What's played out between the Hawks and the Sharks this past summer has been a pretty interesting game of cat-and-mouse. I chose the classic Simpson's line to represent such for the title of this post, but I could have just as easily chosen the Ren & Stimply mainstay "Don't Piss On The Electronic Fence."
That's because the Sharks played a dangerous game this summer in trying to manipulate the Hawks payroll to their benefit. Apparently there's sort of an unsaid agreement among front offices that you don't make offers to other team's restricted free agents. The idea being that such offers will eventually come back to inflate your own player costs, with everyone losing in the process.
Whether there really is some wink-wink agreement among teams or simply few restricted free agents really are worth making an offer to, given the unlikelihood the team doesn't match or the high cost in draft picks forfeited if they don't is something I don't actually know. But what is clear is that it just doesn't happen - Stan Bowman said as much at an early summer news conference, when he claimed he wasn't worried about restricted offers.
Whatever the case may be, the Sharks stepped in with a very aggressive offer for the young Hammer, at $3.5M per for four years. That's about the absolute high end for a defenseman without any offensive skills, without great size, and without a long track record. And it's probably a whole lot more than Bowman planned on giving the Hammer when he was forecasting his summer moves, maybe as much as $1 or even $1.5 million per year more.
In the face-off with the Sharks front office, Bowman didn't blink. He matched the offer sheet for Hammer, as he absolutely should have. Nik is a beast back on defense, the stay-at-home lockdown type that Campbell needs. A shot-blocking machine that every PK unit needs. And an already a plus player with more upside as he continues to fill out and learn the game.
As flashy as the Hawks are up front, at the end of the day they win and lose because of their great defensive system. And the Hammer was a crucial, can't-lose piece of that system. I'm so glad that the Bowman brain trust felt that way too.
By matching, Stan had to first send Marty Reasoner packing. I'm not sure if this was in the works anyway, but it'd seem odd to trade for a guy you knew you'd dump shortly. I think the Hawks hoped there'd be just enough for a $1M defensive centerman for the 4th line. As it turns out, that became a luxury the team couldn't afford.
Much more impactful though was the fact that Bowman had to also let Cup-winning young backstop Antti Niemi go. Sure they pretended to be negotiating up to the arbitration meeting, but the reality is that after the Hammer re-signing, the Hawks front office knew that even if they won in the Neimi hearing, they'd still lose him. There just wasn't a dollar amount that Niemi was gonna accept nor that the arbitrator was going to award the Hawks that would have fit the payroll slot that remained.
This is especially true because apparently Marty Turco was locked and loaded in the wings. All reports are that he avoided signing anywhere else - including for more money with Cup runners-up the Flyers - because he specifically wanted to come to the Hawks and had indications that they felt the same way. You can't help but believe this when you saw how quickly after the decision the Hawks cut Niemi free and locked up Turco for this year.
Last week the final piece of the Sharks plan came into focus. With only the unproven Antero Niittymaki locked in at goal, for a very reasonable $2M each of the next two seasons, the Sharks were in a position to bring Niemi in for another $2M on a one-year deal. For less than they were paying the annually disappointing Nabakov, the Sharks had a respectable NHL journeyman in Niitymaki and now a Cup-winning youngster in Niemi.
So did Doug Wilson and the rest of the Sharks front office brain trust pull one over on the Hawks? Well, first off there wasn't a whole lot Bowman could have done even if he did want things to shake out differently. The Sharks made an offer on HJ, as they were allowed, and the Hawks were forced to match to keep him.
As for Niemi, sure Bowman could have kept him if he wanted, maybe for less than the $2.75M he won in arbitration. But I believe all the chatter that Bowman wasn't too interested. He had to know he could have Turco for the $1.35M he ultimately signed for, and given the extreme pressures on the Hawks payroll, the $1M or so he was saving in doing so was significant.
That extra million gave him room to make moves for injuries, to keep a higher paid prospect, maybe even to score a veteran role player down the road. On top of that, it's not clear Niemi would have re-upped with the Hawks for only a year. He did so with the Sharks, but that's only after it had to become clear to him that there weren't a lot of options out there. With the Hawks, Niemi seemingly wanted more than a token one-year deal and thus Bowman would have been locked into whatever contract he offered now again next season, when certainly payroll pressures will remain.
But the main reason I'm not sure the Sharks have put one past us is that I'm not sold on Niemi. To me he's just one of many average, maybe above average NHL goalies. Like the large majority of goalies playing in the NHL, he's a product of the players and system in front of him. Give him the right situation and Niemi is talented enough to win some big games for you.
But I've watched a lot of hockey in my life and seen a lot of lightly regarded goaltenders win a lot of big games for teams in the NHL Playoffs. Even if you are to set the bar as high as active NHL goalies with a Cup on their resumes, you're still looking at a bunch of guys who won't blow you away.
Osgood wasn't even the #1 guy heading into the playoffs for Detroit in 2008. JS Giguere in 2007 had a nice track record of success with the Ducks, but this past season, not even three years later, at only 33, he was unceremoniously dumped by the Ducks on the hot mess that is the Leafs. Cam Ward, the 2006 winner for the Canes, has put up solid numbers, but missed the playoffs three times in the four seasons since hoisting the Cup. And do you really want me to remind you what the recently jailed Khabi has done since his Cup win just before the lockout?
Lord, if you open it up to goalies who've taken their team to the finals and lost, you get an even more unimpressive list. Just think about this past Olympics - not a single starting goalie had even a Cup Finals to their credit, let alone a ring. Heck, few goalies in the whole Olympics had anything resembling Cup Finals experience.
My point? Don't go getting too upset over the fact that the Hawks just let a young Cup-winning goalie go. There's little to no correlation between one successful run in the NHL playoffs and sustained success as a #1 netminder. For all practical purposes, Niemi was just another role-player, no more important nor irreplaceable than a Ladd or Madden. I'd argue Buff and Versteeg will be greater losses this year.
So yeah, I think the Sharks just pissed all over the electric fence. Sure they were shrewd in getting the Hawks to pay a million or more per year for the Hammer. But if their main goal was to spring Niemi free, they don't have a whole ton to celebrate just yet. Niemi thrived behind an amazing defensive team and system, neither of which the Sharks have been shown to have.
Their blueline and forwards both are inferior to the Hawks group defensively and there's nothing to say their system is anything better, if not worse. Plus, the book on Niemi hadn't been written when he snuck through the regular season with fewer than half of the starts. Let's see how he holds up - both physically and in effectiveness - when Niemi's called on to start 50+ games and then a full slate of playoffs (after his long post-season run last year). And let's see what Uncle Niemi can do when he's not playing behind Keith, Seabrook, Hammer, Campbell, even Sopel, and a forward crew with plus defenders like Toews, Madden, Sharp, Hossa, Versteeg, and Bolland.
Yeah, there isn't a ton of downside to the Sharks getting a guy who's proven he won't wilt under the pressure. For just $2M for one year, San Jose won't regret this move too much. But I'm also not shaking in my boots because they found a middling NHL goaltender who's greatest asset was being in the right place behind the right melting down Frenchman.
It's possible Niemi becomes a bit more consistent and with more experience and confidence makes up for the lack of defensive (and offensive) prowess that's no longer in front of him. But I'm not counting on it and therefore am not too impressed by this nefarious Sharks front office plan this summer.
What I am counting on is Turco being every bit the guy Niemi was, and if he can't handle it, then Crawford getting the job done, and if he can't handle it, then another young Finn the Hawks quietly acquired this offseason - Hannu Toivonen - doing so. Because the Hawks have the talent in front and play the right type of system to make any respectable NHL goaltender a Cup winner. I'm looking forward to them proving it again this season.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Real Story Of The Great Salary Cull of 2010
First off, I've got to pimp by buddy's blog, which is best described as Chicago-focused general sports talk. Very insightful, covers a range of topics, and far less lengthy than what you'll find around here. Check it out here.
I don't think I've ever heard anything stupider, more mis-applied, or more ignorant than the concept that the Hawks have just finished up a firesale that mirrored the infamous version the Florida Marlins of 1997 executed.
Those Marlins mortgaged their entire future to accumulate as many big money stars as possible, rode them to a title, and then chose to immediately sell every single piece they could to avoid having to foot the salary bill for another season, guaranteeing a long rebuilding process that would keep the team out of contention for years.
The 2010 Chicago Blackhawks patiently developed an unheard collection of talent, wisely (for the most part) spent to add pieces to the tremendous young core as it came into its own, rode them to a title, strategically decided which players were key core components moving forward, were forced only by the league's salary cap rules to shed the complimentary pieces, and in doing so secured the talent that should help keep the team in title contention for the foreseeable future.
The fact that anyone would confuse those two storylines above is evidence of severe retardation. The Great Salary Cull of 2010 was a work of absolute genius coming and going. Period, end of story. As a Hawks fan, you should feel great about what got us here and you should feel great about where we're going from here. This was genius at work - we've already enjoyed some of the fruits and we'll most definitely enjoy more in the future.
Despite the difficulties of watching many of our Cup heroes leave this summer, it was most definitely genius that caused it to happen. Dale Tallon, the Bowmans, and a number of other great front office hockey minds assembled such an absurd array of talent that to keep it together this season would have meant a cap number of over $72M!
Yep, just adding up the 2010-2011 salaries of all of the guys who saw action in the playoffs, you get a cap number that is more than $12M over the cap. And that's assuming Boynton signs for the league minimum of $500k this year, ignores Kimmy Johnsson, who made $4.8M last year and probably is in line for at least $2-3M this year, and doesn't factor in the $4.1M of cap bonuses the Hawks are on the hook for this season.
The Hawks front office deserves endless accolades for getting a team with a market value of $70-$80M to fit into a cap that stood at $56M last year. Especially because only two of the players on the team were significantly overpaid. Campbell shouldn't be making more than $5M (instead of his $7.142M cap hit) and Huet, even at the time of his signing, shouldn't have gotten more than $3M (instead of his $5.625M cap hit). Throw in Sopel being a bit overpaid at $2.333M (instead of maybe 1.2ish?) and we're still only talking $5M or so in bad cap use. With the bonuses, that's still a team that's legitimately worth $70M, easy.
Oh, and there's that little thing about winning the first Stanley Cup in almost half a century to consider. Yep, all told, I'd say that Tallon, the Bowmans, and their colleagues did a freakin wonderful job collecting so much talent that they were laughably over the NHL Salary Cap limit when all was said and done. You should view this forced exodus, while clearly a bummer, as a big giant star on the homework assignments of the Hawks' front office.
So these guys were geniuses for putting us in this position - but did they really make all the right moves in responding to it? Well, only time will really tell. Maybe they let go of a superstar or kept a bust. Maybe these prospects they traded for won't ever develop. Maybe the guys who they created roster space for don't step up. Maybe the players they select with all their draft picks amount to nothing.
But from where we're sitting right now, I think the Bowmans have done a great job this summer. First off, as I'll detail in a post to come, they made the exact right choices as to who to keep around as the core. I loved a lot of the guys who left town this summer, but I wouldn't have chosen to keep any of them over the ones the Hawks did.
Toews, Sharp, Bolland, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell and the Hammer form a group of players that could contend for the Cup for the next decade. This is a group that will dominate in all three zones, on all three units, in every aspect of the game. They are young, committed, and hungry. They are experienced, proven, and reliable. As long as you can look out onto the ice and see a collection of players like that, as a fan you've got to feel amazing about your hockey club.
I want to stress that again - with the above players skating for the Hawks next year, we should be just fine. You hear a lot of snide comments about the Hawks not having anyone left next year - retarded. I'm not sure there are more than 2-3 teams that wouldn't trade their entire roster for the Hawks' core. This club, while certainly facing some growing pains, will be a Cup favorite and a real power, if, like every one else, they can stay healthy.
Second, it sounds like the Hawks really loaded up on all levels of prospects - from draft picks to NHL-ready types, to guys a year or two away. The pipeline which produced so many of the players we saw skate with the Cup last year (or were used to acquire so many of those players) now seems to be restocked to do it all over again.
Equally important, the Hawks are in a place to capitalize on this next wave. They've managed to open up a number of roster spots on the big league club while still keeping more than enough talent around to allow the youngsters to develop as complimentary pieces without much pressure.
As the Hawks learned the hard way over the past decade, when your big league club is devoid of any real talent, it's not easy to bring up prospects and turn them into high-impact NHLers. But you bring a guy up and let him ride shotgun with Toews and Kane? You let him do the dirty work for Sharp and Hossa? You let him kill penalties next to The Hammer? You let him learn to be a shutdown forward skating with Bolland?
That is how you seamlessly transition from one set of unproven complimentary pieces to another. And let's not forget, that's all the Hawks have gotten rid of this summer. Aside Madden, Sopel and Huet, no one they let go of was anything before the 07-08 breakout year. Only put next to supreme talent in a great system and allowed the time to develop, did the likes of Buff, Versteeg, Ladd, Eager, Burish, Fraser, and Niemi become the players we know today.
So why shouldn't we be confident that the next batch of Hawks prospects will similarly emerge? Bickell, Skille, Dowell, Stalberg, Hendry, Crawford, Leddy, Beach, Vishnevskiy, Lalonde, Makarov, and Toivonen all carry the same pedigrees, the same high expectations of our now departed Cup winners.
In fact, these guys probably are much more highly anticipated then what we had in that group above. Don't forget that a lot of these guys we just got rid of, if not all of them, were brought in to little fanfare. Mid to late round picks, unheralded trades, undrafted free agents. But the Hawks organization molded them into winners, just as I have faith they'll do with the next generation.
I can't guarantee everything the Bowmans did this summer was perfect. But I can promise you that we're only in this spot because of the great work they and Tallon did before. Mistakes didn't get us here, being incredibly good at their job of accumulating talent did. And we've got the freaking Cup to prove it!
And I can tell you that I love the core group they've committed to. And that the Hawks front office has earned your benefit of the doubt in terms of the prospects they've brought in and the guys they'll give time to next season. You shouldn't be feeling uneasy about the Cup defense - you should know that this organization is stocked with the core talent to win it and have proven they know how to fold the necessary complimentary pieces into the mix.
So the next idiot you hear reference the Florida Marlins or doubt what kind of team we'll return next year, just smile and nod. And then when they go to walk away, cross check them square in the back. "O'Doyle rules!"
I don't think I've ever heard anything stupider, more mis-applied, or more ignorant than the concept that the Hawks have just finished up a firesale that mirrored the infamous version the Florida Marlins of 1997 executed.
Those Marlins mortgaged their entire future to accumulate as many big money stars as possible, rode them to a title, and then chose to immediately sell every single piece they could to avoid having to foot the salary bill for another season, guaranteeing a long rebuilding process that would keep the team out of contention for years.
The 2010 Chicago Blackhawks patiently developed an unheard collection of talent, wisely (for the most part) spent to add pieces to the tremendous young core as it came into its own, rode them to a title, strategically decided which players were key core components moving forward, were forced only by the league's salary cap rules to shed the complimentary pieces, and in doing so secured the talent that should help keep the team in title contention for the foreseeable future.
The fact that anyone would confuse those two storylines above is evidence of severe retardation. The Great Salary Cull of 2010 was a work of absolute genius coming and going. Period, end of story. As a Hawks fan, you should feel great about what got us here and you should feel great about where we're going from here. This was genius at work - we've already enjoyed some of the fruits and we'll most definitely enjoy more in the future.
Despite the difficulties of watching many of our Cup heroes leave this summer, it was most definitely genius that caused it to happen. Dale Tallon, the Bowmans, and a number of other great front office hockey minds assembled such an absurd array of talent that to keep it together this season would have meant a cap number of over $72M!
Yep, just adding up the 2010-2011 salaries of all of the guys who saw action in the playoffs, you get a cap number that is more than $12M over the cap. And that's assuming Boynton signs for the league minimum of $500k this year, ignores Kimmy Johnsson, who made $4.8M last year and probably is in line for at least $2-3M this year, and doesn't factor in the $4.1M of cap bonuses the Hawks are on the hook for this season.
The Hawks front office deserves endless accolades for getting a team with a market value of $70-$80M to fit into a cap that stood at $56M last year. Especially because only two of the players on the team were significantly overpaid. Campbell shouldn't be making more than $5M (instead of his $7.142M cap hit) and Huet, even at the time of his signing, shouldn't have gotten more than $3M (instead of his $5.625M cap hit). Throw in Sopel being a bit overpaid at $2.333M (instead of maybe 1.2ish?) and we're still only talking $5M or so in bad cap use. With the bonuses, that's still a team that's legitimately worth $70M, easy.
Oh, and there's that little thing about winning the first Stanley Cup in almost half a century to consider. Yep, all told, I'd say that Tallon, the Bowmans, and their colleagues did a freakin wonderful job collecting so much talent that they were laughably over the NHL Salary Cap limit when all was said and done. You should view this forced exodus, while clearly a bummer, as a big giant star on the homework assignments of the Hawks' front office.
So these guys were geniuses for putting us in this position - but did they really make all the right moves in responding to it? Well, only time will really tell. Maybe they let go of a superstar or kept a bust. Maybe these prospects they traded for won't ever develop. Maybe the guys who they created roster space for don't step up. Maybe the players they select with all their draft picks amount to nothing.
But from where we're sitting right now, I think the Bowmans have done a great job this summer. First off, as I'll detail in a post to come, they made the exact right choices as to who to keep around as the core. I loved a lot of the guys who left town this summer, but I wouldn't have chosen to keep any of them over the ones the Hawks did.
Toews, Sharp, Bolland, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell and the Hammer form a group of players that could contend for the Cup for the next decade. This is a group that will dominate in all three zones, on all three units, in every aspect of the game. They are young, committed, and hungry. They are experienced, proven, and reliable. As long as you can look out onto the ice and see a collection of players like that, as a fan you've got to feel amazing about your hockey club.
I want to stress that again - with the above players skating for the Hawks next year, we should be just fine. You hear a lot of snide comments about the Hawks not having anyone left next year - retarded. I'm not sure there are more than 2-3 teams that wouldn't trade their entire roster for the Hawks' core. This club, while certainly facing some growing pains, will be a Cup favorite and a real power, if, like every one else, they can stay healthy.
Second, it sounds like the Hawks really loaded up on all levels of prospects - from draft picks to NHL-ready types, to guys a year or two away. The pipeline which produced so many of the players we saw skate with the Cup last year (or were used to acquire so many of those players) now seems to be restocked to do it all over again.
Equally important, the Hawks are in a place to capitalize on this next wave. They've managed to open up a number of roster spots on the big league club while still keeping more than enough talent around to allow the youngsters to develop as complimentary pieces without much pressure.
As the Hawks learned the hard way over the past decade, when your big league club is devoid of any real talent, it's not easy to bring up prospects and turn them into high-impact NHLers. But you bring a guy up and let him ride shotgun with Toews and Kane? You let him do the dirty work for Sharp and Hossa? You let him kill penalties next to The Hammer? You let him learn to be a shutdown forward skating with Bolland?
That is how you seamlessly transition from one set of unproven complimentary pieces to another. And let's not forget, that's all the Hawks have gotten rid of this summer. Aside Madden, Sopel and Huet, no one they let go of was anything before the 07-08 breakout year. Only put next to supreme talent in a great system and allowed the time to develop, did the likes of Buff, Versteeg, Ladd, Eager, Burish, Fraser, and Niemi become the players we know today.
So why shouldn't we be confident that the next batch of Hawks prospects will similarly emerge? Bickell, Skille, Dowell, Stalberg, Hendry, Crawford, Leddy, Beach, Vishnevskiy, Lalonde, Makarov, and Toivonen all carry the same pedigrees, the same high expectations of our now departed Cup winners.
In fact, these guys probably are much more highly anticipated then what we had in that group above. Don't forget that a lot of these guys we just got rid of, if not all of them, were brought in to little fanfare. Mid to late round picks, unheralded trades, undrafted free agents. But the Hawks organization molded them into winners, just as I have faith they'll do with the next generation.
I can't guarantee everything the Bowmans did this summer was perfect. But I can promise you that we're only in this spot because of the great work they and Tallon did before. Mistakes didn't get us here, being incredibly good at their job of accumulating talent did. And we've got the freaking Cup to prove it!
And I can tell you that I love the core group they've committed to. And that the Hawks front office has earned your benefit of the doubt in terms of the prospects they've brought in and the guys they'll give time to next season. You shouldn't be feeling uneasy about the Cup defense - you should know that this organization is stocked with the core talent to win it and have proven they know how to fold the necessary complimentary pieces into the mix.
So the next idiot you hear reference the Florida Marlins or doubt what kind of team we'll return next year, just smile and nod. And then when they go to walk away, cross check them square in the back. "O'Doyle rules!"
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#51-#88)
I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Today: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
#51 – Brian Campbell (D)
68 GP, 7 G, 31 A, +18, 23:13 ATOI
19 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +11, 19:35 ATOI
I really did love this team top to bottom and had a handful of guys I really loved. But there were few I was as happy to see prove their value as Campbell. Wrongly maligned by fans who misunderstood what he brought to the table and/or didn’t appreciate the value of what he did, Campbell was thought of by many as a major bust.
Look, there’s no question the Hawks overpaid. Now that the salary cap has become such a grave concern, it’s evident that Campbell is no $7M a year guy. But two things to consider. First, the Hawks gave up no assets to acquire Campbell. So a bit of that extra salary is to offset the fact that they didn’t have to trade or draft/develop the guy.
Second, for the past two seasons Campbell’s onerous contract had no negative effect on the Hawks. Just the opposite – Campbell’s presence, even at $7M per, was crucial to the late run we had two years ago and the Cup we just won. So ask yourself – would you really prefer to have a bit more cap flexibility right now or to know for sure we’ve finally won a Cup?
Because there is no way we were winning a title without a guy like Campbell. As discussed in my comments on Keith, the Hawks whole system requires that they have defensemen who can move the puck up ice. Keith was one of those, but the Hawks needed a second guy so that at almost all times there was a blueliner on the ice able to control the puck and get it into the other end.
So yeah, the Hawks should have been prescient enough to offer Campbell a 12-year deal with four $1M years at the end to bring the cap down to a fair market value $5M per. They did it a year later with Hossa and had they done it with Campbell, Niemi most certainly would be back this year. Unfortunately, at the time they signed Campbell, those kind of deals hadn't yet been established.
I'm fairly certain it started in January 2009, when the Wings added a pair of $1M years to Zetterberg's already negotiated 10 year deal to greatly improve his cap hit, so it's not like the Hawks eschewed a clearly available practice. The practice just hadn't been established yet and it's unclear if an unrestricted free agent like Campbell would have been willing to go along with such a move.
Regardless, I’m glad the Hawks made the decision to sign Campbell, even at the price they did. I’m sorry, having watched this club for two years with Campbell, there’s no question we need him on the ice. And if it cost us a bit more than was prudent to ensure we got him, so be it. And as the fates would have it, Campbell’s worth was proven when he was injured by Ovechkin and the Hawks had to struggle along without him down the stretch and to start the playoffs.
Finally, Hawks fans got to see what happens when Campbell isn’t taking his 20-25 minutes a night. How the offense stagnates, how too much is asked of Keith, how the whole blue line is over-taxed. It wasn’t totally because of his return, but it also wasn’t unrelated that Campbell being in the lineup coincided with the turn around in the Nashville series.
If you’re still not on board with what value Campbell brings or have forgotten this off-season as we struggle against the cap in part due to his salary, here are some things to know about the ginger kid. First off, he’s not a goal-scorer. When the Hawks signed Campbell, they knew this full well. He had just turned 29 and played five full seasons in the league. It was clear what you were getting, and it was a guy who only once had scored more than 6 goals in a season. So the back-to-back 7 goals years he’s put up with the Hawks have actually been better than his career average.
Second, Campbell isn’t a stud on the power play. This I was surprised about, as it was one of the things we were sold on – this guy would come into the top power play and make it all go. But while he’s fully capable with a man advantage, Campbell’s nothing special. In fact, for most of the year and in the playoffs he was working on the second unit. And he did a nice job for a solid but inconsistent power play. Yet, it’s definitely not where he’s making his paycheck.
Third, where Campbell is most definitely making his paycheck is in five-on-five hockey, when the puck is about to be broken out. He’s a solid passer who sees the ice well. But what Campbell has made his name on is as a guy who can fly up the ice and spark a rush. Whether it’s creating a break or just getting the puck deep into the other end so the possession cycle game can get going, Campbell is as masterful as about any blueliner in the game.
The guy can flat out fly. He controls the puck outstandingly and sees openings – both to skate and pass – as well as anyone. And the thing I love most about Campbell’s offensive skills – he’s fearless. Both physically and in a risk-taking sense. Campbell doesn’t mind skating a puck deep in along the boards, or dumping it down and chasing it, knowing full well he’s gonna be punished.
And Campbell doesn’t mind selling out a bit defensively to create an offensive chance or possession. That speed allows him to get back into the play without the Hawks’ opponents getting an odd-man break themselves. Which leads to the fourth thing to know about this guy – he’s a plus defender.
Sure, Campbell’s no physical presence, but he’s also not soft and doesn’t shy away from contact. He’ll mix it up with anyone and uses his veteran savvy to be in the right position and make the plays. Throw in the speed he has to close down space, break up rushes, and hang with any forward, and the Hawks are better off defensively because this guy is on the ice. Just look at the numbers: +18 in the regular season, +11 in the post-season (best on the club).
Am I saying that Campbell is better in his own end than Keith, Seabrook, or the Hammer? Nope. But he’s still definitely a real asset and his strong defensive play is one of the reasons that the Hawks are one of the stingiest defenses in the league, despite having inconsistent and unproven goalies in net all year.
So yeah, the Campbell’s contract is bad. And that means he won’t be leaving the Hawks any time soon. But while it hurts to see a lot of these other great skaters move on, I’m damn glad that this guy, as well as the other Top 4 blueliners, are gonna be with the team for a longtime.
#55 – Ben Eager (W)
60 GP, 7 G, 9 A, +9, 8:20 ATOI
18 GP, 1 G, 2 A, +2, 6:02 ATOI
While I’m definitely bummed to see Eager go, I’m excited to see what he can do on a team with a bit less depth that will afford him some more ice time. Eager was another player whose reputation wasn’t really accurate. He was no goon. If Eager never again drops the gloves, he still will have a respectably long NHL career.
He’s not a great skater, but he’s definitely a good one. He’s not great with the puck, but he is capable. And even if he’s not fighting, Eager still will effect the physical level of the game with the hits he delivers and the tenacity with which he plays. Eager is a very good forechecker who works along the boards. That board game can get a little bit better, but he’s still young (only 26) and will profit from getting more than the 6-8 minutes the Hawks could afford him.
The NHL will always have a need for a guy like Eager, because he brings that size, that physicality, but as he showed with the game-winner in Game 2, he also brings skill. He’s got a nice shot, he moves well with the puck, and he doesn’t play too dumb too often. He does need to avoid more penalties and not sell-out for hits as much, but if he can, then he’s going to be a legit third line guy.
Eager definitely has that upside. He’s got a great motor and won’t be swearing off fighting any time soon. Having a guy who can protect your players while also being an asset on the ice is a huge advantage. It allowed the Hawks to use one guy for two roster spots – both the enforcer and a fourth line energy guy. It also meant that come playoff time, Eager, unlike most enforcers, wasn’t glued to the bench, but instead could fill a key role.
So I’m not happy to see Eager in a different sweater, but I’m glad that he’ll get the chance to elevate his game and am excited to see what he does with it. And I’ll always appreciate the two great seasons he gave us on the fourth line (which, thanks in large part to him, was always one of the best in the NHL) and as an enforcer (a mildly antiquated role that still is necessary for a team as talented as the Hawks).
#81 – Marian Hossa (W)
57 GP, 24 G, 27 A, +24, 18:44 ATOI
22 GP, 3 G, 12 A, +7, 18:25 ATOI
Three goals in 22 playoff games last year. That tells you all you need to know about Marian Hossa.
The standard reaction to that line would be to think that this guy was a bust, a pariah who disappeared when it mattered and was a major hindrance to the team’s Cup run. A guy who was expected to make a major impact and didn’t even make much of a minor one.
Wrong.
The fact that the real insightful, educated Hawks fans never turned on this guy and, despite some ignorant grumblings about his failure to score, that the overall perception of the Hawks biggest ever free agent signing never turned negative is why those three goals in 22 playoff games say it all. They tell you that even when Hossa isn't scoring, the guy is doing a whole hell of a lot to make this team better.
I’m not sure you could find a more complete winger in the NHL. When the Hawks signed him, you quickly checked out his numbers and saw a guy who could fill up the net. Okay, so he’s another high-flying European sniper right? But then you heard he’s decent-sized and physical – so he’s a rare European power forward, right?
The answer to both of those is yes, but it’s only scratching the surface of the player the Hawks so skillfully added to the mix at an incredibly cheap cap number of $5.3M. Hossa is simply a guy who can do everything that you could ever ask of a winger. He’s got the size and toughness to play around the net. The speed and playmaking to be dangerous on the rush. The tenacity and body to forecheck and win battles along the boards. The stick skills and vision to fill up the net himself and set up others to do so. The defensive awareness and commitment to kill penalties and skate against the other team’s top line. The multi-dimensional offensive attack to carry the second unit of the power play.
While certainly not the leader or clutch performer that Derek Jeter is (who is?), I think the comparison is apt in the way that they’re both the rare superstar who brings a workmanlike approach to the game. Despite having gobs of talent and being as accomplished as anyone in their sport, Jeter and Hossa still are totally committed to doing all of the little things to help their team win.
When the Hawks signed Hossa, I was just happy to have him in the short term – clearly this guy could only help us win a Cup in the next few years. But now having watched him play for a half-season and a Cup run, I am pumped to have him around for the long haul. Hossa’s game will age extremely well because even as the skills go, he’ll find a way to contribute. Because his cap hit is so reasonable, Hossa might eventually be dealt. But I hope not, as this is a guy I definitely foresee being a part of winners until the day he hangs em up.
That seemed evident during the post-season, when Hossa was one of the more impactful skaters on the ice at all times, despite going though one of the worst goal-scoring slumps of his entire career. He contributed at both ends, even-strengthened and on both special teams, and in every way that a winger can.
And what a great guy to emulate for all these youngsters the Hawks will be using in the coming years. You don’t think that seeing Toews and Hossa busting their $100M humps to forecheck, work along the boards, kill penalties, and battle in their own end won’t have a major impact on the kids the Hawks throw into the lineup? You think it’ll be hard for Coach Q to get through to these rooks the importance of those things when all he has to do is show them tape of #81 and #19 on any shift they take?
What really has me excited? I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hossa, by any stretch. Remember, not only was last year his first in the Hawks system and with the Hawks skaters, but he missed a good portion of the off-season, all of camp, and a big chunk of the start of the year. It wasn’t until the playoffs that JQ settled on Sharp as his best option as Hossa’s center. Now imagine what a fully healthy Hossa will do with Sharp on his pivot for 82 games? Or how nice it’ll be to have his regular goal-every-other-game scoring pace come next post-season?
#82 – Tomas Kopecky (W)
74 GP, 10 G, 11 A, +0, 9:29 ATOI
17 GP, 4 G, 2 A, +2, 13:34 ATOI
Another in a long line of guys I just didn’t show enough patience in. But I wasn’t alone – hell, even JQ didn’t seem to understand how he fit the team. Kopecky was bounced all over the lineup, and not because he was capable of fitting anywhere, like Versteeg. Nope, Quenneville just couldn’t find a place that Kopecky could make a meaningful contribution.
Not that there were high expectations for him, but coming over from the Wings and being reasonably young, there were some hopes that Kopecky could fill a nice complimentary role on one of the top three lines. At the very least he could help make the 4th line one of the best in the NHL, as it had been the year before.
Instead he quietly scuffled along, threw up the occasional fluke game, but mostly seemed lost. Wasn’t a shut-down defensive forward, wasn’t a great centerman, wasn’t a scorer, wasn’t a big body, wasn’t a energy/spark type, wasn’t a get dirty guy. JQ repeatedly slotted him next to Hossa in the hopes that the countrymen could find a special connection, but little ever came of it.
But then something clicked. Kopecky finished the year on the 4th line and was key to the offensive onslaught they showcased in bringing the Hawks to the regular season finish on a nice high. Unfortunately that fourth line was broken up with the Hawks early post-season struggles, and Kopecky found himself scratched for a stretch. But then he got his chance, again placed with Hossa and this time he started to make something of it.
Kopecky was nothing amazing, but a light seemed to go on. No idea what really happened, but it looked like he quit trying to make a big impact and instead just focused on doing the little things to help his linemates. He finally became that complimentary player the Hawks needed, the guy who would fly all over the ice, hunting down lose pucks, winning battles, scrapping in front of the net, playing hard in his own end.
I’m not sure if Kopecky has finally figured it out or it was just a nice flukey run, but I hope it’s the former. When turned on, he does have a nice motor and does play bigger than he is. Any offensive numbers he gets will be the product of the great play of his linemates, but Kopecky can make his mark on the stat sheet by continuing to bust his ass to facilitate the play of his teammates.
With so many of the main contributing role players gone now, Kopecky’s role will increase a ton next year, as will the pressure on him to make an impact. Here’s hoping he continues to play within himself, to become a guy who uses hard work and unending drive to help create chances for his high-scoring linemates.
#88 – Patrick Kane (W)
82 GP, 30 G, 58 A, +16, 19:12 ATOI
22 GP, 10 G, 18 A, -2, 18:58 ATOI
In 2008-2009, Kane was undersized, lazy in his own zone, and capable of disappearing for long stretches. Sure he could fill it up, create for others, and showed a knack for being clutch (9 goals in 16 playoff games, including a hat trick in the clinching game 6 of the 2nd round). But many wondered how much of Kane’s impact was style, how much was substance?
Then Toews’ influence started to take hold – Kane comes backs from a grueling off-season 20 pounds bigger with an uncanny ability to not get knocked off the puck. He comes back willing to work in all three zones and not willing to let long stretches go by without effecting the game.
And most of all, Kane comes back with a killer instinct. Sure, Kane had flashed it a bit last playoffs – that Vancouver hatty first and foremost. But this year Kane made it a regular occurrence. Early on, with Hossa out, Toews banged up, Buff not stepping up, Bolland shelved, and Sharp not scoring like he once had, it was Kane who carried the offense.
The results? Team lead in goals? Check. Team lead in assists? Check. Scoring? Check? PP goals? Check. PP assists? Check. ATOI among wingers? Check.
Just watching him out there it was clear that all of those critics who questioned his maturity, his dedication, his toughness, had sold this kid short. And never was that more clear than in the Olympics. Part of a youth-dominated squad out-talented by a number of teams in the tourney, Kane and the Americans beat the Canadians once and were within some stupid OT rules (4x4 to decide the freakin Gold freakin medal?) of the biggest US international sports accomplishment since 1980.
And who was the guy the Americans were throwing out on the ice more than any other down the stretch, when they had to have that goal? Patrick Kane. Coaches, players, analysts all said the same thing – the offense all went through Kane. Everyone on the ice was just waiting for him to do his thing. All that pressure and this 21-year old reveled in it. Kane couldn’t have looked more comfortable in the role, couldn’t have been more clear that’s who he wanted to be. And he delivered, helping create the dramatic game-tying goal in the waning seconds.
So it was absolutely no surprise to me that come Game 6, in OT, with the Cup on the line, it was Kane who single-handedly took the puck, pantsed the veteran blueliner trying to defend him, and slid a shot so smoothly into the back of the net that no one even realized it had happened.
This rundown of all of the contributors to this magical journey fitting concludes here with Kane, the guy who ended the near 50-year Cup wait. And while some may complain about the anti-climactic nature of the OT winner, I was fortunate enough to have it be as amazing as I ever could have hoped.
A lesson I learned from my Dad in baseball served me well – he said when judging flyballs as a fan, just watch the OFs, they’ll tell you right away if there’s anything to be excited about. So when the game kinda stopped and the announcers weren’t clarifying everything, I was one of the first to celebrate because I knew if you just watched the players, they’d let you know if the puck was in.
And seeing Kane skip around the behind the net and up along the boards, seeing his teammates throw off their equipment and join him, and finally, hearing the bar DJ flash an itchy trigger finger and crank Chelsea Dagger, I knew it was time to jump around and hung everybody in sight. Euphoria, chaos, and a disbelieving thrill – everything I hoped a Cup would be, finally was. Man it pumps me up and makes me smile to think of it all over again!
Thanks for reading – both this post and all season long. It’s been a hell of a run and there’s no question I enjoyed it so much more having a forum in which to share my thoughts, and readers who took the time to slog through my overly loquacious posts. I really appreciate your readership, it’s very flattering, very rewarding, and very fun.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Today: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
Friday, July 2, 2010
And Then There Were...
First and foremost, the best source I've found for Hawks rumors and whatnot is Al Cimaglia of HockeyIndependent.com. A longtime hockey writer, Al's specialty seems to be getting all the inside news on possible Hawks moves and giving in-depth takes on what it all means. So right now is definitely the time to give him regular visits, as it is in the months leading up to the trade deadline.
Wow, I kinda knew Versteeg was gonna go, and I definitely knew it was BS when Bowman tried to say that the Buff deal was all that was needed to get under the cap. But I guess I still hoped somehow Versteeg would fit - maybe they'd keep him around until they knew for sure about Ladd, The Hammer, and Niemi. Maybe Niemi plays hardball, the Hawks go with some journeyman netminder, and Versteeg is saved.
Instead, Versteeg, probably my favorite Hawk, is gone. Off to Toronto, a franchise without much success of late, but certainly a great place to live and play hockey. God bless Versteeg - I hope he finds the right place to explode as a player. Remember, last year was just his second in the league. In his first he was a Calder Cup Finalist (i.e. one of the best three rookies to come into the NHL). In his second, he was a crucial piece (playing on all three units) to the Cup Winners. Here's hoping that the Leafs get it turned around and Steeg becomes a regular 30-goal, 40-assist guy who's a devil at both ends.
Even if not, Versteeg is definitely everything I wish I could be as a winger, except for the occasional retarded decision-making part. I love his tenacity, love how he plays bigger than he is, and absolutely love and appreciate his playmaking. That will be missed - having a guy with those skills on the third line is largely unheard of, and it was a huge value to the Hawks in the Cup run.
What really hurt about that deal is that it left me with the false sense that Ladd would assuredly be back and that they wouldn't have much issue with The Hammer. Well, Ladd is gone now too. Rights traded to Atlanta (or Blackhawk South, thanks to the presence of Buff, Sopel, and Eager, as well as Chelios and even a young flashy skater named Kane... Evander Kane, but still...).
Man I'm gonna miss Ladd too. The guy was a great forechecker - one of those skills that you don't really appreciate until you've watched a ton of hockey. Being able to beat your man down the ice and win a puck in the corner is crucial to everything. It gets the offense going and keeps the puck from getting rifled back into your own end. One of the reasons I wanted to keep Ladd over Buff is that Ladd was so damn good at that - probably the best on the team (outside of Hossa and Toews). Throw in that I thought Ladd would be cheaper, that I knew he showed up every night, and that he has proven himself an outstanding checking line winger, and this guy seemed tailormade to play on a Cup winning team.
While he hasn't signed his deal yet, the implication of this deal seems to be that Ladd was gonna be too pricey. Why else get rid of him?
Well, maybe there is another reason. Or reasons. Certainly this talented young puck-moving defensemen the Hawks got in return (and the 2nd rounder, which could be pretty high) was one motivation. I will say that I do like that we're loading up on young assets. We all have the same thought - last year was amazing, but it'd better be the first of many.
And for that to be the case in the Cap Era, you've got to constantly be able to replenish your cupboard. Not sure what kind of prospect pipeline the Hawks had before this off-sesaon, but it sure as hell seems to have been restocked with these deals. I'm especially excited about Stalberg and Vishnevskiy. Stalberg was the big pick-up in the Versteeg deal. He's pretty big (6-3 196) and supposedly can flat fly - maybe one of the quickest skaters in the NHL. He showed some flashes in playing half the season in the NHL last year.
Of course, speed and size without a ton accomplished yet... sounds like there are some head issues. And there are, but hopefully skating with some real playmakers and being in a lockerroom full of highly accomplished leaders will be all Stalberg needs to emerge, just as Ladd, Versteeg, Brouwer, Buff, Bolland, etc did.
Vishnevskiy has had a cup of coffee in the NHL and will probably have a shot at making the Hawks. Paired with a veteran stay-at-home type, he might be a nice asset on the 3rd pairing. Supposedly he is extremely talented as an offensive defenseman, having had a lot of success at the lower levels. Again, put on the ice with some real talent around him, maybe this kid takes off. I'm a bit leery of the criticism of his game in his own end, but hopefully that's something JQ and the staff can teach him.
But I think I'm seeing another motivation behind Bowman's moves. One that hasn't gotten a lot of play. With Burish also moving on yesterday (signed by the Stars for just over a million per), it sounds like Bowman has picked out his core guys (Toews, Sharp, and Bolland down the middle, Kane and Hossa on the wing, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and hopefully the Hammer on D) and is content to let kids fill out the rest of the roster.
Brouwer and Kopecky remain, and Reasoner was just brought on board, but they all are locked into deals at just over $1M - about as low as you'll find for anyone with more than 4th line talent. And they most likely will be gone this off-season, barring some sort of real break-out season that makes any indispensable.
Otherwise, it looks like Bowman actively wants to enter the year with four rookie wingers. Bickell certainly has a leg up, given his play last year and the fact that he was used on a top line for a handful of playoff games. Beach, the Hawks first round pick after 07-08 (i.e. their last non-playoff year) is also a favorite to see regular ice time. Dowell and Skille both saw some NHL time last season, maybe that'll play in their favor. And as I mentioned above, Stalberg probably is a safe bet to skate in the bigs. And I'm sure there are others who could get a look or two, especially with a great training camp.
So maybe these moves aren't all about cutting cap space, maybe Bowman is thinking that he's got his core and needs some guys around them (especially with, as I mentioned Brouwer, Kopecky, and Reasoner all ending their deals this season), and wants to get started on figuring it out now. I could see Bowman deciding that they've got enough pieces to compete well enough for now, so why not really find out what else they've got in the system.
Give these kids some significant ice time over long periods, then judge who's left standing. The hope being that you establish a few of them as legit role players who can take over the Brouwer/Kopecky/Reasoner roles in the coming years. Find the next generation of Ladds, Versteegs, Buffs, Burishes, and Eagers, but while you still have more than enough talent to contend for the top spot in the West.
If that is the plan, what other moves are necessary? It's possible Bowman will make one more move for his forward group, maybe bring on a good checking line winger to join Bolland on the third line. Having a legit shut-down line is crucial, and with both Versteeg and Ladd gone, two jobs are open. But we may see Brouwer get that call - Beach, Bickell, and/or Stalberg might be better fits up top, leaving the third for #22. That still leaves a spot open though, and being able to skate against the other team's top line isn't always something a rookie can handle.
Certainly Bowman needs to work on his D. As it stands, he's got only three blueliners (the recently signed goon John Scott was given the minimum and will mainly be a healthy scratch available when a bruiser or short term winger or D is needed). You gotta figure the Hammer is gonna be re-signed - Bowman pretty much said that in his press conference. It wasn't clear who he was referring to (apparently not Ladd), but the implication seemed to be The Hammer and Niemi would absolutely be back.
Even trusting that to be true (and who knows what they're ever really thinking), that leaves a pair of blue line jobs open. Last year's rotating 6th defensemen - Hendry and Boynton - were so shaky that JQ chose to skate Buff back there instead for long stretches. But either could still be back if they'll take a sub $1M deal. I wouldn't mind seeing one, maybe both, but they probably are better served as a 7th blueliner rather than the 6th.
And that still leaves wide open the 5th spot, somewhere you'd like to have another Sopel type - reliable(ish) stay-at-home guy who can be physical and skate strong minutes on the PK. The hope is that this is one of the reasons for so much of the salary culling - that Bowman wants to create room to bring in another quality blueliner. My dream is a guy with Sopel's great PK skills but a bit better skater who's more steady with the puck. Hopefully such a guy is out there, signed cheap, and on a team that likes something the Hawks have, if not simply available to be signed cheap in free agency.
I really hope that's the case. The top 4 are taxed enough as it is, especially after playing a season that featured a Cup run for all and the Olympics for two of them. The Hawks need a 5th blueliner who can chew up a ton of minutes. Because JQ plays to win every game, I can see him quickly losing confidence with the kids on the third pairing and working his Top 4 for 25+ minutes a night, 30 for Keith, all season long.
One final thing to consider - with all of these moves, the Hawks roster heading into the pre-season (which actually begins in September) doesn't have to feature everyone they're gonna need to win it all. Players break out (did you see Brouwer scoring 20 goals last year?), prospects emerge (did you see The Hammer stepping so beautifully into a #4 blueliner role two years ago), and of course, trades are made (Pahlsson and Johnsson were both crucial pieces to add... even if they didn't shake out that way).
So yeah, I'm gonna analyze their possible lines (which is retarded - they'll change all season and end up totally different come the playoffs) and pick out the Hawks' weaknesses. But the reality is that the opening night roster is just a milestone along the way, not the final exam.
Wow, I kinda knew Versteeg was gonna go, and I definitely knew it was BS when Bowman tried to say that the Buff deal was all that was needed to get under the cap. But I guess I still hoped somehow Versteeg would fit - maybe they'd keep him around until they knew for sure about Ladd, The Hammer, and Niemi. Maybe Niemi plays hardball, the Hawks go with some journeyman netminder, and Versteeg is saved.
Instead, Versteeg, probably my favorite Hawk, is gone. Off to Toronto, a franchise without much success of late, but certainly a great place to live and play hockey. God bless Versteeg - I hope he finds the right place to explode as a player. Remember, last year was just his second in the league. In his first he was a Calder Cup Finalist (i.e. one of the best three rookies to come into the NHL). In his second, he was a crucial piece (playing on all three units) to the Cup Winners. Here's hoping that the Leafs get it turned around and Steeg becomes a regular 30-goal, 40-assist guy who's a devil at both ends.
Even if not, Versteeg is definitely everything I wish I could be as a winger, except for the occasional retarded decision-making part. I love his tenacity, love how he plays bigger than he is, and absolutely love and appreciate his playmaking. That will be missed - having a guy with those skills on the third line is largely unheard of, and it was a huge value to the Hawks in the Cup run.
What really hurt about that deal is that it left me with the false sense that Ladd would assuredly be back and that they wouldn't have much issue with The Hammer. Well, Ladd is gone now too. Rights traded to Atlanta (or Blackhawk South, thanks to the presence of Buff, Sopel, and Eager, as well as Chelios and even a young flashy skater named Kane... Evander Kane, but still...).
Man I'm gonna miss Ladd too. The guy was a great forechecker - one of those skills that you don't really appreciate until you've watched a ton of hockey. Being able to beat your man down the ice and win a puck in the corner is crucial to everything. It gets the offense going and keeps the puck from getting rifled back into your own end. One of the reasons I wanted to keep Ladd over Buff is that Ladd was so damn good at that - probably the best on the team (outside of Hossa and Toews). Throw in that I thought Ladd would be cheaper, that I knew he showed up every night, and that he has proven himself an outstanding checking line winger, and this guy seemed tailormade to play on a Cup winning team.
While he hasn't signed his deal yet, the implication of this deal seems to be that Ladd was gonna be too pricey. Why else get rid of him?
Well, maybe there is another reason. Or reasons. Certainly this talented young puck-moving defensemen the Hawks got in return (and the 2nd rounder, which could be pretty high) was one motivation. I will say that I do like that we're loading up on young assets. We all have the same thought - last year was amazing, but it'd better be the first of many.
And for that to be the case in the Cap Era, you've got to constantly be able to replenish your cupboard. Not sure what kind of prospect pipeline the Hawks had before this off-sesaon, but it sure as hell seems to have been restocked with these deals. I'm especially excited about Stalberg and Vishnevskiy. Stalberg was the big pick-up in the Versteeg deal. He's pretty big (6-3 196) and supposedly can flat fly - maybe one of the quickest skaters in the NHL. He showed some flashes in playing half the season in the NHL last year.
Of course, speed and size without a ton accomplished yet... sounds like there are some head issues. And there are, but hopefully skating with some real playmakers and being in a lockerroom full of highly accomplished leaders will be all Stalberg needs to emerge, just as Ladd, Versteeg, Brouwer, Buff, Bolland, etc did.
Vishnevskiy has had a cup of coffee in the NHL and will probably have a shot at making the Hawks. Paired with a veteran stay-at-home type, he might be a nice asset on the 3rd pairing. Supposedly he is extremely talented as an offensive defenseman, having had a lot of success at the lower levels. Again, put on the ice with some real talent around him, maybe this kid takes off. I'm a bit leery of the criticism of his game in his own end, but hopefully that's something JQ and the staff can teach him.
But I think I'm seeing another motivation behind Bowman's moves. One that hasn't gotten a lot of play. With Burish also moving on yesterday (signed by the Stars for just over a million per), it sounds like Bowman has picked out his core guys (Toews, Sharp, and Bolland down the middle, Kane and Hossa on the wing, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and hopefully the Hammer on D) and is content to let kids fill out the rest of the roster.
Brouwer and Kopecky remain, and Reasoner was just brought on board, but they all are locked into deals at just over $1M - about as low as you'll find for anyone with more than 4th line talent. And they most likely will be gone this off-season, barring some sort of real break-out season that makes any indispensable.
Otherwise, it looks like Bowman actively wants to enter the year with four rookie wingers. Bickell certainly has a leg up, given his play last year and the fact that he was used on a top line for a handful of playoff games. Beach, the Hawks first round pick after 07-08 (i.e. their last non-playoff year) is also a favorite to see regular ice time. Dowell and Skille both saw some NHL time last season, maybe that'll play in their favor. And as I mentioned above, Stalberg probably is a safe bet to skate in the bigs. And I'm sure there are others who could get a look or two, especially with a great training camp.
So maybe these moves aren't all about cutting cap space, maybe Bowman is thinking that he's got his core and needs some guys around them (especially with, as I mentioned Brouwer, Kopecky, and Reasoner all ending their deals this season), and wants to get started on figuring it out now. I could see Bowman deciding that they've got enough pieces to compete well enough for now, so why not really find out what else they've got in the system.
Give these kids some significant ice time over long periods, then judge who's left standing. The hope being that you establish a few of them as legit role players who can take over the Brouwer/Kopecky/Reasoner roles in the coming years. Find the next generation of Ladds, Versteegs, Buffs, Burishes, and Eagers, but while you still have more than enough talent to contend for the top spot in the West.
If that is the plan, what other moves are necessary? It's possible Bowman will make one more move for his forward group, maybe bring on a good checking line winger to join Bolland on the third line. Having a legit shut-down line is crucial, and with both Versteeg and Ladd gone, two jobs are open. But we may see Brouwer get that call - Beach, Bickell, and/or Stalberg might be better fits up top, leaving the third for #22. That still leaves a spot open though, and being able to skate against the other team's top line isn't always something a rookie can handle.
Certainly Bowman needs to work on his D. As it stands, he's got only three blueliners (the recently signed goon John Scott was given the minimum and will mainly be a healthy scratch available when a bruiser or short term winger or D is needed). You gotta figure the Hammer is gonna be re-signed - Bowman pretty much said that in his press conference. It wasn't clear who he was referring to (apparently not Ladd), but the implication seemed to be The Hammer and Niemi would absolutely be back.
Even trusting that to be true (and who knows what they're ever really thinking), that leaves a pair of blue line jobs open. Last year's rotating 6th defensemen - Hendry and Boynton - were so shaky that JQ chose to skate Buff back there instead for long stretches. But either could still be back if they'll take a sub $1M deal. I wouldn't mind seeing one, maybe both, but they probably are better served as a 7th blueliner rather than the 6th.
And that still leaves wide open the 5th spot, somewhere you'd like to have another Sopel type - reliable(ish) stay-at-home guy who can be physical and skate strong minutes on the PK. The hope is that this is one of the reasons for so much of the salary culling - that Bowman wants to create room to bring in another quality blueliner. My dream is a guy with Sopel's great PK skills but a bit better skater who's more steady with the puck. Hopefully such a guy is out there, signed cheap, and on a team that likes something the Hawks have, if not simply available to be signed cheap in free agency.
I really hope that's the case. The top 4 are taxed enough as it is, especially after playing a season that featured a Cup run for all and the Olympics for two of them. The Hawks need a 5th blueliner who can chew up a ton of minutes. Because JQ plays to win every game, I can see him quickly losing confidence with the kids on the third pairing and working his Top 4 for 25+ minutes a night, 30 for Keith, all season long.
One final thing to consider - with all of these moves, the Hawks roster heading into the pre-season (which actually begins in September) doesn't have to feature everyone they're gonna need to win it all. Players break out (did you see Brouwer scoring 20 goals last year?), prospects emerge (did you see The Hammer stepping so beautifully into a #4 blueliner role two years ago), and of course, trades are made (Pahlsson and Johnsson were both crucial pieces to add... even if they didn't shake out that way).
So yeah, I'm gonna analyze their possible lines (which is retarded - they'll change all season and end up totally different come the playoffs) and pick out the Hawks' weaknesses. But the reality is that the opening night roster is just a milestone along the way, not the final exam.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#33-#46)
I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Today: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
#33 – DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN (W)
82 GP, 17 G, 17 A, -7, 16:25 ATOI
22 GP, 11 G, 5 A, -4, 16:16 ATOI
When I first started planning these out, I figured I’d have to touch a bit on whether Buff was worth keeping, maybe even make a whole post of it. But the off-season moves pretty damn quickly, and now Buff is nothing more than a freakin sweet ass memory. And really, with the assumption that Versteeg will be gone too, it’s not even a debatable issue any more – the choice seemed to be a matter of Sharp, Bolland, Versteeg, or Buff – pick two. Well, they clearly picked the right two in Bolland and Sharp.
One final stay-or-go thought on Buff that I’m bothered I didn’t make in my post on the deal – Buff is only signed for one more year before he becomes an RFA. The Hawks would have still controlled his rights, but if he had as great of a season as some people are figuring on, or even just another great post-season run, the Hawks would have had to get rid of him next off-season anyway. So when you consider that Sharp and Versteeg each have two years left and Bolland four, it’s again clear why Buff had to go.
But this post is about looking back, and lord what a ride Buff has been. And not just this year, but go all the way back to 07-08. Just as the Hawks are breaking out as a franchise, so is Buff as a player. Finally starting to get comfortable as a power forward after years as a blueliner, Buff pots 19 goals in only 67 games and looks primed to take things to the next level.
But 08-09 is a bit of a disappointment, as the rest of the Hawks progress while Buff takes a step back. Despite playing in 77 contests, Buff manages only 15 goals and sees his ice time reduced from 17 minutes to 15.
The playoffs start… and again Buff disappears. Five games, one assist. Then, in Game 6 against Calgary, Buff explodes for a goal and two helpers. And now Vancouver comes to town… and Buff disappears again. You don’t remember that, do you? Everyone talks about how he owns Vancouver, but in the first four games of that series, Buff had no points. Sure he might have been working hard along the boards and being a big pain in front of the net, but that’s not how legends are made.
In fact, from what I can tell, Buff’s legend against Vancouver stems from a single 2-goal performance in Game 5. A crucial game, no question, and Buff’s two goals are monsters, making him the #1 start of the game. But in the 7 goal outburst that is Game 6, Buff manages just an assist. In five games against Detroit, he has only two assists.
Total playoff stat line in 08-09 – 17 GP, 3 G, 6 A. Not bad, but nothing too impressive. And kinda makes this season’s regular season performance make a bit more sense – Buff hadn’t broken out so much in the playoffs, he just had a few noteworthy games, as he always does, while mostly just being there.
There was a mild step up in the regular season, as he did get back to 17 goals despite playing the final few weeks back on D. But there’s no question Buff had still yet to come near the tantalizing promise he showed. 6-3, 246 and able to both skate and work the puck – the sky was the limit.
But Buff did find a bit of a value for himself in the regular season, thanks to his ability and willingness to skate on the blueline. He was an able performer back there, allowing the Hawks to get through a tough time and right the ship in time for the playoffs, even working a few games on the blueline in the opening post-season series. But still, eight games into the playoffs, including two against his supposed rival Canucks, and Buff didn’t have a single goal, nor even a single point.
And then the light went on. A hat trick in Game 3 sparks the Hawks to back-to-back road victories and a commanding 3-1 series lead. A goal and an assist in the deciding Game 6 starts a string of five straight games – including every single one against the Sharks – with a goal for Big Buff. Then, after being shut-out all series, Buff explodes for two goals and two assists in the pivotal Game 5 against the Flyers and buries another crucial score in the deciding Game 6.
Total – 11 goals in the final 14 games of the playoffs. Now that’s where Buff’s playoff legend was made. Don’t tell me how important he was in 08-09 – he really wasn’t. Sure Buff might have done a lot of little things, but you can always find guys for the little things. His value as a post-season performer was only established this year, with that incredible run that began in Game 3 in Vancouver.
In seeing all that, I’m just as confused as ever about Buff. His 08-09 performance, hell, even the first 8 games of this postseason (yes, he did skate the blueline in a number of them) and the first four of the Finals, don’t give me a ton of faith that you can count on Buff every time out.
But that stretch against the Canucks and Sharks, that finish against the Flyers – yep, there’s no question when he does show up, Buff is going to make a major difference. His impact is as big as anyone’s… when he decides to bring it all.
I’ll always love Buff for his heroics. He was a key cog to this title that we couldn’t have lived without. And I’ll eat crow there – I would have dumped this guy for prospects at the trade deadline and tried harder to shore up the blueline (as I was also no Sopel fan at that point).
Instead, the Hawks hung on to him and not only got even more prospects and salary relief when they finally did trade him, but also were able to call on Buff when the blueline desperately needed him, and then call on him again to break open the Canucks series, keep the Sharks from ever getting into it, and bury the Flyers.
So yeah, Buff will have a special place in my heart and Blackhawk lore. But I can’t help but see all those countless games he disappeared in – including many in the postseason, when he supposedly thrives – and decide that the front office made the right move selling high. Buff will be missed, but less so than the other guys they kept in his place.
#36 – DAVE BOLLAND (C)
39 GP, 6 G, 10 A, +5, 17:22 ATOI
22 GP, 8 G, 8 A, +6, 18:40 ATOI
Coming in off a great 08-09 where he not only established himself as a legit NHL centerman, but one with #2 scoring line capabilities, Bolland was given the gift of Marian Hossa last off-season. Cruelly, that gift would be taken away a few weeks later when it was announced that Hossa would miss the first 20-30 games of the season. Making things worse, Bolland’s own health issues flared up a few weeks into the season, sidelining him for months.
So it wasn’t until late in the season that Bolland finally was matched with Hossa on the second line. But the chemistry never quite worked. Maybe they didn’t fit together, maybe they didn’t find the proper third to make it all go, and maybe it was just a matter of not having a proper off-season, pre-season, and regular season to figure it all out.
Either way, the Hawks would eventually move Bolland back to the third line role he thrived at in 08-09 and put Sharp as Hossa’s center on the second line. The regular season ended with respectable but unimpressive numbers from Bolland and the playoffs started much the same way. Bolland did get the game-winner in Game 2, but for the most part, his Nashville series was more of the same – respectable but unimpressive.
And then the Sedins rolled into town, with one fresh off a points title and both looking as dangerous as ever. But Bolland, with a huge helping hand from Keith and Seabrook, made them look inconsequential. JQ loves his shutdown centers, getting the Hawks to add Pahlsson last year and Madden this off-season. But while Bolland might not have made the cut as a scoring line center, he apparently earned JQ’s love as a checking line one.
As he should have. Every time the Twins went over the boards, so too did Bolland. He logged huge amounts of ice time and was an absolute force in his own zone. And Bolland didn’t stop with the Swedes – he made the Team Canada line of the Sharks look just as docile. No better image of Bolland’s great work exists than Thornton frustratingly slashing Bolland’s arm in a late game face-off. The Finals? No different, as Richards, Gagne, and Carter were shadows of themselves, rarely making any impact.
Will Bolland ever become the #2 center the Hawks wish he could be? Maybe – in the playoffs, where scoring is tougher to come by, Bolland did net 8 goals and assist on 8 more, despite playing a checking line role. He’s still only 24 – Bolland may just find that scoring touch if put with the proper wingers (he sure did load up on points when he was with Havlat in 08-09).
But I’d be just fine with him as one of the best checking line centers in hockey. Bolland helps brings offense to that line, ensuring a deep, dynamic scoring attack. More importantly, he’s as good shutting down opposing top lines as anyone I’ve ever seen – and he’s got the Cup to prove it. Bolland even showed that pest streak – the ability to get under the opposition’s skin – such a crucial aspect of the shut-down role.
With four more years in his current contract, I’m damn glad to have this guy in the Indian Head sweater for a while longer. Ideally I’d like to see him stay as a plus checking line center, but I wouldn’t mind if the Hawks try again to see if he can make it work as a #2 scoring line pivot.
#37 – ADAM BURISH (W)
13 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +2, 8:46 ATOI
15 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -1, 5:35 ATOI
Burish didn’t have the season he would have liked to, personally. An injury robbed him of almost the entire regular season and didn’t give him the time to get back into any significant role. He did skate in a good amount of games in the post-season and did fulfill a key role – bringing a bit of energy and tenacity when needed. But last season Burish was a crucial 4th liner and a guy who did a great job killing penalties. This year he was a token 4th liner, barely registering 5 minutes a game.
What does the future hold for Burish? Who can tell. This year was in large part a throwaway. But he’s still young (27), he’s still a plus skater for a 4th line energy guy, and he still is a capable penalty killer. Throw in the grit he brings, the fact that he’ll drop the gloves, and the pest role he fulfills so well, and Burish has his value.
The question is how much value… i.e. how much is some team going to want to pay him? You could see Burish coming back at a pretty low salary just to stick with the Hawks and be in Chicago. With some of the losses the Hawks have endured, Burish could return to a more prominent 4th line and PK role. But he may also be just attractive enough that some team wants his experience and intangibles and pays him enough to price the Hawks out.
If so, it’ll be a loss to the Hawks. While they most certainly can live without him (as they showed for most of this season and most of the playoffs), Burish had his value. And as the team gets thinner in frontline talent due to the cap, it’s these kind of cheap grindy types that need to pick up the slack. It’ll be unfortunate if Burish isn’t one of the guys around to do so.
#39 – CRISTOBAL HUET (G)
48 GP, 26 W, 14 L, .895 SV%, 2.50 GAA
1 GP, 0 W, 0 L, 1.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA
Obviously signing this guy to that contract was a mistake on a lot of levels. But I’m gonna argue that it won’t be a regrettable one if the Hawks front office (actually, more likely its ownership) agree to eat the remainder of his contract and ship him off to somewhere in Europe or the AHL.
As it stands now, the Hawks have lost nothing by giving Huet that money. They didn’t lose any players these past two years because of the cap or finances and they weren’t gonna spend that money on someone else who was going to be around moving forward, as they already are overspent for the future.
And in the future, if the Hawks eat the contract, Huet has no negative effect on them – it’s like his contract doesn’t exist, cap-wise. The only losers are the Wirtz, who have to foot the bill (as they still are required to pay the actual money owed).
But I don’t think even the Wirtz lost. I think Huet was a key contributor to the team in 08-09. I think he was important to allowing that team to get the #4 seed and to eventually make it to the Western Conference Finals. And I know that experience was crucial for their confidence and know-how this year.
Huet played well in his half of the games in 08-09, when Khabi was either hurt or incapable of carrying the every night load. He won 20 games, had a 2.53 GAA and .909 save percentage. Those are all good numbers and they were key to helping the Hawks break through to that upper level of Western Conference teams.
But more importantly, Huet allowed JQ to rest Khabi and to have a respectable goaltender for the numerous times Khabi was hurt that year. That allowed the team to remain on its rolls and more importantly, for Khabi to be fresh come the playoffs. Given that Khabi would eventually break down in the Western Conference Finals (and take our season with him), if Huet wasn’t there to keep him fresh, I don’t see the Hawks having beaten both Vancouver and Calgary.
I also think Huet was a key contributor to the team getting the #2 seed this season and being in a place to succeed in the playoffs. Huet was crucial in getting the Hawks off to a great start and establishing a ton of confidence in themselves. He also was important in allowing Niemi to be brought along slowly without any pressure or expectations. I do not believe Niemi could have done as well had he been the #1 from the get go, or even been battling for a #1 spot with some other goalie. Only because Huet was there to carry the main burden was Niemi able to get acclimated to the league and establish some confidence in himself.
Finally, Huet deserves credit for stepping aside gracefully and never adding to the media- and fan-inspired circus that surrounded the goalie position. For such a high paid veteran who had done so much in his career (really – Huet has had a number of very good seasons), he could have complained publicly about his treatment (even if it was deserved), but he didn’t.
So yeah, Huet did not warrant that huge contract. And yeah, he’s got to be farmed out now and erased from the books. But given the fact that the Hawks won the Cup and that Huet played a crucial role in the steps leading up to that run, I’m not gonna regret that signing. Who knows what would have happened had we passed on Huet? But I do know what happened after we signed him.
#46 – COLIN FRASER (C)
70 GP, 7 G, 12 A, +6, 9:36 ATOI
3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, +0, 8:24 ATOI
Another guy who has since parted ways with the Hawks, I’ll be mildly sad to see him go. Fraser barely dented the post-season roster these past two years, playing in only 5 games total. But during the regular season of both seasons Fraser was a capable 4th line centerman, maybe a bit worse in the face-off circle than he should have been, but getting better (from a 47.8 to a 48.8 this year).
Fraser was solid on the penalty kill, had a decent scoring touch, and certainly busted his butt and got his nose dirty whenever needed. Although Fraser didn’t contribute a lot, he did help us get into the position we needed in the regular season to make the runs we did these past two seasons. And now his name is etched on the Cup forever, and therefore etched in the hearts of Hawk fans forever.
I wish him the best in Edmonton – a great landing spot. The team is bad, but that means a chance for some real PT. Fraser could establish himself as a nice 4th line centerman and penalty killer, with the upside to be a respectable checking line center some day (he still is only 25). Regardless, Fraser will hold a special place, not just for his overall contributions, but specifically for the way he helped spark a 4th line to an incredible scoring barrage in the last few weeks of the season. That barrage helped the team recover from their March swoon in time to handle the very pesky Preds in a tough first round series. For that, Fraser proudly earned his ring.
Please check back again for the final installation:
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Today: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
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