Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 6 - Conclusion

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The Chicago Blackhawks will continue to be one of the better teams in the National Hockey League in 2011-12 and going forward. While their cap situation and the current roster composition is not perfect, there are still a number of exceptional players on this team that have already won a Stanley Cup. Most of these players are still in their early to mid twenties and should continue to improve. Couple that with some young prospects who have shown the potential to supplement the core, and the future looks very bright for Chicago.

There is still work to be done however, and this offseason is a critical one for Stan Bowman’s future as Hawks GM. Last year it was hard to judge Bowman because there was only one thing he could do, and that was have a firesale to clean up the mess left by Dale Tallon. But this offseason will be different. There are needs the Hawks have to address, and Bowman will have options on how to address them. It will still be important for Bowman to save $100-200K here and there if he can as it will allow for more flexibility in filling out the roster. Hopefully the braintrust sees what needs to be addressed for the Hawks to continue to improve and make another run at the Stanley Cup.

While I'm sure most Blackhawks fans would have preferred a short offseason like last year's, the 2011 offseason promises to be an exciting one for the Hawks. If Bowman is able to properly construct the roster in the next four months, Hawks fans could be looking at many short offseasons in the years to come.

Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 5 - The Albatross

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The last issue I’ll spend some time on is every Chicago fans favorite albatross contract, Brian Campbell. By now, you should know that Campbell’s $7.1M cap hit for the next 5 years is a major burden on the Hawks salary cap. One thing is obvious, Campbell is not worth that money and he’s severely overpaid. However, a lot of fans let his contract distort the fact that Campbell is still a top 4 NHL caliber defenseman and while he has some weaknesses in his game, has a skill-set that in demand in today’s NHL being a puck-moving defenseman. Despite his value on the ice to the Hawks, from a cap perspective, the Hawks would be much better off if they can trade Campbell.

Campbell does have a no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to submit a list of 8 teams that he would accept a trade to at the start of each year. It is believed that these teams are Eastern teams as it would allow for Campbell to be close to his family.

When considering a possible trade partner for Campbell, the following must be kept in mind. First, the team must have significant salary cap space to fit Campbell’s contract. Further to that, another way to look at it is the potential trade partner must need to get to the salary cap floor (NHL teams have to spend a minimum of $16M less than the cap). The potential trading partner must also have a need for a puck-moving defenseman. As mentioned above, the team most likely would have to be in the Eastern Conference. Finally, the team most likely would have an albatross contract of their own they’d like to get rid of, and the Hawks would have to take back. Think Scott Gomez in Montreal or Mike Komisarek in Toronto.

One possible trade on HFBoards which actually elicited a decent response from both sets of fans was something involving Campbell for Komisarek. Komisarek has 3 years left at $4.5M per on his current contract and has struggled mightily for the Leafs in his time there. They are trying to move his contract and have a need for a puck-moving defenseman. The Hawks might have to throw in a sweetener in any deal to move Campbell, maybe a Kyle Beach. I still would make that trade. Campbell is a better player than Komisarek, but the Hawks save $2.6M in cap space and 2 years off the contract. Here’s what a possible roster could look like in a deal for Komisarek (generated by Capgeek):

FORWARDS
Patrick Sharp ($3.900m) / Jonathan Toews ($6.300m) / Patrick Kane ($6.300m)
Michael Frolik ($1.500m) / Dave Bolland ($3.375m) / Marian Hossa ($5.275m)
Bryan Bickell ($0.541m) / Marty Reasoner ($1.500m) / Ben Smith ($0.812m)
Tomas Kopecky ($1.600m) / Zenon Konopka ($0.950m) / Arron Asham ($1.000m)

DEFENSEMEN
Duncan Keith ($5.538m) / Brent Seabrook ($5.800m)
Nick Leddy ($1.116m) / Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.500m)
John Scott ($0.512m) / Mike Komisarek ($4.500m)

GOALTENDERS
Corey Crawford ($2.000m) / Backup Goalie ($0.700m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $62,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $56,721,795; BONUSES: $545,000
CAP SPACE (20-man roster): $5,278,205

Looking at the roster, the Hawks still need a defenseman (probably top 4Dman) and could have extra money to acquire a top 6 forward up front with the cap space saved. It gives the Hawks a lot of flexibility.

There is another option regarding Campbell and that’s a buyout of his contract. If the Hawks chose to buy out Campbell, there would be a dead cap hit on the Hawks salary cap of $2.4M for the next 10 years. Since Campbell makes $7.1M for the next 5 years, the Hawks would save $4.7M in cap space in years 1 thru 5, but then have $2.4M in dead cap space in years 6 thru 10. One must also remember that even though the Hawks save $4.7M in cap space in buying out Campbell, they still have to find a replacement for him and that will eat into the $4.7M of savings. This is a tricky solution as there are both positives and negatives to this. The Hawks wouldn’t have to take back a bad contract in any trade of Campbell, however, that $2.4M in dead cap space in years 6 thru 10 isn’t ideal. Looking at 2011-12 though, it does provide the Hawks with options as outlined below (using a $59.6M cap to account for the $2.4M buyout cap hit):

FORWARDS
Patrick Sharp ($3.900m) / Jonathan Toews ($6.300m) / Patrick Kane ($6.300m)
Michael Frolik ($1.500m) / Dave Bolland ($3.375m) / Marian Hossa ($5.275m)
Bryan Bickell ($0.541m) / Marty Reasoner ($1.500m) / Ben Smith ($0.812m)
Tomas Kopecky ($1.600m) / Zenon Konopka ($0.950m) / Arron Asham ($1.000m)

DEFENSEMEN
Duncan Keith ($5.538m) / Brent Seabrook ($5.800m)
Nick Leddy ($1.116m) / Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.500m)
John Scott ($0.512m)

GOALTENDERS
Corey Crawford ($2.000m) / Backup Goalie ($0.700m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,600,000; CAP PAYROLL: $52,221,795; BONUSES: $545,000
CAP SPACE (19-man roster): $7,378,205

The Hawks would have $7.4M to find 2 defensemen and another forward. It would provide them with a number of options during the offseason to improve the team. The key to this option is whether the Hawks could find a top 4 defenseman to replace Campbell for a good price.

The two options outlined above are just that, options. The Hawks should be looking to deal Campbell all offseason. While that’s a tall task to accomplish, Campbell is still a good NHL player and would help a team on the ice. Do I think it’s likely he gets dealt? Probably not. It is more likely that Campbell will be on the 2011-12 roster due to the difficulty of trading him, and the fact it’s unlikely Rocky Wirtz chooses to buy him out.

One final interesting point regarding Campbell is that the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at the end of the 2011-12 season. This is significant because a new CBA could allow NHL teams different options to deal with contracts such as Campbell’s. General managers like to have “erasers” for mistakes they make, and the only way it seems that GMs currently can correct mistakes is by burying contracts in the minors (Wade Redden, Huet, Sheldon Souray). It is my prediction that the new CBA will have some sort of mechanism to allow GMs more options when trying to deal with mistakes, either with a free buyout period at the start of the new CBA (not financially, but from a cap perspective), or allowing teams in trades to keep a portion of a player’s cap hit on their books instead of burying players in the minors.

But for now, Campbell will most likely be a Hawk in 2011-12 and the Hawks can still find a way to ice a very good hockey team in 2011-12 with him still on the roster.

Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 4 - Roster Projection ctd.

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Here’s where things get fun. As stated in Part 1, the key thing to remember in reading my roster projection is that I hold the belief that the Hawks need to get more sandpaper in their lineup. Also keep in mind that money is going to be a factor in these decisions. The Hawks were a flawed team in 2010-11, and it is not an option to bring back the same team if the Hawks want to get better. Some players will not be back.

With Ben Smith on the squad, that’s 7 forwards. Much of what has been written already and what is about to be written has been discussed in great detail at the 300 Level. Basically, the conclusion that the posters there have come to is that one (max) of each of the following players will be in Chicago next year. We’re most likely looking at a decision between Micheal Frolik and Viktor Stalberg. And a second decision between Tomas Kopecky and Troy Brouwer or neither of them.

Why are those players paired like this? A couple of reasons. I’ll start with Frolik and Stalberg. Both players are RFAs, can be maddening with their inconsistencies, and for the most part play a bit of a perimeter game (although both have shown flashes of not being afraid of the dirty areas). There’s room for one of these perimeter types on the team, but if the Hawks are going to improve their team from a sandpaper level, you can’t bring back every perimeter guy from last year’s team. Of course, contract demands will play a factor on who stays and who goes, but I would pick Frolik over Stalberg. He seemed to show chemistry with Bolland as the playoffs wore on, and has a much higher offensive upside.

This brings us Brouwer and Kopecky. Both are free agents, although Kopecky is a UFA and Brouwer is a RFA. Both are going to be looking for money in the $1.5M and up range. With it being a weaker UFA year, Kopecky has an opportunity to cash in on his career year this year. Again, money will be a factor in this decision. There’s a chance neither of them are back if they both want too much money. Bowman has to be smart here. All things being equal, I’d keep Kopecky over Brouwer. For what the Hawks need (bottom 6 players), Kopecky’s game is better suited there. Brouwer only seems to be productive when playing with Toews and Kane. When put in a bottom 6 role, he seemed to struggle. Kopecky was miscast at times by Quenneville in the top 6 this last year, but can be a very effective 3rd/4th liner. Plus he’s BFF with Hossa and may take a little less to stay in Chicago. It should be noted that if Kopecky wants $2M and Brouwer would take $1.2M, then I can live with keeping Brouwer to save $800K to use elsewhere. This decision will ultimately come down to money.

I’ll assume that Frolik and Kopecky are reasonable in their demands, and each take good raises over their last contracts, bringing Frolik in at $1.5M and Kopecky in at $1.6M. Stalberg and Brouwer could become trade bait if qualified as RFAs. That brings us to 16 players with $6.6M remaining.

Chris Campoli is an RFA, was decent for the Hawks in his short time in Chicago, and I can see the Hawks re-signing him. However, it is my opinion that the only way Campoli should be back is if a) the Hawks found a way to trade Campbell or b) the Hawks have decided to start Leddy in the minors. The reason for this is Campoli currently slots in as the Hawks 6th defenseman. His game is very similar to most of the Hawks current defensemen. The Hawks 6th defenseman should be a veteran shutdown defenseman who is tough play against and can kill penalties. The Hawks already have too many defensemen with Campoli’s skill-set (and who are better). I would try to trade him in the off-season.

That all said, with 5-6 more players to sign and $6.6M remaining in cap space we get to this point up front.

Sharp-Toews-Kane
Frolik-Bolland-Hossa
Bickell-3C-Kopecky
4L-4C-Smith

One could say that $6.6M for 6 spots isn’t a lot, but let’s keep in mind what the Hawks have to add at this point. They need depth/role players for their 3rd and 4th lines, and a stay at home 6th defenseman. Not exactly the most expensive positions on the roster to fill.

Could the Hawks look to spend a lot of dollars on another top 6 forward? They could. I will not deny that the Hawks could use a second line center or a top 6 power forward. Adding one is not impossible. But I would argue this is a luxury with this lineup. If I had $4M to spend on 3 forward slots, one way I could do this is spending $3M on a top 6 forward and then $500K on 2 fourth liners. The other way to look at it is spending $2M on a third line center, and then having extra money to make sure I’m not getting minimum wage 4th liners, but actual NHLers for $1M each.

Going after a top 6 forward could work if Morin or Kruger is ready as that could give you a bit of extra money to spend on a better forward as one of the kids could replace Kopecky or Frolik’s roster spot, saving the Hawks another $600-700K in cap space. Another way the Hawks could look to add a top-6 player is if the cap is closer to $63M in the NHL. However, if the cap is $62M I’d rather the Hawks focus on improving the bottom 6 with their remaining cap space, bank some cap space for the trade deadline and look to make an addition at the deadline.

How do the Hawks fill out the bottom 6 forward slots? They need certain types of players. Players that are physical and play with an edge. Preferably veteran players who are hungry to win a Stanley Cup and play with a lot of energy. Players that can kill penalties .The Hawks need centers, probably 2 of them. Centers who can win a faceoff and kill penalties should be a priority.

Some players who fit this bill and are UFA are Curtis Glencross, Joel Ward, Marty Reasoner, Zenon Konopka, Mike Rupp, Aaron Asham, Chris Clark, Jeff Halpern and John Madden. Glencross and Ward will be in high demand and that might drive the Hawks out of the bidding. Of this group, I’ll select Marty Reasoner, Zenon Konopka and Aaron Asham. Reasoner and Konopka are both centers and both very good faceoff men, which would address an area of weakness for the Hawks. Reasoner is a very good penalty killer as well which would help address another Hawks weakness. Some Hawks fans will remember Asham from the 2010 Stanley Cup Final when he played for Philadelphia, and he’s an effective fourth line player who plays with grit and toughness. Konopka is also tough as nails and would help the Hawks in that area.

For the purposes of this exercise, I’ll assume $1,500,000 for Reasoner, $1,000,000 for Asham and $950,000 for Konopka. That brings the Hawks to 19 players and $3.15M in cap space. I’ll add Scott as a 7th Dman which leaves the Hawks with $2.6M to find a 6th defenseman and a 13th forward. The Hawks could look to the free agent market to address the need for a 6th defenseman, or they could look to trade any of the RFAs that are not back (Brouwer, Stalberg or Campoli) for one.

This final projected roster would look like this:

1. Brian Campbell $7,142,875
2. Patrick Kane $6,300,000
3. Jonathan Toews $6,300,000
4. Brent Seabrook $5,800,000
5. Duncan Keith $5,538,462
6. Marian Hossa $5,275,000
7. Patrick Sharp $3,900,000
8. Niklas Hjalmarsson $3,500,000
9. Dave Bolland $3,375,000
10. Brian Bickell $541,666
11. Ben Smith $812,500
12. Nick Leddy $1,116,666
13. Corey Crawford $2,000,000
14. Backup Goalie $700,000
15. Micheal Frolik $1,500,000
16. Tomas Kopecky $1,600,000
17. Marty Reasoner $1,500,000
18. Aaron Asham $1,000,000
19. Zenon Konopka $950,000
20. John Scott $512,500
21. 6th Defenseman $1,400,000
22. 13th Forward $500,000

Total: $61,264,670
Cap: $62,000,000
Space: $735,330

The lineup would look like:

Sharp-Toews-Kane
Frolik-Bolland-Hossa
Bickell-Reasoner-Smith
Kopecky-Konopka-Asham
13F

Keith-Seabrook
Campbell-Hjalmarsson
Leddy – 6D
Scott

Crawford
Backup Goalie

This lineup addresses a number of the Hawks needs from last season. The lineup is much deeper up front for starters. No more Pisani or Stalberg playing valuable minutes. The additions of Reasoner and Konopka help the Hawks in the faceoff circle which is important for the Hawks because having the puck helps when you’re a puck possession team. With the additions of Konopka and Asham, this team becomes a lot tougher to play against from a physical perspective. Assuming you find a solid 6th defenseman to help kill penalties, this combined with Reasoner makes the Hawks penalty kill better (assuming Mike Kitchen doesn’t F things up).

Of course, there are many different directions that Bowman can take this offseason. What is refreshing is that this offseason will not be like last offseason where the only goal was to get under the salary cap. At least this season, Bowman can look to add to the team. Hopefully he makes the right decisions.

Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 3 - Roster Projection

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Another thing that needs to be considered in looking forward for the Blackhawks is what the NHL salary cap will be for 2011-12. I won’t get into a lengthy decision on how the cap is calculated, and there is a nice breakdown at the 300 Level by the resident cap guru, but the NHL is probably looking at a cap between $62M-$63M or so. That is an increase of a couple million over the $59.4M cap in 2010-11.

Before talking about next year, one more item must be addressed and that is Cristobal Huet. You may remember him as the sieve goaltender who played for the Hawks for 2 years. He still has one season on his contract left, but it is assumed (and it is most likely) that the Hawks will eat Huet’s salary for one more season while Huet is loaned out to Europe.

So where do the Hawks go from here? I will assume the following things. First, I will assume the low end of that range for the cap, and assume the 2011-12 salary cap is $62M. I will also assume that Huet is playing in Europe and thus off the books. In making the roster projection, I will also try leave between $700-900K in cap space to allow for injury callups and to give the Hawks some flexibility at the trade deadline next year. Lastly, I’m not considering any of the kids or John Scott as locks for this team next year. They will be considered against all options.

The following will be my base for this projection:

1. Brian Campbell $7,142,875
2. Patrick Kane $6,300,000
3. Jonathan Toews $6,300,000
4. Brent Seabrook $5,800,000
5. Duncan Keith $5,538,462
6. Marian Hossa $5,275,000
7. Patrick Sharp $3,900,000
8. Niklas Hjalmarsson $3,500,000
9. Dave Bolland $3,375,000
10. Brian Bickell $541,666

Total: $47,673,004
Cap: $62,000,000
Space: $14,326,996

The Hawks in this base scenario have $14.3M to fill 11-12 spots on the roster. Of the money spent, $22M is tied up in their top 4 defenseman, and $25.6M on 6 forwards.

The base lineup is:

Sharp-Toews-Kane
2L-Bolland-Hossa
Bickell-3C-3R
4L-4C-4R

Keith-Seabrook
Campbell-Hjalmarsson
5D-6D

One question the Hawks will have to ask themselves is whether Bolland is better served as a second-line center or as a third line center. Is it better for the Hawks to play Sharp at second line center as opposed to on the first line with Toews and Kane? It’s debatable. It’s something that comes into play when projecting a lineup and at the end of the day how Quenneville chooses to adjust the lines will depend on what players Bowman brings in during the offseason. What Bowman does will depend on which players are available. Sharp’s versatility is a nice asset for this reason.

Let’s start with the RFA who is going to most likely be back, and that’s Corey Crawford. Crawford had a good rookie season and a solid showing in the playoffs. But let’s remember, it was just one season. The Hawks want him back, and Corey wants to be in Chicago as it provides him with a good opportunity to play behind one of the better teams in the league. In looking at comparable goaltenders, the most accurate comparison to Crawford is Jimmy Howard. Howard spent a lot of time in the minors like Crawford, got his chance with the Wings last year, and after putting in 2 years of work got a 2 year $4.5M contract from Detroit. Another comparable for Crawford is Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles who signed for 3 years and $5.4M. I expect to see something similar to those two for Crawford provided Bowman doesn’t overpay. A 2 year contract is fair to Crawford as it allows him to be a UFA relatively quickly, and if he proves that this year wasn’t a fluke, he can cash in after 2 years. I will project a 2 year, $4M contract for Crawford which is between Quick and Howard’s cap hits of $1.8M and $2.25M respectively.

Backup goaltender is an area where the Hawks will not be spending a lot of money. Alexander Salak is an option, but really it could be any veteran net-minder for around $700,000 or so. My belief is that the Hawks will look to spend less than $3M on goaltending combined. I’ll add a roster spot for “Backup G” at $700,000 to the base. That brings us to 12 players with $11.6M remaining.

Looking at the kids next, Nick Leddy is an interesting case. While Leddy held his own this season for the most part, one could ask whether Leddy’s development is better served by playing 25 minutes a night in all situations in Rockford as opposed to 15 minutes a night on the bottom pairing in the NHL. It’s a question with no easy answer. One solution from a cap perspective is Campbell is gone and Leddy slides into that role as Leddy is similar to Campbell minus the experience. I do think Leddy will be on the team next year, but starting him the AHL for half the season isn’t the worst idea in the world to me.

Ben Smith showed in his 9 games with the Hawks that he deserves to be considered for a roster spot. While not the biggest or fastest player, Smith has a knack for being in the right place at the right time due to his high hockey IQ. In addition, he plays with a bit of an edge. He can fill a spot on a second line in a pinch, but is probably best served in the bottom 6. Bottom line, is Smith appears to be a gamer and you can never have enough of those in the lineup.

Marcus Kruger and Jeremy Morin are two players that could make the squad next year, but I believe that whether they do or not will depend on what other moves the Hawks make. If the Hawks need a cheap center or cheap top 6 forward (despite them not being ready for the NHL) because they spent extra cap space elsewhere, then yes Morin or Kruger could be on the team. However, I think both are best served by playing lots of minutes in the AHL to start. Kruger could put 10-15 pounds and get used the North American game. Morin could work on other aspects of his game before moving up to the NHL full-time most likely in 2012-13.

In summarizing the kids, I see Leddy at his $1.1M cap hit and Smith at his $812,500 cap hit on the squad. That brings us to 14 players with $9.7M remaining. We will continue with the roster projection in Part 4.

Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 2 - Current Roster

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We can break down the current Hawks roster into a number of categories. The easiest way to do this is split the current roster up by their contract status (signed or unsigned). Within these groups, I’ll further break down these groups of players and will list the 2011-12 cap hit for the signed players as well.

Signed

Not going anywhere – Jonathan Toews ($6,300,000), Patrick Kane ($6,300,000), Duncan Keith ($5,538,462), Brent Seabrook- ($5,800,000)

Most likely not going anywhere – Marian Hossa ($5,275,000), Patrick Sharp ($3,900,000), Brian Bickell ($541,667)

Could possibly move, but still “core” – David Bolland ($3,375,000), Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3,500,000)

Try to move at almost all cost, but still probably here next year – Brian Campbell ($7,142,875)

Who knows – John Scott ($512,500)

The kids (on entry-level contracts) - Nick Leddy ($1,116,666), Ben Smith ($812,500), Marcus Kruger ($900,000), Jeremy Morin ($916,666)

Unsigned

Unrestricted Free Agents- Tomas Kopecky, Fernando Pisani, Ryan Johnson, Marty Turco, Jordan Hendry

Restricted Free Agents- Corey Crawford, Micheal Frolik, Troy Brouwer, Viktor Stalberg, Jake Dowell, Chris Campoli, Jake Dowell

In analyzing the current roster, we’ll start with the easiest item. That’s which players who are UFA who will not be back. There is no need to bring back Fernando Pisani, Jordan Hendry or Marty Turco. So let’s forget about them. Ryan Johnson provided a good 4th line presence for the Hawks, and he could be in consideration for a roster spot next year in the same role. Things get tricky with Tomas Kopecky, and this issue will be examined later on.

As for the RFAs, there is one no-brainer and that’s Corey Crawford. Stan Bowman has come out and said that Crawford is a top priority this off-season and that the Hawks want to bring him back. In looking at the other 6, decisions are going to have to be made as to whether or not they fit the Hawks plans going forward. I will say at this point that it is unlikely Jake Dowell is back. He seemed to be in Q's doghouse most of the year, and doesn't really add much to the squad. He is replaceable.

The signed players are pretty straightforward as well. Bottom line is that this core group of players has won the Hawks a Stanley Cup. In 2010-11 there was a bit of a Cup hangover and some players were not their best this season. However, this group of players has shown they have what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, and have hearts of champions as evidenced by the near-comeback against Vancouver in Round 1. I would not be disappointed if all of the signed players (minus the kids) are on the roster next year.

That said, I have broken those core players into smaller groups for a reason. Toews, Kane, Keith and Seabrook are not going anywhere this offseason. I also believe that Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa should be part of this group subject to a couple of caveats. Sharp is a UFA after next season and Hossa has 10 years left on his contract (at a great cap hit for Hossa, but 10 years is 10 years).If you got an offer for either of those players that blew your socks off, you have to consider it. Brian Bickell is in that group because at near minimum wage at $541K, he will be on the team next year most likely. Up next are Dave Bolland and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Important pieces to the puzzle, but both slightly overpaid. There is no problem in keeping both of them (especially due to the fact the Hawks lack centers and stay at home D-men), but if the Hawks needed to move money to add a “big” piece elsewhere in the lineup, one of these two could be on the way out. It would most likely be Hjalmarsson as he spurned the Hawks by signing that offer sheet with San Jose, and the Hawks lack centers meaning Bolland is more valuable. As for John Scott, he could be a 22nd roster player next year, he could be in Rockford, like I say above, who knows.

Then you have Brian Campbell. Yes, he does bring value to the Hawks on the ice. However, he is grossly overpaid and the Hawks’ financial flexibility going forward could be greatly enhanced by moving Campbell. In addition, the Hawks have a number of younger defensemen in the system that play a similar style to Campbell for a fraction of Campbell’s cost. The problem is that Campbell has a limited no-trade clause (can only be traded to one of 8 teams of his choice) and that in any trade, the Hawks almost certainly would be taking a bad contract in return. There is the option of buying Campbell out as well, but that would put $2.4M of dead cap space on the books for the next 10 years. In Part 5 I will outline a couple options on how the Hawks could deal with Campbell.

Finally, we have the kids. In what is looking like Stan Bowman’s best trade, 20 year old Nick Leddy (acquired for Cam Barker from Minnesota last year) is looking like a keeper on the blueline. There were times that Leddy made rookie mistakes and looked out of place, but it’s obvious that the kid has a bright future. Ben Smith wasn’t called up to the NHL roster until game 81 of the regular season, but showed that he has a high hockey IQ and some much-needed grit during the Vancouver series. Marcus Kruger came over from Sweden in the middle of a playoff chase and also saw time in the playoffs. While Kruger looked physically out of place, he did get better as he gained more experience. Jeremy Morin also saw time with the Hawks during the season before his season ended with a concussion. Morin is perhaps the Hawks best “top 6 forward” prospect. The thing to keep in mind with the kids is that they are on entry-level contracts so the Hawks can still send them to Rockford without having to worry about waivers.

Chicago Blackhawks 2011 Offseason Guide - Part 1 - Introduction

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One year ago at this time the Chicago Blackhawks were in the midst of a magical playoff run that led the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. This year, the season ended earlier than the most fans had hoped as the Blackhawks fell to rival Vancouver 4 games to 3 in the first round of the NHL playoffs. It was a difficult season for the Hawks for a number of reasons including the Cup Hangover, the trimming of the roster due to the salary cap and bonus penalties due to Toews and Kane achieving bonuses in 2009-10, injuries and fatigue, and the fact they had the target on their back that being a defending Stanley Cup champion carries. However, the idea behind this blog is not to summarize the 2010-11 season. It instead will focus on where the Blackhawks are today, and what things could look like going forward in 2011-12 and beyond.

The 2010-11 Chicago Blackhawks were a flawed team. The salary cap stripped the team of much of their physical and gritty depth. In looking at the roster, this is the main area of concern going forward. How do the Hawks go about adding the physicality and sandpaper that this team was missing in 2010-11? There’s a couple of ways that this can be done, either through development of young players in the organization who fit these roles going forward, signing free-agents to fill those roles, or via trade. When reading this blog, it is important to remember that a lot of the decisions on how this writer would fill the roster going forward are based on what has been said above. The Hawks need to add sandpaper and depth to their lineup, moreso than adding another big name.

Other Hawks needs include more depth at center, a physical stay at home defenseman for the third pairing. Addressing those two needs would go a long way to addressing the need to improve the Hawks’ penalty kill which ranked near the bottom of the league for much of the 2010-11 season.

The rest of this blog will be as follows:

Part 2 will deal with the current roster. In Part 3 I will begin to project a 2011-12 roster. Part 4 will continue with the 2011-12 roster projection. Part 5 will discuss Brian Campbell and Part 6 will wrap things up.