Hawks Sign Makarov
by SamFels on Jul 14, 2010 11:07 PM CDT
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Obviously a slow news day, but I thought this was worth mentioning: The Hawks have signed Igor Makarov, who they took in the 2nd round in 2006. This kid has turned some heads in a couple prospect camps and I know there were more than a few fans eagerly awaiting his arrival on these shores. He figures to need at least a full season in Rockford, this guy hasn't exactly lit up the KHL. But he's a smooth skater and apparently has a pretty good hockey IQ. Keep half an eye on this one.
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WOOOO...?
Alright, Im honestly far more excited about this than the average Hawk fan. It seems like forever ago when they drafted this kid, and I was far more excited than I shouldve been. He was really good in his prospect camp appearances, but had zero interest playing in Rockford(with goood reason). I’ll be happy to see him wear that ridiculous logo across his chest now. That team should be far more exciting to watch this year…Out with Kyle Greentree in with Igor Makarov, I’ll take that trade off any day of the week.
One thing to remember in regards to the KHL is his amount of ice time, linemates, and PP time..They aren’t always the kindest to youngsters drafted by NHL teams..
Oh god look out behind you...
Its the Salary Cap...
Interesting ... very interesting.
pretty decent write-up on the signing of Makarov from The Bleacher Report.
"It's The Chicago Blackhawks, man." ~ Jeremy Roenick, June 9th, 2010.
like it
Definitely did not see this coming. It seems that if a kids Russian and has any talent, the NHL stays away from him with a 10ft pole.
What I really like about Makarov is that for all his speed and skill, he looks to hit pretty hard. Reminds me of a really, poor-man’s Ovechkin. (minus the obnoxious goal total)
There's some reality behind that attitude
It would appear that some of the Swedes and Finns adapt better to the NHL game than the Russkies do (and they also don’t seem to have the obnoxious agents in tow) – of course that’s a ridiculously broad generalization, but that attitude does seem to be prevelant. As long as the kid isn’t the second coming of the Z – Man, I’m cool with it.
Makarov?
His stats don’t seem that impressive,though stats can be deceiving….was he at the prospects camp this year?
Seriously,if he makes the team,and Stalberg,and Kruger,the Hawks can have an all european 4th line lol….just kidding…Stalberg prolly plays on the third line with Bolland,or 2nd line with Sharp and The Hossa
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 7:48 AM CDT reply actions
My handle
is your favorite?….what do you mean by handle?
and if you answer that could you please answer Germwares question too lol
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
handle means who you are
like my handle is ‘northernsails’
Unless he means the semi-famous pianist Handel
by northernsails on Jul 15, 2010 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanx
appreciate the explanation
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions
See directly above. But it isn’t my favourite anymore ‘cause you had to ask. I’m very fickle and don’t give second chances. And I make up rules as I go. And while we’re on the topic of me, I think Lebanese is probably my favourite kind of food.
www.mjt.org
so your real name is Calvin then?
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions
This surprises me
He was traded last year and absolutely bombed with his new team. And a report I’d read in the late spring had him pretty much a guaranteed KHL lifer. I’d written him off. I think the Bleacher Report article (link above, thanks Hawkynite) is a bit off, though, in tagging him as a potential top-6 player in the NHL this coming season.
If he’s on truly on board with North America (and I’ll believe that when I see it), I can see him getting a year in at Rockford with some spot duty here and there with the Hawks, and that’s about it until year 2 of his contract.
www.mjt.org
that offness
might be due to it being a Bleacher Report article…
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too." -- 2/28/10, so our Captain has said, and so it was done.
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on Jul 16, 2010 9:51 PM CDT up reply actions
is he related to any of the other past notable Makarov hockey players?
Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.
or the terrorist from Modern Warfare2?
In life, a man is either the hammer or the anvil. Ndamukong Suh is both
Pride of Detroits village idiot
or the guy who invented
the famous Soviet side arm?
FOR SALE: pair of shoes, red, size 32 1/2 wide. Please direct all bids to Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks. Clown horn sold seperately. Also for sale: 328 dogs+1 pistol (bargain price for Leafs fans!)
by BigCSouthside on Jul 15, 2010 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Sad to say...
this was my first thought too. >_<
by ForAllYouYoungHockeyMoms on Jul 16, 2010 2:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Skille has been signed
to a 1 year deal, says Adam Jahns. They’re also apparently close to signing Bickell. Yay for new(er) faces!
Skille?
not so sure if this guy can play…i guess now is the best time to give him a chance….i like Bickell though…..big guy,can skate and hit
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
it'll be good to see bickell on a lower line..
were he’s not shitting his pants everytime he has to keep up with the captain and drunky mcgee
I can't wait to dive into a pool and end up in a jacuzzi
by desertindian on Jul 15, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
drunky mcgee
made me chuckle.
(hopefully will continue in that vein and not morph into a moniker that makes us cringe.)
"Life is a long lesson in humility."
- James M. Barrie
I know ESPN
sucks, but they had a good story in their NHL preview last year about the Hawks and Kaner’s taxi “incident” where they made reference to the “Patrick Kane Taxi Co., dropping the gloves on high prices”!
Thought it was funny and now everytime I see him I imagine him pummeling some old cab driver for a 1.25$
Sorry, just rambling!
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
According to Andy Strickland
Mike Modano is interested in playing for the Blackhawks.
Mike modano is beginning to annoy me
first it was the wings and hawks..then it became the wild and sharks…now you’re saying he’s back to the hawks again? I can only see him going to the hawks if he accepts something damn near the league minimum…which is what the wings already offered
I can't wait to dive into a pool and end up in a jacuzzi
by desertindian on Jul 15, 2010 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Rumors are rumors...
and I won’t believe anything until the signing. Especially, with the cap mess that will be hanging over the Hawks until the last moment before rosters are set.
And did you hear the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup?
by TrickyDickAllen on Jul 15, 2010 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Mike Modano says rumors are false
He says he hasnt talked to the hawks http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/more_modano_stuff_modano_hasnt.html
Ugh
Jesse Rogers saying Hawks overpaid Hjammer, and that Niemi deserves the same raise. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but you’d think he lives in a vacuum. Aside from the fact that Niemi only has half a season on his resume, you’d expect a hockey beat reporter to realize that the market for goalies this summer is drastically different from the market for defensemen. I just had to shut off the radio right after he said that. I’d really love for Niemi to remain a Hawk but that comment just pissed me off.
Excuse my mini rant, I just had to fume over that one.
by hawkswin!hawkswin! on Jul 15, 2010 11:05 AM CDT reply actions
Could not agree more...
Jesse can drive me nuts as well.
Can’t blame Niemi for grabbing at the ring, but the Hawks don’t owe him anything at this point. The post season is about posturing and haggling. I’ll take Hjammer over Niemi under these circumstances, and I feel confident that Hjammer will be considered a bargain in 2 years.
And did you hear the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup?
by TrickyDickAllen on Jul 15, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Hjammer will be considered a bargain in 2 years
Agree. The league trend is toward high value on this type of d-man. Definitely a good deal for us.
"Life is a long lesson in humility."
- James M. Barrie
Jesse Rogers
So much for being an objective Hawks beat writer. Looking like a supreme twit.
You can make things happen, watch things happen or wonder what the hell happened.
by Timothy Fisher on Jul 15, 2010 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Jesse Rogers plays a very important role ...
to remind us all that ESPN hockey coverage, national and local, is a total piece of garbage. This guy just stuck around enough when the Hawks were awful to get these jobs. I didn’t want to listen to his worthless postgame interviews of Martin LaPointe and Tyler Arnason back then, and I sure as fuck don’t want him to ruin my good time now that they are doing well.
by Billy Charlesbois on Jul 15, 2010 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Just more evidence of widespread Chicago media ignorance on all things hockey
Kind of mean to say that, but WTF is he talking about? He increasingly sounds like he’s never even watched a game before this season – saw him on a local news show about a month ago, he reminds one of Mr. Clean and/or Lex Luthor without the charm…or wit.
Or maybe he’s from the future?
Usually I dont have
anything against Jesse Rogers,here and there I think he says something that I find odd,but then again so does everyone else in sports….
But his man love for Niemi is just too much….I like Niemi,I think he is solid,but imo other than the Sharks series,he wasn’t anything special…and even in the Sharks series,its not like he was the 2nd coming of Dominik Hasek
And its not just Rogers with all this man love for Niemi…I was listening to espn 1000 the other day with dickerson and hood in for waddle and silvy,and they both bashed the blackhawks for keeping hammer instead of letting him go and signing Niemi to an extension
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I hear ya
I think he is fairly knowledgeable about hockey in general (I believe he plays himself) and don’t have anything against him. But I too find his position on this whole thing quite baffling.
by hawkswin!hawkswin! on Jul 15, 2010 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah....i'm with you
on that one…….he usually has some good things to say about hockey in general,even giving opposing teams some love….i guess you could say his level of homerism isnt annoying….but the whole niemi thing has to stop….its starting to get annoying
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
I understand beat writers
become fans of teams they cover when they spend so much time with them. But they still need to maintain some objectivity and Rogers has never had much when it comes to his “favorites” imo. Kuc and Jahns do a much better job covering the team while still getting interesting stuff out to the fans.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions
no 'fan' excuses
we’re all fans here. If Jesse actually said this:
Jesse Rogers saying Hawks overpaid Hjammer, and that Niemi deserves the same raise.
that’s plain ignorant. There was only one price for Nintendo and the Hawks didn’t set it. This has nothin to do with what Niemi deserves.
The either/orness of this seems to have escaped Jesse entirely.
June 30, 2010. We will rue this day.
by cliffkoroll on Jul 15, 2010 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions
How about that...we agree
3.5 was NOT overpaying Hammer and yeah, Niemi at 3.5 is a bit much right now.
The Hawks paid Seabrook 3.5 mil at the same age.
At that time, I don’t think he was as good as Hammer is today.
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."
i occasionally have to listen to “chicago tribune live” at the gym when my ipod dies and if you want to see some serious niemi love you have listen to some of those guys (including david haugh). they had one guy a few weeks ago saying that no matter what offer sheet niemi signed, even if it was $5-6mm per season, the hawks HAD to match it. david kaplan (the only guy on there who knows a smidge about hockey, and he sucks) basically laughed at the guy.
rogers is just as bad. his “mailbag” in the blog talks about how he sees the goalie tandem being crawford and toiuneven (sp?).
Haugh is a moron
he doesn’t even know football…..total deuche….as for Rogers saying that craw and toiun could be the goalies next year,i guess he means if they dont resign niemi,or land one of the veterans out there like theodore or turco etc….
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
100% agree Haugh is a total hockey moron
Hope he reads this too.
Lol!
at least we agree that Haugh is a moron!
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions
And a German moron at that!
"I have only space enough to add: against the assault of desperate pandas nothing can stand."
-ChicoMaki (channeling Mark Twain)
by HungryHungryPanda on Jul 15, 2010 4:31 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll stick with my Niemi was the key
Good goalies are hard to find….and we already have 3 great D-men. Without Niemi we don’t come close to touching the cup. That seems even more obvious as I watch the Cup replays from Comcast. We HAD a mediocre goalie with great D-men before Niemi took the reins…and everyone was talking about the goaltending preventing the Hawks from winning. How soon we forget the 14, 15 shots against losses and arguments about less shots must mean worse GAA, etc. etc. etc. Amazing to me so many are willing to give up on Niemi after winning the Cup in his rookie season and roasting anyone who thinks a good goalie makes the team better than a good D-man.
Without our defensive core
Niemi would have been completely torched by EVERY team we faced. He is decent but not great. His rebound control would have put him in terrible situations had our D not been there to protect the slot
FOR SALE: pair of shoes, red, size 32 1/2 wide. Please direct all bids to Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks. Clown horn sold seperately. Also for sale: 328 dogs+1 pistol (bargain price for Leafs fans!)
by BigCSouthside on Jul 15, 2010 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
that being said he was a good fit for this team
but by no means irreplaceable. The top 4 D was more important in the long run
FOR SALE: pair of shoes, red, size 32 1/2 wide. Please direct all bids to Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks. Clown horn sold seperately. Also for sale: 328 dogs+1 pistol (bargain price for Leafs fans!)
by BigCSouthside on Jul 15, 2010 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Pffffttttt
D are supposed to clear rebounds….it doesn’t take a 3.5M D man to clear a rebound. The reason we are paying our D men big bucks is mainly due to their offensive, get it out of the zone skills vs their shut down defense. Matter of fact I’m not sure we had ANY clear the bodies out of the crease D-men. Niemi made many amazing saves, his leg kicks are quicker than most goalies, he fixed most of his glove side issues, covered the bottom of the net with full splits……and he will only get better. BIG mistake if we lose him IMO.
you hit the nail on the head
given that they do shut down well, and can transition and be factors on offense, I think they are worth the price. Niemi made great saves, but I dont think he is worth the money that his agent is asking. I think he is worth 1.75 a year for 2 years at MAX considering his lack of experience. If we lose him (which we likely will) I will be upset, but only because I like the guy, not because I think he is the key to this team
FOR SALE: pair of shoes, red, size 32 1/2 wide. Please direct all bids to Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks. Clown horn sold seperately. Also for sale: 328 dogs+1 pistol (bargain price for Leafs fans!)
by BigCSouthside on Jul 15, 2010 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't know what his agent is asking...if it's 4 or 5 M that's too much.
We’re looking at different things though. Seems everyone is quoting “lack of experience”. That’s what everyone was quoting as to why Niemi couldn’t be the playoff goalie. I’m looking at athletic ability which is clear to me. If we look at basketball as an analogy, do you dump Rose and Noah because they hadn’t proven anything by the middle of their rookie seasons? Not if you understand athletic ability and what they could be given coaching and experience. Why should this be different? Now if you want to argue Niemi’s skills and abilities are no better than Turco or whoever else steps up, well then we just agree to disagree.
Niemi may have athleticism, but
he is still very raw. His positioning is not that good yet. He does not exhibit good rebound control. He puck handling skills are bad. He is still very much a work in progress. But, I do think he will be a good goaltender someday.
by stanfordron on Jul 15, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Best comment
I heard for him was during the Canucks series, “we call him Antii Claus, because he’s giving out rebounds like it was Christmas.”
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."
I love terrible analogies
“Do you dump Rose and Noah because they hadn’t proven anything by the middle of their rookie seasons?” If Rose and Noah are due for contract extensions after 1/2 year of play and they want 300% raises, and the bulls have a brutal cap situation, then I’m sure the Bulls would have to really think about it.
Don’t just say that Niemi is important, you have to make real live decisions. Do you want him instead of Hammer? Do you want him instead of Sharp? We’re not just dumping Nemo, WE HAVE A CAP PROBLEM.
Ditto for CNS
by Hack on Jul 15, 2010 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Him instead of Bolland
Already made that post. Analogy stands. Everyone is arguing that “he hasn’t proven anything”, inexperienced, etc etc. That’s what the Rose and Noah references are for.
Analogy does not stand just because you say it does
And isn’t Derrick Rose already an all-star and the best player on his team?
"I have only space enough to add: against the assault of desperate pandas nothing can stand."
-ChicoMaki (channeling Mark Twain)
by HungryHungryPanda on Jul 16, 2010 12:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, but if Bulls had salary cap issues, they shoulda dumped him.
Inexperienced and no 3 point shot. Sides, any guard will do.
Pffffftttttt
goalies are supposed to block shots and dont deserve the money Jaro Halak is making…..,i guess you are the kind of people that sign Roberto Luongo to that amazingly friendly cap hit(sarcasm)
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah, they're SUPPOSED to block shots
and when they don’t 1 dman ain’t gonna save those teams. I agree Blues overpaid Halak. But Niemi outplayed Luongo and Nabakov. Good luck if you thinks Hawks will sign a goalie better than those 3 for less than 2M.
I agree with you
that Nemo outplayed Luongo and Nabakov,and that the Blues overpaid Halak….but from the looks of it,Niemi is goin to be lookin for Halak kind of money…and right now he isn’t worth that….he did play the entire playoffs,and won th Cup with the rest of the team….but he hasn’t played an entire season,and with all due respect to him,if he was on the islanders or oilers,or even the canucks he wouldn’t have had such a good season and playoffs
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
We agree on most
Question is, if he wants 2.5 or 3 M and we can’t sign him because we signed Hammer, would having Niemi, more cap space and a 1 and 3 draft pick be better than having Hammer? That’s where I think I disagree with most others. I’d take Niemi and most others would take Hammer.
Where is that northeast lawyer Canuck fan when you need him...
Was wondering what that Beantown guy would say to this?
Considering the Canucks have “what?” seven dmen signed for 3+ million and non of them are as good defensively as the Hawks Hjammer…
So basically
by your math if we don’t re-sign Niemi, we may as well kiss a cup repeat goodbye huh?
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
I really can’t agree with that. The flyers had goalie problems up and down last season, and still made the finals (granted the east was crazy in the playoffs). I though leighton was a joke. I mean… the SC winning goal was a on-ice bullet from a terrible angle.
We have one of, if not the, best defensive top 4 in the league. I could suit up and we’d have a decent shot at a run.
I want some
of what your hittin’ on over there please because you are seriously convoluted!
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
Riighhtttt
I think I saw your hockey sense when you said we coulda won the cup with Huet. The stuff you’re hitting on is much better than I’ve ever heard of, so no need to change….matter of fact, maybe you shouild cut back a bit before your brain turns to total mush.
BTW did you get on the bandwagon in May or June?
what does how long he's been a fan
have to do with anything? Many new fans I’ve met have better hockey sense than some long-time, know-it-all fans I’ve encountered.
by Katherine215 on Jul 19, 2010 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Sighhhhhh..do you REALLY want to get into the middle of this?
Anyone can bust my posts all they want…but when the name calling starts, watch out. A newbie coming here after starting posting since June does not gain name calling rights and saying I’m high and seriously convoluted is not going to be taken well. THAT is the point of the message above and you know it. Plenty of people disagreed with my opinions w/o resorting to that and I had no issue with any of them. Perhaps you should jump on him for starting insults on here instead of me for pointing out he’s a newbie……or does his idea of a soon to be minor league goalie being able to win the cup for us make him one of those good hockey sense newbies that can throw insults any time he wants in your mind?
Siggghhhh...more bluster from husler.
I don’t see any name calling. He used a variation on a common phrase, “what are you smoking,” to express his shock at your opinion. Since when are you the friendliness-police?
I know what your point was – to show your “superior” knowledge by pointing out he’s only been on SCH for a short time. You’ve no way of knowing if he’s been a fan longer than you or not, not that it even matters; you assumed because he didn’t comment on a blog for as long as you that you know more. Very nice thought process. Next you’ll be comparing dick size comment counts to determine superiority.
I have no idea if Crawford can help us win the Cup again or not, but nobody knew if Niemi could stop a beach ball 1 year ago, so Crawford’s success is just as possible. It doesn’t take a 50 year fan to figure that one out.
by Katherine215 on Jul 19, 2010 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Guess blindness AND bad judgement are afflictions eh?
because you are seriously convoluted!
Put on your glasses and take a look at the thing in block quotes. Now maybe you’d take that as a nice compliment, but I take it differently.
Another example of misinterpretation by you is that I said if we lose Niemi, unless we get a goalie at least as good as Niemi, we’ll have a hard time winning the cup next year. Implied is given salary cap issues, it would be hard to get as good a goalie from outside the organization so unless Crawford (and I HAVE gone on record last season as being a Crawford supporter) has as good a year as Niemi did, we probably don’t win the cup next year. Tuke called me out as being seriously convoluted (not only name calling but another great example of his hockey knowledge), yet you’re somehow arguing with me by saying it’s just as possible it could happen.. Yeah, I think it could, but how is that relevant to the smoking and convoluted thinking issue?
Finally, please quit trying to pretend you know my thought process and what I was trying to do. You honestly have no frigging clue. You have MULTIPLE times over the past months tried to put your inferences and false words in my mouth by writing posts attributing YOUR interpretation of my thoughts that were far from any semblance of truth or reality besides in your own head. Unfortunately out of context some others take that as gospel w/o looking at the facts. I’d appreciate you stop trying to play amateur psychologist and stick to hockey facts and topics.
Do you actually know
what convoluted means? I suggest you look it up.
What other reason is there to bring up his relative newness to a hockey blog than to try to show your superiority? I don’t particularly care much about what either of you think of Crawford. My original point in this is making statements about longevity as a fan has no relevance.
As for the rest of that novel you wrote, I think you’re telling me I’m guilty of inferring things from your posts, while in your 2nd paragraph you state that you implied stuff that we’re supposed to infer. So yeah. When you figure out what you’re saying, let me know, ok?
by Katherine215 on Jul 19, 2010 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Ok
Not responding to this after this post….I have better things to do…but for the record
His saying he thought Huet could win the cup for us makes me think that he wasn’t watching the games when Huet shat his goalie pants and showed that the minor leagues were in his future. Most reasonable fans that watched the whole year wouldn’t say that, perhaps one or 2 people excepted…that and his not posting on here most of the season makes me wonder whether he is a bandwagoner and insulting regulars for their opinions. The alternative is that he DID watch and STILL thinks a goalie of Huet’s caliber could have won the cup. THEN you can rightfully accuse me of thinking I have superior hockey knowledge to his.
and Luongo proved this
year that he is a head case against the Hawks.
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."
look, i advocated for Niemi pretty much all last year and really wanted to see him get the starting job. that being said, there’s a reason our top d-pairing is considered “the best shut-down pair in the league.” yes, they provide offense, but without the great d they provide, they’d just be a bunch of Mike Green clones. And we wouldn’t be as happy with that.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions
oh, and i forgot to add
it’s b/c of the offense AND defense that our d-men bring that makes them higher priority in my mind that Nemo, as much as I really do love our goalie.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions
well yeah, but
I’m not talking Keith or Seabrook. Maybe Campbell but only because if we got rid of him we get 7+M cap space and maybe keep some others. I just can’t get my head around keeping a 4th best D man at the expense of a potentially great goalie. That is not a trade off I think most teams make.
That said, one of 2 things will happen. We somehow keep Niemi and Bowman had it under control all along. Then great! Good move all around. OR we lose Niemi and hopefully I eat crow next season. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
well, i guess it was the depth at D that i was trying to get at
without the swede, we have no real defensive depth b/c we limit Soupy’s effectiveness. that puts us back at only one really solid d-pair to help out the goalie. while Niemi is our best goalie option, i don’t think he’s worth breaking up the defensive depth for.
But as you say, we’ll see. we need to know how arbitration comes out first.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
the thing with Hammer and Niemi
both have the potential to be great players for their respective positions. Hammer’s supposed to be a future Lidstrom, and Niemi is apparently miles ahead of where Backstrom was when he was Niemi’s age.
But the thing with a goalie is that it’s hard to gauge consistency so early. Their development can sometimes seem all over the place. In Niemi do we have a future great, or is he going to end up like Steve Mason or Andrew Raycroft in their sophomore years? Defensemen, meanwhile, seem to get better with more experience, which means quite a bit considering this is only Hammer’s second year in the NHL and we’ve already picked him over a former 3rd overall pick.
If I were to make a calculated decision… my money’d be on the d-man.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too." -- 2/28/10, so our Captain has said, and so it was done.
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on Jul 16, 2010 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
If Scotty Bowman is comparing
Hammer to Lidstrom, I see it as a complete no-brainer as to why the Hawks matched San Jose’s offer sheet.
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."
DW and the Sharks...
… were rumored to want Hammer to play with Boyle on their top d-line. That is for this coming year.
It’s too early to pay him that much money but it is fairly reasonable to think you will eventually have to pay that kind of money.
The jury is still out on Niemi. In four playoff series I think only one of them, Niemi was viewed as the better goalie. At least going into the series.
I don't know about "too early"
Seabs was given the same money when he was 23 and I think Hammer is just as good as from what I can remember of Seabrook at that age.
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."
"too early"
I’m a big Hjammer fan but this is his first full season in the NHL.
Seabrook played 69 games in his rookie year and had almost 3 full seasons of games played at the same age.
Seabrook had a season and a half additional NHL games under his belt when he got that contract. That is a lot more games to get an idea of a guys value…
No one wants to give up on Niemi,
at least that I have seen. Most just don’t think a rookie goaltender with half a season under his belt deserves the pay raise he is reportedly looking for. Maybe if we didn’t have cap issues, it would be a different story. But the organization has made a statement by signing Hjammer that it values solid D more than unproven goaltending. If this was Niemi’s 2nd or 3rd season, I think this is different.
It would be nice if you stopped taking shots at Huet, it’s getting seriously old.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
The shots at John Scott are getting old in my opinion. The man has not even had a chance to prove himself in an Indian Head sweater and yet many here feel they can just shit all over him…..at least some of these shots at Huet are justified.
19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks
by HjammerTime on Jul 15, 2010 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I haven't noticed many
shots on Scott, but I haven’t paid close attention. Huet did a lot of good tihngs for the team that get ignored and I think that’s unfair. yes, he didn’t pan out the way we’d hoped but I’m sick of the goalie debate.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Plus
if he can be 13th forward/7th d-man/often healthy scratch, might he save a roster spot?
June 30, 2010. We will rue this day.
I'm not looking a rookie goaltender, 1/2 a season etc.
I’m looking at basic athletic skills I saw him perform that I don’t see from many goalies. Yeah, agreed if he wants 5M he has to go. But if it’s even up vs a d man, then I go with Niemi. Now we also have options to drop someone else to sign him too….if I had to chose losing 1 from Hammer, Niemi and Bolland……well it wouldnn’t be Hammer or Niemi.
As to Huet, I am actually trying to be discreet…not mentioning his name, etc. etc. But when the topic is about goaltenders and it fits the thread, I’m not going to avoid ALL semblance of potential negatives on Huet. If you want to see me taking shots at Huet and what THAT looked like, see my posts from 6 or so months ago.
well, why aren't you looking
at who Niemi is? He’s never shouldered the load of a #1 for a full season, never actually played a full season, and his athleticism covers his ass when he’s out of position. I like Niemi, and definitely don’t want to hear the goalie shit again all season long if we sign someone else. However, I take D over goaltending and so is the rest of the league.
I think you can make your points without taking shots on Huet (and not using his name doesn’t change what you’re doing) but choose not to. I saw your comments first hand 6 months ago, I have zero desire to repeat that experience.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Again
Gretzky didn’t have to play a full season to see his abilities (not that Niemi is as good a goalie as Gretzky was a forward…not going there for sure). Ability is more important early on. And IF in fact
his athleticism covers his ass when he’s out of position.
then THAT is why I think he’ll get better and better. Just think how good he’ll be with a little experience and better positioning as he knows the league better and better with that athleticism. You can teach positioning…you can’t teach some of the abilities I saw in Niemi.
Re: Huet I don’t want to get into that either. He’s gone for all practical purposes and I see no need to take shots on him…but that’s different than using examples of how we did with good D when our goal tending wasn’t working…be it Niemi or Huet. Sorry if those examples offend you….shots at Huet were not my intent.
I don’t know, husler, very few NHL players don’t show their ability “early on”; it’s usually pretty apparent, this ability. To have spotted it in Gretzky wasn’t too hard; he was practically NHL-ready when he was 7.
I don’t think I’d argue with you that Nemo shows ability. The difference is how I value it in terms of a contract. He has 42 regular season games. No matter how much ability we see in him, the number on a contract has to be realistic in both directions—what he might be able to do, and what he might not be able to do. Fact is, no one knows. He has a Cup, true, but so does Jordan Hendry.
I think Nemo’s contract should be 1.9 or 2.0 … based on his ability. He’s played really well for 42 games and a playoff season; but he’s never been a number one. Paying him accordingly isn’t disloyal, it’s business. Huet hadn’t been a true number one before he came here either … and we all saw how that panned out.
www.mjt.org
It's all a balancing act
Teams DO pay for potential, but it’s a risk. How much is potential worth? We paid Hammer 3.5M…are you saying that was for his season or his potential? We didn’t see a heck of a lot more of him than we did Niemi, but somehow the general consensus is he’s a “lock” to be great and worth it, but Niemi gives up rebounds (like that can’t ever be corrected and the next goalie we have will be a vacuum cleaner) so let’s get some unknown guy because we don’t need a good goalie? Why would any goalie who’s as good or better than Niemi (Turco maybe???) take less than what he would get? They won’t. And w/o a good goalie, we are not a cup contender IMO….fun to watch, competitive, playoff team, sure. Maybe that’s enough?
Good point re signing for Hammer’s potential, but I do think we’ve seen far more of him than we have Niemi; basically, his “Niemi season” was two years ago, and he even got in a handful of games the season before that.
I’m not saying we don’t need a good goalie; any contender does. But if Niemi chooses to go to arb and gets awarded something significantly more than 2 million, it clearly means one of two things: we keep him (and get rid of Bolland); or we let him walk as a UFA.
We don’t see eye to eye on this, but I think keeping Bolland and replacing what Niemi does for the team (at 2 mil) will be easier than keeping Niemi and replacing what Bolland does for the team (at 3.4 mil). And even factoring in what these two players might become, I see more upside to Bolland than to Niemi. If this situation comes to light, then whichever one of us is right … I hope that’s the scenario that plays out.
www.mjt.org
I think everyone's point is that there some "good enough" goalies out there with modest Cap hits
Niemi may be pricing himself out of his current position
Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.
Yeah, just comes down to a difference of opinion
At this point I guess everyone is waiting to see what the arbitrator says. Hopefully a nice surprise for the Hawks and we keep Niemi w/o losing anyone else.
Not to rain
on your parade, but has not been etched in stone yet that Huet is gone
(holy shit did I just type that)???
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
Do we know exactly how much he is asking for?
I have seen alot of speculation numbers, but has there been anything concrete thrown out there?
How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?
Nothing that I have seen
and I read his agent didn’t want to share details when he was on the radio today. I think Zito did mention a long term deal at one point, but the rest is just rumors (which is why I went with “reportedly”).
It seems to me he’d have to be asking for more than the Hawks were comfortable with – and given cap space, I am guessing that seems to be in the $2m range – or they’d have signed him already.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I can't help but feel (sometimes) Chicago "doesn't get" goaltending...
I’m not speaking of the very knowledgeable folks on this blog, please know that. I’m talking about the ass hats that booed Huet after a shutout. (he was never the same after that, look it up)
By Christmas, I felt Niemi had the ability to win the cup. Not a lock for god’s sakes, but there is something about his toughness, his agility, and his work ethic.
All the points made on this blog are perfectly valid. He needs to prove himself over a greater period of time? Yes. – But we will not be given that luxury in this scenario.
If we lose Niemi, and we very well may lose him, mark my words in a few years we will collectively be saying “what the hell happened?”
He’s just gathering momentum folks, he’s just getting started. Granted, he does not win a cup without that “D” in front of him. But equally, that “D” doesn’t win the cup without Niemi, either.
Is Niemi perfect? Who is? Another thing, this mythical goalie that is better positionally and gives up no rebounds… just who is he? I’d love to meet him, or at least watch films.
And the other knock, he covers the bottom of the net but not the top? Again, where is this mythical goalie? I have heard that knock thrown on so many good goalies (that didn’t deserve it) I could puke.
If your goalie takes away the bottom so well that they have to go upper shelf, he’s doing a great job. If Niemi is weak on top, please explain it to me. Please compare to the guy who is. (I really want to meet that guy)
I will say this, his puck handling is sometimes a train wreck, (and I’m being polite) but he will learn.
And Fuck the Blues for over paying Halak, and Fuck the Sharks for deliberately causing this mess, and Fuck SCUM because… “they’re SCUM!!!”
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Kinda funny really
Last year when there were arguments about trading or dumping Huet the cry was who can we get? No one’s out there. He’ll come around. etc etc etc Turco was summarily dismissed as not good enough. Now, any ol’ goalie will do with THIS defense. Well, this years team already looks worse than last years but with THIS defense and any old goalie, we win the cup. I dunno. Maybe Ditka can play goalie or something. I admit I don’t get it how dumping Niemi became the least of all evils.
I agree with a lot of this
but not this:
But equally, that "D" doesn’t win the cup without Niemi, either.
for reasons I have elucidated elsewhere.
June 30, 2010. We will rue this day.
If you mean ANY other goalie, (worldwide) agreed.
If you mean any other goalie at our disposal, (meaning Huet or Crawfish) disagree.
I love Niemi, I hope we can keep him. He absolutely needs to show more than half a season, but someone will “take a flyer” on him if we let go. Remember how good it felt to see Belfour and Hasek win the cup in another sweater? (What does an aneurysm feel like?)
I TOTALLY agree hold onto Hjalmarsson first (but ouch!) please dear lord, hang onto Sharp… (I’m not selling my Sharp jersey on ebay!)
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
I hope
we keep Niemi also. Yes he has knocks, but you’re right, who doesn’t. However, unless there is a miracle to be had somewhere I think we should all prepare for Niemi to say adios!
Unless he agrees to a deal of no more than 2mil/yr I just do not see a way to sign him unless someone can be found to take Soupy’s contract (which I doubt) because I believe that Even Stan knows Sharpie is too valuable!
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
You have the right to your opinion husler
but my opinion is Hammer over Niemi…the era of the goalie is over
Just take a look at he last 5 stanely cup champions,Cam Ward,J.S.Giguere,Osgood,Fleury,Niemi
Each team had a good group of D-men-Giguere had Pronger Niedermeyer,Fleury had Hall Gill Scuderi,Gonchar,Osgood had Rafalski Lidstrom Kronwall and so on….
i think thats why everyone is saying the Blackhawks did good by matching Hammer
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Niemi was not the key
SJ, he was awesome- game 2 in that series, he won. But the Hawks swept that series, and could have won the weries with average goaltending.
Beyond that, he was good. Not as good as Rinne (c/f rebound control) or even Reboundo (who had two great games in Chicago).
He outplayed Nabby (hello KHL) and Leighton ($1.6 million.)
All last year, I said the importance of goaltending is overrated.
I love Nemo, and I don’t think Nintendo is a lay down choice here, but if you can only have one, I’ll take our top 4 D plus some guy in big pads.
June 30, 2010. We will rue this day.
by cliffkoroll on Jul 15, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Well at this point
I think the opinions and reasons are on the table…so we wait for the play to play out. Probably nothing more to add right now, but enjoying the discussions!
Hammer over Niemi, no doubt
But Niemi’s athleticism is a great asset. This has already become quite a goalie thread.. Niemi made key stops in the playoffs when it counts, he’ll always be a special part of a champion team. I’d love to see him stay a Hawk for awhile, and despite my preference for defense over goalies, I thought husler777 made some solid points.
Nemo is
a good goalie, not a great goalie! I am sorry, but I completely do not understand how you don’t think we have a chance at winning the cup without Niemi. Sure he was great in the SJS series, but outside of that he played no better or worse than any other goalie out there. I have watched the whole playoff run about 4 times already and am currently watching game 5 of the Nash series as I type and I can say without a doubt that the D made Nemo look much better than he was..
Certainly he has talent and could develop into a great goalie at some point, but at this point in time it is critical to keep the D in tact that made him look so good through most of the playoffs. By no means am I a Huet fan, but I honestly think that even with him in net we still would have won the cup if the D gives him the same protection Nimei received.
Another reason it is more important to keep Hammer rather than giving Nemo the farm is that we lost around 30% of the offensive output from last year, and with unproven talent coming up and taking those places, the solid D pairings may prove to be crucial throughout the whole season. A prove D is better than a semi-prove goalie.
Sure I would like to re-sign Niemi to a reasonable contract because I think he probably will be a good ( not great) goalie in a year or two, but unless he accepts a contract around the 2 mil/yr mark (which I doubt he will) we need to start looking at other options.
II Can Finally Die Happy Now!
well Ok then nuff said
By no means am I a Huet fan, but I honestly think that even with him in net we still would have won the cup
by husler777 on Jul 15, 2010 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Jesse Rogers
is apparently firmly in the Zito camp. They seem to be focused on Lehtonen/Rinne-type money. They would probably be more reasonable to focus on Leighton/Rask-type money. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nemo, but let’s be realistic.
WWTD?
Skille
wow, according to that article, they signed him for 600K, if thats true, good job Stan for getting him to take a substantial pay cut
FEAR THE FINN!!!
that's a great deal!
and a wise move on Skille’s part. Ups his chances of making the team significantly, I would think.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions
the Hawks have to play him
if you consider when he was drafted, how much time he’s had to develop, etc… if they hawks weren’t going to play him, i’m guessing they shouldn’t have signed him at all.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
they could still trade him.
If we hadn’t had cap woes last year, I wonder if we wouldn’t have seen him more last season than we did.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
In fact,
the Hawks brass up and said just that. We could not bring him up because we did not have the cap room. That is why Bickell moved ahead of him. Skille even offered to take less so he could join the big boys last season but it was not allowed. I had a feeling he would not let anything come between him and the NHL this season – especially money.
by stanfordron on Jul 15, 2010 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions
that makes a lot of sense
it’s amazing to me when the CBA gets in the way of players getting pay time or developing, just like with Skille, esp since he was willing to take less money. I don’t see how scenarios like this are in the best interest of hockey, no matter which team we’re talking about.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
I was just thinking the same things
He could’ve learned a lot last year and unfortunately got buried in the AHL. I remember someone asking him about driving to and from Rockford and he said he didn’t mind it at all. Probably he was just happy to be playing with the Hawks.
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think you can have contracts that can be re-negotiated. It lets a team off the hook, first of all, for making a bad signing, and competing GMs aren’t going to like that. Sign a player for 10 million, secure him, then re-negotiate in 2 years when other players make the cap a threat.
Also, teams could place undue pressure on guys like Skille to take pay cuts in order to play, and that could get really nasty. A player might be more willing to take a pay cut, too, for a contender, but why would he if he were on the Lightning, say?
There are just too many dark avenues for there to be re-negotiation … for both sides.
www.mjt.org
i understand why the lack of regnegotiation currently exists
but the intent behind the rule seems to be to protect players from being pressured to take lower contracts. And yes, part of it is also to protect teams from being hamstrung by the hot player of the moment. But in this instance, it hurt the player, and didn’t help the team develop it’s prospect. i see no benefit here — and thus it seems to have defeated the intent of the rule.
that’s what bugs me about skille’s situation. There was mutual agreement by both the team and player on what they wanted to do, the alternative benefitted NO ONE (not even the sport, which shouldn’t be happy about seeing players like Skille go underdeveloped), and yet everyone’s hands were tied.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I think that is Skille's fault not the CBA.
Seriously, if putting Skille on the team wasn’t worth his cap hit then he has underperformed compared to his contract and draft position.
To me that is the same situation that Huet is in. Not good but almost entirely their fault.
Who would you have sat last year
in exchange for Skille if the cap weren’t a problem? Is it worth it to give him 4th line, “energy” minutes for a full season (if you put him in place of Fraser or Eager or Burish) versus giving him more minutes in Rockford?
You could argue he’s underachieved or taken slower to develop, but I just don’t see where he would have fit on the team last year. In place of Brouwer, Versteeg, Buff, Ladd?
by Katherine215 on Jul 15, 2010 11:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree
with K.
He isn’t a checker, so he’s competing with Hossa/Kane/Brouwer/Versteeg/Ladd/Sharp (prior to the move to center) … who do you sit for skille?
Very different landscape this year. Its christmas in July for the Skille residence.
by oregon_hawk on Jul 16, 2010 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Glad you agree with K...
… since I have no idea what she is arguing with me about.
If you look at 2005 mock drafts from average fans, they had the Hawks drafting guys like Kopitar or at worst Martin Hanzal. If Skille performed to the level of even Hanzal nobody would be complaining about his EL contract cap hit.
Jeez, I'm not arguing
Just replying to a comment you made. Comparing him to his fellow draftees, sure Skille is not up to their level (yet?).
But if you’re going with the idea that his play should have made his cap hit worth it, I just wonder who you replace in the line up for Skille. We already had “proven” talent in Versteeg/Buff/Ladd/Brouwer, how do you justify sitting them to get Skille up?
by Katherine215 on Jul 16, 2010 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Comparing him to his fellow draftees
If Skille was drafted before Toews. If he was worth his draft position he would have a couple of years in the NHL by now. He would be as “proven” as Versteeg and Buff.
As for last year, Bolland, Hossa and Burish were injured for a good portion of the year. If Skille was worth his contract he would have been up then.
As for the assumption that the Hawks last year didn’t have a position for Skille even if he was good. I don’t agree. Skille would have been 3rd line RW with Versteeg on LW.
That would have let Ladd play 2nd line LW with Sharp and Kane.
Then Hossa and Toews would be on the top line with Brouwer.
Basically, if Skille was as good as his draft position, then the Hawks would have found a spot for him…
but they couldn't find a spot because of his cap hit.
they started calling up Bickell and Dowell because of the cap. I’m not saying he’s worth his draft position, as he hasn’t been to date.
I just think he couldn’t have made last year’s team with the salaries the way they were without eliminating one of the guys I mentioned earlier. I like your scenario, but his salary and the cap situation (and the established roster) prohibited that from happening. Where is Buff? Are you exchanging Buff for Skille? There just were too many good players for Skille to make it.
by Katherine215 on Jul 16, 2010 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions
If Skille was on the team...
… they wouldn’t have signed Kopecky.
And the Hawks did have the cap room for Skille if they wanted him. The Hawks ended up taking on salary with KJ at the deadline. And they ended the season with 23 players.
As for Buf he would be on my 4rth line 5on5 where he belongs. As a top 9 forward he hurt anyone’s stats that he played with…
yeah since they can keep up now at minimal cost
sure makes the case to stay up a lot better than beating up your own team in a prospect camp
I can't wait to dive into a pool and end up in a jacuzzi
by desertindian on Jul 15, 2010 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions
well if you think about it
it’s most likely a pay cut for substantially more NHL playing time with high-caliber teammates. I could see how the pay cut would be worth it, and kind of a no-brainer IMO.
happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!
by puppetmasterp on Jul 15, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
not like he's done enything but underachieve
-Matt Cooke is a turd burglar. He burgles ALL the turds.-
-At least he's not Cam Janssen. What a bag of dicks that guy is.-
spelling fail........ANYTHING
-Matt Cooke is a turd burglar. He burgles ALL the turds.-
-At least he's not Cam Janssen. What a bag of dicks that guy is.-
This kinda reminds me of "It's a Wonderful Life"...
When George Bailey was desperately trying to close the Building & Loan at 6:00 before he ran out of money… Stan, quick – send a DVD to all your players…
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Skille & Makarov moves increase hope that Hawks can avoid losing more core
Makarov signed a 2-year, $1.1 million deal. That’s a cap hit of only $552,000, which I think makes him a near-lock to make the big club. I think it also sends Kyle Beach and his $1.2 million cap hit to Rockford. That’s a savings of $648,000 in cap sapce right there.
Add to that the fact that Bowman got Skille to sign for about $600,000 less that what he made last year … and, all of a sudden, that’s about $1.2 million additional freed up for Niemi.
I am still hopefull that the Hawks can keep Hammer AND Niemi … without having to lose Sharp, Campbell, etc.
These moves help.
Great sig, but...
Add in the “bro” at the end, and you’ve got Comedy Gold, Jerry!
actually the $600,000 will wind up being a raise for skille. i believe that entry level deals are two-way contracts. so since he’s been playing in the ahl most of the time he’s been making the lower number on his contract. plus he wasn’t able to earn any of the bonuses in the deal (like toews and kane just did). so to im that $1.2mm is just a number. the $600,000 is a real number and i’d be curious if it’s one-way.
From what people are saying above
is Makarov ready to play in the NHL though? I look at it more like we’ve got a lot of cheaper players signed now, so we have a lot of flexibility. This is good.
the more i see all these names added the more i think this is a great situation for the hawks to be in. they’ve got 2-3 wing positions open (if you count dowell and bickell as locks) and a bunch of players that will look to make an impression:
morin
j. hayes
k. hayes
skille
beach
stalberg
etc.
i realize that k. hayes is going to college and morin is going back to juniors, but having that number of players will drive everyone to show up ready and play better. a little competition never hurt anyone.
Morin is goin
back to the juniors?no ahl for him yet?
i get the hayes bros.playing a year or two ncaa hockey
skille beach-dont know if they will make the team this yyear,especially beach because of his cap hit
i think stalberg can make the team-heard the kid is a great skater,and a two way player,something along the lines of The Hossa
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
i thought morin still had a year of junior eligibilty left. if so it’s either with the hawks or back to juniors. he can play a 10 game try-out to start the season and then be returned.
I think you are right
I think he does have a year of eligibility left….i was askin,because i wasn’t sure,but when you mention it,it sounds about right…..hope the kid is a big time player…wicked wrist shot
by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Jul 15, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Skille
I think this shows he is serious about wanting to play in the NHL. Perhaps he has been humbled. In any event, he is getting good advice from his agent.
This could turn out to be the most pleasant surprise of the next season. If not, he came dirt cheap and it will be easy to cut ties.
19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks
ha, niemi needs to switch to skille's agent
I can't wait to dive into a pool and end up in a jacuzzi
by desertindian on Jul 15, 2010 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
FINALLY
Been waitin for this damn Rooskie to get here for ages.
You must have me confused with someone else, I have never been to Chicago.
[whispers] I sexually assaulted Scottie Pippen in 1997.
Hokayy, you son of beech
…let’s play some cards. My wife will never understand why I like Rounders so much – or for that matter, 25th Hour. Gender differences, obviously (but I did get her to watch “The Sopranos” when it was on, one major victory).
Bowman and "bonus cushion"
Was wondering if the three alcoholics could put up a post on the bonus cushion from last year?
Here is the thing. The Hawks took on salary at the trading deadline when they traded Barker for KJ. They also finished the year with a full 23 man roster.
At the time of the trading deadline it had to be apparent that at least some of the kids performance bonuses were going to be met. Sure the CS bonus was a surprise but what of the 2.8M stuff wasn’t?
Not sure why Bowman gets a pass on being that far over. I know he is lucky that when the Hawks went for it they actually won the Cup. However, 4M over without taking any steps at the Trading deadline to mitigate it? And in fact making it worse?
I’m just surprised our trusty bloggers are giving Bowman a total pass on this…
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