By: moustache

moustache — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:25:26 +0000

I think the moves made by the Hawks have all been mindful of Niemi and Hjalmarsson and this is yet another interesting wrinkle, as they are now forced to watch the chips fall where they may. Based on the player movement thus far, the Hawks should have roughly $5M to sign these two. Considering they are both RFA’s and the threshold for 1st and 3rd round compensation lies at $2.6M, the Hawks have a good shot to bag both; yet with a razor thin margin of error.
Should there be a team willing to cough up the picks, or should arbitration prove to cross that line, there is no way the Hawks keep both players. If neither scenario holds true, it may be in both players best interest to take a small home town discount on a short term deal with the hope of striking it rich long term thereafter.
While there are a few quality netminders left on the market, the same cannot be said for blueliners. Hjalmarson is arguably the more proven player (Niemi appeared in only 61 games), yet the team would be razor thin at goaltender without Niemi or Huet, while blueliners are the strong suit of the team’s in system prospects. The juxtaposition makes for a highly volatile situation that could directly impact whether or not the Hawks manage to achieve continued excellence, or fall victim to the commensurate nature of the salary cap era.

Comments on: Antti Niemi opts for salary arbitration with Chicago

By: moustache