Too Many Defenseman? Czech!

I need to take a break from my game-by-game breakdown because SOMETHING happened in regards to the Hawks. Nothing crazy… but something nonetheless.

Today the Blackhawks signed Michal Rozsival. I did not see this coming at all considering who is realistically vying for a spot on the blueline this Fall (… and by Fall, probably more like November/December).

Rozsival is 6’1 and 212 and is a very dependent d-man. I’m not going to break down all his stats, if you’re interested in more information on this former 4^th rounder check him out on hockeydb.com (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=29289).

Q: “everyone grab their buddy for roll call!” :

Brent Seabrook – here
Duncan Keith – here
Niklas Hjalmarsson – here
Johnny Oduya – here
Nick Leddy – here
Steve Montador – here
New Guy… I mean Sheldon Brookbank – here
… and Michal Rozsival – here

Oh and I’m now comfortable taking Dylan Olsen off the list because this signing is a signal of many things; one of said things is the management does not see Olsen fit to dress for the Hawks on a full-time basis. I can’t argue with them. I think another full year in Rockford with spot duty in Chicago is a perfect recipe for him.

Another thing this signals is that a trade is looming. The Hawks will not go into the season with 8 capable defenseman of this caliber.

People are already signing Hammer’s farewell card and they might not be correct, I think he is the most likely candidate to be heading out of the Windy City. It wouldn’t be the most ideal because he’s a lot of what the Hawks need.  However, looking at his salary (3.5mil/year for 2 more years) and with the addition of Brookbank and now Rozsival,  the penalty killing unit just added more options (you’re lucky Kitchen and/or Kompon). Both are more than capable of moving bodies out front and blocking shots, and may very well end up being the Hawks 3^rd pairing on most nights. Hammer night not be as missed now, but down the road I think his ceiling might far surpass the draft pick/prospect Bowman acquires for him. Let’s hope the right decisions are being discussed in the front office as we type/you read.

There is other speculation though… could Leddy be packaged in a higher valued trade? Maybe Leddy+ for a 2^nd line centre?

Maybe Montador’s noggin isn’t responding well to the concussion(s) he suffered last year. Yes, he’s been heavily involved in the NHL vs. NHLPA meetings but maybe he’s trying to learn the business side because he’s not too confident in his health moving into the season. It’s a possibility.

Maybe Keith and Seabrook have eloped and adopted and moved to Europe in lieu of the pending lockout. Hmmm… not as likely but you have to keep an open mind.

Regardless of what you may or may not think, the Rozsival signing at 1 year/2 million is a solid pick up for Stan and it will be interesting to see his next move.

Also, google maps tells me that Rozsival and Michael Frolik, even though 10 years apart in age, grew up just over an hour away from each other – https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=vlasim+czech+republic&ie=UTF-8. Could this spur Frolik’s comeback as an effective scorer in this league? Probably not… I just like playing on google maps.

Non-Hawk Hockey Topics on the Brain: You don’t always hear about how popular ice hockey is in certain places but I can tell you that in Australia they take their recreational hockey pretty seriously. It’s nice to see some people playing hockey and their is a strong passion outside of North America while we have to listen to the threat of a lockout on a daily basis. I want to plug a couple of Canadians who are proudly representing their skills in Australia – http://www.nswicehockey.com.au/. They’re heading into their playoffs and Tyler Oliver and Brady Hellyer are hoping to take the 2^nd place Titans in the Senior 1 league to the finals.

Non-Hockey Topics on the Brain: Thoughts and prayers out to everyone that was affected by the tragedies 11 years ago during the 9/11 attacks.

Ty Cam out! (@tycam)