Posts Tagged ‘Brent Sopel’

Big Buff, Sopel and Eager sent to Atlanta

June 24th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

There were reports of this deal happening throughout Wednesday, but the trade was held up by the fact the Thrashers had to move a few contracts to make room for the newly acquired players from Chicago. Rick Dudley, Thrashers new general manager and ex-Blackhawk front office employee, sent Brett Sterling, Mike Vernace and a seventh round draft pick to San Jose for future considerations. Once that deal was stuck, it made Blackhawks/Thrashers trade possible late last night.

The Blackhawks sent two players under contract till the end of the 2010-11 season in Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Sopel, restricted free agent Ben Eager and prospect Akim Aliu to the Thrashers. In return, they received two 2010 draft picks (24th and 54th) along with center Marty Reasoner and prospect Jeremy Morin. Oh, they tossed in AHLer Joey Crabb as well (insert not-so mature joke here).

I’m a big fan of this big trade. Stan Bowman freed up $4,183,333 off the 2010-11 payroll, got two high round draft picks and rid the Blackhawks of Dustin Byfuglien (oh, happy day). I applaud Bowman for having the balls to make an unpopular move by trading away Byfuglien and Sopel. He was able to capitalize on the fact that Sopel’s and Byfuglien’s trade value were high coming off their respective post-season performances. Brent Sopel will be missed. Good guy on and off the ice.

Ben Eager gone is not a loss. The Blackhawks wouldn’t have received a qualifying offer before the deadline, and this way they get something for him. Some guys that were in Rockford last season will get a shot at the NHL roster out of training camp. Akim Aliu has talent to be a top six forward, but it’s doubtful he’ll ever reach his full potential. He went in the wrong direction this season, and was demoted to the ECHL for his lack of offensive production and discipline.

Of the new additions to the organization, Marty Reasoner is the only player that will have an immediate impact on the Blackhawks roster. He will likely center the third or fourth line, and is under contract for one more season. His cap-hit is $1,150,000 next season.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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Series review – Blackhawks beat Predators in six

April 27th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

End game (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Going into the first round series against the Nashville Predators, I don’t think anyone would expect them to have been this tough. Per usual, the cream always rises to the top. The Blackhawks won the series 4-2, and will face the Vancouver Canucks in a rematch from last year’s second round series. Both teams will be out for blood, but more on that later. To close out the first chapter of the post-season, here is your (2) Blackhawks vs. (7) Predators series review.

Game #1 – Predators 4, Blackhawks 1 Nashville goalie, Pekka Rinne, stole this game. He stood on his head all night, and the Blackhawks were outworked as well. The Blackhawks had a 1-0 lead going into the third period, but J.P. Dumont scored two consecutive goals to give his team the lead. Dumont’s first was a lucky floater over Antti Niemi’s right kicker. The Predators added two empty-netters to boot. Predators led series 1-0

Game #2 – Blackhawks 2, Predators 0 Niemi earned his first post-season shutout, and the first by a Blackhawk rookie in franchise history. Patrick Kane created enough offense for the Blackhawks by scoring one goal and one assist in the game. The Blackhawks defense wasn’t so good in this one, but luckily for them neither was the Predators offense. Series tied at 1-1

Game #3 – Predators 4, Blackhawks 1 This game was riddled with bad play and stupid penalties from the Blackhawks (see Dustin Byfuglien’s hook of Martin Erat that led to a penalty-shot goal). The Predators were easily the better team in this game, and backed the Blackhawks into a corner. Rinne had another game where he stood on his head. Predators led series 2-1

Game #4 – Blackhawks 3, Predators 0 This game was a must win for the Blackhawks, and Brian Campbell was rushed back into the lineup in hopes of being a catalyst to the Blackhawks offense. A couple bigger names finally showed up in the series – Patrick Sharp scored two goals, and Jonathan Toews added one. Oh, Niemi earned his second shutout with better defensive play in front of him then in Game #2. Series tied at 2-2

Game #5 – Blackhawks 5, Predators 4 (OT) The closing moments of the game will be what anyone remembers from this series. Marian Hossa’s questionable hit on Dan Hamhuis resulted in a five-minute major penalty for boarding penalty with just over a minute left in the game, and the ‘Hawks were down by one. Patrick Kane scored a shortie (Niemi was pulled for the extra man) to take this one into overtime. The Blackhawks penalty-kill unit kept the Predators scoreless while Hossa sat in the penalty box finishing out his sentence. Seconds after returning to the ice, Hossa scored the game-winning goal. Blackhawks led series 3-2

Game #6 – Blackhawks 5, Predators 3 After regaining control of the first round series in the previous game, the Blackhawks came out strong in the first period. They had the lead 3-1 before Jason Is-Nott-Good-At-Hockey scored two unanswered goals to tie the game at three goals apiece. Shortly after, Toews scored on the power play to give his team the lead. His goal held up, and John Madden added an empty-net goal for his first point of the post-season. Blackhawks won series 4-2

Series MVP: Brent Sopel – The Blackhawk defenseman played a huge role on the penalty-kill unit. The guy has biggest balls on the team, willing to put his body in the line of fire every chance he got. Sopel was even praised by Barry Trotz for his work on the kill. The unit that twenty-six for twenty-seven in shorthanded situations. He was also instrumental in the sequence of events that led to Hossa’s game-winning goal in Game #5.

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Kane Robbed By Writers For Masterton Nomination

April 9th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The infamous Patrick Kane

Friday afternoon, the Chicago chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association named their Blackhawk nomination for the Masterton Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the player that best represents the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. They nominated Brent Sopel. Seriously, Brent (expletive) Sopel? The real winner should have been none other then the great Patrick Kane. I haven’t been this upset since Bill Wirtz died. I have the sneaking suspicion that Barry Rozner was behind all of this. Sleep with one eye open, Barry.

Sure, Sopel underwent reconstructive elbow surgery that limited him to twenty-three games last season. He looks fine to me, now. He’s had a solid season on the blue line. Putting his body on the line to block shots, and has played an important role on the penalty-killing unit. Since when did being old become grounds to be nominated to a major award?

Patrick Kane has to overcome the attention he received by media outlets in Chicago and across the World for his extracurricular, off-ice activities. How dare they report this so-called news! I’m referring to the alleged incident with a Buffalo cabbie, and the infamous Vancouver limo ride with John Madden, Kris Versteeg and a couple fives. Every opportunity they got, these co-called professional writers salivated at the opportunity to lambaste him for the sole purpose of increasing readership. Wait, didn’t I use one of those images in this post… Through it all, Kane leads the team in points, hair gel and silver medals.

Anyway, congratulations to Sopel for the well deserved nomination. In the mind of many, this blogger included, he was viewed as useless going into the season.

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The Penalty Kill (Remastered)

April 6th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The one constant through the year, Ray, has been the penalty kill. The Blackhawks have won games like an army of steamrollers. The have constantly had problems with their power play, their goaltending and their defense. Each facet of their game has been rebuilt, erased and rebuilt again. But the penalty kill has marked the time. This ability to stymie opponents and score down a man is part of the Blackhawks’ present, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.

- Terrence Mannakov

A little over two months ago I wrote a post about the successful penalty kill of the Blackhawks.  It has been one of the consistently good areas of play from this team all seaosn. If some other facet of their game is on the fritz, the boys have always had the penalty kill to hang their jock straps on. On January 28th (when I wrote the first post), they were fourth in the league at keeping opponents scoreless with the man-advantage at 85.6-percent. Today, the Blackhawks are fifth in the league at 84.8-percent – they haven’t allowed a goal in four-on-five situations in their last five games.

One of the most overused hockey clichés is that the goalie a team’s best penalty killer. Yea, they do have a heightened level of importance in shorthanded situations, but if the defense is anemic, a goalie has no chance of success on kill.  In the case of the Blackhawks, the skaters are a big reason their penalty kill is fifth in the league.  At the time this post was written -  compared to their peers around the league with ten or more games played -  Cristobal Huet had a goals-against average of 4.58 (eighth) while shorthanded  and Antti Niemi with a goals-against average of 5.37 (twenty-second).  Those numbers don’t support the cliché for the 2009-10 version of the Blackhawks.

When I think about the penalty kill, my mind automatically goes to the team’s defense. Coach Quenneville has the luxury of a roster full of capable defensemen and two-way forwards that are affective in their own zone and the back-check. On the blue line, Quenneville has consistently relied on a core of guys that haven’t been afraid to put their bodies on the line and block shots. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook get all the press, but you cant overlook the contributions of Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson on the kill. When it comes to blocked shots, Sopel leads the team with 5.6 per sixty minutes and Hjalmarsson is third with 4.6 (trailing Seabrook by 0.1). The Swede also brings a calm, smart defensive style that thrives in four-on-five situations.

I alluded to Quenneville’s use of two-way forwards on the kill earlier, and Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are staples on the penalty-killing unit because of their offensive ability. They are effective at clearing their zone of the puck and taking the action to the other end of the ice. As it stands today, the Blackhawks lead the league in shorthanded goals with eleven (Maria Hossa 5, Patrick Sharp 2, Kris Versteeg 2, Duncan Keith 1 and Troy Brouwer 1). Although Toews hasn’t scored on the kill, he has three shorthanded assists this season, and the captain’s value doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. For example, when the Coyotes visited the UC a few weeks ago, Toews skated the puck into the defensive zone alone, and drew a cross-checking penalty from Lee Stempniak while the other ‘Hawks were executing a line change.

The fact that the Blackhawks don’t spend much time in the box helps as well. Currently, they have the second fewest shorthanded situations in the league with 250, and have played total of three games this season where they didn’t have to field the penalty kill. Fewer instances of four-on-five hockey is obviously key, and it means that the defense feels less stress and won’t break as easily if they weren’t so effective at staying out of the penalty box. With the way this team’s defense and goaltending has fared this season, that’s a good thing.

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A Couple Bright Spots In Last Night’s 5-4 Loss To Dallas

December 30th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Antti Niemi couldn’t stop the bleeding when he was brought into the game to replacing Cristobal Huet after he let in his fourth goal – a bad bounce off Troy Brouwer’s skate – early in the second period. It’s almost laughable how bad of a night it was for Huet. He needs to put this performance behind him, and drown any memories of this game in the bottle of cognac he keeps in his equipment bag.

The 5-4 loss can’t be blamed solely on Huet. There were some costly turnovers, and shoddy defense – see a stationary Brent Sopel getting beat by Steve Ott on his way to scoring the game winning goal. As a result the Blackhawks penalty kill took a hit last night when Dallas went two of five with the man-advantage. They fell to 86.5% (from 87.5%) on the kill, and are tied with San Jose for second in the league.

A few good things took place in last night’s loss to Dallas. The Blackhawks were dominant offensively in the first period out shooting the Stars twenty-one to eight. They were able to escape the period leading 3-2 because of the great play in offensive zone. The ‘Hawks player movement, puck movement and presence in front of the net was exciting to watch.

Coach Quenneville can look at that and the power play as bright spots from last night. The power play unit went two of four, and with the man-advantage the Blackhawks have scored five times in the last four games.

Next up, the Blackhawks will face the New Jersey Devils at home. Puck movement will be key, as Jacques Lemaire will deploy the trap to stymie the ‘Hawks fast paced offense.

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Nashville Yesterday, Nashville Today And The Swedish Front

December 27th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The Blackhawks put more space between them and Nashville with a 4-1 win over the second-place Predators last night. Six points separate the two Western Conference teams, and the ‘Hawks hope to add to the lead when they host their half of the home-and-home series tonight at the United Center. This match-up will be the last time the Blackhawks will face the Predators this regular season.

An observation from last night’s game was the Blackhawks dominance over their Central Division foe. It appears as though Coach Quenneville has everyone buying into what he is selling. First, Brent Sopel starts the season by not sucking. Then Dustin Byfuglien shows that he has the ability to beat a defender on a breakaway, and has played well since being demoted to the third line. Brian Campbell finally looks like the seven-million-dollar-man by scoring goals and skating all over the ice surface. Now, Tomas Kopecky proves to have some value by tallying two assists last night.

Penalty killing continues to be stellar for the Blackhawks, and the added scoring threat on the kill with Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews will put teams on there heals with the man-advantage. There were a few good rushes and scoring chances while shorthanded last night. The power play has been effective in the last two match-ups – going one of three in each game. Byfuglien scored the lone power play goal on a wrist-shot from the blue line. He’s making me look bad after I suggested removing Byfuglien off the power play the other day.

On the Swedish Front –

Team Sweden neglected to add Hjalmarsson to their Olympic roster. He’s still Chicago’s little secret. The Swedes opted for a veteran squad. Remember Magnus Johansson? He made the team.

Swedish prospect Marcus Kruger had an assist, two penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +1 in the 10-1 victory over the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships.

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Rumor Mill: Sopel On The Move?

November 23rd, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Brent Sopel

Brent Sopel

- There has already been much speculation into which player(s) the organization might move in order to create cap space next year because of the NHL’s ‘tagging’ rule. Brent Sopel’s name has been brought up in rumors more then any other Blackhawk. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN suggests that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be a potential trade partner, and a second-round draft pick would be necessary to sweeten the deal.

- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports that the Blackhawks had scouts at a couple Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs farm team) games this weekend, and that ‘Hawks assistant general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, was at the Leafs-Capitals game Saturday.

- Moments ago on Twitter, Darren Dreger of TSN wrote that the Blackhawks have presented a couple trade options to Toronto and other teams – Sopel and a prospect, or Sopel and a draft pick.

Red Rising’s Take: I have longed for the day when Sopel would be traded. He has played well for the Blackhawks this season, and this could be the best time to move the defenseman while his stock is up. Moving Sopel would clear cap space on next year’s payroll, which would allow the Blackhawks to finally announce the contract extensions of the big three.

In the past I wrote that the Blackhawks should do whatever it takes to get rid of Sopel and his $2.333M cap-hit. I feel less strongly about that statement right about now. Throwing in a second-round draft pick in a deal with Sopel might be too much for what the organization would get in return – possibly a veteran with an expiring contract – but if the rebuilding Maple Leafs are the eventual trade partner that might be the only way a deal gets done.

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Big Win – Blackhawks 4, Sharks 3 (OT)

November 16th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Last night the Blackhawks didn’t play their best game, but still won the game in overtime, with a score of 4-3, against the best team in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks were sloppy, though. Too many turnovers in the neutral- and defensive-zone, and the Sharks were able to disrupt the ‘Hawks in the offensive zone way too easily. Frustrating at times, but the Blackhawks came out on top in this match-up.

Aside from the first two minutes of the second period, Cristobal Huet was great in net. He came up with important saves at even strength and on the penalty kill. Brent Sopel was and has been good (man, that was hard to write). Niklas Hjalmarsson was solid and bailed out Brian Campbell a few times through the night. Jonathan Toews was productive with two assists – one came on a great pass to Brent Seabrook for the game winner – and the recently recalled Bryan Bickell was good as well.

The Blackhawks used Jordan Hendry on the wing once again while Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ebbett were scratched from the lineup. Is Hendry really a better option than Ebbett? He only logged 5:15 of ice time. What is the point of even suiting him up? If Stan Bowman would just place Dave Bolland on the LTIR (long-term injured reserve) the practice of utilizing a defenseman as a winger would end, and the ‘Hawks would be able to role out four complete lines.

Coach Quenneville appears to like the line of Andrew Ladd, Madden and Troy Brouwer just as much as I do. He had to make due with what was provided to him, but he kept the three together. They are an effective checking line that can also be productive in the offensive zone – each tallied a point on the scorecard last night.

The Blackhawks have three days off before they head to Calgary to start the six-game circus road trip. On the trip they will play the three Western Canadian teams, and the three Californian teams.

In closing, to the meathead sitting in front of me last night chanting DETOIT SUCKS! every chance you get, STOP! You’re an idiot.

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Rumor Mill Monday

October 19th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

What better way to start off the week then reading some trade rumors. Bellow are a few recent rumors that have surfaced regarding the Blackhawks in the last week or so.

- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes that Brian Campbell could be shopped at the end of the season in order to free up the cap-space need to sign the Big Three – Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.

- Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.ca noted that the ‘Hawks will have to move two or three bodies to make room for the Big Three. Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien are the names mentioned in this article.

Red Rising’s Take: The Blackhawks aren’t going to worry about creating the cap-space to lock up the Big Three until the end of the season. Campbell will remain a ‘Hawk after this season due to the size and length of his current contract. Sharp, Versteeg and Byfuglien are viable options, however.

It will be a tough decision to make when the time comes, but it will need to be made since the Blackhawks have about $42.5M tied up in twelve players next year. Of the players listed above, Byfuglien should be the first to go. There would be many teams around the league that would love you have the big assed forward, and the organization could replace him with the likes of Kyle Beach or Akim Aliu.

Sharp and Versteeg on the other hand offer more than just a body in the crease, yet both could still find themselves on another team in the summer of 2010. The Blackhawks could also look to the blue-line to free up some cap-space. Cam Barker would garner some interest, and if Brent Sopel can put together a solid season the ‘Hawks would have an easier time ridding themselves of his contract.

- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com reported that Pat Brisson, the agent of Kane and Toews, will sit down with Stan Bowman about extending their contracts.

Red Rising’s Take: This little bit of news is nice to hear, but I doubt that either will be sign an extension prior to the end of the season.

- There have already been a slew of opinions about Cristobal Huet, his slow start and what to do with him if he doesn’t snap out of this funk. Yesterday, Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald covered most of the options the organization can take with Huet. They can keep playing him, send him down to Rockford, play him on the road and Antti Niemi at home or trade him.

Red Rising’s Take: Trading Huet will be hard for the same reasons as Campbell, and sending him to Rockford will never happen. The only alteration made to the current goaltending situation will be an increase in starts for Niemi if Coach Quenneville grows tired of watching Huet single-handedly lose games.

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Flames Tonight, Improvement Needed and Skille Recalled

October 12th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The Blackhawks will have to play better then they did against the Colorado Avalanche if they want to live up to the pre-season hype. They won’t get away with the sloppy play that led to the 4-3 shootout win on Saturday – the Calgary Flames are 4-1-0 (8 points) and will capitalize on mistakes such as turnovers in the defensive zone. Last year the ‘Hawks owned the Jarome Iginla and company sweeping the regular season series and taking the first round playoff bout in six games.

The Flames play a scrappy brand of hockey – with Adam Burish on the mend and Ben Eager able return to the lineup tonight, the ‘Hawks skilled players could have a tough night ahead of them. It won’t be an easy night for guys like Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg and Jonathan Toews.

This is the style of play the ‘Hawks miss with Eager on the shelf (a nice hit on Mike Cammalleri and takedown of Adam Pardy second later):

Special teams is another area that should be stressed tonight. The Flames enter the United Center holding the best power play in the league at 46.7%, but the Blackhawks haven’t been as successful. In three of the four games this season, the power play unit was unable to convert with a two-man advantage. That is unacceptable.

A decent surprise so far is that Brent Sopel hasn’t sucked. He has done a good job in the defensive zone clearing pucks and blocking shots. Sopel has been on the third pairing of defensemen, and has seen time on the penalty kill unit.

Another note is that former Chicago winger Rene Bourque leads the Flames with seven points (3 goals, 4 assists). They like him a lot up there.

UPDATE: Jack Skille was recalled just one day after being reassigned to Rockford.

UPDATE: Ben Eager concussion reports have been confirmed by Coach Quenneville, and he will be out indefinitely. I plan to write more on this issue after the game or tomorrow morning. Stay tuned.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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