Chi is SOOO Screwed

[BlackhawksFan 4]

I think even the most optimistic fan realizes somebody is going to have to be traded to make room to sign all three. Obviously it would be aweseom if the Hawks could unload at least one of Campbell or Huet, but he contracts are so bad there is no way one could realistically expect that to happen. I think the Hawks will have to unload 2 of Ladd, Sharp, Steeger, and Buff (my votes are for Sharp and Buff) and maybe Barker. This could net the Hawks some good prospects, unload some salary, and could potenitally coax a team into taking (along with the aforementioned players) one of our bad contracts in return.

And, even if this is all taken care of, Tampa Bay has already shown what happens when your salary structure is too top-heavy.

All we can do is wait and see.

[stevkrause 1,247]

That's just not true.

I personally think Kane will be let go if anyone is out of the big three, which means they'll have their entire stable (hopefully minus Campbell) back after next year. It's ridiculous how you can claim you guys have 6 quality D men (which I think you do), then calim the Hawks only will have 2. Even if one of Keith, Seabrook, or Barker ( I think they should trade him while his stock is high because his hockey instincts suck) is traded, they'll have the 2 remaining players plus Hjarlmarsson and at least one of Johnson or Hendry. Not nearly the dire straits picture you try to paint on D.

I said locked in, I didn't say total...

[19Hockeytown5 0]

My first reaction was definately that the Hawks will be tough. I think they can definately give us a run for the division and in the playoffs. However, after some of the comments here, I just can't understand what their GM was thinking. Why would you sacrifice your franchise player? Unless they assumed they wouldn't be able to sign them all next year anyways? I just don't get it. If they don't win the cup this season, and the team is partially dismantled next year, I see that as an absolute failure of management.

[Frozen-Man 144]

1st Walk up ticket sales in the NHL increased last year, as did overall attendance.

2nd Economic downturn pretty much bottomed out before the end of the 2nd Q of 2009.

Revenues will be impacted much less than you think.

Maybe you know something that the league and the GM's don't but that is not what is being said. The concern is not walk up tickets but corporate suites, season tickets, the amount spent on concessions and revenues, and advertising. The number of walk up tickets may have increased but the amount that those people are spending on beer, soda, food, and memorabilia is down. Additionally, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar had boosted the revenues but its recent fall is going to hurt revenues as well.

From NHL.com

As for how it affects on-ice play, most of the league's GMs are operating under the assumption the cap will remain flat in the 2009-10 season and could drop more dramatically in 2010-11.

From USA Today

"One of the things that was clear, especially today, teams are a lot more reluctant to trade picks and trade prospects," Colorado Avalanche GM Francois Giguere said. "It was a context where we didn't see a lot of players that had terms left on their contracts being traded. I think that's a reflection of the economy."A lot of teams are worried about where the cap will be, not next year ... but of where the cap is going to be two years from now."

From the Boston Globe

During the NHL Board of Governors meeting earlier this week, team representatives were told the salary cap (currently $56.7 million) should remain roughly the same in 2009-10. However, based on revenue projections, the cap will likely decrease in 2010-11."They're very understanding of the fact that we are not immune from the economic calamity that's occurring all around us," NHL Players Association executive director Paul Kelly said of the players. "It will definitely impact our sport. It's already begun to impact our sport. Maybe we're OK as a sport this year. We are all holding our breath in terms of heading into next year. We may see a softening of season ticket renewals and a downturn in sponsorship and advertisement commitments and ticket sales."

From the Minnesota Star Tribune

Guess what? The cap will either stay stagnant or go down a few million next summer. The only reason it's not more is because most teams already sold their season tickets before the world's economy took a turn for the worse last summer.But 2010-11 is another story. Because of the economy, many teams will probably find selling their inventories torturous for next season.

And the articles keep going. I hope that you are right and that the cap will not fall or if it does it won't be too much but that is going against what the people who are in the know are saying.

Edited July 10, 2009 by Frozen-Man

[Wombat 26]

I guess we view the economy in a different way then... I see it leveled out at the bottom and not going lower, you clearly think it's going to dip even further...

Certain things will probably lag behind the economic recovery. For example, I believe unemployment generally lags behind the actual recovery because businesses need to ensure the profits are "real" before committing to hiring more people. I would assume it's the same with any sort of expenditure, such as advertising and corporate purchasing of suites/tickets.

Another thing to consider is how much are NHL clubs charging for tickets? It's harder to earn more profits from ticket sales when the prices are not increasing. I have no data on whether or not franchises are increasing ticket prices, but I think many are either freezing prices or dropping them.

I'm very happy that the Wings did not commit to any long term deals this offseason because I fear the cap is going to take quite a hit for the season after next.

[Guest REDWINGSFTW]

the qualifying offers got lost in the mailbox

[Nicklin3011 0]

ill be laughing when they resign Kane, Toews, and Keith all are RFA's so nothing to sweat about....plus Campbell, Sope, and Byfuglien will all be gone...so hehehehe HAWKS WIN!!! HAWKS WIN!!!

[awingsincebirth 0]

ill be laughing when they resign Kane, Toews, and Keith all are RFA's so nothing to sweat about....plus Campbell, Sope, and Byfuglien will all be gone...so hehehehe HAWKS WIN!!! HAWKS WIN!!!

Awww. It's so simple. How could we all have been so blind!

[awingsincebirth 0]

ill be laughing when they resign Kane, Toews, and Keith all are RFA's so nothing to sweat about....plus Campbell, Sope, and Byfuglien will all be gone...so hehehehe HAWKS WIN!!! HAWKS WIN!!!

dp

Edited July 10, 2009 by awingsincebirth

[Frozen-Man 144]

ill be laughing when they resign Kane, Toews, and Keith all are RFA's so nothing to sweat about....plus Campbell, Sope, and Byfuglien will all be gone...so hehehehe HAWKS WIN!!! HAWKS WIN!!!

First off the word is re-sign not resign (which means to quit a job or position), second the Blackhawks don't really want to lose Byfuglien and there is almost no way that they can get rid of Campbell - no one wants that albatross of a contract. Third, yeah there is something to sweat even though Kane, Toews, and Keith are all RFAs because some team will likely be able to offer much more than the Hawks can so the Hawks will have to shell out quite a bit to keep them.

[WingsCaptain 0]

First off the word is re-sign not resign (which means to quit a job or position), second the Blackhawks don't really want to lose Byfuglien and there is almost no way that they can get rid of Campbell - no one wants that albatross of a contract. Third, yeah there is something to sweat even though Kane, Toews, and Keith are all RFAs because some team will likely be able to offer much more than the Hawks can so the Hawks will have to shell out quite a bit to keep them.

QFT.

How do you know your team is the measuring stick for the entire NHL? When fans of other teams lurk on your forums instead of posting on theirs.

~ Z

Edited July 10, 2009 by WingsCaptain

[TheDetroitRedWings 286]

QFT.

How do you know your team is the measuring stick for the entire NHL? When fans of other teams lurk on your forums instead of posting on theirs.

~ Z

Ain't that the truth.

[RainingBlood 8]

If Chicago cant get Campbells contract moved, whats the Chance that Chicago either Loses Kane, Toews, or both next season.

Edited July 22, 2009 by RainingBlood

[Tommy_Like_Wingy 25]

If Chicago cant get Campbells contract moved, whats the Chance that Chicago either Loses Kane, Toews, or both next season.

Slim to none. I honestly think they'll probably find a way to sign all 3 but will lose some of their depth. Those guys will all be RFAs and with everybody else suffering from the cap (albeit not as much) nobody will pony up anything insane for them. They'll most likely all get signed some time this year anyway. I'm sure Bowman already has the plan in motion to keep all three. If not then I don't know why the hell they're paying him.

[MadMan Mark 0]

I think they lose one of the three of Kane, Toews, or Keith. Where is the money going to come from? In addition, their D has issues, and that didn't even get addressed this off-season. . . I don't see how they can ignore it again. Their goaltending took a step down with Huet from Bulin, IMO.

I don't want to get too specific, but if the cap stays the same and they can't move Campbell or Huet you have $19M of $56.8M tied up with Hossa, Huet, and Campbell. Kane gets $3.7M now and Toews gets $2.8M. How much of a raise do each get? And, I think Toews should be earning more than Kane. Keith is at $1.475 now, how much more does he get? And then there is payment to be made to all the other RFA's they just signed as well as the many others that will still be under contract, Sharp at $3.9M for example.

Keep in mind that Chi is exceeding league limits for bonus payouts and any overages will go against next year's cap. ($5M in bonuses to Kane and Toews)

Hawks do not have the money to sign them all. If they do, I will be the first on the board to admit I was wrong. However, I'll trust the economics and the numbers that are in front of me. Not even Bowman can fix this mess.

[therock48880 14]

Keep in mind that Chi is exceeding league limits for bonus payouts and any overages will go against next year's cap. ($5M in bonuses to Kane and Toews)

Great point that gets overlooked. Plus, the cap is supposed to be going down a couple million next year.

[Tommy_Like_Wingy 25]

I think they lose one of the three of Kane, Toews, or Keith. Where is the money going to come from? In addition, their D has issues, and that didn't even get addressed this off-season. . . I don't see how they can ignore it again. Their goaltending took a step down with Huet from Bulin, IMO.

I don't want to get too specific, but if the cap stays the same and they can't move Campbell or Huet you have $19M of $56.8M tied up with Hossa, Huet, and Campbell. Kane gets $3.7M now and Toews gets $2.8M. How much of a raise do each get? And, I think Toews should be earning more than Kane. Keith is at $1.475 now, how much more does he get? And then there is payment to be made to all the other RFA's they just signed as well as the many others that will still be under contract, Sharp at $3.9M for example.

Keep in mind that Chi is exceeding league limits for bonus payouts and any overages will go against next year's cap. ($5M in bonuses to Kane and Toews)

Hawks do not have the money to sign them all. If they do, I will be the first on the board to admit I was wrong. However, I'll trust the economics and the numbers that are in front of me. Not even Bowman can fix this mess.

You're absolutely right. But they seem bent on keeping these guys and doing whatever it takes to do so. They're claiming all three are part of their core so I wouldn't be surprised if they do some major house cleaning and lose most of their depth in order to sign them all and then start rebuilding around them. It sounds nuts but I'm sure Chicago wants to keep their marketing gems.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

There's no way that any team is going to take on Campbell's ridiculous contract, which must include payments for figure skating lessons to learn how to do his spin-o-rama move.

[Snazzy 0]

And now Havlat is healthier than Hossa. Watch Havy have a dominating season while Hossa struggles. Can't chicago do anything right?

[MadMan Mark 0]

I'm anxious to see how teams take advantage of Chi's position regarding their re-signings. I'm sure GM's will be crunching numbers and figuring out what to offer so Chi can't even match.

But then again, it may be a moot point. . . maybe the qualifying offers never get to Toews, Kane, and Keith in time. . . ha ha

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

QFT.

How do you know your team is the measuring stick for the entire NHL? When fans of other teams lurk on your forums instead of posting on theirs.

~ Z

Win.