Comments on: Chicago Blackhawks extend $1.65M qualifying offer to Andrew Ladd

By: marilyn cali

marilyn cali — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:50:36 +0000

With 13 players currently signed, they have cap space of about 6 million (15,000 short), plus 5.625 million getting rid of Huet,gives about 11.5 million to sign 11 players, with several players, like Burish, other defense from Rockford like Lalonde, etc. whose salaries are closer to 500,000, I think they should make it under cap. Bonus for Toews is only one I heard of for Conn Smythe trophy win. Bonues for next year (10-11) are paid out the following season (11-12 season).

By: dca919

dca919 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:54:20 +0000

Kim Jonnson wasn’t part of Capgeeks ’10-’11 count or used in my example so I don’t understand where his name was pulled from?
Right now they have Campbell, Keith, and Seabrook on D (the have to add a #4. #4 defenseman typically make about $2.5M. Asking a player with little AHL experience to fill that role is a huge risk. So that is a good point about how that will eat into their cap space even further than I accounted for (good catch Leanne).
Joe M: There is no doubt that Huet won’t be part of the Hawks next year. His salary won’t be on their cap number for a simple reason…as shown above they can’t field a legal team with it. Rockford (AHL) is definitely an option so is working with the KHL (Russian league) to have him play over there and the Hawks paying some of what he would make. Trading him to another NHL team would be difficult because of his cap number. But yes he is gone.

By: Leanne

Leanne — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:03:34 +0000

Kim Jonnson and his 4.8mil are also off the books. but the D is very thin right now. Guess we will be going through a short rebuilding phase, I really can’t complain. The Chicago Blackhawks won the cup, i can handle a short rebuilding phase.
Also I read on ESPN that they will be meeting with Huet and his agent to discuss possiable buyout or even better, moving him to the ahl or over seas.

By: Joe m

Joe m — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:47:03 +0000

Great comments by dca919. This cap thing is completely confusing. The only thing I can say is it is a guarantee the boys hit their bonuses. We also can be pretty sure one way or another if hawks want to repeat huet is off the roster. They might have to eat his pay and put him in the minors. That sure will show whether the hawks are willing to win at all costs ONE GOAL.
Here is hoping Huet is gone

By: dca919

dca919 — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:23:50 +0000

FYI Every RFA player has arbitration rights. Teams do also but only 1 time per player for their career.
Also the $5.985M in cap space left is before you subtract the bonuses that have to carry over from last year (actual number will come out July 1st and is somewhere between $1.3M -$4M). For more on that read http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/blackhawks-exceed-salary-cap-by-millions/article1601162/
That means at best it is $4.6M left. (Add $5.625M if they dump Huet’s salary–but most likely a few million less if both Kane and Toews hit their bonus marks)
The known qualifying offers for the three (which will most likely be rejected outright) total $3.15M (Ladd’s reported 1.65M, Niklas Hjalmarsson’s 110 percent of last season’s salary = .66M, Antti Niemi’s number falls under the up to $1 million must be offered 105 percent rule so he = .84M). Note that last two’s numbers are their minimum numbers. Also note that doesn’t include Jordan Hendry who is negotiating a new deal according to ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=5334200)
That means at best $1.45M is left (or $7.075M without Huet)
If Niemi elects arbitration he’ll easily win a case against a salary of $0.84M (starting NHL goalies that win a Stanley Cup get $2-3M minimum). Figure hometown contract discount averaging $2.5M. That’s another $1.66M off the cap (2.5M-.84M already calculated). That means that can’t end training camp without a trade or dumping Huet. And that would only be for a roster of 15 players (16 current – Huet + 3 RFA’s)–not the NHL mandated 20 players (though every team carries 22).
That means 5.415M (without Huet’s number)
But Hjalmarsson will draw outside qualifying offers given it cost teams nothing to make an offer up to 1.02M (a 3rd Rounder for offers up to 1.545M, or a 2nd rounder up to 3.091M). Best case his number is 1.02M (it will undoubtedly be higher but for argument sake). That means shave off another .36M and the number is 5.055M.
Brian Connelly will make 0.875M so bringing him up eats more than minimum salary. Corey Crawford will make .80M so he does the same. That gets the number down to $3.38M with 17 players signed.
If Henry is in fact re-signed it will be above the RFA qualifying $.66M level too (for #5-6 defenseman guess around $.80M). So that is $2.58M with 18 players signed.
If they want to play at the minimum 20 players that means they have an average of 1.29M for the last two. But that’s not practical so that means they have .645M to average.
Oh but this all assumes that Kane and Toews didn’t hit their bonuses which is contrary to all published reports. If true that means the cap penalty is above the 1.3M figure (being furnished by Chicago’s management to maximize their leverage on trades).
Minimum league salary is $0.5M so that means 2.0M needed to field a true roster of 22 players. If Chicago loses more than .58M in bonus penalty above the reported value…there is no cap space (just cap space to submit qualifying offers and carry players until just before training camp ends)to field a team.
And all this dismisses the fact the roster is no where near as deep as the Stanley Cup winning version. So it sounds like someone is trying to maximize leverage by (stretching the truth and) telling everyone no more trades are necessary to be under the cap. The only way that happens is if the RFA’s accept qualifying offers. Anyone care to wager against my bet that they won’t.

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:18:06 +0000

Andrew Ladd is “rugged”? I watched him come up with the Hurricanes and, let me tell you, the guy they traded him for, Tuomo Ruutu, is 100 percent more “rugged” than big, friendly, Smilin’ Andy – this looks liks another case of “he’s big so he must be physical” assumption. Ladd has a big body, sure, but his asset is his soft hands and touch in close; he isn’t the force his frame would suggest. I think anyone who has seen him play knows that.