Stan Bowman put an end to the Patrick Sharp trade rumors on Monday evening. Bowman reportedly informed Sharp he would not be going anywhere.
According to the Sun Times' Adam Jahns, the direct quote was "I told him to relax. He's not going anywhere. He's a big part of this."
The news was relieving for Hawks fans who may have been worried about Sharp's future with the team. Things became even more worrisome early on Monday when Ilya Kovalchuk decided to stay with New Jersey and Simon Gagne was traded from Philadelphia to the Lightning. The Kings were rumored to be interested in Sharp, and with the #1 and 2 options off the table, it's likely that the Kings contacted Bowman about Sharp's availability. Now we know what Bowman's response was.
The news was good for everyone except one person: Antti Niemi.
When asked how the Hawks would be able to keep both Sharp and Niemi, Bowman said they currently have "no solution."
The Hawks' inability to reach a deal with Niemi tells us that the asking price is simply too high. It seems likely that Niemi will go to arbitration on July 29th, where his salary award can realistically range anywhere between 2 and 4 million. If it is on the lower end, the Hawks can afford him. If it's anything above $3m, it might be time to order a Blackhawks Marty Turco jersey.
-JT
Follow me on Twitter @JTalarico328 for all things Blackhawks
