Hawks acquire Greentree for Johnson
Kyle Greentree, the 6-foot-3, 212-pound left winger acquired by the Blackhawks on Wednesday night from Calgary for defenseman Aaron Johnson, was given a strong chance to make the Flames’ roster heading to training camp.
Instead, he was one of the first players cut.
Greentree scored 39 goals last season for Quad Cities in the AHL, but the Flames didn’t see the NHL in his immediate future.
Why did the Hawks feel the need to make this trade? For starters, Johnson’s $540,000 one-way contract is off the books, giving them a bit of salary cap relief. The Hawks believed Brent Sopel and Jordan Hendry had better camps than Johnson to win the sixth and seventh jobs on defense.
This is the second time in two weeks Hawks GM Stan Bowman has reached out for a fourth-line winger their former team didn’t want. Previously, the Hawks claimed Radek Smolenak off waivers from Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, Jack Skille sits in the minors at Rockford, a victim of his $1.25 million cap hit for being a first-round draft pick. Maybe that will change shortly as Skille still is a bit banged up from his preseason injury.
I agree, john, you NEVER devalue your guys to the press.
Burke said, at the deadline, when offered Skille, that he thought he was marginal as an NHL hopeful at the salary he would be getting.
Yeah,I cringed in that new podcast (mentioned earlier) when Lil Scotty said Skille was the part of the future Blackhawk roster.
and probably said so. Henry is no better than Johnson.
The kid they got can score some and throw them so not a risk to add a 25 year old forward with heavyweight and some skill albeit AHL level training.
I find it curious they would bolster the Calgary defense when it was that teams lack of depth that helped lead to their losing in the play-offs. I would guess the Hawks don't see Aaron Johnson as someone who can hurt them, stop them or be in their way.
I find it funny that the last podcast had Lil Scotty ;
1) again saying we don't need a true heavyweight and then they make this trade...and
2) Lil Scotty being so naive to say that "WE don't know the 2011 class is that weak, and that is a valuable #3 we picked up." There only 16 blah blah blah...
When I said in my question that the two picks he recvd from Burke in 2011 amount to a 3rd and 4th due to the lack of talent in that draft, I was not speaking out of another orfice.
and if STAN truly has NO ONE on his entire scouting staff that KNOWS how there are only a pittance of 2011 draftables who can EVEN project close to the first 40 picks in 2010, HE NEEDS TO HIRE an ENTIRE NEW SCOUTING DEPARTMENT.
I think Mark Kelley knows and agrees with my assessment, but I DOUBT the Hawk rookie GM even THOUGHT to ask Mark about the 2011 draft strength and only saw "extra 3rd pick" and got snookered.
Can any of our current players under contract renegotiate to give us some cap relief? More injuries are on the way and we have ZERO flexibility to improve this team through trades.
Guys like Aaron Johnson can play on my team as a #6 D any day. Good size, smart player who will never be the reason why you lost a close game unlike the human turnstyle Brent Sopel.
The Hawk team that was a force last year has lost Havlat, Bulin, Phalsson, Burish, Bolland, Johnson and Walker.
Those guys have been replaced by Brent Sopel, John Madden and Tomas Kopecky.
I don't like that trade.
I love when people complain just to complain. Next time, though, it'd be nice if you could use something, anything, that resembles actual fact and logic.
They aren't allowed to renegotiate.
So is Skille in Rockford because he didn't have a strong enough camp or because of the salary cap? Tim mentioned a slight cap relief by getting Johnson's $540k of the books so do you guys think Bowman is going to move someone else so they can have enough cap space to bring him back up?
Not physical or responsible enough for the bottom two lines. Not hockey smart enough for the top two lines.
I think a pattern is emerging with the Stan Bowman regime: and that is, never ever even slightly devalue your players publicly, even though you might not be high on them. You damage their value to other teams.
I think Crawford and Skille are the two best, most recent examples of this. I do not believe for a second Crawford was ever even or tied with Niemi for the backup 'tender spot.
Skille is in the AHL for more reasons than his contract.
I thought Smolenak was signed because of Burish, and now I'm wondering about Greentree vis a vis Eager. Sounds like he's maybe really injured. Do you know anything?
Thank God we got Madden and Kopecky, too. Bolland's situation does not sound good either.
Greentree potted 39 goals for Quad City last year. Big kid, too.
I liked Johnson, too. But for all the heat Sopel takes, he's a smart player and he's tough as nails and he has vastly needed experience. Plus he's a righty, which the Hawks' sorely need on defense.
Johnson is in the team photo with Crawford as guys the coaches weren't crazy about for some reason. Maybe it is simply that they wanted more size. But based on +/- ratings and the fact that he rarely makes a dumb move on defense Johnson deserved a lot more ice time than he got. I wish him well in Calgary. And I sure hope Sopel is the long-term answer for the third pairing.
I agree with you that he brings more to the table than sopel & barker - he's not as big or as physical, but he's more mobile & smarter.
plus to suggest dumping his barely above miniumum salary provides cap relief is ludicrous - the guy they bring in to replace him on the roster will have to make the same or less!!!
moving him for a forward reduces defensive depth & makes moving barker & sopel more difficult - & these are the D guys that should be moved first.
after moving wizniewski & letting walker walk & essentially getting nothing for them, the hawks defensive depth isn't nearly as strong as it was last year, and neither is the goaltending depth - & huet hasn't exactly made people forget about khabi. & their cap situation & looming big 3 RFAs makes the ability to make moves more difficult.
ps - the pp sucked tonight - almost 2 full minutes of 5 on 3 right after getting the first goal of the game & all they can do is blast from the point & not even get it thru to the net! Q calls timeout about half way thru the 5on3, sensing this could be a turning point of the game- yet he doesn't put new guys out there, but the very same guys who couldn't even get a shot thru to the net from the point on a 5 on 3!!!!!!! I like Q, but that was a bad decision & cost them shortly afterwards.
barker fanning on a bouncing puck, instead of going down to ensure it doesn't get past him so that a streaking draper can't break in alone is all too typical of this overpaid stiff -(he was also on the point for the failed 5 on 3, unable to get a puck on net) - huet made a couple of good saves but he looked weak on all the goals he allowed - deflection off madden' skate went between his legs, draper had a ton of net high on the short side to shoot at, & datsyuk's shot trickled between his pads, giving franzen an easy tap in - that isn't the elite goaltending the hawks need against good teams & Detroit didn't look at its best tonight - they could have been had, but the hawks let them off the hook.
I still rather have Johnson then Sopel. Too bad no one wants Sopel and his salary cap number.
Other then his size, does this guy have anything? Can he skate?
At least the Hawks picked up another guy with size, which seems to be what they are looking for lately in the forwards.
does this guy actually have a chance at making the 4th line?
...but has some foot speed issues
Has to be entirely for salary cap relief because Aaron Johnson was solid enough. I suppose we will face him as soon as next week.