Hjalmarsson stays a Hawk
Posted 10:42 PM ET | Comments 0
The Hawks kept one of their best up and coming Defenseman today as they matched the San Jose Sharks offer sheet to Niklas Hjalmarsson, a 4 year, $14 million contract. Some say they overpaid to keep the 23 year old but he has the potential to be better. The problem is that of the cap hit this will cause on the Blackhawks and what happens with contract talks with Antii Niemi.
My take is that if arbitration grants Antii Niemi anything more than a $3million per year contract then the 'Hawks should let Niemi go. They are going to have a hard enough time trying to fit 20 players on the active roster without going over the cap.
Rumors have Patrick Sharp back on the trading block again. I pray that this is just a rumor because they need him and will miss him badly if we lose him. Some say we have lost a lot in losing Byfuglien, Versteeg, Eager, Fraser, Burish, and Madden. Honestly, I think they have enough talent in the minors that can come up and take their place. Time will tell. Let's hope the Hawks can find a way to stop the salary cap bleeding and try to avoid losing a star in Sharp that can really hurt the team if we cannot keep him.
Niemi would be great to tie up for a multi-year contract but if they have to go to the free agent pool Jose Theodore and Marty Turco are still available. Their GAA is higher than Niemi's but they also faced 10-15 more shots a game. If you look at their SV% they are right there with Niemi.
I'm anxious to see the roster this fall but the casualties have to stop. Here is hoping for the best.
And as always...LET'S GO HAWKS!
Thanks for reading,
Randy
My take is that if arbitration grants Antii Niemi anything more than a $3million per year contract then the 'Hawks should let Niemi go. They are going to have a hard enough time trying to fit 20 players on the active roster without going over the cap.
Rumors have Patrick Sharp back on the trading block again. I pray that this is just a rumor because they need him and will miss him badly if we lose him. Some say we have lost a lot in losing Byfuglien, Versteeg, Eager, Fraser, Burish, and Madden. Honestly, I think they have enough talent in the minors that can come up and take their place. Time will tell. Let's hope the Hawks can find a way to stop the salary cap bleeding and try to avoid losing a star in Sharp that can really hurt the team if we cannot keep him.
Niemi would be great to tie up for a multi-year contract but if they have to go to the free agent pool Jose Theodore and Marty Turco are still available. Their GAA is higher than Niemi's but they also faced 10-15 more shots a game. If you look at their SV% they are right there with Niemi.
I'm anxious to see the roster this fall but the casualties have to stop. Here is hoping for the best.
And as always...LET'S GO HAWKS!
Thanks for reading,
Randy