If Hjammer is signed for anywhere near $5 mill, that would make things tougher for the Blues to sign Pietrangelo for under $6 mill.
- faustus1500

Piet's a tremendous two way talent who is almost there, but alas, he is a RFA who has no moves to play but watching the soap operas from his home during spring training.

I said it from the start: the Blues needed to take care of his business before all others and trying to use the Cap space in a bridge deal iwth them is ok, unless the kid decides he wants retribution in unrestricted free agency, and he could stay a Blue, but make them pay a lot more than the money they are holding back now.

This is yet another example of how Cap and managerial savvy are really necessary to keep the wheels on the roster/money bus...

Hammer! 5 year extension! Great JOB!

Hjalmarsson was on WGN Radio this morning and said he had signed a new deal.
- mschutz2

If so HELL YEAH

After suffering through the ponderousness of the Pully era, it sure is fun to watch a front office the operates in a professional and organized fashion. This off-season has had a planned-out feel to it in a big way. Canuck fans must be so envious....
- mohel

I'm sure they secretly are, but they'd never own up to it in public.

This pleases his reader TREMENDOUSLY!!!

I think Oduya has one more season with us at most. Which is a shame because he's been a real good soldier for us and meshed really well with Hjalmarsson.
- DarthKane

The Hawks now have a serious core of damn good players. I think they may now be at the point where guys like Handzus and Rozy (and many others in the league) will take less to play here. Perhaps Oduya will accept less to keep rolling here - if not someone else will, or a kid will be ready. The Hawks are in a powerful position right now.

Whether Oduya is odd man out or not,
they now have a very strong top three defenders, Leddy who actually blossom in both ends, and low salaried Rozival, Brookbank, Stanton, Kostka and peckham (if his head clears) and the hopes the Raockford & college dee-men can play two way at the NHL pace.

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 1m

Hjalmarsson deal with Hawks worth $4.1 M per year on average

$4.1 mil per year??? Wow - great deal!

Pierre LeBrun tweeted that the deal is for $4.1 AAV. If that's true that is a fantastic deal!

Holy poop!

According to @Real_ESPNLeBrun, Hjammer will carry a $4.1 million cap hit. Very fair / reasonable.

— Jay Zawaski (@JayZawaski670) September 4, 2013

$4.1 per year??? Wow - great deal!
- darkman

HOLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

awesome deal!

really offsets that crap Crawford number

Wow 4.1M per........... Nice!

Pierre LeBrun tweeted that the deal is for $4.1 AAV. If that's true that is a fantastic deal!
- DarthKane

If that is the deal (and it seems to be), that averages out the money given to Crawford.

I'm going to class happy today!

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 1m

Hjalmarsson deal with Hawks worth $4.1 M per year on average
- CaptainBlackhawk

$10.1M for Crow and Hammer - not too far off from what many would have guessed, I think. Although most wouldn't have had that split.

Pierre LeBrun tweeted that the deal is for $4.1 AAV. If that's true that is a fantastic deal!
- DarthKane

That's only $600K more than his current contract - seems like a major home-town discount.

This has been a great offseason. That leaves one important RFA next year in Shaw. The rest of next offseason will be spent trying to extend Toews and Kane early.

Now that is a great deal.

Hawks gave away term, and Hammer took smaller raise. A win-win for both sides.

If that is the deal (and it seems to be), that averages out the money given to Crawford.

I'm going to class happy today!
- EKolb13

This is what I was thinking. Stan overpaid Crawford but underpaid Hjalmarsson. Overall we keep 2 quality players and I am one happy Blackhawks fan!

That's only $600K more than his current contract - seems like a major home-town discount.
- StLBravesFan

It looks that way. However, Hjalmarsson got a significant raise in his last deal, thanks to Doug Wilson handing him an offer sheet.

Maybe Hjalmarsson thought he owed one to the Hawks?

Exactly what I was thinking! Makes the Crow contract easy to live with now.

$10.1M for Crow and Hammer - not too far off from what many would have guessed, I think. Although most wouldn't have had that split.
- mohel

This has been a great offseason. That leaves one important RFA next year in Shaw. The rest of next offseason will be spent trying to extend Toews and Kane early.
- droe411

I hope the cap goes up high enough to retain all three.


Who knows, maybe an extension for Shaw is in the works? Wouldn't that be a hell of a way to end the week?

It looks that way. However, Hjalmarsson got a significant raise in his last deal, thanks to Doug Wilson handing him an offer sheet.

Maybe Hjalmarsson thought he owed one to the Hawks?
- EKolb13

What agent ever thought like that?

What agent ever thought like that?
- StLBravesFan

Not one ever thought like that. I'm just kind of slap happy this morning.

Pierre LeBrun tweeted that the deal is for $4.1 AAV. If that's true that is a fantastic deal!
- DarthKane

If true, very friendly and outstanding deal for the Hawks. Similar money to Shattenkirk and Marc Staal. (MacD probably has signed him and his bride to a deal with Ikea or Idomo pushing furniture on the side to bump up the income).

And then there are teams like the Maple Leafs paying Dion Phaneuf $6.5M
/yr.