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The hits just keep on coming for the Blackhawks front office, with the announcement this morning of a 5 year extension for impending UFA defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson worth $20.5 million.

Where some have argued, and fairly so, that the Hawks may have overextended giving Corey Crawford $6 million a year, this deal is a relative bargain, as many (myself included) felt Hjalmarsson could command $5 million a year or more on the open market and might cost the Hawks that to retain his services.

Granted, this now shifts the pressure to 2015, where the offseason will present the need to re-sign Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger. But clearly the Hawks are planning on significant cap growth between now and then.

This is a big move and one Hawk fans should take some heart in, as Hjalmarsson is now locked in to what is arguably the best top 3 defensemen on one team in hockey for a number of seasons.

MORROW TO HAWKS?

I heard this morning that while free agent forward Brenden Morrow has an offer on the table from Carolina, he is waiting to see if the Hawks can clear some cap room and put together a deal in the range of $1 million for 1 year. I'm digging for some confirmation on this. So, at this point, it is truly just a rumor.

ROOKIE TOURNEY ON TV

You can see the Hawk rookie tourney game versus the Leafs tomorrow here:

http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981

Also, this link can provide access to numerous NHL preseason, AHL, CHL, KHL and NHL regular season games, many in HD.


Back with more on the Central Division teams tomorrow.

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