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Chicago Blackhawks Blogger •
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
-Lewis Carroll
Apparently, yours truly was taken to task in a blog written by Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald yesterday for not adequately verifying the sources of trade rumors I recently blogged on.
For the record, I like and respect Tim. And I appreciate his advice.
Tim based his criticism on an email that was forwarded to him by the Toronto Sun, from Brian Burke, denying one of said rumors.
First, this blog is not going to be about defending my credibility. I heard these rumors from a source who has been accurate in the past. And I reported them as "rumors."
The truth is, professional sports GMs issue official "denials" all the time— like the ones that take the form of a vote of confidence—before a head coach gets whacked.
There is a lot of traction now to the story that the Hawks nearly shipped Brian Campbell to Ottawa for Dany Heatley, yet GMs issued denials then. Burke, I'm certain, has his reasons for sending the email. Maybe the rumor isn't true. Maybe he doesn't want his best player worrying about getting dealt. He also has the most passionate, impatient fan base in the NHL, much of which, judging by posts on this blog over the last 36 hours, believes Kaberle to be somewhere along the lines of Bobby Orr.
Also, a lot of rumors about possible trades are flying all the time.
I felt these rumors bore discussion for a couple of reasons. There's the data itself (the rumors). And there's the surrounding circumstances, and my opinion on them.
Let me be clear on this: setting salary cap issues aside, I am not (and haven't been for some time) convinced the Hawk roster as it is currently composed is ideal for winning the Stanley Cup. But it's close.
There are those who follow the Hawks, and those who cover the Hawks apparently, who are not as skeptical as I am. That's fine. And I certainly respect their opinion.
But I also believe the top hockey people within the Blackhawks, if they don't share this belief, have to be asking themselves the question at the very least.
Now, bringing salary cap issues back into the picture, there are those who also believe that the Hawks can afford to wait until the offseason to make the trades that appear necessary—at least on paper— to free up the cap space necessary to sign restricted free agents Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews this offseason. And, oh, by the way, emerging star defenseman Nik Hjalmarsson is an RFA, too.
I, again, respectfully disagree. The Hawks absolutely can wait. But I don't believe they can afford to. Simply put, if the Hawks wait until the offseason to try to clear up to $8-10 million in cap space through trades, they will have very little leverage with other teams. Other teams will know they have the Hawks in a position of weakness.
Now, conversely, I have had heated discussions on this blog and others with fans who maintain the Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet contracts have effectively tied the Blackhawks hands and they will lose Keith, for example, as he will command "$8 million a year" as a free agent.
And, a high percentage of these fans feel Cristobal Huet (or he and Campbell together) is the only reason for the Hawks' four losses this year. As though Huet is the one taking offensive zone penalties, failing to get the puck deep before the team changes lines and making bonehead turnovers at the blue line.
With all due respect to those passionate fans: bullpucky.
Are both these players overpaid? In all likelihood, yes. But both are proven good players, not the pariahs they are made out to be and they have value to this club.
Now, take one look at how many top RFAs have changed teams since the new CBA went into effect. Not bloody many. Between qualifying offers and draft pick compensation, the incumbent teams have a lot of leverage.
Regardless, though none of the aforementioned RFA players are likely (at all) to be paid $7 million a year as RFAs, they will get paid. By the Hawks. My guess is Kane, Toews and Keith will all get between $5.5 and $6.5 million a year. And Hjalmarsson, $4 million a year.
After one factors in current salaries, eventual departures of a few veterans, and a possible small uptick in the salary cap, there's still a lot of money the Hawks need to find.
One of the arguments I hear over and over is about the consequence losing "star" players in trades, almost as though the Blackhawks would get nothing in return. Yet the Hawks have marketable—and well-paid young players— with good offensive statistics, who nonetheless make the same costly mistakes night after night that aren't necessarily reflected in goals and assists (for their team).
So I am of the belief, and have been quite vocal in this belief, that the Hawks need to be (and will be, and perhaps already are) in the trade market before the trading deadline. And not just to clear salary for the future— but also to improve their team for this year.
And so when I hear from a source that a GM of a struggling team has been overheard discussing a deal with the Blackhawks, or when I hear independent sourcing of a rumor that's been reported before of a specific player from another team being on the move to Chicago, I feel it is appropriate to discuss those rumors.
I went back last night and checked on the sources of the rumors. In some cases, I hear directly from a person who has spoken with a GM or senior hockey person (as was the case with the Hossa signing—which was accurate). In others, like this one, the rumor has filtered down through various people. And at this writing, I still believe one of these rumors is legit. And I'm not yet convinced the other one isn't. Because, due to the players and positions mentioned, there could be a cause and effect relationship to these two deals. Or similar ones now brewing or soon to be.
I'll end this ummm diatribe with a quote from Chris Kuc's blog in the Chicago Tribune with regard to internet rumors: don't believe everything you read.
I agree. And I would just add to that, don't necessarily believe the denials either.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading this.
JJ
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
-Lewis Carroll
Apparently, yours truly was taken to task in a blog written by Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald yesterday for not adequately verifying the sources of trade rumors I recently blogged on.
For the record, I like and respect Tim. And I appreciate his advice.
Tim based his criticism on an email that was forwarded to him by the Toronto Sun, from Brian Burke, denying one of said rumors.
First, this blog is not going to be about defending my credibility. I heard these rumors from a source who has been accurate in the past. And I reported them as "rumors."
The truth is, professional sports GMs issue official "denials" all the time— like the ones that take the form of a vote of confidence—before a head coach gets whacked.
There is a lot of traction now to the story that the Hawks nearly shipped Brian Campbell to Ottawa for Dany Heatley, yet GMs issued denials then. Burke, I'm certain, has his reasons for sending the email. Maybe the rumor isn't true. Maybe he doesn't want his best player worrying about getting dealt. He also has the most passionate, impatient fan base in the NHL, much of which, judging by posts on this blog over the last 36 hours, believes Kaberle to be somewhere along the lines of Bobby Orr.
Also, a lot of rumors about possible trades are flying all the time.
I felt these rumors bore discussion for a couple of reasons. There's the data itself (the rumors). And there's the surrounding circumstances, and my opinion on them.
Let me be clear on this: setting salary cap issues aside, I am not (and haven't been for some time) convinced the Hawk roster as it is currently composed is ideal for winning the Stanley Cup. But it's close.
There are those who follow the Hawks, and those who cover the Hawks apparently, who are not as skeptical as I am. That's fine. And I certainly respect their opinion.
But I also believe the top hockey people within the Blackhawks, if they don't share this belief, have to be asking themselves the question at the very least.
Now, bringing salary cap issues back into the picture, there are those who also believe that the Hawks can afford to wait until the offseason to make the trades that appear necessary—at least on paper— to free up the cap space necessary to sign restricted free agents Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews this offseason. And, oh, by the way, emerging star defenseman Nik Hjalmarsson is an RFA, too.
I, again, respectfully disagree. The Hawks absolutely can wait. But I don't believe they can afford to. Simply put, if the Hawks wait until the offseason to try to clear up to $8-10 million in cap space through trades, they will have very little leverage with other teams. Other teams will know they have the Hawks in a position of weakness.
Now, conversely, I have had heated discussions on this blog and others with fans who maintain the Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet contracts have effectively tied the Blackhawks hands and they will lose Keith, for example, as he will command "$8 million a year" as a free agent.
And, a high percentage of these fans feel Cristobal Huet (or he and Campbell together) is the only reason for the Hawks' four losses this year. As though Huet is the one taking offensive zone penalties, failing to get the puck deep before the team changes lines and making bonehead turnovers at the blue line.
With all due respect to those passionate fans: bullpucky.
Are both these players overpaid? In all likelihood, yes. But both are proven good players, not the pariahs they are made out to be and they have value to this club.
Now, take one look at how many top RFAs have changed teams since the new CBA went into effect. Not bloody many. Between qualifying offers and draft pick compensation, the incumbent teams have a lot of leverage.
Regardless, though none of the aforementioned RFA players are likely (at all) to be paid $7 million a year as RFAs, they will get paid. By the Hawks. My guess is Kane, Toews and Keith will all get between $5.5 and $6.5 million a year. And Hjalmarsson, $4 million a year.
After one factors in current salaries, eventual departures of a few veterans, and a possible small uptick in the salary cap, there's still a lot of money the Hawks need to find.
One of the arguments I hear over and over is about the consequence losing "star" players in trades, almost as though the Blackhawks would get nothing in return. Yet the Hawks have marketable—and well-paid young players— with good offensive statistics, who nonetheless make the same costly mistakes night after night that aren't necessarily reflected in goals and assists (for their team).
So I am of the belief, and have been quite vocal in this belief, that the Hawks need to be (and will be, and perhaps already are) in the trade market before the trading deadline. And not just to clear salary for the future— but also to improve their team for this year.
And so when I hear from a source that a GM of a struggling team has been overheard discussing a deal with the Blackhawks, or when I hear independent sourcing of a rumor that's been reported before of a specific player from another team being on the move to Chicago, I feel it is appropriate to discuss those rumors.
I went back last night and checked on the sources of the rumors. In some cases, I hear directly from a person who has spoken with a GM or senior hockey person (as was the case with the Hossa signing—which was accurate). In others, like this one, the rumor has filtered down through various people. And at this writing, I still believe one of these rumors is legit. And I'm not yet convinced the other one isn't. Because, due to the players and positions mentioned, there could be a cause and effect relationship to these two deals. Or similar ones now brewing or soon to be.
I'll end this ummm diatribe with a quote from Chris Kuc's blog in the Chicago Tribune with regard to internet rumors: don't believe everything you read.
I agree. And I would just add to that, don't necessarily believe the denials either.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading this.
JJ
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