Posts Tagged ‘John Madden’

Blackhawks’ unrestricted free agent (UFA) rundown

June 16th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The Blackhawks have a handful of players that will be unrestricted free agents (UFAs) when free agency begins on July 1st. With the payroll issue, the organization will likely promote cap-friendly players from within their system to replace key UFAs. Of the four players written up below, Burish might be the only one invited back.

John Madden – Center
(2009-10 Salary – $2,750,000)
(2009-10 Cap Hit – $2,750,000)

When the Blackhawks signed Madden to a one-year deal last summer, both parties knew the union wouldn’t last beyond this season. He was to be the veteran presence on a very young roster. Madden brought the experience of a two-time Stanley Cup winner to the Blackhawks, and centered the very effective checking line all season. This could have been the 37-year old pivot’s last hurrah. He will have to choose between heading out to pasture, or have a similar veteran role for another team.

Adam Burish – Right Winger
(2009-10 Salary – $712,500)
(2009-10 Cap Hit – $712,500)

A fan favorite, the fourth line winger embodies everything Chicago sport fans love in their athletes – a not-so talented white guy. Burish missed 65 games recovering from knee surgery, and was frequently scratched from the lineup down the stretch and in the playoffs. He plays the role of agitator well. Burish has the ability to getting under opposing player’s skin, and thrives off of chirping opponents from the bench – he averaged only 8:46 minutes in thirteen games this season.

If he comes at a fair price, I could see the front office toy with the idea of re-signing Burish to a short-term deal. But it’s more likely the organization will give a younger/cheaper guy a shot, such as Bryan Bickell.

Kim Johnsson – Defenseman
(2009-10 Salary – $5,300,000)
(2009-10 Cap Hit – $4,850,000)

Does anyone know what really happened to this guy? He disappeared from the face of the earth as though he lived in Argentina during the Dirty War era. Aside from speculative rumors, the only thing being reported is that he couldn’t overcome the post-concussion symptoms. Well, no matter what happened, Johnsson will end his career with only eight games as a Blackhawk on his resume.

Nick Boynton – Defenseman
(2009-10 Salary – $1,500,000)
(2009-10 Cap Hit – $1,500,000)

Boynton will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup because he replaced Jordan Hendry on the blue line in the last three games of the finals. He was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations, and served as a back-up plan on defense. In the ten regular- and post-season games Boynton played with the Blackhawks, he didn’t embarrass himself. On July 1st, he will be a small fish in the free agent pool.

Others: Mark Cullen, Danny Bois, Richard Petiot, Jassen Cullimore.

*Salary numbers were pulled from CapGeek.com

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A Return To Normalcy – Blackhawks vs. Islanders

March 2nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The Blackhawks return to the ice tonight in Long Island. It was announced yesterday that Antti Niemi would get the start vs. the Islanders. Going back before the break this will be Niemi’s fifth consecutive game in net. I’ve never been a big Cristobal Huet fan, but even I’m jonesing for the guy to get some work between the pipes. It would be nice if we heard something from the organization as to why Coach Quenneville keeps trotting Niemi out there, because his absence from the lineup is leading to a lot of speculation – rumors that is. The Blackhawks will be fine going forward with the tandem of Niemi and Huet. It would be nice to get Huet’s contract off the books now, however.

Anyway, John Madden was activated from the injured reserve and will play tonight. It has also been reported that Ben Eager and Brent Sopel will be in the lineup as well – they were scratches going into the Olympic break. The six Olympians skated in practice and should be ready to go. The only player I’m worried about regarding fatigue is Duncan Keith, but hopefully with the acquisition of Kim Johnsson his ice-time per game will be slightly reduced in the last twenty games of the season.

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Dowell Recalled From Rockford

February 14th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Thought I posted this earlier… Jake Dowell was recalled from Rockford this afternoon to replace Marian Hossa in tonight’s lineup. Hossa took a hit to the head from Colby Armstrong in last night’s game vs. Atlanta. Dowell should return to the IceHogs following tonight’s game. John Madden was moved to the injured reserve to make the move possible.

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

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Escape From Cowtown – Blackhawks 3, Flames 1

January 22nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Where was the tenacity we are used to seeing from Calgary last night? Coming off a 9-1 loss to the Sharks you would think the Flames would come out swinging, but the Blackhawks did them a favor and handed them their sixth consecutive loss. The Flames we are familiar play a physical brand of hockey, are chippy and antagonize opposing players. None of that was really going on last night. With the recent history between the two teams, if the Blackhawks of all teams can’t provoke any energy from the Flames there is a big problem in Cowtown.

Miikka Kiprusoff (spelled it right the first time) was the only Flame to show up. His performance last night trumps that of Jonas Hiller and Brian Elliot. Except for Patrick Kane’s goal in the second period, Kipper was flawless. It took a series of lucky redirects for the Blackhawks to take beat Kiprusoff to take the lead in the third period. Tomas Kopecky tossed the puck at the net, it ricocheted off a Flame defender and its course was corrected off Ben Eager’s right leg. Rarely was Kiprusoff out of position and he didn’t cough up any rebounds.

After a brief hiatus, the Blackhawks’ defense returned last night. Not to take anything away from the solid game from Antti Niemi, but he faced a very manageable twenty shots. He made some great saves too. The only goal Niemi let in was on the penalty kill, Colin Fraser just lost his stick, he made the initial save with the insole of his skate and Brent Sopel was unable to clear the puck before Jamie Lundmark tapped in the rebound. An honorable mention should go out to Niklas Hjalmarsson, John Madden and Marian Hossa for their back checking.

Ducan Keith scored the final Blackhawks goal to clinch the Blackhawks 3-1 victory on an empty net. Hossa saw him streaking down the center of the ice, and set him up with a cross-ice pass.

Next up, the Blackhawks take the road show into Vancouver this Saturday. They have one three of the four games played on the trip so far with four more to go.

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Blackhawks 3, Blue Jackets 0

January 15th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Cristobal Huet rebounded from his performance in Minnesota by shutting out the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0. Per usual, the Blackhawks controlled the puck all night, and made the Huet’s night manageable allowing only twenty-four shots on Huet. He did make some great saves at close range, and played with a determined demeanor that seems to elude the francophone often.

The ‘checking line’ of Kris Versteeg, John Madden, and Dustin Byfuglien line had a great night. They put pressure on the Blue Jackets in their zone, and put two goals on the scoreboard. In the first period Versteeg assisted on Brian Campbell’s snipe past Mathieu Garon just above the hash marks. On a second period rush, Madden saw a ready Byfuglien to his left who fired a one-timer for his twelfth on the year.

There have been a few consistently elements to the Blackhawks this season – puck possession, an effective penalty-kill unit and production from the third line. The constant to the third line has been Madden. No matter who is lined up on either side of the center, the third line continues to be effective on both ends of the ice. Madden deserves all the credit he can get.

Early in the season Madden was paired with Andrew Ladd and my boy Troy Brouwer. It resembled a prototypical ‘checking line’ more so then the current version, but they were productive in the opponent’s zone as well as their own. I didn’t think Coach Quenneville would touch this line due to the on-ice chemistry they had, but Quenneville shuffled the lineup in mid-December to promote scoring. As a result Versteeg and Byfuglien were moved to the third line with Madden. In twenty games after joining the third line (December 5th) Byfuglien has scored four goals and nine assists in twenty games, and Versteeg – who joined a week later (December 13th) – has four goals and ten assists in fifteen games on the Madden line.

Since arriving in Chicago, Quenneville has had a laisser-faire approach to the style of play of the thirty-six year old veteran. In Madden’s career with the Devils, he was restricted to the defensive style of play that has long been associated with New Jersey. In Chicago he has aided in the offensive production of his linemates even if his contribution doesn’t show up on the scoresheet – see Versteeg and Byfuglien stats above.

Anyway, the Blackhawks remained dominant in the third period. Duncan Keith scored his tenth goal of the season – the eighth ‘Hawks to reach double digits in goals. Marian Hossa (and Patrick Sharp) assisted on Keith’s goal, and played like his groin wasn’t an issue.

Next up, the Blackhawks will play in Columbus on Saturday for the second half of the home-and-home series with the Blue Jackets. It also marks the first game of an eight game road trip that will encompass the rest of the month.

Chris Kuc is already reporting that Huet will start in net in Columbus, and Cam Barker is ‘likely’ to return as well. This will serve as my pre-game lineup notes post. I plan to attend happy hour tonight, and will ‘likely’ be nursing a hangover tomorrow.

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Blackhawks 4, Wild 1

January 6th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Thirty wins in forty-three games is impressive. The Blackhawks have won eleven of their last thirteen games, and have extended their lead over the second place team in the Central Division, the Nashville Predators, to ten points. So many good things are happening for the Blackhawks right now. The power play unit – that had been so bad – has scored with the man-advantage in the last eight games. The current streak has improved the ‘Hawks power-play percentage to 20.8 – sixth overall in the league.

Another positive of late has been the play of the fourth line. Their playing time hasn’t increased all that much, but the combination of Ben Eager, Colin Fraser and Tomas Kopecky are no longer invisible on the ice. It pains me to write this, but with the elevated play of Kopecky the line has been more productive.

Marian Hossa scored another two goals last night, and Patrick Kane added another to his team-leading total – now at eighteen goals. Hossa is the seventh Blackhawk to reach double-digits. John Madden is just one away after scoring his ninth goal in the first period. Brian Campbell continues he resurrection as the seven-million-dollar-man last night with his play in the offensive zone, and adding two helpers.

Cristobal Huet’s performance in the first period illustrated a few of the reasons why I’m not a fan. He was out of position, slow, lacked puck control, and the defense had to bail him out to keep the Wild off the scoreboard. Brent Seabrook put himself in front of a sure Andrew Brunette goal, and Duncan Keith back-checked to thwart a good scoring chance by the Wild on a short handed rush. In both cases, Huet was scrambling across the crease to get back in position. Once the Blackhawks defense settled down late in the first period, so did Huet, and that has been the story on him for the majority of the season.

Next up, the Blackhawks will travel to Boston for another Original Six match-up Thursday night.

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Mission Accomplished: Successful Circus Trip Over

December 1st, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

It’s time to take down the big top. The six-game circus road trip is over, and the Blackhawks attained nine of the possible twelve points (4-1-1) on the trip. Losing to the Ducks in regulation and to the Kings in a shootout wasn’t the ideal way to end the trip, but we should all feel great about the November this team had. Don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise.

The other day I wrote how the line combinations will see some stability now that Marian Hossa is in the lineup. Well, Coach Quenneville made me look stupid again by moving Patrick Kane off the first line with Hossa and Jonathan Toews in the third period. The idea of having Kane, Toews and Hossa on one line is nice, but it is more like Quenneville to spread out the top talent among a few lines. Opponents will have to resort to more than the tactic of using their checking line against the Blackhawks’ first line.

On his blog yesterday, Tim Sassone reported that the changes we saw in Saturday’s game in Los Angeles should keep – at least at the start of tonight’s game at home vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. Patrick Sharp will join Hossa and Toews on the first line, and Kane will return to the right side on the second line with Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg.

How long these combinations will last is obviously up to Quenneville. I like that he is open to change, and is willing to see what works and doesn’t work with the group of players on the roster. Any tinkering will solely take place among the six players on the first two lines. Quenneville is content with the checking line of Andrew Ladd, John Madden and Troy Brouwer, and will keep the three together as long as he can. The Blackhawks’ fourth line is set as well.

Alternative Jersey

Alternative Jersey

In net tonight will be Cristobal Huet. At this point it should be a given that any game that isn’t played on back-to-back nights Huet will start. His 2.12 goals-against average ranks fourth in the league with goalies that have twenty or more starts on the season. I’m still not Huet’s biggest fan, but he has been what the Blackhawks need him to be – have the ability to stop enough of the 24.2 (lowest average in the league) shots-on-goal-against to keep the team in the game. Huet has done it well.

Tonight the Blackhawks will debut their new alternative jersey. It’s a variation of the Winter Classic sweater, which I never really liked. White lacing that is all the rage in NHL jersey fashion will replace the black at the base of the v-neck, and the shoulder crests are rather stylized in red, white and a little bit of black. The shoulder crest doesn’t do much for me. They should have stuck with the crests they have on the home and away jerseys.

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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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Blackhawks Have Internal Options To Fill-In For Bolland

November 11th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Just when the Blackhawks were getting healthy and able to roll out a lineup at full strength, Dave Bolland’s lower-back problem could no longer be ignored. The surgery to repair a herniated disk was successful, but now that Bolland will be out between three to four months recovering a replacement is needed.

It’ll be hard to replace a player like him, but initially the organization will hope someone on the roster can fill the void. Yesterday, Stan Bowman said:

“I think we’ve got to sort it out internally first and see what we have. We’ve got some guys who kind of deserve the chance to see how they can play and see how that goes before jumping into anything else. That’s the approach for now and we’ll see how it works.”

A handful of players that can be considered for the role of second line center, and they are Patrick Sharp, John Madden, Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky, Andrew Ebbett and Jake Dowell (currently in Rockford). Ebbett could be given a shot to replace Bolland out of the gate. I’ve been critical of him a time or two, but they guy did tally thirty-two points in forty-eight games for the Ducks last season. So there has to be something there. Right?

The Versteeg experiment at center lasted a little over one game. Coach Quenneville shuffled the lines during the Kings game, and moved him to the wing and put Ebbett on the second line at center – replacing Kopecky. Ebbett played reasonably well, and scored a fluky goal that bounced off his chest and into the net. Kopecky was demoted to the fourth line and keeps proving to be useless.

Sharp and Madden could eventually see time as the second line center, but Quenneville likes them in the role they are in now. I think Dowell would be recalled before either Sharp or Madden are used in that role. Any internal options Bowman has will be exhausted before he resorts to trading for suitable replacement for Bolland as the team is right up against the salary cap.

The Blackhawks play Colorado at home tonight, so we won’t have to wait long to see who Quenneville uses in Bolland’s spot.

In other news: Marian Hossa will take another step in his rehab. He will start participating in full contact drills either Thursday or Friday.

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Welcome Back – Blackhawks 4, Kings 1

November 10th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The Blackhawks welcomed Jonathan Toews and Ben Eager back to the team with a big 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Last night, the ‘Hawks arguably played their best game this season. There were mistakes such as turnovers in the defensive zone, but the boys clicked in so many ways last night.

Coach Quenneville line Toews up with Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien on the first line. Byfuglien, as always, didn’t do much, but Sharp had his best game of the season. He was all over the ice last night, and making plays in the offensive zone assisting on the two power play goals. One of them was on the deflection by Troy Brouwer who had a great game for himself as well. The other was on the Toews goal a couple minutes later.

It could have been the Kings ineptitude on the penalty kill, but the Blackhawks were very effective on the power play. They scored on two of the three chances with the man advantage. Tomas Kopecky was still on the power play unit, and Byfuglien saw time on the point paired with Cam Barker. I guess it’s better than having Sharp up there.

I haven’t mentioned this at all this season, but I really like watching John Madden play. He seems to enjoy the freedom the coaching staff gives him, and his lone goal – first of the game – set things off right for the Blackhawks. The line of Madden, Brouwer and Andrew Ladd works, and it should be kept together well after Marian Hossa’s debut.

The six games with out Toews were hard to watch at times, knowing that this team is so much better then their play indicated. It’s refreshing to watch a game where the Blackhawks are able to play their game and dominate almost every minute. Having Toews back in the lineup changes the dynamic of the team in a very positive way, and with the addition of Hossa in a few more weeks this team will be scary.

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