Hawks Make Some Noise in Free Agency - Year 2
Just 24 hours after the NHL free agency opened up, the Hawks found themselves landing one of the top sought after UFAs. As many were expecting the Hawks to hammer out a deal with Havlat, Dale had other plans. Just hours into free agency, the Hawks had signed Marian Hossa to a ridiculous contract of 12 years for $62M. Shortly after that news broke, the Hawks had signed Tomas Kopecky to a 2 year deal worth $1.2M a year. With these move, it was assumed the Hawks were done, but on day 2, John Madden signed a 1 year deal with Chicago for $2.75M. In a short time, Blackhawks management reinforced their commitment to bring the Cup back to Chicago.
The Hawks also had a few losses through free agency, but none were real surprises. Earlier in the day, there was talk of Huet being traded to bring Khabibulin back. Once the list of interested suitors in desparate need of a goalie began to shrink, it didn’t look like moving Huet would be likely. Teams addressed goaltending needs early as: Colorado signed Craig Anderson, St. Louis signed Ty Conklin, the Islanders signed Dwayne Roloson, Brian Boucher makes his return to Philly and Scott Clemensen look to get a starting gig in Florida. Khabi, which I don’t think many really thought he was resigning with the Hawks after being run out of town following the Huet signing, found a new home in Edmonton. With Roloston leaving for the Isle, Edmonton was left with Jeff Deslauriers (who has only played 10 NHL games in his young career). Why would Edmonton trade for Huet, when they could sign a free agent who outperformed Huet, for most likely less money? The Oilers inked Khabibulin for 4 years at $15M (a drop in salary from $6.75M to $3.75M). This is a nice signing at a good price for Edmonton, given Khabi can stay healthy at age 36.
Once the Hawks signed Hossa, the writing was on the wall for Havlat. Opportunity knocked, as Marian Gaborik left Minnesota for the Blueshirts. Havlat steps in to fill a huge vacancy for the Wild. As the Twittering continued, Havlat made it very clear that he felt he was not treated fairly by the Hawks in the contract negotiations.
Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management. The real story about what happened in Chicago to come out. There’s something to be said for loyalty and honor. - Martin Havlat, via Twitter
Apparently, the length of the contract was a sticking point, as the Hawks were only willing to give Martin a 1 year deal. He eventually signed for 6 years at $30M. The Havlat signing was always in question, and when a deal wasn’t done going into the morning of free agency, the Hawks were more that prepared with a Plan “B” in Hossa. My thought is with the speed that they got the Hossa deal done and with that strong of an offer, he quickly developed into Plan “A”.
The other player movement out of Chicago was Matt Walker and Sami Pahlsson, who weren’t key components to the Hawks success last season. Walker had some nice games, and also had some real poor ones. The Hawks depth on D should be solid if Sopel can play like he did 2 seasons ago and they retain Barker. It would also be nice to see Hendry return to the form he was 2 seasons ago. Sami was a good fit, but his signing with Columbus may be the reason the Hawks went after another center in Madden.
The Hawks have a few restricted free agents to lock up in Barker, Brouwer, Versteeg, and Crawford. As much as I like Versteeg, he and Crawford may be expendable.
Marian Hossa RW
Marian is a strong 2-way forward who should add scoring and leadership to the Hawks line up. His production should be an upgrade from Havlat. Given Havlat’s injury history, Dale did well to bring the top free agent from a relatively thin crop into Chicago. At 30, he should drastically increase the average age of the team. Campbell, Huet, Sopel and now Hossa and Madden are the only players on the current roster at 30 or older. The 12 year term at $5.2M a season sounds suspect, but the overall terms are de
cieving. The 12 year deal means that, barring trade, Hossa will be a Blackhawk for the rest of his career. The contract is valued at 62.8 million dollars, bringing the salary cap hit to 5.2 million dollars a year. Reports are surfacing that the contract is extremely front loaded, with Hossa receiving $59.8 million in over the first eight years. When that period passes, Hossa, who will be 31 in January and is set to be 42 years old when his contract expires, will earn an average of $0.8 million each of the last 4 years of his contract. It is to be fully expected that Hossa would contemplate retirement after year seven of his contract, and at the point Hossa retires, the Blackhawks will not be penalized against their salary cap. If the Blackhawks decide to buy out his contract after seven years, they would feel little repercussion as well, though it seems unlikely that scenario would ever occur.
Interesting note: Hossa has worn the Indian Head earlier in his career. He started his career with the Portland Winter Hawks.
Tomas Kopecky C/RW
Tomas is a big kid, 6′3″ 200 lbs, that likes to hit. He should add a physical presence. Something Byf could only add in the playoffs. His talent and ability may have been hidden behind a stacked Red Wings lineup. The opportunity for more ice time and a larger role could do this kid good. Look for him to change his number to #28.
John Madden C
John is 36 years old, and his best years are behind him. But coming from a system in NJ, he has got to be a solid 2-way player. He brings Cup experience and 2 rings to the locker room. He is also a Selke Trophy Winner (2001) and fills a need at center. A quiet 2ned day signing that looks like it should be a nice fit.
So the frenzy has died to a dull roar. Is Dale and company done?