SB Nation - Colin Fraser

Game 27 Preview: Jackets head to the Windy City to face the Hawks

Mike MacLean — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:03:19 -0000

by Jay LaPrete - AP

After snapping a five game losing streak, the Jackets are in Chicago to take on the 'Hawks. On paper, this doesn't look good for the Jackets. It's the second game of a back-to-back, Rusty is out of the lineup with a groin tear (Mathieu Roy will play tonight, he's up from Syracuse on emergency recall), and tonight is the home debut of Hossa.

That said, the boys should still have some momentum from last night. It was a gutsy performance, and maybe the victory against the Blues was the tonic needed to get the Jackets back on track. Chicago is a great team from top to bottom. Their one question mark heading into the season-goaltending-seems to no longer be an issue with the strong play of Huet.

In my opinion, and likely many other share this opinion, the Hawks have the best defense in the NHL. It will be tough to score tonight, but the Jackets do have the weapons needed. Umby is playing his best hockey of the season, and Brass is looking better and better each game. If Voracek can build off of the strong game he had last night, look for that line to produce tonight. That would allow Nash and Juice to do their thing offensively-Huselius has been putting up serious points lately as well.

This is an imprtant game for the checking unit. I haven't seen much from Chimmer all season, and he needs to bring a physical element tonight. Mike Blunden hits everything that moves, and he'll need to continue doing that tonight against the 'Hawks potent forwards. Sammy was a Blackhawk for a brief period last season, and I look for him to have a strong game matching up against either Toews or Versteeg.

Fearless Prediction: Goal from a CBJ defenseman.

Game Time: 8:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Second City Hockey

Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Blackhawks Coverage

TSN Preview: Blue Jackets vs Blackhawks Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets snapped a five-game losing streak last night with a 5-2 win over the Blues. It should be a loud crowd tonight in United Center. The Blackhawks are back off a six-game trip, Marian Hossa makes his Chicago debut and coach Joel Quenneville goes for his 500th victory.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Chicago Blackhawks

Patrik Sharp	Jonathan Toews	Marian Hossa
Dustin Byfuglien	Kris Versteeg	Patrick Kane
Andrew Ladd	John Madden	Troy Brouwer
Ben Eager	Colin Fraser	Tomas Kopecky

Duncan Keith	Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell	Cam Barker
Niklas Hjalmarsson	Brent Sopel

Cristobal Huet

Antti Niemi

The NHL's top defensive forwards

James Mirtle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:06 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

Montreal Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec and Chicago Blackhawks' John Madden.

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We're about far enough into the season that we can start to look at some individual stats and have enough of a sample size to draw some conclusions. This list is the same one I've been churning out for a couple years now, and ranks players defensively based on (a) quality of competition at even strength, (b) goals against per minute played at even strength and (c) goals against per minute played on the penalty kill.

Players also have to have played at least 15 games and fill a significant role on their team's shorthanded unit. Credit, as always, to Behind The Net for the data.

Here are the top 25 at the quarter-way mark:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	QCMP	EVGA/60	SHGA/60
1	BRANDON CROMBEEN	STL	21	0.12	1.44	1.33
2	KRIS VERSTEEG	CHI	22	0.13	1.49	5.25
3	JAY MCCLEMENT	STL	21	0.13	1.75	6.27
4	VERNON FIDDLER	PHX	25	0.03	1.86	3.61
5	JOHN MADDEN	CHI	23	0.12	2.17	5.61
6	DAVID LEGWAND	NSH	23	0.09	2.28	4.43
7	TRAVIS ZAJAC	N.J	22	0.16	0.73	9.20
8	MILAN MICHALEK	OTT	22	0.22	2.57	5.27
9	JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER	N.J	22	0.09	1.69	7.47
10	DANIEL WINNIK	PHX	25	-0.05	1.59	1.54
11	SAKU KOIVU	ANA	17	0.12	1.62	8.64
12	RYAN MALONE	T.B	21	0.18	2.20	7.49
13	MIKE FISHER	OTT	21	0.08	2.32	5.41
14	JOCHEN HECHT	BUF	20	-0.04	1.64	4.10
15	MIKE GRIER	BUF	15	-0.05	1.60	3.53
16	COLIN FRASER	CHI	23	0.04	2.33	4.39
17	JAMES WRIGHT	T.B	21	0.07	1.29	8.13
18	STEVE BEGIN	BOS	24	0.03	1.96	5.34
19	DANIEL ALFREDSSON	OTT	22	0.25	3.02	5.25
20	TOMAS PLEKANEC	MTL	24	-0.01	1.94	5.06
21	DAVID BACKES	STL	21	0.01	2.03	5.19
22	BRANDON DUBINSKY	NYR	18	0.06	2.20	5.72
23	JEFF HALPERN	T.B	21	0.06	2.34	5.54
24	SCOTT NICHOL	S.J	26	-0.07	1.89	2.35
25	JOEL WARD	NSH	21	0.14	2.10	8.81

There are a lot of different names so far than what we saw last season, and I don't know if that's due to the small sample size or if we're simply seeing new players step into these roles and excel. Players on the list who have gotten recognition as top defensive forwards in the past include Versteeg, McClement, Madden, Fisher, Grier, Alfredsson and Ward.

Without a lot of high profile names in there so far (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg) it'll be interesting to see what the Selke candidates look like this season. I don't think you could go wrong giving it to Alfredsson, who always does a nice job on the Sens' PK.

Players who scored on the low end among those that qualified include Wayne Primeau, Craig Adams, Lee Stempniak, Greg Campbell and Rod Brind'Amour.

I'll look at the top defensive defencemen in the near future.

Well, That Was Relatively Quick - Hawks 3, Lanche 2 (Shootout)

McClure — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:54:10 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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At least it wasn't eight or nine rounds deep this time.

Being at the schedule makers' mercy, in an Olympic year, the Hawks met the Avalanche for the third meeting of four total in this young season, and the pace in the first period was quite brisk. The teams traded chances in the early going of the first, and Colin Fraser and Matt Hendricks renewed acquaintances with a tussle, and Colorado opened the scoring on a goal Huet would like to have back. Kyle Cumiskey picked up a rebound off the glass behind the left of Huet, and threw it at the net before Cris was back in position. It was a bad goal, but, again, we've seen worse. Aside from that Huet was rather sharp in the first, aggressively taking away angles and the bottom of the net. His counterpart Craig Anderson was peppered as well, with Patrick Kane finally solving him with a top shelf short side snap shot to tie things up. The Hawks allowed an uncharacteristic 12 shots during the first, while putting 12 shots on goal themselves.

The second was all Colorado, as the Hawks again seemed to have trouble entering the offensive zone and sustaining pressure. Wojtek Wolski scored on a broken play, again to the left of Huet after a giveaway by Andrew Ladd in the neutral zone led to a chance that had the puck pop up in the air, where Cris lost it, and then then again could not get back in position in time to stop Wolski's bid.

Conversely, the third period was all Hawks, with shots throwing rubber at Anderson at every opportunity, and finally getting their forecheck in gear. Cam Barker tied things up on a nice individual effort rushing the puck up ice from his own zone, capped off by beating Anderson again high and to the short side. From there, the Avalanche seemed content to try to escape with the point, but the Hawks kept their foot on the gas, outshooting Colorado 15-3 in the third. It should be noted, however, that two Avalanche shots drew iron during the third, but that won't show up on the scoresheet. Regulation ended tied (AGAIN), and the teams went to overtime (AGAIN).

The attack didn't cease there, as the Hawks put four shots on Anderson in the extra frame, and even had a competent, abbreviated 4-on-3 power-play to end regulation. But it was not to be. So let it be written, so let it be done- these two teams are seemingly forever destined to settle their difference in the skills competition.

Huet was down and out to lead-off man Wolski, but again, he hit the post with his Forsberg-esque half-spin backhand. Toews answered with his now trademark rifling of a shot through the goalie's five-hole. Marek Svatos converted a pretty backhand high and to Huet's stick side to knot the shoot out at 1-1. The last attempt fell to Patrick Sharp, who has had his difficulties in these situations, but made no mistake in dipping his shoulder left, then cutting back right to go high over Anderson's glove for the winner. Hawks 3, Avs 2.

Again, the defense pulls the boa constrictor act in the third and overtime, only allowing 3 shots (posts not withstanding) in the final 25 minutes. Even more impressive was that the Hawks managed 19 shots of their own in that time. We've said it before, we'll say it again - you can't shoot the puck if the other team has it the whole time.
Andrew Ebbett seems to be getting more comfortable and more noticeable, which is likely a function of not being asked to check and provide physicality, neither of which are his specialty.
In spite of the two goofy goals, and getting help from the iron, Huet was again solid tonight, making several key saves.
Nice to see Sharp convert on the winner after being seemingly snakebitten the last few games. Hopefully this, along with the approaching return of Marian Hossa will spark one of his now signature scoring binges to compliment his droughts.

Player of the Game

Tonight's honor goes to Patrick Sharp, who was a factor on all 200 feet of the ice tonight backchecking and contributing offensively assisting on Kane's goal and scoring the shootout clincher.

More Season Preview Fun - What Will The Lines Look Like?

McClure — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:09:45 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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There's a chance that some of you may have been hoping for perhaps a change in editorial staff on the blog to go along with the cosmetic makeover. Well, no such luck. You're stuck with our jizz jokes for the foreseeable future.

With the exhibition season now officially under way, we're bound to see some goofy line combinations trotted out there due to the expanded roster and the coaching staff wanting to know who works well with whom. But, clearly, we know better than the highly paid and respected Joel Quenneville as relatively anonymous internet bloggers, so let's go ahead and take a look at

How Will The Blackhawks Construct their forward lines?

As we've noted time and again, the Blackhawks are overstocked at forward. It's very likely that once Marian Hossa returns from shoulder surgery, someone from last year's squad could very likely be toiling in Rockford if their performance has slipped even in the slightest bit. Also, for this exercise, I'm going to go ahead and assume that Hossa IS healthy, since, in theory, he should be with the club the majority of the year.

Starting with the top line, to me, the only absolute is that Jonathan Toews is going to be centering it. Captain Marvel has established himself as the team's number 1 center, and can do it in all three zones. His wings, however, are another story. While the easy thing would be to have Patrick Kane and Hossa flank Toews, it does not come without its minor problems. First, the Hawks run the risk of front-loading their scoring. While scoring depth was not an issue last season, teams that become one line deep are relatively easily nuetralized, no matter how good that line is. Just ask the Ducks last year. Additionally, with this combination, Hossa is somewhat under utilized as a playmaker, as Kane will be likely be the one expected to distribute the puck. So if we place Hossa elsewhere, the natural person to step in would be Patrick Sharp. The Sharp-Toews-Kane combination has worked very well in the past, with Toews winning battles and draws, and Kane finding the team's best natural finisher. However, this combination only works if as Sam said last week 2007-2008 Patrick Sharp returns being a moderate physical presence and responsible in his own zone.

Moving to the second line, it's again fairly clear that it will be centered by Dave Bolland, and as I've established above, Marian Hossa should be placed on Bolland's right. Hossa will be asked to fill in Marty Havlat's spot on Bolland's wing, which his career numbers fully indicate he should be able to do no problem. While Bolland isn't the seizure-inducing playmaker Kane can be, he's very adept at putting the puck exactly where it needs to be to allow his linemates to do what they do best with it, and Hossa should flourish with Bolland. The question then becomes who is on the other wing opposite Hossa. Andrew Ladd would have no problem in his familiar spot along side Bolland, but given Ladd's defensive presence and the Hawks' acquisition of John Madden, Ladd's skills may be better utilized in a true shut-down role. The loss of his physicality on the line is mitigated by the fact that Marian Hossa, while not a banger, is a far bigger physical presence than Martin Havlat was. And Hossa's physicality should make for enough space for Kris Versteeg to maximize his abilities as possibly the team's slickest puck handler. Steeger's wrist and snap shots are nothing to complain about either, so the thought is also that a line of Versteeg-Bolland-Hossa would give room enough to let those shots fly.

Off-season pick up and Selke winner John Madden has been penciled in as the third line/checking center since the millisecond after he signed on July 1. It's what he's done his entire career, and the hope is that he continues to do so here in Chicago. With Andrew Ladd on his wing, the makings of an elite shutdown line are in place. The opposite wing is a bit of a predicament, however. Getting down toward the bottom of the roster, there are numerous forwards who all do very similar things. And while this may be a huge leap that I may regret making later, it seems as though the light finally went on last season for Dustin Byfuglien when he was asked to help Sammy Pahlsson check the other team's top line. Madden is more decorated than Pahlsson, so there should be no reason to believe Buff couldn't maintain the level of productivity he provided along side Pahlsson. And a line of Byfuglien-Madden-Ladd sounds like a pretty damn rugged checking line to have to face shift after shift.

Now that we're getting down to the bottom of the roster is where some of the real tough choices are going to be made. Tomas Kopecky and his $1 million dollar salary seem like a lock to be in place here (if not further up the depth chart). Kopecky adds a lot of size and versatility to what was already one of the best 4th lines in the league last year. Ben Eager adds to that size and provides speed and grit as well, and Adam Burish brings crabs.....wait...not that kind of pest. The hockey kind. The kind everyone loves to have on their fourth line. A line of Eager-Kopecky-Burish should be just as productive, if not more so, than last year's incarnation. Apologies to Troy Brouwer and Colin Fraser, and they'll definitely be first to suit up if Eager and Burish can't keep their shit together, or Buff returns to slack-ass mode. But while they work very hard and overachieved last year, no one can realistically say that either is anything more than a fourth liner on a team that has a reasonable shot to win a Stanley Cup, which for the first time in a long time, this team does. God DAMN does it feel good to type that.

Sharp-Toews-Kane

Versteeg-Bolland-Hossa
Ladd-Madden-Byfuglien
Eager-Kopecky-Burish

2009-2010 Season Preview, cont'd

McClure — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:50:34 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Well, here we are, one day closer to a rapidly approaching hockey season. In keeping with the format that Sam established yesterday (and I use the word "format" very loosely in this case), today's issue will be something that I addressed in the comments regarding Huet, and that is......

Will the Blackhawks improve their often problematic penalty killing?

For approximately the first two months of last season, the Hawks seemingly possessed at least a serviceable, if not elite penalty killing unit, unofficially right up through December's March to the Sea. From that point on, the penalty kill became a liability, one which was exacerbated by the fact that this was a young team with a propensity to take undisciplined or selfish penalties (Patrick Kane and Ben Eager, I'm looking in your directions, respectively). The Hawks finished 18th in the league, killing 80.3% of their penalties, after what appeared to be a promising start to the season in that department.

Even in the playoffs, facing two teams with mediocre power plays (Vancouver ranked 17th in the regular season at 18.8%, Calgary at 21st at 17.0%), the Hawks only killed 78.5% of their penalties, second-worst behind Scum of teams that got out of the first round. And while we know how both of those seasons ended, it's simply not good hockey sense to basically be allowing one power play goal a game at that rate. So now the question becomes- how will the Hawks improve upon those numbers this year, and give the positioning-reliant Cristobal Huet more than a fighter's chance to be his team's best penalty killer?

It is the (likely malformed) opinion of this particular blogger that yes, the Hawks can significantly improve their penalty kill not with a change in scheme or philosophy, but a change in personnel. While Quenneville and his staff were very adept at finding sometimes-odd even strength line combinations that worked (Havlat-Bolland-Ladd, Burish-Sharp-Eager in the post season, for example), his choices on the penalty kill were often curious. Coach Q favored his grunts on the penalty kill; players like Colin Fraser, Troy Brouwer, Adam Burish, and seemingly last year's lone shorthanded threat Kris Versteeg.

While I understand the thought process behind preserving your young, offensive stars for even strength and power play situations, it does not make sense when the best faceoff man on the team never sees the light of day on a penalty kill, nor does a man who led the league in short-handed goals and just barely missed being a Selke finalist the year previous. When the penalty kill was flopping around the the fish at the end of the video for Faith No More's "Epic" during the March swoon, allowing Mark Streit to fire at will from the point during that debacle against the Islanders, it was inexcusable for Jonathan Toews to not be out there killing penalties, if only to win a defensive zone faceoff, and immediately leave the ice. Had Patrick Sharp not been hurt at the time, you bet your ass he should have been out there, too.

Penalty killing comes down to hockey smarts, effort, and defensive zone faceoff wins. And while no one is doubting the effort of guys like Colin Fraser or Troy Brouwer, they simply aren't as good as Toews and Sharp when it comes to killing penalties. The addition of John Madden, provided he does what he has throughout his career with the Devils as a PK ace should help stabilize things, and I'd preferably have him paired with Andrew Ladd, arguably the team's best defensive forward. At Madden's age, he's no longer the home run threat for a shorty going the other way he was earlier in his career, but between he and Ladd, Hawks fans can be confident in their ability to win draws, and make the smart plays cutting down passing angles and clearing the zone.

Outside of having two smart, defensively sound forwards killing penalties, there is precedent elsewhere in the league that shows the best defense can be a good offense. Not to bring up the Flyers comparison again, but they regularly trot out Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Simon Gagne to kill penalties, the sight of which is sure to keep opposing power play quarterbacks on their toes, as one mishandle could very well lead to the puck in the net at the other end of the ice. Philly was 6th in the league during the regular season, killing 83% of their penalties, and led the league with 15 shorthanded goals. Already having an established short-handed scoring threat in Patrick Sharp, the Hawks could very easily work him, Jonathan Toews, and Marian Hossa, who, unlike Martin Havlat has killed penalties regularly throughout his career, into the penalty killing rotation. And, as was touched on earlier, Jonathan Toews is far and away the Hawks best faceoff man, it is sheer folly not to have him out there with a man down.

Having depth at forward is nice, as is having willing 3rd and fourth liners to go out there and throw themselves in front of howitzer blasts from the point on a penalty kill, but the Blackhawks have far better options for their penalty kill personnel, and the only way the unit will improve is if Quenneville and his staff recognize that fact and maximize their assets.

Sam's Take: There isn't much I can add here. The Hawks have enough defensively responsible, attacking forwards to make their PK something to fear. If you add the Flyers 15 shorties to the penalties they killed off, which works because essentially they've come out of a kill at least as well off as they were before it, their % jumps to 86.7 which would have been third best. Frankly, Colin Fraser, Brouwer, and probably even Burish shouldn't see the ice any more than they have to. With Toews and Madden, you have two guys who can win draws and have high hockey IQ. Though I understand wanting to limit your stars minutes, our stars are barely shaving, and can probably stand the extra minute of ice time. Bolland is awful on the draws, and his Behind the Net Numbers suggest he's not a very good killer, but that might have to do with his skills in the circle. Pair him with Toews and provide a real threat up top. Then Madden and Ladd, and perhaps Hossa with Sharp, and you'll have a nails forward unit for the PK.

The back end is a little more complicated than you might think. Only Biscuit and Barker (when he feels like it) can be counted on to clear out the crease. Whatever you think of Matt Walker, he excelled at this last season. It's hard to believe Hammer will bulk up enough this summer to be counted on to do so, so whoever claims the #6 spot is going to have to be able to do it. And the crease will need clearing, as we know there will be some Huet pitch-backs lying around.

Salary Cap... What Salary Cap? Blackhawks Sign Mark Cullen

Matthew Dirt — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:56:15 -0000

If you listened to HockeeNight's puckcast last week, you'll have heard Chris Block, Forklift and CT discuss Sam and I for a brief second. After claiming Sam to be a "frail individual" (probably true) they discuss which Blackhawk I most resemble.

Fork goes with Colin Fraser:

via Julie Rubes - Flickr

While Block says Mark Cullen:

via www.nhl.com

So I'm a 4th line center at best... great. I don't see it in either of them except for similar hair..

Well, the Blackhawks announced today that they have signed Cullen to a new one-year deal. There haven't been any numbers released yet but it probably isn't much for a 30 year old guy who has played only 32 games in the NHL (the last being 3 games in the '06-07 season with the Flyers).

The signing will no doubt just add more fuel to the fire that the Hawks are planning a move and are getting pieces in order to ship people around. So continue with the latest trend and throw around trade rumors in the comments.

Also, some combination of the three of us will be joining Fork and CT tonight for this week's puckcast, so keep an eye (ear?) out for that tomorrow...

Blackhawks controversy evaporates as RFAs all sign contracts

James Mirtle — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:58:35 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews, right, celebrates his goal with Cameron Barker (25) and Kris Versteeg, center, against the Detroit Red Wings.

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A source confirmed the Hawks and restricted free agent winger Kris Versteeg have finalized a three-year deal worth more than $9 million. The contract could be announced officially by the team on Wednesday.

Signing Versteeg for roughly $3 million puts the Hawks just about at the $56.8 million salary cap. A $3 million cap hit for Versteeg would put the Hawks' payroll at approximately $55.578 million, not counting the salary for the backup goalie.

— Tim Sassone, Between The Circles

Versteeg's the last of six restricted free agents involved in the qualifying offer "debacle" of last week to sign on the dotted line, thereby making the NHLPA grieving the situation a relative non-issue. Here's a look at the contracts they signed:

Players	2008-09	New contract	Cap hit
Cam Barker	0.984	Three years	3.083
Kris Versteeg	0.490	Three years	3.083
Troy Brouwer	0.700	Two years	1.025
Ben Eager	0.650	One year	0.965
Colin Fraser	0.500	One year	0.700
Aaron Johnson	0.525	One year	0.540

Make no mistake, Chicago could have had a real problem on its hands after bungling the qualifying offers, but it was clear from the start all six players were more interested in playing as Blackhawks this coming season rather than fighting through a grievance to become UFAs. The four lower-end guys here either accepted small raises or just took their qualifying offers (Johnson, for instance, could have received much more had he fought for it), while Barker and Versteeg likely received a little more than they would have as RFAs but less than on the open market.

Had this issue occurred involving a team or market where players wanted out of, I imagine the results would be quite different. As of now, 'Hawks fans and front office brass are breathing a sigh of relief.

Click here for a look at where Chicago sits against the cap. They are likely fine this season with their current group intact, but there'll need to be major changes next summer to accommodate new contracts for captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

NHLPA Files Grievance- Barker and Versteeg Could Become UFAs

Matthew Dirt — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:10:54 -0000

OK - so it's a molehill.. but it's a really fucking big one.

According to TSN - The Players Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker based on the qualifying offer mishap and will argue they should be ruled UFAs.

So now the league can agree with the PA - and the Hawks are screwed. Or they can disagree and the case will move to a hearing - and the Hawks might still be screwed. The league will almost certainly disagree with the Players Association so we're bound for some fun "hearings".

The Hawks likely won't be able to afford either player if they hit the open market. It wasn't even a sure thing they could afford them both if they remained RFAs. If they do become UFA's though the Hawks lose any rights to draft picks given up when a team signs a RFA from a team. One of them is certainly going to look to get paid and smart money is on Versteeg to be the one who bolts.

It ain't all bad news though - There's also news that Troy Brouwer, Corey Crawford, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser and surprisingly, Aaron Johnson have all signed new contracts.

Brouwer and Crawford were given two-year deals, everyone else gets a one year contract.

Chris Block over at Third Man In says the numbers for the contracts are $700K for Fraser, $956K for Eager (Double Nickels on the Dime from here on out), and Brouwer gets $1.025M for each of this two years. No word on $ amount for the other two contracts but Allan Walsh says Johnson's deal is a one-way deal.

Don't get your hopes up just because the Hawks were able to sign three of "The Chicago Five" (Ever heard of the Seattle seven? That was me... and 6 other guys). With all the money that could potentially be on the table now, Versteeg and Barker are almost certain to wait to see what happens with the hearing now - or they should fire their agents. And if their agent is Allan Walsh, they should probably fire him anyway...

UPDATE:

According to Darren Dreger - The Hawks got some good news today when Barker signed an extention with the Hawks for 3 years - $9.25 M. That's a 3.08 M cap hit which is probably less than he could have recieved from the open market. This is probably yet another sign that our time with Versteeg is probably done - which is upsetting since he was such a fun player to watch last year, both on and off the ice. We'll still keep an eye out for any news about him though...

This whole situation does say a lot about the future of the Hawks though. Any one of the players signed today probably left money out there if they had decided to push it - especially the ones that could have joined in with the grievance and tried to become UFAs. Getting players to take less to play here (or at least agree to long term deals like Hossa's) is the way to keep a strong team despite the salary cap.

Things are certainly different, eh? Who thought this day would come...

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

The Blackhawks' qualifying offer 'debacle'

James Mirtle — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:15:07 -0000

Pretty interesting story from late last night involving the Blackhawks and several qualifying offers:

Sources tell TSN the NHL and the NHLPA are investigating what might have been an enormous mistake by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago tendered qualifying offers to several key players this week, including Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Aaron Johnson and Troy Brouwer, however the investigation underway is to determine whether the qualifying offers were filed correctly.

If not, there is the remote possibility the qualifying offers could be ruled invalid and the players listed above, conceivably, could be deemed unrestricted free agents because of the blunder.

Early indications are that this won't be a major issue, although Johnson's agent, Allan Walsh, offered these thoughts on Twitter a few hours after the TSN story came out:

I don't see those messages on his account this morning, so I suppose they were deleted. (Maybe this all isn't such a debacle after all?) Still, it seems like poor organization on the 'Hawks part to not ensure everything was filed well ahead of time.

Tom Benjamin says GM Dale Tallon should bear the brunt of the blame.