Posts Tagged ‘Bryan Bickell’

Where do the Blackhawks go from here?

November 8th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

It was a big night for Captain Jonathan Toews ended the Hawks’ two game skid Saturday as Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager hosted their old team in Atlanta. Toews contributed to every goal in his team’s 5-4 (OT) win over the Thrashers. He has two goals, two assists and netted the first shoot-out goal. With all of the issues the Blackhawks had coming into this game, it was nice to see the face of the franchise finally step up. Patrick Kane scored two goals of his own, and added an assist.

Saturday’s game in Atlanta was more than just the Toews and Kane show. The whole team played with an edge they lost when Marian Hossa went down with an upper-body injury at home to Los Angeles five games earlier. In his stead, role players such as Viktor Stalberg, Jack Skille and Jake Dowell stepped up, but due to the lack of effort from star players, the Blackhawks went 1-3 before Saturday’s win over the Thrashers.

Over that span we learned a few things about how this organization will be run with Stan Bowman as general manager. We already knew from last year that he’ll shuffle players back-and-forth from Rockford to save a dime, but to force Coach Quenneville to field a fourth line consisted of two defenseman centered by a winger in New Jersey was a little excessive. He saved a few thousand dollars by demoting forwards Ben Smith and Ryan Potulny before the game, which they lost in impressive fashion.

Anyways, the edge that the Hawks played with on Saturday was gone by Sunday. They gave up a one goal lead in the third period when the Oilers were able to score two goals fourteen seconds apart. The Blackhawks were unable to return the favor, and handed Edmonton a 2-1 victory at the United Center. Any sort of optimism following the narrow defeat over the Thrashers vanished, and not even Marian Hossa‘s return to the lineup yesterday inspires hope. The issues that surfaced in his absence are still in the forefront.

Management appears to be detached, constantly spewing the tired rhetoric that they are pleased with the state of their team. The players have become complacent, losing yet another game they took the lead into the third period. And for some reason Quenneville continues to pencil John Scott into the lineup over more talented players. First it was Jordan Hendry on defense, and now it’s Bryan Bickell on the fourth line.

Quenneville’s reactionary move is to always meddle with line combinations, but it’s going to take more moving Tomas Kopecky from the second line to the third or abruptly ending a practice session to incite change. Getting this team to play better hockey in their own zone is like teaching a man how to fish. They will win more games as a result, and the other issues become trivial.

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Top twenty Blackhawk prospects: Fall 2010

October 15th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Our first installment of prospect rankings for the season have been expanded to twenty players, from the usual ten. The regular guidelines for making the list are still intact – under the age of 25, and less than 40 games played at the NHL level for skaters and 20 appearances for goalies. For more information and statistics regarding every player in the Blackhawks’ system, check out our In the Organization page above.

A lot has changed since the Spring 2010 rankings due to the addition and subtraction of so many players this off-season.

1. Kyle Beach (LW)
Date of Birth – January 13, 1990
Team – Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

If a general manager praises a player for his tenacity after jumping then injuring a five-foot something Norwegian at prospect camp, thus knocking him out of commission for about four months, things become very clear. Beach is a Stan (and Scotty) Bowman favorite, no matter how dense he is. He’ll spend most of the year in Rockford, with a few trips up and down I-90 this season. (Previous Rank: 1)

2. Jeremy Morin (LW)
April 16, 1991
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

Looks like Bowman got himself a gem in the Dustin Byfuglien to Atlanta trade. Morin was close to breaking training camp with the Blackhawks, but the experience he will gain playing in the AHL will prove to be beneficial. The kid is a natural scorer, but his skating could improve. Morin was a member of the gold medal winning American team at the World Juniors in 2009, and is a lock to make the team once again this year. (NR)

3. Dylan Olsen (D)
January 3, 1991
Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

He’s got all the tools. He is big, physical, skates well and is a natural playmaker from the point. Olsen will spend another season at Minnesota-Duluth, and is a candidate to make the Canadian under-20 national team for the World Juniors. Olsen will compete for a spot on the Hawks’ blue line next fall, at the earliest. (3)

4. Shawn Lalonde (D)
March 10, 1990
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

He joined the IceHogs for eight regular season and three post season games last year, and will play the majority of his games in Rockford this season. Primarily known as an offensive defenseman, Lalonde provides some pop as well. He has great up-ice vision, skates well and is destined to be a power-play quarterback. (2)

5. Marcus Kruger (C)
March 27, 1990
Djurgardens (SEL)

The Swede is wearing the “A” for Djurgardens at the ripe age of 20. On top of being an on-ice leader, Kruger is a playmaker whose instinct is to pass first. His head is always on a swivel, and is constantly looking for the open man. Kruger is also an asset in the defensive zone. The Blackhawks signed him to an entry-level deal this summer, but missed training camp with a foot injury. (5)

6. Nick Leddy (D)
March 20, 1991
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)

Despite seeing some improvement from the 19-year-old defenseman in the first four games of the season, on the job training isn’t something you want from a guy playing fifteen minutes a game in the NHL. Leddy could use some seasoning in Rockford to work on his board play, strength and overall decision making. (4)

7. Kevin Hayes (RW)
May 8, 1992
Boston College (Hockey East)

Kevin was drafted out of Noble & Greenough High School in Massachusetts this spring. He accelerated his schooling in order to be draft eligible, as well as join his older brother Jimmy (see below) at Boston College this fall. Kevin was a crowd pleaser at this summer’s prospect camp because of his speed and all-around hockey ability. (NR)

8. Brandon Pirri (C)
April 10, 1991
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

He left Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after his freshman year for the bright lights of…umm…Rockford. Pirri happens to be another Bowman favorite, luring him away from collegiate ranks this summer with an entry-level deal. He’s a nice little player (6‘0“ 160), but has a long way to come to be a regular in the NHL. (8)

9. Brian Connelly (D)
June 10, 1986
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

Connelly was named the IceHogs’ Rookie of the Year last season. In 78 games, the defenseman scored four goals and 31 assists. His 35 points was good enough for sixth best in the AHL among blue liners. Connelly doesn’t have a ton of hype surrounding him like other prospects in the system at the position, but he’s a solid two-way player. (10)

10. Jack Skille (RW)
May 19, 1987
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)

Yep, Skille is still considered a prospect. It finally looks like the 23-year-old forward found a home on the Blackhawks’ roster. He has been one of the better players on the young season, and provides a nice balance skill and energy as a bottom-six forward. Skille has yet to scratch the score sheet, but if he continues at this pace the ponts will come. (7)

11. Ivan Vishnevskiy (D)
February 18, 1988
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

Vishnevskiy came to Chicago when Andrew Ladd was shipped to Atlanta, and is now with his third organization. Like many Russians he skates well and is skilled, but it’s been four years since he was drafted in the first round (27th overall; 2006) and the sheen is beginning to dull. Vishnevskiy is part of the deep defensive prospect pool in Rockford, and will have a hard time standing out above the rest. One thing that will set him apart from the rest is experience. (NR)

12. Jimmy Hayes (RW)
May 8, 1992
Boston College (Hockey East)

Kevin’s older brother was acquired by the Blackhawks during the 2010 draft weekend from the Maple Leafs. The fact that Brian Burke let a big forward (6’5” 210) such as the elder Hayes go, should raise a few eyebrows. Toronto’s general manager drools over these sorts of players. Jimmy is a big, physical power forward with an offensive upside. (NR)

13. Ludvig Rensfeldt (LW/C)
January 29, 1992
Brynas J20 (SuperElite)

Rensfeldt is tearing up Sweden’s 20-year-old junior league. In eight games so far, he has seven goals and eight assists. It’s only a matter of time before he gets called up to the SEL. Rensfeldt is a player to keep an eye on. The 18-year-old is a talented player, and it will be a couple years before he’s ready to cross the Atlantic for good. (NR)

14. Bryan Bickell (LW)
March 9, 1986
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)

Bickell is a tough, physical winger, but he doesn’t have much in the way of skill. He has a nose for the net, but won’t be anything more than a bottom-six forward. Not that there is anything wrong with that… (NR)

15. Byron Froese (C)
March 12,1991
Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

He is very raw in appearance, but gets the job done with his physical and offensive play. In nine games played for the Rebels on the young season, Froese has netted three goals and tallied twelve assists. His numbers so far this season are a little deceiving – the kid can score. Froese had 29 goals with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10. (NR)

16. Igor Makarov (RW)
September 19, 1987
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

Makarov caught the eye of fans at training camp, but just fell short of making the Hawks’ roster. The Russian winger has been an enigma in his short career. He is quick and a great level of skill, but needs to be stronger on his skates and battle harder along the boards. For the last two years in the KHL, he was an unproductive bottom-six forward. I have my doubts whether Makarov will stick in the NHL, if he ever gets there. (NR)

17. Philippe Paradis (C)
January 2, 1991
Prince Edward Island Rocket (QMJHL)

Of the prospects that came over in the Kris Versteeg trade, Paradis performed better at prospect camp and training camp, which isn’t saying much. He was selected in the first round (27th overall; 2009) by the Hurricanes solely on potential. Paradis might make it to the NHL one day, but it will be a long and bumpy road that gets him there. (NR)

18. Ben Smith (RW)
July 11, 1988
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

The former Golden Eagle doesn’t necessarily have all the tools, but his work ethic is second to none. Smith was important cog in the Boston College machine, which national championship in 2010. He was named the Frozen Four MVP. He has a nice career ahead of him as a bottom-six forward, and a penalty kill unit specialist. (NR)

19. Joe Lavin (D)
July 17, 1989
Notre Dame (CCHA)

Lavin is already half-way to becoming a hockey legend. The 21-year-old was arrested for supplying alcohol to minors at a party in his honor. He was not disciplined by the team, however. Lavin is a strong skater, plays the position well and has a wicked shot from the blue line. (NR)

20. Justin Holl (D)
January 30, 1992
Minnesota (WCHA)

The tools are there, but the 18-year-old could be more refined. He is an offensive minded defenseman, skates well and likes to jump in as the fourth forward. Holl’s overall defensive play needs a lot of work, and he’ll get the necessary playing time at Minnesota. The Blackhawks will give him a few years to fill out his frame (6‘2“ 170) before they come knocking. (NR)

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Blackhawks walk away from Antti Niemi

August 2nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Niemi and the Cup (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The writing was on the wall when the Blackhawks opted to match San Jose’s $14 million ($3.5 million per) offer sheet to Niklas Hjalmarsson. It was going to be tough for Stan Bowman to keep Antti Niemi on the payroll as a result, but you can’t say the man didn’t try. Post offer sheet, Bowman traded Marty Reasoner to the Panthers, and re-signed Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell to minimal deals in an attempt to have enough cap space to accommodate Niemi. I’m under the impression if Niemi really wanted to stay with Chicago, he and his agent would have been more amendable then they were.

According to various sources, Niemi’s camp sought out a one-year deal well above $3 million going into the arbitration hearing, and they were awarded a favorable one-year deal worth $2.75 million by the arbitrator. That number would have handcuffed Bowman when it came to the Blackhawks’ roster, so he walked. He was unable to pull off a sign-and-trade because other clubs didn’t like the deal either.

Enter Marty Turco. The Blackhawks probably started looking at his as a viable option weeks ago, but would have preferred to keep Niemi around at the right price. When the decision had to be made, signing Turco to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million worked best for the Blackhawks salary cap issue, so it eventually became easy for the Bowman to walk away from Niemi. He freed up 1.45 million, and they will be able to field a full 22-man roster.

There will actually be position battles taking place at training camp. Low salaries won’t dictate who makes the NHL roster come fall. We might actually see guys like Kyle Beach and Shawn Lalonde as soon as October. Also, all signs point to Corey Crawford as back-up goaltender.

Before you grab a pitchfork and/or torch on your way to Stan Bowman’s doorstep, think twice before you blame him for disbanding your Chicago Blackhawks. First, lynch mobs are no longer in fashion. Also, he’s just working within the parameters of the current collective bargaining agreement. Last, it’s a recent league-wide trend that goaltenders don’t win Stanley Cups – defensemen do. In other words, don’t hate the player, hate the game.

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

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Posted in Transactions | 3 Comments »

Bryan Bickell inks three-year deal

July 23rd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Stan Bowman can cross another item off his to-do list by re-signing forward Bryan Bickell to a three-year deal worth $1,625,000. He is slated to make $500,000 in 2010-11, $525,000 in 2011-12 and $600,000 in 2012-13, which is a cap hit of $541,666. It’s a small raise compared to the $500,000 Bickell earned last season, but he’s guaranteed a spot on the Blackhawks’ roster because of his price tag. I thought he was going to get $550,000 per year. Every penny counts.

Bickell could have a Ladd-like role down the road, but should begin the season on the fourth line. In fourteen regular season games Hawks last year, Bickell had three goals with one assist. He also skated in four post-season matches.

Next, Bowman and company have Jordan Hendry and Antti Niemi to take care of. Hendry will get a deal done with the same cap hit he had last season ($625,000), which should be possible because the Hawks didn’t tender him a qualifying offer making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

With Niemi, on the other hand, it’s difficult to foresee what will happen. Bowman is making the extra effort to re-sign his goaltender by signing guys like Bickell to minimum deals, and trading away inexpensive pieces such as Marty Reasoner. Anything over a cap hit of $2,500,000 could force the Blackhawks to walk, or trade Tomas Kopecky ($1,200,000).

Two more signed

The Hawks signed restricted free agent Nathan Davis and free agent forward Hugh Jessiman to one-year deals worth $500,000. Both will spend the 2010-11 season with Rockford where they are to earn significantly less (Davis – $75,000; Jessiman – $105,000) in the AHL as they have two-way deals. Jessiman was selected 12th overall in the 2003 entry draft, and has yet to play a game in the NHL.

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

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Bowman clears more cap space by trading Marty Reasoner

July 22nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

In an effort to free up enough cap space to re-sign restricted free agent Antti Niemi, Stan Bowman traded Marty Reasoner and his $1,150,000 cap hit to the Panthers. In return, the Hawks received 29-year-old journeyman, Jeff Taffe ($550,000 cap hit). Bowman’s latest move is nothing more than a salary dump. Taffe should play most of the season with Rockford, and he may make a rare appearance with the Blackhawks on a bottom line if needed.

Today’s trade is a tell-tale sign that Bowman is going to re-sign Niemi. Hopefully they can come to terms before the scheduled arbitration hearing on July 29. As it stands right now, the Blackhawks have sixteen players locked-up with $138,410 cap space.

Cristobal Huet’s ($5,625,000) cap hit will come off the books before the season starts, but the organization will have his contract count against them till they can send it to Rockford. The collective bargaining agreement allows any team to go over the cap ceiling by 10%, and the Hawks will use that space to re-sign Jordan Hendry and Bryan Bickell on top of Niemi.

The 2010-11 Blackhawks’ cap ceiling ($59,400,000) plus the 10% summer cushion ($5,940,000) equals to a summer ceiling of $65,340,000. So the Blackhawks have $6,013,410 cap space with the summer cushion. As I mentioned above, Bowman will use this space until he needs to have his roster legal by opening night. When you take out Huet’s cap hit from the equation, the Blackhawks actually have $5,763,410 to work with.

Hawks re-sign Evan Brophey

The Blackhawks re-signed 23-year-old center Evan Brophey to a one-year deal worth $500,000. He played 79 games in Rockford last season with 14 goals and 17 assists. Going into the off-season there is no way I would have thought Brophey would crack the Blackhawks roster out of training camp, but a cap friendly hit might have an effect on where he plays come fall.

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

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Blackhawk roster taking shape: Forwards

July 20th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Last week the Hawks made a few minor moves that will have some affect their roster this fall. Jack Skille, a restricted free agent and former first round draft pick (7th overall in 2006), re-signed to a one-year deal worth $600,000. I feel like a broken record writing this, but Skille should have every chance in the world to leave training camp with the Blackhawks. His cheap price tag guarantees that. Skille will have a Versteeg-like role on the third line, but is bigger (6’1” 215).

The other transaction was the signing of Russian forward Igor Makarov to a two-year entry-level contract worth $1,105,000 (a $552,000 cap hit). Makarov made an impression at prospect camp two years ago, but hasn’t backed that performance up in two seasons in the KHL. He split the 2009-10 season between St. Petersburg SKA and Moscow Dynamo, and in 51 games between the two clubs, Makarov had five goals and four assists with 61 penalty-minutes. The 22-year-old Russian will compete for a spot on the Blackhawks’ roster as a bottom-six forward at training camp, but he’ll likely land in Rockford come October.

If Skille and Makarov don’t get you excited, maybe Bryan Bickell will. There have been whispers that Bickell (RFA) is close to signing a multi-year contract with the Hawks. It’s a matter of when. The Blackhawks will re-sign him to a cap-friendly deal at $550,000 – a slight raise from last year. Once Bickell is inked, the Hawks will have twelve starting forwards locked-up.

Brouwer – Toews – Kane
Sharp – Bolland – Hossa
Stalberg – Reasoner – Skille
Bickell – Dowell – Kopecky

Update: Recently acquired Marty Reasoner was traded to Florida for Jeff Taffe.

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

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Brian Campbell game-time decision for Game #4

April 22nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Campbell after hit (Getty Images)

The three-headed monster that is the core of Blackhawk beat writers (Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald, Chris Kuc of the Tribune and Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times) are reporting that defenseman Brian Campbell is a game-time decision for Game #4. Even ESPNChicago’s man-child Jesse Rogers has predicted the return of the Campbell to the blue line. So it must be true.

Campbell suffered a broken clavicle on March 14th after Alexander Ovechkin shoved him into the boards in the Blackhawks zone. Ovechkin was suspended for two games, and Campbell was ruled out of commission for seven to eight weeks as he healed. It was originally thought that Campbell wouldn’t return until the second round of the playoffs, but with the Blackhawks’ backs up against the wall after three games (Predators lead series 2-1) they are willing to rush the seven-million-dollar man.

From what I’ve been reading, Campbell was ahead of schedule in regards to the healing process, and he’s been skating in practice for just over a week. The big-picture side of me would like to wait on him to be completely healed, but the selfish side (the side my girlfriend always complains about) wouldn’t mind seeing him suit up tonight. The Blackhawks sure could use a puck-moving defenseman in the lineup to help breakdown the Predators’ trap defense. Campbell will need doctor’s note before that happens. It’s the playoffs. Man up, broseph.

Lineup notes – Coach Q will insert Bryan Bickell and Adam Burish into the lineup tonight in lieu of Ben Eager and Colin Fraser. I’m a fan of this Burish quote Sassone used in his blog post this afternoon:

“You got the Nashville coaches sitting up there watching to see who’s going to do the extra skating. But we all got off the ice together.”

You sure fooled them, Adam. Keep up the Jedi mind tricks young padawan.

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Fraser Earned This Tag – Blackhawks 5, Stars 2

April 7th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

It wasn’t the prettiest game by any means, but that didn’t stop the Blackhawks from earning their fiftieth win of the season. The most wins by the franchise since it’s inception to the league in 1926-27. And which Blackhawk led this team in their record-breaking 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars? Colin Fraser. He scored two goals in Dallas, and so often do his contributions as a defensive, fourth-line, penalty-killing center go unappreciated. To bad he’s married to a Sutter, of the Calgary (at least for the next week) Sutters.

Anyways, one of the stories last night was the number of shorthanded situations the Blackhawks found themselves in. They did relatively well, going four-for-five on the penalty kill, and Jonathan Toews scored his first shorty of the year for the team’s league-leading twelfth. Interesting how this happened the day of my post about the Blackhawk’s success on the penalty kill. Of the five penalties called, Dustin Byfuglien’s tripping of Loui Eriksson was the only penalty that wasn’t a blown call or the result of stupidity.

Antti Niemi was good in goal. He stopped twenty-six of the twenty-eight shots on goal, and he didn’t have to stand on his head against the much weaker Dallas team. Although there were instances of sloppy play, the Blackhawks also showed signs of being that dominating team we’ve become accustomed to. They positioned themselves, created turnovers and played their puck-control game. I’ll take it as a good sign with the playoffs around the corner.

Next up, the Blackhawks will host St. Louis at the United Center tonight. Ugh, I really hate the Blues and their band of morons. They resort to fisticuffs whenever they face a more talented squad knowing they can’t beat them in an actual hockey game. On that note, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Adam Burish on the second line once again – Troy Brouwer was a scratch last night – to protect Patrick Kane.

Minor League Shuffle –

Bryan Bickell was recalled from Rockford earlier today. He will replace Tomas Kopecky. Bickell has played fourteen games with the Blackhawks this season, and will add to his total tonight. The twenty-three year old has two goals and an assist in his time with the NHL club.

Meanwhile in Rockford, the IceHogs recalled Joe Palmer who was on loan to the Texas Brahmas of the Central Hockey League (CHL). He was used primarily as a backup. In thirty-two games, Palmer had a goals-against average of 2.75 and 0.914 save percentage.

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

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Olympic Hockey Day One, And Two Sent To Purgatory

February 16th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Of the only teams that matter to Blackhawk fans (USA, Canada and Slovakia) on the first day of competition Team USA and Team Canada are in actions. The Americans will play Switzerland and the Canadians will play Norway. Patrick Kane will lineup with Zach Parise and Paul Stastny for Team USA. Jonathan Toews will lineup at center between Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla for Team Canada – that should be interesting. The internet connection at the hotel blows. It’s taking to long to find anything definitive regarding Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, but I can’t see them not suiting up for any game.

Back to Purgatory They Go –

Bryan Bickell and Jake Dowell were reassigned to Rockford after Sunday’s game in Columbus. Both Bickell and Dowell got on the scoresheet in that game. Bickell scored a goal, and Dowell had one goal and one assist in the 5-4 shootout victory. Subsequently, Adam Hobson was reassigned to the Toledo Walleye today.

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

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Blackhawks/Wild Trade, And Lineup Notes

February 13th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Stan Bowman made his first major move as general manager of the Blackhawks yesterday before the Olympic trading freeze. The Blackhawks traded defenseman Cam Barker to the Minnesota Wild for veteran defenseman Kim Johnsson and the Wild’s first round pick (16th overall) of the 2009 entry draft, Nick Leddy.

In two hundred games played as a Blackhawk, Barker never really lived up to the hype of being selected third overall in 2004 entry draft. He finished the 2008-09 campaign with forty points in sixty-eight games, and was able to turn that into a three-year contract with a cap hit $3.083M. Barker didn’t get a chance to build off last year playing third pairing minutes.

In Johnsson, the Blackhawks got themselves the veteran defenseman – with a contract that doesn’t extend past the end of this season – they needed. By moving Barker, Bowman made his job easier freeing the organization of a contract with two more years on it. In Leddy, they received a top defensive prospect to go along with Dylan Olsen and Shawn Lalonde.

Anyway you look at this trade, the Blackhawks got what they needed (Johnsson) and more (Leddy) from Minnesota. Barker will have every opportunity to succeed with his new team.

Lineup Moves –

Forward Bryan Bickell was recalled from Rockford this morning. Ben Eager and John Madden were diagnosed with ‘lower-body’ injuries, and both are ruled out for the final two games before the Olympic break.

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

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