No more than two days after the victory parade, the rumors are already swirling for the Blackhawks.
TSN's Bob McKenzie, one of the most knowledgeable and trustworthy hockey writers in North America, said Sunday that Kris Versteeg, Cristobal Huet, Brent Sopel, and Brian Campbell are on the trading block. Considering Huet's contract, it's unlikely he'll be moved, so McKenzie expects him to end up in the minors heading into the 2010-2011 season.
None of those names should be shocking to Hawks fans. Sports Illustrated's Jim Kelley, however, broke a trade rumor today that nobody could have seen coming.
He mentions the above names, but then says that the Hawks will me looking to move Marian Hossa "immediately after the parade."
Now, it's very possible that Kelley has no clue what he is talking about. He has established hockey credentials, and nothing in his past leads me to believe he would make something up, but this rumor is almost unfathomable.
At a 5.275 million dollar cap hit, Marian Hossa is one of the best value players in the NHL. He is one of the most complete wingers in the game, and still has several years of top-notch hockey left in his career. So why would the Hawks move him?
Kelley would probably tell you that Hossa would be very easy to move, and he's right. It'd be a quick 5.275 million gone from the cap, and considering the amount of talented wingers the Hawks have throughout the system, he may be more replaceable than a center like Dave Bolland or Patrick Sharp.
At the same time, there are other ways for the Hawks to get under the cap. Placing Cristobal Huet in Rockford would immediately remove 5.6 million from the Hawks' cap number. To clarify, if a player is sent to the minors, the organization still has to pay him the money, but it does NOT count against the team's salary cap number. Paying a backup goaltender that much money against the cap is inexcusable, and considering the Hawks' extra revenue from the Stanley Cup victory, getting rid of Huet's cap hit is a complete no-brainer. Moving a talented player like Kris Versteeg (perhaps in a package deal at the draft) would move another 3 million, and trading Sopel for a low draft pick or placing him on waivers would move another 2.3 million.
All things considered, I doubt this Hossa rumor holds much water. There are MANY other options that the Hawks should exercise to get under the salary cap before trading away one of the most complete players in hockey.
-JT
Follow me on Twitter @JTalarico328 all summer long for Hawks thoughts, trade rumors and news.
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Blackhawks, Chicago Blackhawks
Tags:
Bob McKenzie, Brent Sopel, Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Hossa trade rumor, Jim Kelley, Kris Versteeg, Marian Hossa, TSN
