Hjalmarsson offer sheet cost Niemi
So the Blackhawks will try to defend their Stanley Cup title with Marty Turco and Corey Crawford as their goaltenders.
The decision on Monday to walk away from Antti Niemi’s $2.75 million arbitration award and sign Turco to a one-year contract shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering general manager Stan Bowman’s comments on Sunday and the fact the Hawks had serious salary cap issues.
I have no problem with Turco coming aboard. I like his athleticism and the way he handles the puck. Does he have much left at age 35? Why wouldn’t he?
Will the Hawks miss Niemi? Probably. He was terrific last season, especially in the playoffs, and has the potential to be a great goalie. Do we know for sure that he’ll turn out to be another Dominik Hasek? No, we don’t, and that’s a risk the Hawks are willing to take.
Unfortunately for Niemi, the Hawks had to play hardball with somebody over money and he just happened to the in the wrong place at the wrong time as the last guy in line.
It hurt Niemi and the Hawks badly when San Jose signed Niklas Hjalmarsson to that four-year, $14 million offer sheet. While the Hawks matched, it cost them probably $1 million or more than they expected to pay Hjalmarsson. That was the money needed to keep Niemi.
Should Bowman have acted sooner to get Hjalmarsson signed? Probably. He misread the situation when he told reporters on June 30 that offer sheets don’t happen. An offer sheet happened and while the Hawks were able to keep Hjalmarsson, it cost them Niemi in the end.
Tim where are you? I'm starting to get worried. Could you please check in and verify that you haven't left your own site. I know things have been out of control lately, but that is no reason to give up the ship. For all of us who need your guidance- please come back!
Hi Old School,
Not to worry. Yours truly, Reg Dunlop and Realwiz are always monitoring the site. There is always back up, wiz gives me call or Reg texts me when trouble is brewing, then we have a conference call to decide the best course of action. As the leader, of course, I make the final decisions.
My take on the Hawks this upcoming season is 2nd overall. I will be at the training camp to oversee some of the development of the youngsters on th team. I'm donating my time because if I charged my usual consulting fees, Rocky would be laying next to his dad, and he's a dear dear friend.
It's being reported he is going to become the head of the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players Association). Any thoughts on that?
This guy scares the hell out of me too. All the momentum the NHL has picked up over the past 3 years will be scrapped if this guy is allowed any where near the NHLPA or the NHL period! This guy is a cancer. NHL isn't like any other sport with a massive, well founded, concrete base. 30 years ago? Absolutely, 20 years ago, probably, now..certainly not. During his stint with MLB he was able to do something not even WWII could do....stop baseball. A stoppage now for the NHL will all but doom the league. All the momentum it gained the past 3 years...down the toilet. The members of the NHLPA would be stupid to hire this turd, they might as well just quit and put themselves on the unemployment line.
Welcome to the end of the NHL. All Fehr knows is work stoppages and I think the next work stoppage in the NHL will essentially kill it in the US. It enjoys limited popularity in the US now. Another stoppage and it will become as irrelevant as curling to the US market.
The prick is the player representative equivalent of baseball agent / prick Scott Boras. Fehr could be truly ruinious to the NHL. He'll have Count Chocula (aka Gary Bettman) bent over within a matter of weeks.
While Fehr was in charge of the baseball union when they went on strike, he doesn't have the same leverage in the NHL. In MLB, the inmates truly run the asylum. Not saying the owners are that much better but the MLB players union is clearly in charge of the MLB. Maybe that is what the NHLPA would like, but I think the NHL owners can clearly see they can't allow that to happen. In turn, I don't think the players would allow another strike to happen. The game is doing better then it has in a long time. I even have friends who aren't hockey fans that come up and talk to me about the Hawks. Part of that is the run the Hawks had last year, but the other part is the exciting nature of the NHL game in general now. I agree that a work stoppage now would kill the sport. Both sides hopefully can see that. The owners are typically businessmen, if they don't have an NHL franchise they can fall back on their business (with some obvious disappointment). What are the players' option? Play in Russia. That league can pay a few players a lot of money but they don't have the finances to pay everyone in the NHL. I do believe they even had a team fold this past year. Play elsewhere in Europe? Tough decision to make since the pay would probably be less and they would have to move their entire family to a new country.
The NHLPA wants the advice of Fehr to gain more control of their sport like the MLB union has. I just think hockey isn't the American sport like baseball and most fans can turn their back to hockey again and follow football, baseball, or collegiate sports. Hopefully both sides realize that and don't take the wrong path.
Problem is though Fehr was the ringleader of the inmate riot which took control of MLB through not having any Fear (pun intended) of stopping the game. The glaring ommission with his role with NHLPA is if he does encourage a stoppage....there is no rebound like MLB had. Baseball is baseball and like football, will always be there. In the end all stoppages hurt owners...in NHL the role is shared and it hurts everyone. In other words, if Fehr and the NHLPA want more pull, they'll have to do it in other ways than a work stoppage. Playing in Europe isn't as bad as you would think. Guys like former Hawks minor leaguer and fan favorite Sean "The Sheriff" McMorrow have found a niche there and do quite well for themselves, imagine what they would do with "A" list talent. European crowds love their hockey, and they're watching guys that couldn't quite cut it in the AHL. That said we all know its in the players best interest to stay here in North America, where TV contracts and endorsements, no matter how small, are still readily available and ultimately the money is better. I pray there is no stoppage. I already have to jump through hoops to watch a live hockey game (thank you P2P), with a work stoppage, people just won't care anymore and there will be no more P2P's for me to leech off of to watch any hockey. They'll simply walk away and I'll be left in my hot, sandy, dry corner of the world dying to be in an ice rink.
You are correct. The question, however, is: Does Fehr and the NHLPA see it that way? People overestimate their relative positions everyday, all the time. Hell, Bettman overestimates the southern United State's interest in hockey, why wouldn't he overestimate the US population's ability to withstand another work stoppage in the NHL? By adding Fehr to the mix you are adding another bullheaded Alpha-male to a mix of bullheaded Alpha-males that all think they are correct 100% of the time. I just don't see this ending well and I truly believe another work stoppage in the NHL will be the end of the NHL. Major League Baseball had a difficult time coming back from their last work stoppage and that's America's past time. Think of the sound of millions of people not giving a damn and that's the sound you'll hear if the NHL has any type of significant work stoppage in the future. Or, think of my personal interest in soccer, which for the entirety of my 40 years on this earth people have been trying to sell to America as a great game yet I can't honestly tell you when professional soccer begins or ends its season in the US. I only know that Toyota Park looks like it would be a cool place for a high school football team to play their games and the World Cup provides a good opportunity to hit on drunk female soccer fans.
"people everyday over-estimating their positions of value..."
The Good ole Boys network of owners better come together do a meet and greet, and start trying to fix what the Owners think is wrong and get a sense of what the players and Fehr are looking for.
Let the players know the importance of NOT closing down the league.
The players who were going to make the bigger dollars were the ones that took the hit to end the last time NHL closed the league down for a year.
There are a lot of issues that need afixin' and what better way than to start now as a partnership and not wait for the adversarial statements and use of the media to try and win hearts and minds.
Just after the highest US playoff ratings ever. Now presenting two yes two New Year's outside games and gaining new viewership. As the game is trying to ascend closer to the other team sports, it doesn't need a greedy players greedy owners label from the fans. (They already feel the higher ticket prices and concession gouging.)
Bettman better take time from his radio show to sit down and think about what is wrong and how together they all can fix it.
And if Fehr even THINKS he can force anyone's hands he may be in for a big surprise that most guys will want to play, not vacation for 16 months...
I think you need to check your facts....
Calgary & Montreal are playing outdoors in February, not Jan. 1
As for Donald Fehr, he isn't even in the position yet...& if he takes the job, his primary purpose as exec director will be to pick up the pieces of a shattered NHLPA after they rashly fired Paul Kelly. That means rewriting their constitution so that the next head guy is allowed to do his job without having a former player turned neophyte union guy like Eric Lindros looking over his shoulder at every move to find some way to undermine his authority...
Fehr is only looking to help with that transition - he's not looking to make a bigger name for himself handling the next round of CBA negotiations for the NHL players - he's simply there to clean up the bad mess left behind post-Kelly so that the players can go into the next round of negotiations with some degree of unity and solidarity. I think he only gets directly involved in negotiations if the owners somehow attempt to take unfair advantage of the players in their current divided state, which I think is unlikely.
The owners have their own internal disagreements & a lot of issues on their plate - like Phoenix, Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, etc. and revenue sharing - If the big market teams (like Chicago) tire of sending more of their cash to struggling franchises (since league revenues aren't sufficient by themselves to prop up weak markets), those poorer teams are going to want lower costs (i.e. player salaries) so they can survive.
Ironically, the players should take some comfort from Bettman's refusal to let some of these questionable franchises fail, since he's saving player/union jobs in doing so, but that will come at a price, which could be a reduction of the player's overall share of total revenues & a lower cap (both floor & ceiling).
The rich get richer & the poor get poorer.
Great stuff, orchardcreek. Particularly the bit about soccer. No sport has had more public relations push, and yet it can't gain a foothold in the US . . . Must have something to do with games ending in ties . . . Ouch, babe.
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Luve benny
I didn't think Mitchell would get what he got - - -3.5 a year for a guy coming off a major concussion. OH no - i am little worried about Seabrook numbers.
If Seabrook hits the open market he will have zero problem commanding $5 million plus from somebody. I don't see how the Hawks can afford that. Meaning we need to be prepared for a future without him after this season.
be prepared to listen to the offers for Hammer...
All Wiilie Mitchell established is that some team could ignore the concussions and overpay.
If he fails, the enitre league of GMs re-thinks defenseman contracts to guys with concussion history.
The Hawks need to be on the phone with Seabs agent NOW.
Seabs needs to be locked up prior to the end of the season. Don't have a clue how that's going to work with the cap issues. Hopefully it won't involve him getting moved. His situation will be a potential negative as the season goes along, but I'm sure we'll be able to relax when it's "no more moves are coming" time.
Were all in a similar situation last year and they managed to work it out, I don't see how Seabrook will be any different. He probably won't command as much overall dollars in a long term deal and there is enough cap to sign him up for next year. They won't let a guy like Seabrook go, because they simply can't afford to replace him.
Looks like the team is pretty much set. They have enough veterans and guys one one-way contracts that the prospects will really have to impress in order to make the team. It would make Rockford a very interesting and important development step considering how many of our top prospects could end up there.
It is a great sign for the franchise that they are willing to pay Huet to play somewhere else. It is obvious that they just couldn't afford to carry him and still be a cup contender. Hopefully Turco and Crawford can step up and carry the load. I think the goaltending should be just fine. In today's open game any goalie is only as good as the players in front of him. The best way to protect is to possess the puck and have everyone get back on defense. If they do that like they did this past year, they will be atop the standings again.
It is interesting they went with Scott, Boynton, and Hendry at the back of the defense. They are similar type of players with slightly different skills (Scott-fighting, Hendry-bit faster, Boynton-more two way). It is surprising they didn't sign someone like Bergeron, Randy Jones, Krajicek, or Schneider as a more puck moving type. That would give them a little different look and possibility. All should be low cost type of guys like Hendry or Boynton as well.
Either way, we are just a few weeks away from finding everything out.
I still say the guy to watch is Vishnevskiy because when the Hendry and Scotts get hemmed in because they can't skate or move the puck that is where a mobile puck moving stud like Vishnevskiy will get his chance. Pair him with Boynton and you will clear the zone with ease.
questionable, according to Jesse Rogers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4663940/hawks-made-...
Reads like he had to write something and the only thing he could come up with is to second guess the big decisions of the Hawks. He didn't dig and find out if the Hawks offered anything long term to Hjammer or Niemi, what they offered or Ladd asked for, and who actually offered what for Niemi. It is just a very empty article.
I thought/said at the time that I didn't think it was smart or anything for Bowman to say what he said about the RFA offer sheets. However, I was also critical when it was written that Scotty, Stan, and the boys laughed at the trade deadline about how desperate they were in looking for a goalie. When you shoot your mouth off like that, sometimes it works but can blow up big in your face when it doesn't work out.
Why anybody would put credence into his hockey acumen and insight is beyond me. He's a protege of Mike North and borderline mentally retarded. Nice dental work too.
He was interviewing Antonio Alfonseca when he pitched for the Cubs who happens to have six fingers. Jesse proceeds to ask him:
"Did you always have six fingers or were you born that way."
was a stroke from the minute he was let become an "expert."
Reserve your judgement before you ever put his on a pedestal...
I found his blog and wanted to see what some of you had to say about him. About the only mistakes I can see are not moving on Niemi and the Hammer a bit sooner, and making that public statement about offer sheets to RFA's. Given the situation Stan had to deal with re the cap, I think he did pretty darned good!
ditto-- the guy who said that Jesse was as dumb as a hockey puck.
Scott WILL be asked to play minutes back there, but his policeman role is one which will put him a forward too. Don't count out the Russian kid VISHNEVSKIY and try-outs of almost all Rockford hopefuls. Hendry is with the club because he comes cheap and hopefully doesn't hurt you too much with hiswall work/cough ups. Bonyton was a ton of slow every opportunity he got, and no matter which journeyman/vet presence STARTS the roster there isn't a permanent pair. That final pair has to be able to be very realiable the few minutes they are out there.
I suspect many call-ups and auditions, and look-sees, as you eventually want to try and develop more candidates to fill the already filled ones a few years down, or at very least build confidence in your youth to see just what the upsdie might be.
Slow and steady will be the company line, becasue the core is still very young and the right complimentary players will only make the team better. (That entire post was a DUH!)
I know it was a long season and this is the down time for hockey writers But no posting from Tim in 22 days. I hope he is on a long vacation with his family and resting up for another long playoff run.
we all can handle updates, ignoring of the regular joke poster jagbags and discussion, so no worries, right?
No worries until Dad gets back, and you'd better look out. He's gonna need a large broom or shop vac to clean up the dung that's been accumulating around his blog while he's been away.
I can just see the office when he returns. "Hey Tim, how was vacation?" "Have you seen the blog?" "Have you read the latest from the M.C. kid Benny?" "Did you see what Shantz had to say?"
Yep, he's gonna be pissed.
Way to go Team Shantz!! I’m proud of the two of you. Reg and Wiz have stepped up as my lieutenants. I hope the rest of the bloggers are taking heed at what Team Shantz is doing here . We are cleaning house like Bo Bo Brazil, Baron Von Raschke & Mad Dog Vachon did every night for my grandfathers buddy’s Bob Luce ( RIP ) & Bert Weinman ( RIP ), ridding the streets & alleys of evil, thievery, rape and mayhem while riding in a fine, fine, brown Monte Carlo with a landau top.
Today is a new dawn. For TEAM SHANTZ RIDES, guns- a- blazin !! Riding this blog of trolls, retards and the dregs of humanity. We, and I can speak for my lieutenants Reg Dunlop & Wizzy, are ready to save this blog. Myself using expert hockey knowledge from being an NHL elite player, universal hockey force and globally known as mover & shaker that the worlds power brokers bow down too. WOOOO WOOOOOO WOOO
...as if the assortment of you chuckleheads has cornered the market on hockey knowledge and inner working of the NHL. Please. Put you all together and I bet you can't screw in a lightbulb. Internet dweebs who anonymously have conquered the world of Blackhawks knowledge via the keyboard. Wu, wee...
Hilow Hocke22 this Benny I hope tim tim is ok tooo I weely ryke to look at his messiges he put new wun on soon. Even eternils feelds tink tim gud guy. Eternal no want to hit tim tim like eternal beet benny all thee time. Benny feel boom boom in tummy no want to spray in pant no more.
I go potty like a big boy now im 27 maybe you kin come to benny birt day parte we get klown and ride ponee and play hide seek and let eternal find you eternal feelds lyke when my frinds hide in base mint on top of dirty bed sum time they hid with eternils fer a long tyme. Eternils smiles but my frinds some time are cry cry. Benny not no why. Kan you till me mr hocke22 my frind bye bye benny
all i can say is wow!
Hilow mr sth72 wut you not know I will hilp you unnerstand about my cook brain frum incubator at hossiptal whin benny wuz tiny baby sometime I have ideas thit my bruther eternal feelds say are bad thin he burn me with waffle iron thin hit me wit hammers I kin hilp you unnerstind benny and you benny frinds you kan teech my hocke what you wanna be fer hollowean
I snuk out of dark kloset eterinl lock me at thin I wint to spookee hallowean store I try on wig fangs masks I look in mirror I scared then I screem will you trick an treet with benny we get lots of cannie eternils dress as saylor but his pants luk too tight he like it an his frind like it too but I hear him say they are hard to pull down thin eternils say just pull them dowm to my knees then weird sound happen and I hide. Will you be my frind mr sth72 bye bye benny
do all the hockey experts think jordan hendry is an nhl defenseman benny? do hands move up and down under covers when they think hendry belongs in the nhl instead of a mens league at johnnies ice house?hey benny, he absolutely pussied up in the finals, thank god for nick boynton!i hope scott and nicky are the 5-6 pair. jordan will suckass his way into the line up somehow.
=)
Why can't this team repeat?
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Troy Brouwer ($1.025m) / Jonathan Toews ($6.300m) / Patrick Kane ($6.300m)
Viktor Stalberg ($0.850m) / Patrick Sharp ($3.900m) / Marian Hossa ($5.275m)
Tomas Kopecky ($1.200m) / Dave Bolland ($3.375m) / Jack Skille ($0.600m)
Bryan Bickell ($0.541m) / Jake Dowell ($0.525m) / Fernando Pisani ($0.500m)
Jeff Taffe ($0.550m)
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Seabrook ($3.500m) / Duncan Keith ($5.538m)
Brian Campbell ($7.142m) / Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.500m)
Jordan Hendry ($0.600m) / Nick Boynton ($0.500m)
John Scott ($0.512m)
GOALTENDERS
Marty Turco ($1.300m) /Corey Crawford ($0.800m)
CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $4,157,753
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled using the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $58,493,257; BONUSES: $65,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $971,743
skille and fernando, and scott with hendry,........looks like you got it right!
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Patrick Kane ($6.300m) / Jonathan Toews ($6.300m) / Marian Hossa ($5.275m)
Patrick Sharp ($3.900m) / Dave Bolland ($3.375m) / Tomas Kopecky ($1.200m)
Troy Brouwer ($1.025m) / Viktor Stalberg ($0.850m) / Jack Skille ($0.600m)
Bryan Bickell ($0.541m) / Jake Dowell ($0.525m) / Fernando Pisani ($0.500m)
Igor Makarov ($0.552m)
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell ($7.142m) / Duncan Keith ($5.538m)
Brent Seabrook ($3.500m) / Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.500m)
Jordan Hendry ($0.600m) / John Scott ($0.512m)
Nick Boynton ($0.500m)
GOALTENDERS
Marty Turco ($1.300m) /Antti Niemi ($1.300m) <----equal offer to Turco's
CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $4,157,753
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled using the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $58,996,632; BONUSES: $65,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $468,368
you walk a way from an arbitration hearing you're not allowed to offer that player a contract for 1 year, so niemi is a no no for this year. hopefully he just signs a 1 year somewhere else , fires his agent and comes back in 12!
Actually, the 'Hawks can still sign him, but only if Niemi signs an offer sheet with another team below the arbitrator's set price.
I like it. But do you really think Niemi would sign for that little? Even if you could get past his idiot agent?
Niemi? lol
Bolland is going to be on third checking line. The entire year will be, who will fit on the Hossa, Sharp line and the other wingers that will click with Bolland. Brouwer or Bickel could be on the first line or some rookie.
And your D-pairings? I highly doubt it.
Bolland staying on the third line all year or the lines to stay what they were at the end of last season. We will also see the yearly stretch of Kane and Toews playing on separate lines for a while too. I'm thinking we might get something like this up front for a while too...
Sharp - Toews - Kane
Brouwer - Bolland - Hossa
Kopecky-Stalberg- Pisani
Skille - Dowell - Bickell
Bolland has too much play-making skill to stay in a checking role all year.
It will likely change a lot until Q finds something he likes anyway, but we might see something again with Toews and Hossa playing together, and Kane on another line.
Brouwer - Toews - Hossa
Stalberg- Sharp - Kane
Skille - Bolland - Pisani
Kopecky - Dowell - Bickell
It will be tough to repeat. Just ask the last 12 Cup champions who couldn't repeat and they didn't have 1/10th the roster turnover the Hawks have seen this summer. I don't think any other team in our division has made moves that blow them past the Hawks as favorites to come out of the division. Hawks have to stay healthy to have a shot, but a lot of questions TBD that will make this season fun to watch.
What does Turco have left in the tank?
Can Toews, Keith, Hammer and Kane develop into even more dominant players?
Can Stalberg play at a 30 goal pace like he did in Toronto the last half of the season?
Does this team have enough depth to overcome a serious injury to one of the studs?
Who is the next late round pick (Buff, Steeger, Brouwer ) that comes out of no where and develops into a solid player?
When I look at guys like Kane, Toews, Hjalmarsson, Brouwer, and Bolland, I see guys that have just scratched the surface in terms of their longterm potential. Add in guys like Keith and Seabrook who are reaching their potential, and Sharp and Hossa who are peeking in terms of their potential, and you really do have an incredible nucleus to build upon.
Nobody expected big things out of Versteeg and Byfuglien, as evidenced by how they were aquired. Ladd was going to give you hard played minutes but little in the way of consistent scoring. Madden, I'd venture to guess gave the Hawks a little less than what they were hoping for. Burish, Fraser, Eager and Sopel are all guys that a good organization should be able to replace.
Kopecky and Pisani are going to grind and then you've got some unknowns with the youth that will fill some of the holes left by the departures. So, in addition to the nucleus and some grinders, you look to guys like Bickell and Stalberg, who have both shown flashes in their brief time in the NHL, and you figure they have to take up some of the slack left by the departures of Versteeg and Byfuglien if the Hawks are going to be champions again in the near future. Ask me again in six months but I don't see any reason why this team can't repeat. Imagine a full season with Bolland and Hossa healthy and the confidence that each of the remaining guys have gained by winning a cup, and I think this team next year can be absolutely lethal!
The key to the 2010-11 Blackhawks will be impecable team health and several role players developing into reliable contributors. In truth, that's a lot to ask for in today's NHL. This Hawk team has little room for injury to "core" players. The longer-term future of this team is brighter than any other team in the NHL I can think of. But this upcoming season it is likely to be tough.
If push comes to shove I would pick either Los Angeles or Vancouver to be the Western Conference representative this season.