published in the Sunday Ottawa Sun remind me of sensational headlines in a supermarket tabloid. 

Although extremely unlikely, it might be possible someone will give birth to a 100 pound baby or a three headed alien will land in the middle of Manhattan. 

I feel the same way about almost every NHL rumor I read on a Sunday in the Sun. In almost every case they never happen. 

The latest most unlikely Blackhawk trade gossip has Stan Bowman interested in acquiring Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. 

To do so, according to the article Cristobal Huet’s salary would have to be buried in the minors. 

Ok…. 

So Bowman goes out and acquires Thomas, at $5 million per season for the next three years. Then somehow Huet’s $5.6 million cap hit over the next two seasons disappears to the AHL or parts unknown. 

The logic would be the high priced Thomas is a better fit for the Blackhawks than Huet, even though his contract term is longer. Not to mention he hasn’t set the world on fire this year either. 

As the column states… there is a sense Stan Bowman would be willing to do just that….meaning to supposedly acquire Thomas. 

I have a strong feeling Bowman would rather spend his time on a street in Manhattan waiting for a space ship. 

The last Chicago goalie rumor of the weekend involves the Hawks interest in Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak. 

This is a reoccurring story which has little chance of happening during this season. This one is almost as improbable as the Thomas to the Hawks rumor, but not quite as unbelievable. 

Throw those two rumors in the same pile as the Kovalchuk to the Blackhawks trade scenario. 

And so on… 

Teams which don’t make the playoffs can’t score. When the better clubs hit low points during the year they have problems scoring too. The Hawks power play was awful on Saturday, which made their task more difficult. 

The Hawks have endured their share of suspect officiating lately. One of the referees which worked the game on Wednesday night at the United Center was also officiating in St. Louis. 

The Hawks were guilty of too many penalties, mostly deserved. But the needed consistency wasn’t evident from the men stripes once again. 

It is unbelievable for a veteran head coach to get slapped with an unsportsmanlike penalty in the closing moments of regulation time in a close game.  Joel Quenneville might have been too vocal, or possibly an assistant coach…. 

But I can’t ever remember an unsportsmanlike penalty being called so late in a close game. This could be another sign of an official who is more worried about himself rather than providing an equitable contest for both sides. Sopel served the penalty but it was mentioned the glares from the referee were at the coaches. 

I doubt the Blues will make the playoffs. 

If they did and were matched against the Blackhawks, Chicago would have a big advantage in a seven game series. It would be a true upset if the Blues would win. 

The problems for the Hawks would be in the following series. 

St. Louis does a good job of pounding the Chicago defensemen. That kind of physical abuse would hurt the Hawks in later playoff rounds. 

Interesting question I don’t have an answer for…. 

If a player makes contact with an opponent in open ice, two seconds after the puck has been released, he is subject to a suspension. 

But the NHL is fine with wingers smashing defensemen well after they have passed off the puck. They consider that late contact as finishing a check, but it often comes so much after the play it should be a penalty too. 

Brent Sopel, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brian Campbell are the Hawks which take the most physical abuse. 

They are constant targets and it seems like just a matter of time until an injury could result. That is another reason Bowman will be looking for an additional defender before the trade deadline. 

Connecting the Dots…. 

My James Wisniewski to the Hawks trade speculation has picked up some traction. 

The Daily Herald reported on Sunday, a source close to the Blackhawks has said they are interested in acquiring Wisniewski. The player involved from the Chicago side is supposedly Barker. 

I suppose now we can call Wisz returning to the Hawks a trade rumor….we shall see. 

Lastly, the Hawks still look like a tired team. 

They are taking some bad penalties and are making more mental mistakes than usual. 

Pat Foley commented during the win over the Blues about Duncan Keith’s playing time. In the preceding three games, Keith was on the ice for 85 of the 185 minutes played. 

No need to kick off your shoes, allow me… 

Over the three games mentioned, Keith was on the ice for almost 46% of the total playing time. 

That is impressive amount of on ice time and also is too much. 

In the last five games Barker has played about 11 minutes each contest, the least amount of any Blackhawk defenseman. 

Changes will happen in Chicago before the trade deadline. Most likely they will occur on the blueline.

 Al’s Shots 

When Dave Bolland returned I mentioned Tomas Kopecky should be the odd man out. 

I also said Quenneville could rotate players and try to keep his troops fresh. 

So far everyone on the fourth line has had a game off. 

It was Eager’s turn Saturday night, which probably was by design.

The Blues have Eager on their hit list and Quenneville doesn’t need another injury to one of his biggest forwards. 

Bolland has gotten better each game. 

If Q. wants to keep rotating, he may move away from the fourth line. 

If so Kris Versteeg or Dustin Byfuglien could be next to sit. 

Versteeg is passing when he should shoot and vice versa. He is pressing and turnovers are happening. 

The determination Byfuglien showed when he was on the ice during the OT period last Wednesday night was special. 

Byfuglien cold not be denied the puck. He was tossing Blues players aside as if they were sacks of leaves. 

If Buff could show that same type of effort only 40% of the time he would be on his way to becoming an All Star. 

Unfortunately big Buff doesn’t stay determined.

The Hawks recent march to the President’s trophy has been a slow one. 

In the last three games the Hawks and Canucks have an identical record…. 1-2. 

The Sharks are 2-1. 

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I did not read one rumor which forecasted Dion Phaneuf going to the Maple Leafs. 

Not one. 

After checking with someone who reads more trade gossip than I… He concurred, not one mention of Phaneuf to the Leafs. 

It was speculated Phaneuf could be available but Toronto wasn’t mentioned as a destination. Obviously the Flames were floundering and Phaneuf appeared expendable. 

Almost always that’s the way it is. Word of a trade comes out after it is already done, not before. 

Big trades seldom happen these days and it is extremely difficult to find relevant information before a trade goes down. This weekend was a perfect illustration. 

Unfortunately my summer trade scenario featuring Cristobal Huet going to the Leafs is kaput. 

Certainly many ardent Toronto fans would rather have J.S. Giguere in the blue and white than Huet. 

After all Giguere is a former Stanley Cup winner and had more wins last season and a better save percentage than Huet. Well, one out of three will have to do for Leaf fans. 

The Leafs stabilized an important position with the acquisition of Giguere. 

But if I were keeping score Bob Murray got the best of his former boss. After all Giguere was only a back-up in Anaheim and was too highly paid to sit the bench. 

The Ducks did have to swallow the hefty contract of Jason Blake until 2012, but he should relish a change of scenery. Plus the Ducks are in desperate need of another goal scorer. 

Blake could feel like someone who received a pardon from the governor. He could flourish alongside Bobby Ryan or Ryan Getzlaf. 

As far as the other Maple Leaf trade, the Flames may have gotten got the better of that deal if they can re-sign UFA’s Matt Stajan,Niklas Hagman and Ian White. I think White could be a solid dman for years to come. But the Leafs did get a well thought of prospect in Keith Aulie. 

Interesting the Flames would trade big Dion for many players not signed beyond this season. 

One has to wonder if another big fish is on Darryl Sutter’s radar screen because he will have available cap space this summer. 

Phaneuf was too costly to be the fourth best defender on the Flames. With the emergence of Mark Giordano and the acquisition of Jay Bouwmeester, Phaneuf was expendable. 

The Flames needed a jump start to make the playoffs and the Leafs want to desperately fast forward their rebuilding process. 

If Phaneuf can become an All Star blueliner in Toronto everyone may have gotten what they needed. Both teams were desperate to make improvements and they took action. 

The Blackhawks at this point are far from desperate to do anything. 

The Hawks don’t need to shed salary yet. Actually they might be able to acquire another defenseman without trading anyone off the current roster. 

Concerning the possibility of a Blackhawks trade happening soon… 

There is a chance something will happen before the Olympic break.  This will be so if the acquired player will not be representing his country in late February. 

Why would any general manager take the chance now of acquiring a player who could get injured during the Olympics? 

Right now the Leafs appear the only team to be in aggressive trade mode. 

As far as Blackhawk fans are concerned, those who are waiting for a blockbuster deal should take a deep breath. 

As of today the Hawks are near the head of the class in the Western Conference. Stan Bowman will be very cautious before making any trades. The Hawks could use a tweak or two, primarily depth on defense. 

If Dave Bolland is only a shadow of his former self when returning that could change Bowman’s intent. According to reports Bolland is pain free and is almost ready to return to action. 

For now, additional defensemen which would add some skill, muscle and insurance against injury will be on Bowman’s shopping list. 

For the most part very little is likely to happen around the NHL before the Olympic break because there are so many teams still in the payoff hunt. If the Hawks do make an acquisition soon it will likely be for a player not slated to attend the Olympics. 

Even though all the general mangers will have a lot of time to negotiate over the Olympic break, there my not be more deadline trades than last season. If the standings stay as congested through February teams will be reluctant to turn sellers. 

Certain franchises are in desperate need to keep ticket sales strong throughout the remainder of the season. If they appear to throw in the towel there will be more empty seats. It is a tricky call for many clubs. Teams like the Islanders, Thrashers and the Blues may stay on the cusp of the playoff picture and will choose to be buyers rather than sellers. 

If not for the Olympics factor, the Hawks may choose to trade sooner than later. 

The reason being supply and demand….there could be less sellers and teams which will be buyers will have to pay up. 

So if the Blackhawks make a deal before mid February, the likely trade partners will be those out of playoff picture. Today that short list includes Toronto, Carolina and possibly Edmonton. The Oilers are a Western Conference foe but the Hawks might trade with them as well. 

The short list of available UFA defensemen would include… 

Carolina….Joe Corvo (on IR since early December), Aaron Ward, Niclas Wallin (who has a no trade clause). 

Oilers….Jason Strudwick 

Toronto…Garnet Exelby 

Tomas Kaberle trade rumors have come and gone repeatedly.

As one hockey lifer who worked for Brian Burke told me awhile back…Burkie holds true to his word. 

That sentiment rang true when he dealt Ilya Bryzgalov to the Coyotes for almost nothing. Burke promised he would find a place for him to play as a starter if things didn’t work out in Anaheim. Burke got little in return but kept his promise to Bryzgalof. 

Kaberle is Burke’s last big trading chip to use in acquiring early round draft picks.

The Hawks have never had a real interest in Kaberle, from what I have heard. 

Kaberle has a no trade clause and Burke has repeatedly stated he won’t ask him to waive it. Unless Kaberle has the inclination to leave Toronto before March he will stay put. Most likely he isn’t leaving.

Kaberle has a better shot from the point than Brain Campbell and that is his only advantage. Although Kaberle is skillful he plays the game softer than any Hawk defenseman. 

That type of player isn’t needed in Chicago. 

In my opinion, the player most likely to come to the Blackhawks from my list above is Exelby. But not because of hearing any whispers. Exelby would fill a need and is available. 

The list of expendable Chicago players is really not very long. 

In my view the most likely being Cam Barker, Tomas Kopecky and to a lesser degree Brent Sopel. The player with the most trade value is Barker and his playing time has lessened. 

Barker could still be suffering from the effects of an injury as he hasn’t been used very often since his return. Against the Hurricanes, he barely saw ten minutes of ice time. 

Maybe Barker is still hurt….Or possibly he is being phased out. 

If Dave Bolland is healthy it may make more sense to deal Kopecky and just add to the defense. The only member of the fourth line Joel Quenneville would probably be ok with trading is Kopecky. 

Ben Eager fills a need with his size and speed. 

In some ways Colin Fraser is one of the most overlooked players on the club, but probably not to the head coach. He has made himself a much better player because he can now win faceoffs. 

Fraser has been used as a substitute for Patrick Kane in key moments. 

When Toews’ line is on for a big faceoff in the defensive zone Fraser can sub in. If Toews gets tossed from the faceoff, Frasor can then take the draw. He is also one of the better penalty killers on the team. 

That leads some to point a finger at Andrew Ladd as the one to be scratched or shipped out when Bolland returns. 

I say no… 

Ladd is a Stanley Cup winner that can play effectively on lines two through four. He has been playing good, physical hockey. 

It may surprise some, but Ladd was one of  the top goal scorers on the last road trip. If Quenneville has a say, Ladd will probably be staying in Chicago for the next few months, if not longer. 

The list of potential trade partners for Chicago at the current time isn’t long. There could be some chance the Rangers or Canadiens could also be looking to shake things up. But really there are not many teams in sell mode today. 

Although Bowman doesn’t have many from his current roster he would be willing to give up, he does have some younger players.  He could trade someone like Jack Skille or maybe a couple of others in the system if the right deal presented itself. 

For those Blackhawks fans anxiously awaiting a blockbuster deal….chillax. 

The time to work into trade frenzy mode will be after the Stanley Cup finals and before the NHL draft. 

That will be a much more interesting time to discuss trade scenarios.  

Al’s Shots 

For the record my Blackhawk trade forecasting has run the gamut from very good to bad. 

A few years ago I wrote the Hawks would most likely find another home for Adrian Aucoin, Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen. 

Back then most thought there was little chance Dale Tallon could unload the trio. 

I never had the destination whispered to me, only that the Hawks were trying very hard to move them that summer.

That turned out to be correct. 

I was also tipped….That if Kyle Beach was available when the Hawks selected they would draft him. 

I wrote that just before the draft and it turned out to be correct. 

In connecting the dots over the years….speculating…. 

I have had Cam Barker traded a few times….all wrong. 

Last season at the trade deadline my thinking was the Hawks would grab Steve Montador and Dominic Moore. 

I had heard the Hawks were in on the Montador sweepstakes but it never happened and he went to Boston. 

Moore supposedly was almost signed and delivered to the Hawks but the trade fell through at the last minute…so the story goes. 

It’s fun to speculate. 

Just remember there is a difference between having a legitimate source and trade speculation. 

In the Phaneuf trade I didn’t read any speculation he was going to the Leafs. 

No rumors or speculation that the Leafs and Flames would dance. 

Giguere to the Leafs was discussed but never a front burner issue until right before the trade went down. There were many reasons to speculate that trade would happen. 

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 But most NHL teams are not like the Blackhawks. 

In the three previous meetings between San Jose and Chicago the Hawks had the better of the play in every game. Last night it appeared San Jose would steal momentum and seal a victory over the Hawks by dominating the middle frame.  

After the Sharks tied the score early in the third period, it was the Hawks who jumped on the gas pedal and swarmed the Sharks. San Jose was the tentative club for most of the last period. It seemed like they were playing not to lose rather than win. 

If the Blackhawks have a distinct flaw it is they can’t downshift. 

At times if the throttle isn’t wide open flaws begin to surface. San Jose rebounded from a poor opening period and applied pressure throughout the middle frame. Once the game was deadlocked the Blackhawks took over and deserved the extra point received from their overtime win.

 The Hawks aren’t perfect but they combat most of their mistakes in a relentless fashion. 

The Washington Capitals may score the most electrifying goals in the NHL but no team plays a more exciting game than the Blackhawks. 

No doubt the Sharks missed the injured Dan Boyle. In addition, San Jose’s best players were not as strong as their Blackhawk counterparts. 

The Sharks top line was held without a goal and was a minus three on the night. Brouwer, Kane and Toews were all a plus one as they were often matched up against San Jose’s top scoring unit. 

It was nice to see Troy Brouwer rewarded with two goals as he brings a top effort quite often. His game winner was a beautiful shot high over Evgeni Nabokov. The Sharks netminder allowed a questionable goal on Brouwer’s first tally but was very good afterward. 

Thorton, Heatley and Marleau couldn’t ignite the Sharks offense largely because Cristobal Huet was at his best. Except for the second period, total team defense was sharp for Chicago. But in the end this was a victory which can be credited to Huet. It was his best effort in many starts and he couldn’t be faulted on any of the Shark goals. 

Kris Versteeg is a hockey coach’s dream and nightmare. 

He has tremendous talent and is very creative. But until he learns simple is often best he will continue to have sporadic performances. Last night he was forcing some passes and was offside, for no apparent reason a couple of times. Versteeg receives no favors from officials as he is a young player who likes to yap when a call goes against him. 

Versteeg showed last night he can be a force by just doing the basics. 

On Brouwer’s game winner, Versteeg took the center lane and charged straight to the net. Exactly what he should do, and the result was perfect. Versteeg helped screen Nabokov which allowed Brouwer’s shot to find the net. 

Versteeg was held without point last night but he was a plus two for the contest. He did the right thing when it mattered most and that’s a big part of being an effective player. 

The Hawks have played better games this season and I’m sure the same can be said about the Sharks. One has to be impressed with the Hawks determination. They are a dangerous, confident, fearless bunch. 

The Sharks realize the same. 

Al’s Shots 

Joel Quenneville went strength against strength last night and came out on top.

The Hawks 2nd through 4th lines are stronger than the Sharks, so Q. can often win if the top units just offset each other.

Unofficially I had heard Cam Barker missed games recently because of a rib injury. That might be the reason why he has not seen much ice time since his return.  Last night only 10:57 of playing time.

I could make the case he is the least reliable Hawk defenseman and that’s why Sopel and others play more often. 

Barker is a talented offensive defenseman although not a speedy skater. 

He would probably put up much better numbers on a team where he could play top four minutes. 

For that reason Barker could be the player that Stan Bowman will dangle on the trade market. 

I still feel the Hawks need to add depth on the blueline, so if Barker is dealt it could be for another defender. 

Actually the Hawks most likely will want to find another proven NHL defenseman even if Barker stays. 

There isn’t anyone in Rockford that could serve as an eight defenseman for the playoffs. 

Every team will want to pound the Hawks defense because that is the way to slow down their offense. 

Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Sopel take a beating every game. 

Bowman will have to find another dman for insurance. 

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Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald has speculated Cristobal Huet will be in goal tonight. As written here, Antti Niemi will most likely start again before the trip is over. But it wouldn’t be surprising if Joel Quenneville opted for Huet tonight. Word should come out soon, after the morning skate as to what the decision will be.

Whoever is in goal will have to be at their best and so will be the rest of the Hawks.

Last time against the Sharks it was a costly turnover over by Kris Versteeg while the Hawks were on a power play which sealed their fate. Joe Thorton skated in alone and scored on Huet and the Hawks couldn’t muster enough of a comeback to win the game.

The Hawks won’t be able to get away with falling behind early.

It takes a lot more energy to dig out of a hole. Right now the Hawks can’t let fatigue overtake their spirit. If they can stay focused and play their game the Hawks can win despite being toward the end of a very long road trip.

The advantage the Hawks will try to establish against San Jose will be to utilize their depth. To be successful all four lines will have to play at a high level and the power play has to be effective as well.

Many times highly awaited match-ups disappoint. Here’s hoping tonight’s game will be worth the build up.

Al’s Shots

There has been some good feedback from my last blog concerning the Hawks and Leafs getting together this summer for a trade.

There is nothing wrong with writing a fan blog but that is not what I choose to do.

Although my wish is the Hawks win the Stanley Cup, I don’t drink Blackhawk Kool-Aid.

My opinions are meant to be objective and not colored by enthusiasm for the team.

Some fans have trouble separating fact from their team loyalties….that’s part of being of a fan.

Before Andy McDonald was traded by the Ducks a few years ago I wrote that it would make sense for the team to deal him.

I was right, although many Ducks fans said there would be no way it could happen.

It is not the point of being correct, but the thesis behind saying he would be traded made sense.

I am not talking down to anyone but…

Often fans either don’t understand, or want to fully consider salary cap ramifications and other factors that come into play.

Right now most around the NHL would agree Huet is a better goalie than anyone on the Leafs. The “Monster” has potential but he also is raw and has health concerns.

Brian Burke needs players…. not just one player to add to the mix.

The Leafs have the bankroll to overpay for Huet (FROM A CONTRACT STANDPOINT).

That would be the case if it were to mean they could also acquire other key players for their rebuilding process.

The Leafs would have the edge in the trade.

But the Hawks could solve salary cap concerns and accomplish what they needs as well.

The possibility makes sense although it may never happen.

I have no problem with readers disagreeing but to completely dismiss the possibility just displays the fervor of being a fan.

As far as the internet pictures circulating of Hawk players….I am not positive they haven’t been altered, but….

What I do know for sure is anyone in the public eye has to be aware everyone is walking around with a camera.

To not understand that is stupid.

Blackhawkswin@comcast.net

In the final period, Cristobal Huet was called upon to make a few difficult saves and he was in place to do so. Coach Quenneville could give him an opportunity for redemption on Thursday night. Huet was the loser last time the Hawks faced the Sharks My guess is Antti Niemi will get another start, either in San Jose or in Carolina. 

A lot is being made of Thursday’s match-up featuring the top two teams in the NHL. The Hawks have played well against the Sharks this season, winning two of three. In their only loss they fell behind early, although dominating most of the play. 

The Sharks will be favored tomorrow night as they are at home and catching a road weary group. Coach Q. will not let his club use the built in excuse of being tired. 

The Hawks are approaching this game as if it is a very important one. 

In Quenneville’s post game comments he mentioned the outcome of the Sharks contest could be meaningful in determining playoff seeding.  This will be the last regular season meeting between Chicago and San Jose. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks respond to this tough challenge. 

Window of Opportunity 

I heard an interview with one of the best head coaches in the NHL a short time ago on XM Home Ice. 

Barry Trotz of the Prdedators remarked he didn’t believe there was much difference between the teams in the Western Conference. He was referencing those clubs that ranked between fourth and fourteenth place, which included his group. 

Trotz believes teams like Chicago and San Jose have more talent than others. They have a stronger roster because this is their window of opportunity. In essence the salary cap has been handled well enough to give those teams the advantage of a deeper roster. Most of the other teams in the Western Conference have similar talent and then intangibles come into play. 

Injuries, coaching and other factors then determine how well most teams will perform. 

Trotz didn’t make specific reference but some franchises like the Predators are limited by a more restrictive budget. Spending more money doesn’t necessarily lead to championships, just ask the New York Rangers. But spending money the right way helps. 

If a franchise is run consistently well, they will continue to win often enough to stay in the playoff hunt. That has been the case over the years for the Predators. 

Now teams like the Hawks, Canucks, Red Wings, and Sharks have the luxury of deep talent laden rosters. Those clubs have a better chance of succeeding even with many injuries because of their depth. 

Last night the Red Wings lost a home game after allowing the Coyotes to score two goals in the final ninety seconds to tie the score. Phoenix went onto win in OT. 

The Red Wings have done a fine job of staying in the playoff picture primarily because of their depth and coaching. They have had a multitude of injuries. It will be interesting to see if fatigue well set in for those who having been shouldering the brunt of the load. 

So far the Canucks, Hawks and Sharks have utilized their many skillful players to offset injuries. They are in a position to have a strong finish and a now competing for home ice throughout the playoffs. 

Last night, after watching the Blackhawks play keep away against the Oilers for much of the game, I thought of the Trotz interview. The Hawks won last night because of an abundance of talent. They are a much deeper team than the Oilers and came at them in waves. 

The Hawks, Canucks, Red Wings and Sharks have more talent than others at this time. Fans can debate which club is the best. 

Coaching, injuries and intangibles will also determine who will win the Western Conference and advance to the Stanley Cup finals. 

Teams like Nashville and many others will hope pure talent doesn’t win out. Sometimes in sports having more talent doesn’t guarantee ultimate success. That’s when Trotz’s coaching know how and intangibles come into play. 

Come the spring, we will see how much talent alone matters. 

Al’s Shots 

It was nice to see Duncan Keith play only 22:48 last night. Brent Seabrook had similar minutes. 

In the last month of the season it would help if Keith and Seabrook weren’t used more than 25 minutes in most games. We will see if Q. will have an opportunity to ease those two into the playoffs. 

Keith set a new career high by notching his 37^th assist against the Oilers. 

Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg finally stained the score sheet. Before last night, both as well as John Madden were held scoreless on the current road trip. 

That is another advantage of having a deep team….one line can fall off for awhile and the team isn’t crippled. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net