Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman likes his Michal’s a little bit older and without the e. While other general managers where overpaying for average talent, Bowman spent his day bringing back two solid veteran players. When you lock up your young core and draft well, you don’t need to spend the first day of free agency making moves that reek of desperation.
Michal Handzus was given a one year, $1 million dollar deal, a $1.5 million pay cut from a year ago. Handzus, if used correctly, can play on the 2nd and 4th lines, hopefully more on the 4th. He can contribute on the penalty as well. He is quality guy to have for one more season as the youth movement from Rockford slowly takes shape.
Michal Rozsival was one of those signings you just shrugged about when he was added to the mix last September. He turned out to be one of the best moves Bowman made all last year. Q did a great job using him the regular season. Rozsival, much like in Phoenix, was very good in the playoffs. He is a very smart defender and is rarely caught out of position. When Rozy is your 6th defenseman, you are doing things the right way. Rozsival’s contract is reported to be 2 years in length but no financial terms have been released yet.
The only thing left for Bowman to do is to finalize a new deal for Marcus Kruger and possibly look for a veteran backup goaltender. The Hawks will be well under the cap at the start of the season, which will give them the flexibility to add payroll during the season, if need be.