Well, Twitter started percolating a few hours ago, and now it’s official. Dan Carcillo — “Car Bomb” to some and “Gorilla Salad” to increasingly more — has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional pick in 2015. I’m kind of amazed that you can get a draft pick for Carcillo that comes before the Earth is hit by an asteroid, but here we are.
Over the weekend, the Hawks pretty much wrapped up their offseason activities by re-signing Marcus Kruger for two years at $1.3m per. It’s another bridge contract, just like Nick Leddy received, however neither one takes Leddy or Kruger to unrestricted free agency. They’ll both be restricted in the summer of 2015, which is shaping up to be quite the eventful summer (though expect Toews and Kane to be locked up way before then anyway).
About the only thing left on Stan’s to-do list is perhaps a two-way deal for Drew LeBlahBlah, but that’s not a guarantee either. Seeing as how the Hawks chased Bob Loblaw for a couple seasons, I’d fully expect them to bring him back and stick him in Rockford as Pirri insurance.
So how did Stan do and where do the Hawks stand?
It’s a summer Friday, which probably means you’re already headed out of the office, and mentally you’ve already checked out long ago. And we’re about to enter the hockey doldrums, just as soon as Kruger’s contract is signed basically. But we really all could use a break, so before we break for the weekend let’s have a little fun, shall we?
Well, that turned into a bit of a crazy day from nowhere, huh? As you probably know by now, Ilya Kovalchuk has “retired” from the NHL to go back to Russia, where no one really doubts he’ll sign with St. Petersburg again and for more salary than he was getting from New Jersey. That’s why all this “Oh what a man he walked away from $77 million for his family and I think I’m getting moist…” hokum is just deliriously funny. And yes, that is the first time I have ever used the word “hokum.”
Yeah, it’s only been a little over two weeks since we were all doused in beer and champagne and Killion kept telling all of us how much he loved us repeatedly, but the NHL calendar waits for no one. So we’re moving right along with it. Digital subscriptions of the Committed Indian for next season are now open, and through the weekend you can save $10 as it’s only $65. That includes all of our summer issues, training camp preview, and the full ride next season. Right now, it also includes a digital copy of our Commemorative issue and all playoff issues during that run to salvation. So get on it. You can hit the button in the top right of the page, or you can just hit this one right here:
So far the Hawks offseason, when not soaked in booze, has been about not losing too much ground. And today they’d done that.
The Hawks re-signed their two Michals, Handzus and Rozsival. Both are on one year deals, which will be part of the continued plan next year as the Hawks will want to open up spots for kids (Danault at center? Clendening or Olsen on the blue line?).
The money for Zus is $1 million, or basically nothing. Handzus, if properly slotted and used, can be still be a pretty good support player. He can’t play 82 games and nor should the Hawks make him, and he really would have no business on the 2nd line other than spot duty. But he might allow Shaw to move to wing where he can make up some of the Frolik-Stalberg gap, can win some draws, and at least be Pirri-pissing-himself insurance.
As for Rozsival, he turned out to be the sneaky-effective signing we thought he might be, and as volatile as the #6 spot on your blue line can be, it’s probably safest to go with what worked before but not go over the top. If Rozie indeed only got another one year deal to stay, that’s fine. He’ll take some games off and will platoon with Brookbank again (or any Hog that pops up big time), and that’s exactly how it should be. We have seen for two consecutive seasons now with two different teams that in the crucible of the playoffs, Rozsival brings his best.
Only Kruger to bring back and to find another backup goalie, which might end up being Antti Raanta anyway.
Update: Rozsival got two years, but not really a huge deal unless the money is just ungodly stupid.
Discuss everything here, and we’ll post stories as they happen. If they happen, which they probably won’t around here.
As promised, it’s available today. And there are two ways you can get it. First, you can order a hard copy of it and have it mailed to you for $5 by hitting this button right here, and have something to hold and put over the mantle or roll it up and smoke it or whatever you want:
Gonna jump around here a bit, as we’ll get to wingers either later today or on the holiday. But the other pretty obvious gap for the Hawks other than center is a #6-7 defenseman, or at least someone to make sure Sheldon Brookbank has a platoon partner. This could easily be solved by simply re-signing Michal Rozsival, but that comes with a couple risks. One, he may have priced himself right out of it with a superb playoff performance. Two, counting on year-to-year consistency from your bottom pairing d-men usually ends up biting you in the ass. Remember how Brent Sopel went from hero in 2008 to hated in 2009 to loved again in 2010? Essentially, your third pairing is your middle relief, and by its very nature can swing wildly from useful to a giant sucking sound one season to the next. We present Shawn Camp as Exhibit A, your honor.
Even though we’re still wringing out the beer and champagne and tears from our shirts and jerseys, the world of the NHL waits for no one. After Sunday’s draft, the pedal stays to the floor as free agency opens on Friday. Though the Hawks promise to not be big players, or maybe even players at all, that doesn’t mean there aren’t holes to fill. Most likely, Stan will do what he did last summer and wait for the market to bottom out and pick up someone on the cheap, which is how Michal Rozsival ended up here. There are some names that are worth studying for Stan, though.
We’ll start with the men in the middle, as one just went away. It’s obvious that Stan wants to plug Brandon Pirri in there to start next year with as much as he’s mentioned him to the press. Either that, or he’s just bluffing for some purpose yet to be determined. That slots Shaw and Kruger behind him, but the Hawks might be better off getting a veteran to move Shaw to wing to make up for the loss of Michael Frolik. There are some options.
