September 30, 2008 Hawks still a few pieces away
from contention TFP Columnist Josh Mora believes trading
Nikolai Khabibulin will get them one-step closer to become legitimate
Stanley Cup contenders.
[Chicago, IL] -- So my colleague
Dennis Bernstein has picked the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup this
year. Really? No, no, I'm serious. Really? Nice to see that the
Kool-Aid now has national distribution.
Look, there's a lot to be positive about when talking about the
Blackhawks. Frankly, after the last three seasons, just talking about
the Blackhawks without derision is a positive. But they can't win the
Cup with the guys they have on their roster. Not this year. Not yet.
By definition, the Hawks will have at least $5.6 million in cap money
on the bench every night. That's ten percent of their salary
allocation unavailable every single night. And it will be more if the
Hawks get what they think they will get out of Cristobal Huet, because
he will be in goal, and Nikolai Khabibulin and his $6.75 million
salary will be on the bench.
So if the Hawks are to win the Cup, the Bulin Wall has to go. Has. To.
Go.
Chicago GM Dale Tallon tried to resolve any potential conflicts by
placing Khabibulin on waivers, but nobody bit and he cleared this
afternoon.
Nik, like many goalies, has many facets to his personality. He is as
intelligent a person as I've met in this game. He can be charming,
funny, introspective. Nik works as hard as anyone. He beats himself up
when he lets in bad goals or feels he has failed to be the backbone of
his team. Thus, like many goalies, Nik has a masochistic streak nearly
as long as anyone who sits through a Dane Cook movie.
The Nik we've seen so far in Hawks' camp is moody Nik. He's focused,
but perturbed. He's dedicated, yet dismissive. While it's not yet
known when he'll play his first game, it seems clear that he has not
yet accepted the notion that he must share the goaltending job -- HIS
goaltending job -- with Huet. He is behaving himself like someone who
is motivated to play his way back to the top of a depth chart, be it
the Blackhawks' or that of another team.
But the dilemma is that the Hawks can't win the Cup if he does,
because they can't afford to have Huet on the bench. And the Hawks'
can't win the Cup if he doesn't, because they can't afford to have
Khabibulin on the bench.
They need that money for a center. Either a legitimate No.2 to help
set up Martin Havlat. Or a veteran No.3, so Dave Bolland can set up
Havlat.
On defense, the Hawks are deeper than a junior co-ed philosophy major
at a liberal arts school (though not as deep as she THINKS she is).
They have exactly the right mix -- one top-end talent in his mid-prime
(Brian Campbell), two young talents entering their prime (Duncan Keith
and Brent Seabrook), a stabilizing veteran (Brent Sopel), an
overachiever who stands up for his teammates (James Wisniewski), some
prospects of varying skill on the cusp of breaking through (Cam
Barker, Jordan Hendry and Niklas Hjarmalsson) and a collection of
spare parts who can fill a 7th and 8th defenseman role (Keith Carney,
Matt Walker, Aaron Johnson, Doug Janik).
What this translates to is that the Hawks can make it easier for
anyone who takes the goaltender and his prodigious salary off the
Hawks hands, because they can also get a defenseman to go with it.
It's like scarfing the extra spicy Super Mighty at Buffalo's famed
Mighty Taco, but then having a the world's tallest Pepsi to wash it
down. The guess is that Hjarmalsson and Barker are Khabibulin's most
likely trading companions. Hjarmalsson is smaller, quicker and
cheaper. Barker has much greater upside and seems to be making the
commitment to get there, but his price tag is heavier. Furthermore,
though Barker has looked great in camp this year, there are still
people in the front office who have their doubts that he'll ever
fulfill the promise of his draft status (#3 overall in 2004).
Looking at the obvious trading partners who might want Khabibulin, Los
Angeles has more cap room and more inclination to want to add Barker.
Ottawa might be willing to take a flier on Hjarmalsson, who could
inject a much needed boost of speed to the Sens 3rd defensive pair.
In return, the Hawks need a center and a little cap relief, and would
have to take a goalie back. So something like (and I'm just
speculating here) Khabibulin and Hjarmalsson for Martin Gerber and
Antoine Vermette. Or Khabibulin and Barker for Patrick O'Sullivan (or
Derek Armstrong) and Jason LaBarbera.
But while either trade would be a better allocation of the Blackhawks'
cap dollars, it wouldn't end the goalie controversy. Have you heard
about Corey Crawford? Word is the Hawks think he just might be good
enough to backstop the Hawks to the Stanley Cup.
Josh
Mora,
a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, is an Anchor and
Blackhawks Reporter with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.
