And now we wait...

(c) Getty Images
Can the Hawks find a way to keep Ladd?


In what was expected to be a pretty busy weekend for the Hawks, GM Stan Bowman was relatively quiet on the trade front, as much of the league was. There were not many deals done between GMs unless they involved draft pick swaps.

Which leads us to the draft. The Hawks made 5 selections in the first 2 rounds and the theme of the draft was taking big players with skill and who can skate. Chicago used their first selection on Kevin Hayes from Massachusetts high school at 24 overall. Other draft picks included Ludvig Rensfeldt (great name) from Sweden at pick 35, US-born defencemen Justin Holl and Stephen Johns at picks 54 and 60 respectively and goaltender Kent Simpson at pick 58. The Blackhawks also traded one of their second round picks for Jimmy Hayes (brother of first round pick Kevin) who was a 2009 2nd round selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I’ve seen these kids play or know how they are going to project in 3-5 years. That’s what makes the NHL draft such a crapshoot. The Hawks went into the weekend with the goal of further supplementing their pipeline of prospects and did achieve this. Only time will tell how these kids pan out and a key from this point on is the proper development. We’ll have to re-evaluate the 2010 draft in a couple years.

In the very least, Bowman now has additional ammo to make deals at the 2011 or 2012 trade deadline if the Hawks need to pick up additional pieces at the deadline to make a Cup run. You can never have enough good assets in your system.

As I mentioned above, it was surprising that there wasn’t another trade involving the Hawks this weekend. While Stan Bowman has indicated the Hawks do not have to make any more trades for salary cap reasons, it is unlikely that this is the case. Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd’s names were those most mentioned over the weekend.

News came out yesterday that the Hawks did indeed qualify key restricted free agents Niklas Hjalmarsson, Antii Niemi, and the aforementioned Andrew Ladd. While this doesn’t mean the players are going to sign these qualifying offers, it does ensure that the Hawks would receive compensation should another team sign them to an offer sheet. It also doesn’t prevent the Hawks from continuing to negotiate with their RFAs in order to sign them before July 1st.

So we now wait. Free agency opens on July 1st and while this is not exactly a bumper crop of unrestricted free agents, July 1st is going to mark a very important day for general managers. There’s a good chance a lot of these GMs are not going to get their UFA targets, meaning they will have to go the trade route to improve their team. I fully expect Stan to be a busy man in the next 2 weeks.

We will also soon know the answers to the questions that are unanswered at this time, such as what exactly the Hawks 2010-11 salary cap is after bonuses, and what it’s going to take to sign Hjalmarsson, Niemi and Ladd. It should still be a very interesting couple of weeks upcoming for the Stanley Cup Champs.

Making Moves

First off, congratulations to Duncan Keith for winning the Norris trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman. It was a well-deserved award for DK, and caps off a remarkable year for him of winning the Stanley Cup, winning an Olympic gold medal and now the Norris trophy.

On to the bigger news regarding the Hawks, with no offence to Keith’s accomplishment of course.

Yesterday, the Chicago Blackhawks completed a blockbuster trade that sent one of their playoff heroes Dustin Byfuglien to the Atlanta Thrashers. Details of the 9 player/pick deal are as follows:

To Atlanta:
• Dustin Byfuglien
• Ben Eager
• Brent Sopel
• Akim Aliu

To Chicago:
• New Jersey’s 2010 1st rounder (pick 24)
• New Jersey’s 2010 2nd rounder (pick 54)
• Marty Reasoner
• Jeremy Morin
• Joey Crabb

In another move, the Blackhawks sent Colin Fraser to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2010 6th round pick.

Good job by Stan Bowman on these two trades. Obviously with the salary cap mess the Hawks are dealing with, bodies were going to have to go. I don’t like the situation as obviously, as a Stanley Cup Champion you’d love to keep your roster intact and defend your title. But the reality is that this was not going to be possible for the Hawks in 2010-11 and that moves were going to have to be made.

The Hawks were able to get something in return for Ben Eager and Brent Sopel, the latter whom many believed had negative trade value. Akim Aliu was a prospect who was behind too many others in the Chicago organization, and Atlanta GM Rick Dudley was Aliu’s biggest supporter during Dudley’s time in the Chicago organization. So it’s not surprising to see Dudley want Aliu. As for Fraser, the Hawks do not have the luxury of spending $800K-$1M on a 4th liner this season as every hundred thousand dollars saved will be huge.

The contributions of Eager, Sopel and Fraser to winning the Stanley Cup will not be forgotten by Hawks fans.

As for what the Hawks received, they got their asking price for Byfuglien, which was a 1st rounder and a good prospect in Jeremy Morin. Morin had a solid World Junior Championship for the USA this past year and will be given all the time he needs to develop. Marty Reasoner could be a cheap replacement for John Madden as he makes $1.15M this year. The Hawks could still turn around and trade him in future moves. Joey Crabb was just a contract sent to Chicago so Atlanta could get under the max of 50 contracts allowed, and will most likely be a UFA in a week or so.

Most importantly, the Hawks were able to shave approximately $4.2M off their payroll in this move and won’t have to worry about qualifying Ben Eager. This will allow them some flexibility to qualify their RFAs like Ladd, Hjalmarsson and Niemi.

The Hawks now hold 5 picks in the first 2 rounds of the 2010 Draft (picks 24, 30, 43, 54 and 60). Whether the Hawks will try to move up to grab a top prospect, or make all 5 picks remains to be seen. Either way, these picks will go a long way to help replenishing the farm with solid prospects.

Which brings us to Buff. It sucks to see him go, without question. But as I’ve set out in my previous blogs, a couple pieces from the secondary core are going to have to be moved this offseason. Bowman decided this was the best deal at this time.

Byfuglien’s contributions to the Stanley Cup will never be forgotten by Hawks fans. He was a monster in the playoffs and was a nightmare for Vancouver and San Jose fans. One downside of this deal is that Roberto Luongo won't be having nightmares anymore. Buff will definitely be missed. But this decision came down to Buff or Patrick Sharp (via my number crunching), and in my opinion the Hawks chose correctly. Sharp is a better player and fills a need at center the Hawks have. And it was an opportunity to sell high on Byfuglien. There is a chance he continues to evolve into an elite power forward. Or he reverts back to the inconsistent player he was for much of the season. That’s now Atlanta’s issue.

Where do the Hawks go from here? Really, it’s tough to say for certain as we currently do not know the exact Hawks cap number. If I had to offer predictions, I’m still pretty sure that Versteeg is next, but it’s tough to say now. Bowman has bought himself a little bit of time now after this deal. Perhaps one of Ladd or Versteeg can still be back, it’s tough to say.

Right now, the unknowns are:

• The amount of bonuses that will be deducted from the Hawks 2010-11 salary cap number
• How much Ladd, Hjalmarsson and Niemi are willing to sign for

Once that’s known, it’ll be easier to make projections on what the lineup will look like.

But for now, I’ll wrap this up by saying thank you to “Big Buff”, “Catfish”,”Benny” and “Fraz” for your heart and contributions to the Blackhawks and best of luck in your new homes.

Part 5- Hangovers...The Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Nightmare

Parts 1 thru 4 below.

While the rosters I’ve set out above are not as strong as the 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks roster that won the Stanley Cup, it’s still a very good team. And the future is still very bright for the Hawks.

Like all Stanley Cup champs in the cap era, it’s difficult to keep your team together. That’s what the NHL wanted when they instituted the cap, and it’s worked in that regard.

As Hawks fans, it sucks we can’t see this team kept together as it’s obvious from all the interviews and behind the scenes stuff we see, that this team has great chemistry. Not to mention they’re pretty good at hockey too.

The future is more than bright though for the Blackhawks. Anytime that your core consists of all-world players such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, you’re going to be good for a long time. Unfortunately in 2010-11 they’re going to lose some key supporting pieces, but that’s the nature of the beast.

I look at 2010-11 as somewhat of a “fiscal correction” for the Hawks. The Hawks are going to have to work with a cap of $55-$56M or so whereas the rest of the league will have $59M to work with. This is only for 2010-11 however. Once 2011-12 rolls around, the Hawks will be able to spend the same as everyone else.

The NHL seems to be growing and it wouldn’t be crazy to think the cap moves up another $2M or so in 2011-12. So the Hawks would have a roster at $56M and still be able to spend another $5M or so in 2011-12. Some of this will go towards Seabrook’s new contract (RFA after next year and will probably get $2M increase), but the rest of it can go towards bringing in free agents to help supplement the roster in 2 years time.

Which brings us to another point. Gone are the days where free agents would need a lot more money from the Hawks to consider playing there. Now, the opposite is going to happen. Free agents will be willing to take less money for the opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup contender, in the great city of Chicago. This will also help the Hawks in the long run.

Finally, any trades of Versteeg, Byfuglien and Ladd (or whoever else gets traded) are going to land the Hawks a number of draft picks and prospects which will help for the future as well. It’s possible that if the Hawks hit on these picks the team could be even stronger 2 years from now.

So while the next couple of weeks and months here are going to suck as the Hawks try to get under the cap and are forced to trade away some good players, it’s still refreshing to know that this team is going to be good for a long time. Oh, and they went for it in 2009-10 and won the Stanley Cup. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take that trade-off any day of the week.

Part 4- Hangovers...The Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Nightmare

Will Buff be back?

Parts 1 thru 3 below. Part 5 above.

What would I do if I was the Hawks GM? Allow me first to say that I’m sure the job isn’t easy and trades are always a moving target. In other words, it takes 2 to make a deal. However, I do believe that a lot of teams would be interested in the Hawks players.

In any trade, the Hawks will have to take back prospects or draft picks.

Here’s what I do.

1) Trade Kris Versteeg for picks or prospects. At $3M, Steeger has to be the first to go. This gives the Hawks a little breathing room to qualify RFAs here in the next couple of days. I know that Florida has 5 picks in the top 50 of the 2010 draft. There’s a good chance Versteeg is traded to Florida, the Islanders or Carolina here in the next couple of days.

2) Trade Andrew Ladd for picks or prospects – Not that I want to, but Ladd has to go because of the whole rule that states a team can only be 7.5% over the cap during the offseason. Because they can’t put Huet in the minors until September, if the Hawks want to resign Hammer and Niemi, they have to make deals before July 1st. The Hawks can’t afford to pay him $2-2.5M a season. Some team will trade for him and get a very solid player

3) Re-sign Hjalmarsson. An interesting idea was brought up that you offer Hammer a 2 year deal paying him $1.5M this year and then $3M in the second year. This works out to a $2.25M cap hit and allows him to be qualified for $3M in 2012 when he’s still RFA.

4)Re-sign Niemi. I’d offer Niemi around $2.5-$2.75M. If you’re worried about cap hit, give him less money but only a 1 year deal so he’s a UFA next year (benefit to the player). If he wants a longer term deal and is willing to sign for somewhere in that range, great. I’ll assume he does. But the Hawks can’t break the bank. If he wants more money, sign a UFA netminder for this year at $2M or so.

5)4th liners. If Burish and Fraser want to accept pay cuts or settle for $700K or so a year, I’d consider bringing them back on the 4th line. Otherwise, those spots are going to be filled by cheaper replacements. For this first scenario, I’m going to assume it’s the cheaper replacements. I’ll also assume Jordan Hendry wants to come back and will take his qualifying offer of $675K.

That brings us to the following lineup:

Buff ($3M)-Toews ($6.3M)-Kane ($6.3M)
Kopecky ($1.2M) – Sharp ($3.9M)- Hossa ($5.25M)
Brouwer ($1.03M) – Bolland ($3.38M)-Skille ($0.9M)
Bickell ($0.53M)-Dowell ($0.53M)- 4th liner ($0.5M)

Forwards: $32.8M

Keith ($5.54M)-Seabrook ($3.5M)
Campbell ($7.14M)-Hjalmarsson ($2.25M)
Lalonde ($0.8M)-Hendry ($0.68M)

Defence: $19.8M

Niemi ($2.75M)
Crawford ($0.8M)

Goalies: $3.6M

Cap of $56M, total of the lineup is $56.2M, $200K over.

So this lineup is over by $300,000. The Hawks still wouldn’t have a 13th F or 7th defenceman. A couple things to consider. First, if you get Hammer and Niemi for less than $5M, this lineup could actually work. Hawks management could also make the decision that if NIemi wants too much, you go sign a cheaper UFA goalie like Martin Biron for about $1M less and this works as well.

Also, the bonus cushion is still in effect next year, and Lalonde has about $200K in bonus (i.e. his salary is $0.6M) and if he doesn’t make the bonus it doesn’t count towards the final cap number. This bonus cushion also increases Kyle Beach’s chance to make the team as he has $325K in bonuses. In this scenario he doesn’t but in the next scenario he does.

Another thing that could work in the Hawks favor is the cap for them is slightly higher than this and this 20 man roster (which is all you need on opening night) is under the cap.

So this lineup is close. However, accounting for the fact that you’d probably want to carry a 21st player (either a 13th forward or 7th Dman), and the possibility the cap is a little lower than $56M you’re left with…

6)Trade Dustin Byfuglien for picks and prospects. There’s pros and cons to this obviously. It could be a great sell high point on Buff. But maybe he’s finally turned the light on, and playing with Toews and Kane he could become an elite power forward. Plus he’s versatile and can play D in a pinch if needed. He provides value to this team. I don’t want to see him traded. However, such is the mess the Hawks are in. So assuming Buff is dealt, we’re left with the following.

Beach ($1.2M)-Toews ($6.3M)-Kane ($6.3M)
Kopecky ($1.2M) – Sharp ($3.9M)- Hossa ($5.25M)
Brouwer ($1.03M) – Bolland ($3.38M)-Skille ($0.9M)
Bickell ($0.53M)-Fraser ($0.75M)- Burish ($0.75M)
Dowell (0.53M)

Forwards: $32.0M

Keith ($5.54M)-Seabrook ($3.5M)
Campbell ($7.14M)-Hjalmarsson ($2.25M)
Lalonde ($0.8M)-Hendry ($0.68M)

Defence: $19.8M

Niemi ($2.75M)
Crawford ($0.8M)

Goalies: $3.6M

Cap of $56M, Cap total of $55.5M, cap space of $500K to use for call-ups during season, or to find a slightly better 6th Dman than Hendry, or to use as a buffer incase Hammer and Niemi want slightly more.

This scenario fits under the cap. It’s still a pretty good team, but not the same as having Buff in the lineup. Plus you have a little more bonus cushion room with Beach and Lalonde in the lineup.

Obviously every $100K saved here and there is going to help. If Stan Bowman can get Niemi and Hjalmarsson to sign cap-friendlier contracts, chances of keeping Buff increase. If Niemi wants too much Stan may decide that Buff + Hammer + UFA goalie is better for the team than Niemi + Hammer + Beach. They are not easy decisions to say the least.

One other card the Hawks could play with guys like Skille, Burish and Fraser is to offer one-way contracts (can’t be sent to Rockford unless they clear waivers) so they sign for less money. This will have more value to Skille as it gives him a shot in the NHL. Maybe by doing so you get Skille on a 1 year, $700K contract and save a couple hundred thousand that way as well. Like I said, Stan has to get creative.

Part 3 - Hangovers...The Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Nightmare

Offer sheet target?

Parts 1 and 2 below. Parts 4 and 5 above.


The Hawks have to face two issues here in the next couple of days.

a) Qualifying RFAs
Didn’t we go through this last year? Problem is that this year, with the Hawks so tight to the cap, they are having trouble qualifying their RFA this year. The CBA sets out that you can exceed the cap limit by 7.5% in the offseason so long as you’re under by opening night. The Hawks can put Huet in the AHL, but they can’t do that until late September, so in the meantime the Hawks have to dance around this issue. Which means that trades have to be made here before July 1st because..

b) Potential offer sheets for Hjalmarsson and Niemi

Teams who want to screw over the Hawks will be looking to poach Hammer or Niemi with offer sheets. So, it would be wise for Stan to get on this ASAP. Either that, or free up the cap room so that they could match an offer sheet if necessary. Again, trades have to be made before July 1st.

Preferably you want to keep both guys. But if you have to pick one over the other (for whatever reason..namely, NIemi wants too much), you sign Hjalmarsson and find a UFA goaltender as a stop gap for one year.


Finally, we get to my assumptions. As set out above, the cap will be $59M, but for the Hawks we’re assuming it’s somewhere between $55 and $56M. For now I’ll say $56M.

Other assumptions include:

1) The big one here, that Huet is not on the team next year in some way, shape or form. Nobody is going to trade for him unless the Hawks use Sharp as “sweetener” in the deal which I wouldn’t agree with. So I’m assuming Huet is in Europe or playing for Rockford next year. There’s really no two ways about it. If the Hawks want to remain a very good hockey team next year, they have to eat Huet’s salary.

2) That Sopel is not on the roster next year either. I believe they’ll be able to find a taker for Sopel near the start of training camp after UFA is done and some team doesn’t grab the Dman they want. He only has one year left on his deal, and was a valuable (for his standard of play) piece of the PK unit during the Cup run.

3) That you can’t really spend more than $5M on Niemi and Hjalmarsson combined. You’ll see why below. It’s up to Stan to negotiate well and be creative. Like I said above, if you’re forced via offer sheet to pick one over the other, do what it takes to keep Hjalmarsson and find a goalie for $1.5-$2M for next season.

4) That despite it being a solution to a lot of problems, the Hawks won’t be able to trade Brian Campbell. Soupy does bring a lot of value on the ice in the Hawks transition game and should be commended for the fact that if he doesn’t come back from injury early against Nashville, we’re not saying Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks right now. But if they can move him, by all means.

5) Ben Eager will not be back. He made $1M on the 4th line and the Hawks can’t afford to pay a 4th liner that much this year.

I mentioned above that there are prospects who are going to figure into next year’s roster. I’ve set out below these prospects status and cap hit (or assumed cap hit):

• Kyle Beach ($1.2M)
• Jake Dowell ($0.53M)
• Jack Skille (RFA - $0.9M)
• Brian Bickell (RFA - $0.6M)
• Corey Crawford ($0.8M)
• Shaun Lalonde ($0.8M)
• Mathis Olimb ($0.6M)
• Brian Connelly ($0.8M)

So what’s the plan?

Part 2 - Hangovers...The Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Nightmare

Part 1 below. Parts 3 thru 5 above

To answer the question on how much the cap will be, nobody will really know for sure what the Hawks cap number will be next year until sometime early next week. However, we do know that the cap will be between $59 and $59.5M or so. For the rest of this discussion I’m going to assume $59M for the NHL in 2010-11.

However, there is one big issue that is coming into play for the Hawks cap number. This deals with the belief that in 2009-10 Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane hit their bonuses and these must be carried over to 2010-11 as the Hawks were pressed right up against the cap last year. If Toews and Kane hit all their bonuses, it’s possible that $4M will be carried over to the Hawks cap in 2010-11. Talk about having a jagerbomb right before the night ends, the Hawks will definitely be feeling the sting of these bonuses this year.

Nobody knows for sure if it’s going to be $4M that comes off the Hawks cap. The CBA is vague in regards to how the Long Term Injury Exemption (LTIE) can be used to help offset this. The Hawks had Dave Bolland, Adam Burish and Marian Hossa on the IR at points during 2009-10 and the LTIE can be claimed retroactively. Whether or not this will help the Hawks is unknown at this point. Plus, the Hawks had around $300K under last year’s cap so that will eat up some of the $4M. With this in mind, and nobody sure about the bonuses quite yet, I’m going to say that it’s approximately $3M that comes off the Hawks cap in 2010-11 for the purposes of this discussion.

In my blog before the playoffs, I placed the Hawks players in groups. This can be seen here.

Also, I ranked 7 players from the “secondary core” in that entry in terms of importance to the Hawks going forward. This is the group from which the Hawks are going to have to trade a body or three in order to get under the cap. At the time of the original entry I reserved my right to change my mind on order of importance. With that said, here’s the rankings after the Stanley Cup run.

1)Patrick Sharp – Sharp had a great playoff run and deserved some consideration for the Conn Smythe. His versatility to play both center and wing and in all situations is of incredible value to this team. He has become one of the best two-way players in the game. The Hawks offence really took off once Queneville moved Sharp to center. That said, he is the player that would fetch the most in a trade, so it has to be considered if there is a great offer on the table. Stan Bowman has said they do not want to trade Sharp and I don’t blame him.

2) Niklas Hjalmarsson – “Hammer” continues to improve and has proven he can be a top 4 defenseman on an elite team. While he did have his struggles at times (Game 4 against Philly comes to mind), he was for the most part solid in the pressure cooker of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the age of 22. Scotty Bowman may not be a GM, but he knows hockey talent and when he says this kid is going to be a great player, I defer to the opinion of the guy with 12 Cup rings. Hjalmarsson is an RFA and must be signed.

3) David Bolland – Bolland struggled for most of 2009-10 after recovering from back surgery. However, once the playoffs started he elevated his game and played the role of shutdown center to perfection as he frustrated the Sedins, Joe Thornton and Mike Richards. “The Rat” also chipped in offensively as well. Bolland is a smart, all-around player and provides significant value to this team. He ranks ahead of the next two players on this list because the Hawks currently lack depth at center.

4) Antii Niemi – The kid from Finland was a rock for the Blackhawks during their Cup run. He is still raw as he doesn’t have much NHL experience but the talent is there. His importance to the Cup victory cannot be understated. However, with the amount of goaltenders on the market and more teams following the “Detroit” model (not spending a lot on goaltending), he is replaceable to me. It will all depend on the contract negotiations and how much he wants.

5) Dustin Byfuglien – The light switch turned on for Buff in the playoffs as he was an absolute force in the final three rounds. If Byfuglien plays with that kind of intensity and focus on a more consistent basis, he’s higher than Niemi on this list as players with his skill set don’t exactly grow on trees. However, that’s the issue with Buff, consistency. Believe me when I say that I don’t want to trade him. But it might be a perfect sell high point on Buff. Just make sure to trade him to the Eastern Conference.

6) Andrew Ladd – Ladd again had a solid playoffs and is a great “glue” guy to have on your team. At age 24 and with 2 Stanley Cup rings, he could be this generation’s Mike Keane-type player. On the Hawks however, he’s a 3rd line player because of the great depth the Hawks possess. And to pay $2-2.5M on a 3rd liner is a luxury that the Hawks do not have right now. For this reason, I expect Ladd to get dealt.

7) Kris Versteeg – Versteeg can dazzle one moment and then make you want to throw your remote into the TV the next. He had a very good playoffs for the Hawks though. Like Ladd, the Hawks do not have the luxury to pay a 3rd line player $3M per season. I like Versteeg’s ability to play in all situations, and whatever team trades for him is going to get a very good player. Plus there will be less singing in the Hawks locker room. Best of luck to you Steeger.

Part 1 - Hangovers...The Chicago Blackhawks Salary Cap Nightmare

These guys weren't hungover the next day..or week.

Parts 2 thru 5 above

The party has been going on in the city of Chicago and for Blackhawks fans everywhere for the last couple of weeks. Deservedly so I might add. When your team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1961, well you deserve to enjoy every moment of the celebration.

Like pretty much every morning after a good bender, you have to deal with the hangover. Unfortunately for the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (damn that feels good to say that), they forgot to take their Gatorade the night before to help deal with the morning after.

I’m referring to the 2010-11 salary cap mess that a number of knowledgeable Hawks fans saw coming 2 years ago when ludicrous contracts were handed out by Dale Tallon to Brian Campbell, Cristobal Huet for starters, and then overpayments (albeit slight) were made to restricted free agents Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker and Dave Bolland last offseason. While Tallon deserves a lot of credit for putting together the roster that won the Stanley Cup, he also deserves a lot of the blame for the mess the Hawks are in.

As reported by a number of news outlets, the Hawks are currently at roughly at $57 million spent on 14 players for the 2010-11 season. After the NHLPA voted yesterday to take the cap escalator, the Salary Cap for next season is expected to be roughly between $59 and $59.5M. Obviously the Hawks don’t have a lot of wiggle room and need to make some moves.

I could spend a lot of time going through the legalities of the cap, but to be honest, not even the best analysts can decipher what happens in certain situations. There’s still a lot of grey to deal with and only those inside the NHL offices know for sure. There’s a number of things that can impact what the Hawks cap limit is next year and I’ll touch on those later. This entry will be set out as follows:

1) The lay of the land – What players are under contract, who’s a UFA, who’s an RFA
2) What’s the Hawks’ 2010-11 Salary Cap number and who do we want to keep?
3) Current issues and Assumptions
4) Scenarios
5) Future

The players the Hawks have under contract are:
• Jonathan Toews - $6.3M
• Patrick Kane - $6.3M
• Marian Hossa - $5.25M
• Patrick Sharp - $3.9M
• David Bolland - $3.38M
• Kris Versteeg - $3.08M
• Dustin Byfuglien - $3.0M
• Tomas Kopecky - $1.2M
• Troy Brouwer - $1.03M
• Brian Campbell - $7.14M
• Duncan Keith - $5.54M
• Brent Seabrook - $3.5M
• Brent Sopel - $2.33M
• Cristobal Huet - $5.63M

The following players are unrestricted free agents: Kim Johnsson, John Madden, Nick Boynton, Adam Burish

The following player are restricted free agents: Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Antii Niemi, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jordan Hendry, Colin Fraser

There are also players who played for Rockford who are going to be part of this discussion, but I’ll get to them and their status in part 3.

So what exactly is the Hawks salary cap number for next year?

There are no words..but I’ll try anyways

The photo every kid playing hockey dreams to be a part of

I’m sure that after watching 2 months of scintellating playoff hockey, a number of us have watched the commercials that the NHL has pumped out. There’s a number of History Will be Made commercials that are great, but for my money, the best commercial they’ve put out is the ”No Words” commercial.

On June 9th, 2010, a day that will forever be etched in the memories of Hawks fans, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in OT to win their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

As I try to sum up my feelings, I keep coming back to the title. There really are no words.

My brother and I have been Hawks since we were young enough to know what hockey was. My dad, who spent many years as a young man in Chicago brainwashed us and we’ve been Hawks fans ever since.

Finally, after countless kicks to the groin, heartbreak and just the realization that the organization was being mismanaged, the Blackhawks have reached hockey’s pinnacle.

The way it all happened was bizarre, with Patrick Kane sprinting down the ice past teammates who were wondering “what is he doing? And where is the puck?” towards Antii Niemi who had no idea what was going on. I will never forget that moment. Watching the game at my parents’ place with my dad and my brother and standing (because I couldn’t sit all game) and pacing in the living room will be a memory I'll take with me for a lifetime.

I will remember seeing the Flyers players stopping. I will remember asking my brother “did the puck go out of play? Where is the puck?”. I will remember watching Kane throwing his gloves and stick in the air and then immediately turning to my brother confused asking “did we just win?”. I will remember hugging my brother and dad upon the realization that yes, the Chicago Blackhawks have just won the Stanley Cup. And I will definitely remember the tears welling up in my eyes after watching Jonathan Toews hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head.

I could spend a lot of keystrokes praising everyone who had a hand in making this dream come true for Hawks fans everywhere. Rocky Wirtz. The Q-Stache. And most importantly every single player in that dressing room.

The Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy in professional sports to win. The Playoffs are a 2 month war of attrition, both mentally and phyiscally. To see the heart, resilency and commitment to each other that these players have shown is awesome.

So while I still try to let this all sink in and sum up my feelings, it’s still a bit of a struggle to do so. But there are a few words that do apply. Thank you. Thank you to the Chicago Blackhawks for allowing Blackhawk fans everywhere to share this feeling that we can’t put into words.