Letters, We Get Letters
“Cakes” from Rockford, Illinois writes,
Hey there, love following your stuff!
What are your thoughts on how the Hawks are gonna keep Hjalmarsson around after this year? He is my fav player, just got his name/# on my jersey this fall. I live in Rockford and got to watch him mature as an Icehog :) But at the end of this year he is a restricted free agent I believe, and right now is only making $600,000/yr. That ain’t gonna cut it for someone who Stan Bowman calls one of the top 4 defensemen in the league. How we gonna keep him? And where would you say he ranks in the opinion of the front office compared to the other restricted (or non) free agents on the team at the end of this season? I would say he needs to be their #1 priority, ahead of Ladd, Eager, Fraser, Skille, Niemi, etc.Cant wait to hear your thoughts! Thanks!
Thanks Cakes for the letter and for the kind words of praise. I always appreciate hearing from passionate hockey fans.
Like you, Niklas Hjalmarsson is my favorite player, hands down. Like me I bet you saw Hjalmarsson was going to be something special when we saw him in the playoffs last year. (In your case, you probably saw he was going to be something special in Rockford.) Not only should Hjalmarsson be the Hawks’ #1 priority but the defense in general needs to be their #1 priority. I said this last season and was pleased when at the beginning of this season we saw a much improved ‘D’, so hopefully that means they’re working on it. They just need to unload some underperformers and make some cap space. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson have a lot of ice time because they’re having to make up for those who aren’t performing well like Cam Barker and Brent Sopel, and you just can’t do that forever. Really, how many games in a row can you expect Duncan Keith to play over 28 minutes? That’s nearly half the game!
And I’m certain that Hjalmarsson was paired with Brian Campbell because Campbell is that lousy and it takes the energy of a kid like Hjalmarsson to compensate for Campbell’s lousy performance. (You saw Campbell whiff on a near wide-open net in that Hawks/Ducks game last week, right? And you’ve seen how often he turns the puck over, right?) Hopefully the Hawks are not in denial of that and are scouting more Hjalmarsson-like d-men as we speak. And for the love of God, why are the Hawks not considering unloading Brian Campbell? If you’re looking to make room, that’s where you’d look! Doesn’t that kind of deserve a resounding “duh” from Hawks fans?
To answer your question, I think the way the Hawks keep Hjalmarsson at the end of this year is to unload some excess baggage (sorry Soupy) and sign him to one of their decade-long contracts. Hjalmarsson being so young and fielding other offers may or may not bite on that, but hey, in the NHL security is everything right? So, to beat the cap hopefully that’s what they’ll try to do. The Hawks can’t hype Hjalmarsson all season, calling him “The Hammer” and like you said, saying he’s one of the top four d-men, and then low-ball him. The Hawks can also no longer ignore the problem with the defense if they want the cup. So, yeah, they’re going to have to pony up and spend just as much energy, time, and money on their d-men as they have their forwards.
I love hearing from all of you, so please keep those cards and letters coming!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Goons Gone Wild
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Thanks for your response! Looks like the press conference tomorrow is to announce matching 5 year deals for Toews and Kane, and a monster 13 year deal for Keith. I’m happy to lock those three up long term, but it only confounds this cap issue.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:20 am
My pleasure, Cakes. Your letter was so thought-provoking I just had to post it for everyone to see. So thanks again for your excellent questions.
Yes, I worry about the cap issue too. I wonder if/when the NHL is going to crack down on this “loophole” with these mega-long contracts which kind of end-around the cap. I don’t know what else they expect teams to do. The superstars of the game, like Toews and Keith, deserve what they get and more. So the cap can be unfair to them. If you go out there all the time and get your body pounded constantly for years and years, shouldn’t that be worth more? The other thing I wonder is why the Hawks have made it so tight. Is it really so hard to find hungry, up-and-comers who will play a season or two for a lot less so you can make the numbers work? Look at all the raw talent in Rockford with Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell alone. Don’t know about you, but I want to see these guys again!
And yes, I like the long contracts when they’re offered to the right players. Duncan Keith? Yes. Marian Hossa? Perhaps not.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Bickell would be an excellent and inexpensive option. Skille would cost alot more to keep up in Chicago, plus he’s not ready yet, in my opinion. He has been plauged with the same issue for the last two years: great feet, terrible hands. He is one of the fastest skaters in the AHL or NHL, for that matter, but his hands just can’t catch up. That means alot of missed opportunities. Hawks upper management knows this, and that is why he seems to be eternally stuck in Rockford.
My vote goes to Jake Dowell. He is the most complete end-to-end player in Rockford, and seems to be more than ready for the NHL. He is not a goon, but he is by far the most physical presence on the Icehogs, and as a former teammate of Colin Fraser and Troy Brouwer, he could certainly help toughen up the image of the Hawks, something they are lacking without Burish this year.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Side note: I believe Dowell would also be the least expensive option between himself, Bickell and Skille.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I keep hearing that Jack Skille is expensive, but comparatively, how expensive can he be? Bryan Bickell gets my vote. Not only is he good, he’ll come cheap (at first, anyway) and he’s got a good attitude. So does Jack Skille for that matter. Hmm, I have not seen what you’re talking about with Skille’s hands, but then that’s something you have probably scouted out for yourself in person at the games. I’ll watch for that the next time I’m at a Hawks or Icehogs game. Thanks for the tip.
Not sold on Jake Dowell. I think we can do better. He still seems awkward and a bit bumbly to me. I think he needs a little more time yet. It would be nice to have a new mover and shaker. It’s time the Hawks had a breakout superstar this season. To me that’s Bickell, but perhaps before anyone can say definitively we need to see these guys some more. Hmm…might be time to make another trip up to Rockford. ;)
Hey Cakes, thanks for your perspective. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts as a Rockford scout. Surely you can see things that the rest of us who don’t make it up to Rockford as much don’t see. Keep those excellent observations coming!