The Chicago Blackhawks walked away from Antti Niemi’s $2.75 million arbitration award, and signed veteran backstop Marty Turco on Monday, putting the icing on the salary cap cake they baked with the signings of players like Cristobal Huet and Brian Campbell to overloaded contracts. The Blackhawks, fresh off their Stanley Cup victory, have had to say goodbye to Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd, Brent Sopel (though they were probably gonna say goodbye to him regardless), Colin Fraser and now their starting goaltender in Niemi.
Now, you cannot put all the blame onto Huet and Campbell, as they’re only two contracts with a cap hit of $12 million. There are far bigger problems going on here, including Dale Tallon’s failure to submit RFA offers last year to Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker, forcing the club to sign them each to 3 million dollar deals, and then subsequently deal them off. By winning the cup, the Hawks were also hit with over 4 million in bonuses, that will count against their 2010-2011 cap for players like Toews, who won the Conn Smythe trophy. Lastly, the Hawks locked up their three major components in Toews, Patrick Kane and Norris trophy winner Duncan Keith, all to long-term deals that kick in at the start of the 2011 season.
Knowing that the Hawks were in serious cap trouble became a major card to play for other teams. The Maple Leafs, Panthers and Thrashers all completed deals, sending prospects and picks over to Chicago for solid secondary players that Chicago could no longer afford. The San Jose Sharks signed Hjalmarsson to an offer sheet, which the Hawks subsequently matched, furthering their troubles. It’s my belief that this was done intentionally by the Sharks to either land Hjalmarsson or to turn the heat up on Niemi. With only Antero Nittymaki signed, watch for the Sharks to go after Niemi in the coming days.
The Ilya Kovalchuk situation is showcasing one bad component to the new CBA, but is the Blackhawks situation highlighting another ugly side to the new NHL? Or was this the intention all along? Basement teams in years past like the Coyotes and Kings are now starting to become competitive again as the salary cap era is preventing cash-heavy teams like the Rangers and Leafs from buying their way into the playoffs year after year. While in no way does this mean Chicago falls out of contention, the new cap system will make it increasingly difficult for teams to generate dynasties. The Hawks still have their core intact, including what is one of the best defenses in the league, and perhaps they are taking a page out of Detroit’s book here, knowing that they do not necessarily need an A1 goaltender to make it to the final. The trend in the cap era, in fact, has been the opposite, as all of the highest paid goaltenders have yet to bring their clubs any success in the postseason.
The new cap is modeled after the NFL, and from what we’ve seen there, the closest they’ve come to a dynasty has been the New England Patriots’ run of 3 superbowls in 4 years from 2002 to 2005. While many clubs will remain competitive on a yearly basis by investing most of their cap space into a few bankable stars at key positions, the new cap system in the NHL should spell the end of the dynasties that we’ve seen over the past 20 years, though outside of Detroit’s back-t0-back cups in 97 and 98, and Pittburgh’s back-t0-back cups in 91 and 92, the last true dynasty was the Greztky led Edmonton Oilers in the 80′s. Ultimately it will take a while for all of this to sort itself out, but for now, the measuring stick for success in the new cap era will be the pocketbook, and with the NHL’s increased ratings and revenue, all signs point to this being good for both the league and the fans.
Popularity: 1%
Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 
I really think that Chicago will be pleasantly surprised by Turco this year, especially for that price. I always felt that he got a bit of a bum rap in Dallas and across the NHL. By January Chicago will be thinking “Niemi who?”.
And he’s better then Huet, who the Hawks are paying five times as much to sit on his butt.
Just when we finally catch a break, this had to happen. Is the son the money pit to his father’s miseryness?
Eh two months of decent play behind a good team doesn’t warrant almost three mil a year. Besides Turco is a solid goalie. It’s not like your getting Red light Racicot here.
Now if Chicago didn’t have Hanoi Huet on the payroll for so much, it would be pretty moot. The club got themselves into it, and this is the result.