Patrick Sharp for the premiere screening of the Stanley Cup DVD at Navy Pier. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Tribune) By Chris Kuc
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said Monday that there's still work to be done to solve the team's salary-cap troubles and admitted "as of right now we don't have a solution."
Whatever Bowman comes up with as he continues negotiations with goaltender Antti Niemi, it won't include trading veteran forward Patrick Sharp.
"I told (Sharp) he can relax, he's not going anywhere," Bowman said before the premiere of "Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Championship" DVD at Navy Pier. "He's a big part of this. He means a lot to us on the ice and off the ice."
Bowman has been forced to trade Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Brent Sopel and Kris Versteeg to trim payroll this offseason but has been adamant that he would keep the core of the team intact, and that includes Sharp, who had 25 goals and 41 assists last season, and is one of the Hawks' top two-way players.
Bowman said he spoke with Niemi's agent, Bill Zito, on Monday and it's still possible a deal will be made before the goalie's arbitration hearing July 29. The team could sign Niemi before the hearing or let an arbitrator set the price for the goalie who helped lead the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years and is in line for a substantial raise from his $826,875 salary of last season.
The team could also walk away from the decision and let Niemi go as an unrestricted free agent. With the Hawks already up against the cap and needing to sign more players, if Niemi is brought back it's likely another player would have to be traded.
"We'll have to find a way to make it work," Bowman said. "It's a challenge. We'll figure it out.
"I'll tell you one thing, we'll be ready come October and we'll have a good team."
Even while celebrating their NHL championship, Hawks players have watched as teammates have been sent packing.
"It's always tough to see guys get traded to other teams," Sharp said. "It's tough during the season (and) it's tough after. We can always look back and know we won a championship together. I'm happy to be a Blackhawk and proud to be one and plan on playing here next season."
Another veteran who has had his name bantered about in trade rumors is defenseman Brian Campbell, who has an annual salary-cap hit of $7.1 million and a limited movement clause in which he can list eight teams he'd be willing to play for.
"There had to be changes," Campbell said. "It's part of hockey and the business side of it."
Bowman said an announcement of the signings of forwards Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell and defenseman Jordan Hendry was "coming soon. Those guys are all going to be part of it. In some ways it's time for them to get their chance."
Bowman said he spoke with Niemi's agent, Bill Zito, on Monday and it's still possible a deal will be made before the goalie's arbitration hearing July 29. The team could sign Niemi before the hearing or let an arbitrator set the price for the goalie who helped lead the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years and is in line for a substantial raise from his $826,875 salary of last season.
The team could also walk away from the decision and let Niemi go as an unrestricted free agent. With the Hawks already up against the cap and needing to sign more players, if Niemi is brought back it's likely another player would have to be traded.
"We'll have to find a way to make it work," Bowman said. "It's a challenge. We'll figure it out.
"I'll tell you one thing, we'll be ready come October and we'll have a good team."
Even while celebrating their NHL championship, Hawks players have watched as teammates have been sent packing.
"It's always tough to see guys get traded to other teams," Sharp said. "It's tough during the season (and) it's tough after. We can always look back and know we won a championship together. I'm happy to be a Blackhawk and proud to be one and plan on playing here next season."
Another veteran who has had his name bantered about in trade rumors is defenseman Brian Campbell, who has an annual salary-cap hit of $7.1 million and a limited movement clause in which he can list eight teams he'd be willing to play for.
"There had to be changes," Campbell said. "It's part of hockey and the business side of it."
Bowman said an announcement of the signings of forwards Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell and defenseman Jordan Hendry was "coming soon. Those guys are all going to be part of it. In some ways it's time for them to get their chance."
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Big Mark, you made a good point! The thing that made the Hawks exceptional last year was that they had THREE good lines and a very respectable 4th line. In the over expanded, talent thin, Bettman NHL, everybody gets two good lines and the rest are interchangable with the AHL.
Line 1:
Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook
Line 2:
Sharp, Bolland, Kopecky, Campbell, Hjalmarrson
Lines 3 & 4 TBD
Cannot trade anyone else. Need to send Huet to Rockford to free up more cap money, or dump his salary on another team along with us giving up a prospect.
Considering Versteeg & Ladd were traded after Bowman said he was done trading, if I were Sharp, I wouldn't send out any laundry or dry cleaning or make any long term commitments in Chicago....
Of course this is the G.M. who lied to the media after the first deal with Atlanta--- remember his comment, 'we don't need to make any more deals because of the salary cap...' (paraphrasing)
The "Genius" got caught making a comment he should never have made.
Mark Liptak