Its Parade Day in Chicago. Its Stanley's coming out party.
To the victors go the spoils.
Its time for the Chicago Blackhawks to meet their loyal fans, face-to-face. Hundreds of thousands of Blackhawks fans blow off work and head downtown to enjoy their second mass communal gathering in the past four years. They'll drink beer, high five, scream til their lungs hurt, shoot video, and take hundreds of pictures that they will post to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Their phots and jpegs will serve as a reminder to posterity that the 2013 Hawks were the kings of the hockey world.
Take lots of pictures. They lasts forever.
Take pictures of Bolland, Bickell, Stalberg, Mayers, Handzus, Montador, and Olesz.
Heroic players all. Blackhawks for now. Enjoy them while you've got them, Chicago.
After the lift, comes the let down.
Blackhawks GM, Stan Bowman, can have one last glass of Don Perignon and a celebratory stogie today for tomorrow, he will have his IPhone in one hand and a calculator in the other. He'll be at the NHL Entry Draft, looking to solidify his organization's future.
The Hawks are entering salary cap peril, however, its nothing as bad as he encountered after the Hawks won the Cup in 2010. Bowman and his 29 NHL GM counterparts are charged with the task of subtracting salary from their $70.3 million max level to get down to the league mandated $64.3 million cap that takes effect in September. Bowman has said that he has two UFAs to sign in Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy. Bowman's job now is to create cap space, in a hurry. Bickell is the darling of the upcoming UFA market. He wants to stay with the Hawks and they want to keep him. Ditto Leddy. Bowman will have to subtract a contract or two in order to create the necessary budget to re-sign Bickell and Leddy.
Veteran center Dave Bolland, the two time Cup winner, is likely going to be traded. I want the Buffalo Sabres to elbow and fight their way to the front of the feeding trough and fight like bloody Hell to make a trade for Bolland. He's the exact embodiment of the values that the Sabres are looking for: heart, soul, grit, tenacity, integrity, toughness, skill, leadership, sandpaper, and skill.
Wisely, Regier signed a key member of his team's leadership group in D Mike Weber to a three year extension on Thursday night. Regier and Rolston need fewer followers and they desperately need more leaders. Vanek, Ott, Foligno, Weber, Myers, Ehrhoff and Stafford form a solid leadership nucleus. Adding Bolland would add instant credibility and value.
Thanks, CSN Chicago
Bolland's parade day will likely be a bittersweet experience in that he will be happy for his teammates and their accomplishments. He will be happy for having scored the Stanley Cup game winning goal in Game 6.
Darcy Regier has an itch. I recommend that he scratch it with Bolland. Regier has the "currency" to make a play for Bolland in the form of two second round draft choices and an organization prospect. Bowman is not in any financial position to take on a $4 million annual cap hit like Drew Stafford's.
Darcy Regier and Ron Rolston have raved about the maturation and progression of power and leadership that Mike Weber made for the Sabres this past season. His teammates have nothing but admiration and respect for the protection and the defensive support that Weber provides the team with.
Weber, has been signed to a new three year contract extension, according to the man himself. Weber was due to become RFA on July 5.
Ott and Weber are pillars of the Sabres' new leadership group. They hold guys accountable.
According to reports, Weber will earn $5 million over the next three seasons ($1.5 million this season and next, and $2 million in the final year of the deal). Weber earned $1.9 million the past two seasons ($950,000 cap hit). This deal is a win/win in that it gives Webby the security of dollars and term. The team wins because Weber's new contract doesn't hurt their salary cap.
Weber is coming off his most productive season as a pro. He was Buffalo's best defenseman on most night and became a favorite player of Rolston after the trades of Regehr and Leopold. Rolston showed zero hesitation playing Weber in the final minute of games and on the PK. Weber told me several times in the past year that he benefited greatly by having a mentor like Robyn Regehr as a locker room neighbor and as a D partner. Weber is an astute student of the game. He has learned the nuances of the pro game from vets like Montador, Regehr, and Leopold.
Weber told me that he felt like his game rose to a new level when he played in Lorenskog, Norway during the NHL lockout. He told me that he played big minutes in the bigger is surfaces (200 by 100) in Europe, and that it helped him play on the NHL 200 by 85 rinks.
Weber's 2013 Highlights:
• He finished first among Sabres skaters in average short handed TOI (2:47) and blocked shots (92), as well as 2nd in hits (122) and penalty minutes (70)
• Scored his first goal of the season vs. OTT (3/16), his first since Jan. 21, 2012 at St. Louis
• Tallied an assist in consecutive games twice (1/29 vs. TOR and 1/31 at Boston; 2/28 at Florida and 3/2 vs. New Jersey)
• Logged a season-high 23:58 TOI at Montreal (2/2)
• Credited with eight blocked shots at Montreal (3/23)
• Recorded a pair of assists vs. Ottawa (4/5), his first multi-point game since March 19, 2011 vs. Atlanta
• Finished with eight hits and seven blocked shots vs. New Jersey (4/7)
Weber has evolved from a second round prospect with promise to being a reliable, sturdy, physical top 4 NHL D.
A disappointed Weber spoke candidly about his team's failures this past season. Weber vowed to come back better than ever.
Thanks, sabres.com
The Sabres have two RFAs to re-sign in center Cody Hodgson and winger Brian Flynn.
While you've been busy glomming down ice cream and super Mighties, Weber has been hard at work in the basement. Literally. Pumping iron and committing himself to doing the dirty work that will make him stronger, faster, and leaner.
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