Ebbett claimed by Minnesota
The Minnesota Wild claimed Andrew Ebbett on waivers from the Blackhawks on Saturday.
Ebbett had 12 games to show the Hawks he deserved a spot on the roster, but the forward made little happen, even when given the chance to take over at center for Dave Bolland on the second line.
Marian Hossa is coming back soon so there was no need to keep Ebbett around. And until Hossa is ready, Bryan Bickell is a better alternative than Ebbett.
The Hawks are also looking to shed some payroll in order to re-sign Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and every little bit helps – even Ebbett’s $447,000 cap hit.
According to the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, teams cannot commit more money for the following season than the total dollars of expiring contracts. It's called "tagging room," and right now the Hawks don't have enough of it to accommodate the approximately $19 million the club would commit to Keith, Toews and Kane for next season.
They are about $1 million short, according to a report Friday on TSN.ca that also claimed the Hawks were shopping defenseman Brent Sopel and his $2.33 million cap hit in order to open up the necessary tagging room for Keith, Toews and Kane.
Rumors on ESPN reports : The Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks appear to be close to a deal that send Cam Barker north to Ottawa.
The blog Sens Chirp talked to a source who said the deal is done, but the league has taken issue with the trade. The blog says Ottawa would send Ryan Shannon and Alex Picard to Chicago in return.
Because it would allow for the Hawks to less painfully work through their salary cap issues.
Interesting rumour, Sopel to the Leafs for some picks, Leafs then buy out Sops contract and he then resigns for the remainder of the season with the Hawks ofr the balance of what he would have made on his contract ...is that even possible?
Fixes the tagging issue and keeps Sopel in the fold, Leafs essentially buy a couple of picks, Sopel gets two years salary for one year of work. Sounds too cute to be true BUT....
Antti Niemi, miny, moe
Stops the 'Nucks without a goal
Bloggers holler Huet must go
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Leverage comes from other teams wanting the same player. The Hawks may theoretically lose leverage because other teams "know" we have to dump salary, but other teams already "know" that now. The bidding wars between teams wanting our guys will give us our leverage. Only one team can get Sharp, for example, so if he's on the block after the season and more than one team wants him the team that wants him most will have to pony up for him. You lose the ability to aquire a player with an expiring contract but who says that would be better for the Hawks for this run than leaving the team and its chemistry alone for the remainder of the season? Let's see how good we are after Hossa has a month under his belt... And, for two games of the circus trip we're averaging 6 goals a game.
If you don't sign the extensions until after the season. And I would not take Wisniewski back. He's a fine player - when he's not on the mend. Barker's part of the fabric of our team, and he's generally healthy.
With all due respect to my friend Mr Jacukel, why would StanBow deal with the Ducks at this point?
And why make any deal at all while this team has won five straight, and is playing with a cohesion and intensity that matches their talent?
You don't mess with success.
There's plenty of time to figure out the numbers game...like after the season. The market will see more than a few buyers calling Mr. B.
In the meantime, the club is showing maturity, focus and efficiency. And a certain Mr. Hossa is due to make his debut wearing the Indian head.
Here Come The Hawks.
Wait 'til the end of the season? Now how much leverage do you think the Hawks will have when they are trying to dump salary last minute? Why not try to get someone moved now, maybe to a team that may need a trade or wants to get something before a UFA walks and they get nothing for them? Why not have an idea what you might need when the draft rolls around?
And the Hawks look great!
That's exactly it.
Draft picks are another avenue for us to maneuver under the salary cap! for the example used earlier, Patrick Sharp (4mill) could be traded for a player making 1-2 million plus get a top prospect or draft picks in return!
Jackubel ..the sky isnt falling and now is not the time to panic and show your hand! Bowman wont be... What is the difference of teams knowing what situation we are in now and the end of the season?
They already know!!!!
Teams want to get better and are not going to go into collusion to stop the hawks from getting the best deal possible, They WILL outbid each other to acquire a player they feel will make them better...we have lots of time
1) When do 90% of NHL trades happen? At or before the trading deadline. It is simple economics, when the market is more active, there are more deals to be made. More deals to be made definitely makes it about the relative value of commodities being traded. Period.
2) If the Hawks wait until the offseason, they lose the option of dealing salary for impending UFAs.
3) yes, they can put a guy like Sharp up to the highest bidder after the season, but why would a team pay draft picks AND his salary, when they can sign a comparable free agent at that point, at his salary, without giving up the picks?! Please, answer this.
4) The Hawks will NOT keep playing this well throughout the season. They have three legitimate NHL centers. Their third pairing was preyed upon in the playoffs last year, and Sopel is basically the same player as Walker. So there is room to improve this team.
Jack, How do you know what teams are thinking? Or what Bowman is thinking for that matter? Your trading deadline comment only holds water if we are trading Sharp to a contender which we wont be as we are a contender and wont want to make a competitor stronger especially in our conference!!
Sharps salary may not be attractive to a contender as
well because most contenders dont have the cap space, so a weaker team would probably jump to add a building block such as Sharp or Barker etc regardless of the time frame. Any team adding a young player is looking to the future so we can pretty much eliminate a trade to one of our cup contending rivals! Do you really see a team adding Barker for the stanley cup run this year???
All these crazy trade proposals dont make any sense for one as you put the hawks adding salary and it is all based on a "Fans" point of view! You dont have any idea what the hawks plans are or who they like from other teams.....this speculation just leads to arguments....
PS We are rolling and there is no sense in trading core players, I cant change any future Bowman transactions so im gonna enjoy this season!!!
....sopel is not a core piece not despite his current "board love"
With the economics in its current state, even more teams will be ready to shed salary come the trade deadline and summer time. If the market is flooded with lots of salaries, how do the 'Hawks trade their salary(ies)? They don't.
So it pays for them to move now.
Good summary on your 4 points.
So now you can predict the salary cap for next year? why arent you on the hawks payroll?
Teams with young players for sale can be made anytime...why? because they have potential and they are usually cheaper and that is the big difference between our players and other teams like the Rangers or Canadiens looking to shed contracts!!!
players with potential in the 2-4 mill range that are younger than 27 who are tied up for three years are invaluable!!
remember this
But unless you've been under a rock for the past couple years, you can see everything tied to the economy dropping. Unemployment is up. The markets have poor fundamentals. The Gov't is driving the US straight to Socialism. League attendance is down.
Where do you think the NHL teams get a majority of money for their payroll? It's not TV like the NFL. The NHL is still a major ticket-selling sport.
You're missing the biggest point of all. There HAS to be another team willing to take the 'Hawks players' SALARIES in a trade. 'Hawks players with $2M, $3M or $4M a season. No one can just assume another team is going to give away CHEAP prospects for a $3M a year player when they can sign UFA's next July 1st w/o giving up ANY prospects. AND to boot, they may be able to sign comparable UFA's for less money. I say this because I believe the market is going to be flooded with players. When that happens the price will fall.
It's already happened in MLB LAST offseason and will happen AGAIN this offseason. The NHL will experience the same fate.
Im a realist and I dont panic over what someone says will happen! The hawks know that their young players will be in demand vice other teams aging high salary players!
I Dont believe the hype as The Hockey News (Eric Fraser) tried to tell me last year that the hawks better decide on what "one" of the 3 RFAs they will sign!!(Toews Kane Keith) have a look at the other teams cap issues...I study them otherwise I wouldnt open my big mouth....yes i do have one!
Any non contending team out there would take Barker Versteeg Buff Niemi etc off our hands for prospects expiring deals or draft picks regardless of the month of the NHL season!
We are in a very unique situation as usually its the older teams having salary issues..WE are in the drivers seat!!
Jacukel: Please save and re-post this (When are you going to see another side) as it may be needed when a lot of trade talk pops up on this board. Also save the tag rules about next year's salary cap, although maybe that was Wiz and others stsny ? who posted that one. I see where you deliberately ignore answering any questions I pose from time to time about prospects, but I do believe you agree that a 2-1 deal would help us shed salary and maybe add a player at a position where we need to become better. I look forward to speaking to you next summer camp. I don't want to get to much time on these posts each day, but it maybe is time to look at your own site.
in porn moustaches.
Marty Lapointe has just been signed to a PTO by their AHL affiliate.
Oh no, don't tell me the Oilers all parade around in the dressing room naked wearing only black socks like the 1970s flicks!
Is porn music
I see they don't have any mirrors in the Oiler locker room.
well played!
You have a unique perception that is always appreciated on a Sunday morning.
not sure why the camera guy is using his cell phone to broadcast the game. hd my butt
'cuz CSN-Chicago wasn't HD...
The 1080i and 720p outputs on my cable box were almost as bad as the 480i output.
I thought I was having a problem with my t.v.
So true. The telecast was 100% better in Calgary.
Niemi and Barker to Anaheim for pending UFA Jonas Hiller and James Wisniewski.
Even if the Hawks had to throw in a pick or Skille, I'd do it.
I didn't look yet, how do the dollars work out to get under the tagging threshold?
Only problem is Wiz is hurt again & why would UFA Hiller want to sign with hawks and compete for playing time with Huet? ask a pro and their major want is to get playing time.
He played tonight and scored a goal.
But unless Hiller has a NTC, he can't do anything about it. No, they probably wouldn't be able to re-sign him. Add to that: Volchenkov, Kaberle, Kovalchuk, etc. So what?
I, for one, would rather deal potential for present impact. I liked the Shannon/Picard suggestion in terms of dollars.
But Wiz, the biggest cap impact for next year and on the ice this year is dealing depth for marquee impending UFAs. These are the kinds of moves Detroit's made for years. We'll have the core locked up. Deal away some of the supporting cast for a dynamic impact player(s) that covers areas of need.
pretty bad and they have keeping him out of practice but as someone above stated, he played well enough to score a goal...
Wouldn't THAT be a story? Wiz returns to play as a hawk in the playoff that his trade to ducks prevented from being a part of...
and even though hiller and wiz are not retained past the playoff the hawks win the Cup...
"Niemi and Barker to Anaheim for pending UFA Jonas Hiller and James Wisniewski"
I'd take that trade in a instant! Hiller and Wisniewski would be a huge improvement if we could make it happen.
And I heard "Hey Ebbeett" is going to be replacing Havlat at forward because Marty is stinking up the place up there.
Barker has too much value to be given up for spare parts. You may not like him (just guessing) but he is a talented Def with upside and for 3 mill some team would probably give up a decent draft pick and or a top level prospect!
Question for the board: Why must we trade are assess ts right now when we clearly dont need to? We are a contender for the stanley cup and we shouldnt have to give away valuable commodities for virtually nothing at least not yet so early in the season!
We do not know the terms of the proposed deals and maybe one of them will give a little in the negotiations!!
I'm not too fond of giving up Niemi this soon, but Barker is still waaaay too slow. Wiz is an improvement there. On the PP there is no reason why the other top 4 guys could not handle it.
to solidfy those deals and have the contracts come up for scrutiny because they are handcuffed right now the minute Hossa starts counting against the Cap.
Jonas Hiller is a spare part? I think a lot of folks would disagree with you.
BTW, Last I checked, Barker is a 5th defenseman on the Hawks and will be for a long time. Making $3 million a year.
Go back and watch him in the WCF last year. In the Hawks' end, I'd rather have Wiz. No question.
I don't want be a "contender" for the Cup. I want to win it. Period. If you think this team is perfect as is, you might be right. But you might be wrong. Champions go big or go home.
This team is playing with only 3 legitimate centers, a suspect third pairing and suspect goaltending. The Bowmans should be thinking big. Draft picks are fine, but I'd be going after players who can put this team over the top. I've had 30 years of potential and waiting and the future.
Once they get the kids signed, they're gonna have 5-6 great players locked up minimum through 2015. So why not go for it this year?
If Huet goes down, BTW, that deal makes tons of sense. You want to try to win it all with Niemi? That's a huge gamble.
So many problems with that deal you proposed....even though they are FA next year Hillier/Wis add .2 mill to our cap this year!! Also Hillier isnt an upgrade of Huet or even Niemi! I will definitely take what Barker offers over Wisniewski ..we can do better.
So you want to give up 2 young assets and add to our payroll???? Assuming Sopel is dealt or sent to the minors that is still a bizarre trade!!!
Wiz...I know we need to make a deal to make the Cap right...but who knows how much yet and why would we mess with a team on a roll?
Sopel/Ebbets maybe all that is required right now!
If the Bowmans dont pull a rabbit out of their collectives asses to clear up some cap room(and I believe Scotty will)...why did we get them?
Ebbett's contract expires July 1. Waiving him provided no tagging room.
The new tired phrase being used by everyone!!!
Insert Fraser for ebbett and read my entire post and you will understand for the 100th time yours makes zero sense!!!
"Wiz...I know we need to make a deal to make the Cap right...but who knows how much yet and why would we mess with a team on a roll?
Sopel/Ebbets maybe all that is required right now!"
Ebbett being waived does not provide tagging room. What does Fraser have to do with it? He was already on the roster.
Nothing personal. Just stating a fact.
He is a RFA after the season ends and we could non tender him thus adding to the "tagging" number! contracts expiring vice contracts adding...thats what i mean!!
With all the fire power up front, why do the Hawks need two QBs on the blue line? Barker is a liability on defense making poor decisions on passes and positioning. Sopel has been carrying him the last dozen games when they play together. While he hasn't been as bad the last few games (which no one has lately!), I'd take Wiz laying the wood any day over Barker.
It's not a salary dump, but this most likely won't be the only move the Hawks make and it would make them better for a run this year. Niemi isn't the answer and Hiller would be an upgrade.
So what your saying is..i dont care if he is still very young and learning the game..i want him gone because a 32 year old is out playing him for a dozen games?
Does it not seem to you that sopel just might be in "showcase mode" for the the league GMs.
sorry to say but Sopel will be in the minors soon if by chance someone shares your opinion and deals for him.
great suggestion... i wonder if little bowman will listen to you? ;-P
has little more than rookie experience on his resume. But he does have this accomplishment: winning games for a woebegotten offensively challenged little sister (that's pressure). I like Rhinne's upside more than Niemi's. I'd rather have Rhinne than the other veterans who may be available. You don't want to gamble on an injured goalie like Fernandez, do you? You think Hedberg is really much better or aboutthe same as Huet? What else is out there? Sure, Burke would be glad to unload Toskala.
GEEZ..The first big acquisition by our Rookie GM didn't work out...can't believe that.
What was your favorite moment of the Andrew Ebbett era?