The Saga of a Superstar
NHLHS writer Anthony Curatolo dives into the drama that has surrounded NHL Free Agent Ilya Kovalchuk and the entire league. From fans, to players, agents and general managers, this has affected everyone.
It is not everyday that a player with as much offensive talent as Ilya Kovalchuk hits the open market, free to be pursued by 30 NHL teams for a shot to have him play in their city.
Unfortunately, it is slowly becoming Mats Sundin v2.0.
Let’s take a walk through time:
Categories: Around the League, NHLHS Features Tags: Akim Aliu, Andrew Laad, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Dean Lombardi, Ilya Kovalchuk, Johnny Oduya, Los Angeles Kings, Martin Brodeur, Mats Sundin, Maxim Afinogenov, New Jersey Devils, NHL Free Agent Frenzy, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, Pavel Kubina
Blackhawks and Thrashers: Wheelin’ and Dealin’
NHLHS Chicago Blackhawks Correspondent Ryan Hackett and his thoughts on the blockbuster deal made between the Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers.
Now Playing: Pearl Jam – Live at the Gorge
OK, so according to league sources, this trade has been made official.
Categories: Around the League, By Teams, Central, Chicago Blackhawks, NHLHS Features, Western Conference Tags: Antti Niemi, Atlanta Thrashers, Ben Eager, Blackhawks, Brent Sopel, Chicago Blackhawks, Dustin Byfuglien, Edmonton Oilers, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jeremy Morin, Joey Crabb, John Madden, Jonathan Toews, Marty Reasoner, New Jersey Devils, NHL, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Kane, Roberto Luongo, St. Louis Blues, stanley cup, Vancouver Canucks
Thrashers and Blackhawks Wheel and Deal
NHLHS Atlanta Thrashers Correspondent Laura Astorian gives her take on the deal that took place moments ago between the Blackhawks and Thrashers.
Welcome to Chicago South, ladies and gentlemen. The Chicago Blackhawks absolutely needed to dump salary, and wanted picks, prospects, and cheap but useful players. The Thrashers, well, we had a couple of extra picks left over from the Kovalchuk trade, we have a bunch of prospects, and God knows we have cheap and useful players. Match made in heaven, huh?
Categories: 30 Team Series, Around the League, Atlanta Thrashers, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast Tags: Akim Aliu, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Dustin Byfuglien, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jeremy Morin, Marty Reasoner, Maxim Afinogenov
Needed Relief
The Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers have just teamed up to make a blockbuster deal in the NHL.
Laura Astorian, our fantastic Atlanta Thrashers correspondent and Ryan Hackett who covers the Blackhawks for us here at NHLHS will have a full story on the deal in with their respective thoughts.
But in the interest of those who may be out of the loop, the deal is as follows:
Read more…
Categories: Around the League, Atlanta Thrashers, By Teams, Central, Chicago Blackhawks, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Western Conference Tags: Akim Aliu, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Dustin Byfuglien, Jeremy Morin, Marty Reasoner
Blackhawks Key to Victory: Stay Disciplined
Is it possible to get through this without using the phrase “standing on his head”? Oh well, guess not.
Even though it’s the most abused cliche this side of “throwing someone under the bus”, most would agree that after witnessing Antti Niemi‘s performance Sunday afternoon, it is actually warranted here.
That is, unless you’re a member of the San Jose Sharks. It seems as opposed to saying the young netminder had a career performance between the pipes, they chose to go the route of criticizing themselves for “making him look really good”.
Categories: 30 Team Series, Around the League, By Teams, Central, Chicago Blackhawks, NHLHS Features, Pacific, Playoff Coverage, San Jose Sharks, Western Conference Tags: Antti Niemi, Brent Seabrook, Brent Sopel, Chicago Blackhawks, Devin Setoguchi, Jason Demers, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Marian Hossa, NHL, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Marleau, Patrick Sharp, San Jose Sharks, Western Conference Finals
Blackhawks and Canucks Round Two: Electric Boogaloo
NHLHS Chicago Blackhawks Correspondent Ryan Hackett breaks down the second round series between the Hawks and Vancouver Canucks.
After a good test facing a pesky Nashville Predators in Round One, the Chicago Blackhawks start a much anticipated rematch with the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night on Chicago’s west side. The Blackhawks should use the series against the Predators as well as last year’s Western Conference Semi-final against the Canucks to learn a lot about themselves and do the right things to secure a second straight trip to the Conference Finals.
Categories: Chicago Blackhawks, Playoff Coverage, Vancouver Canucks, Western Conference Tags: Antti Niemi, Brent Seabrook, Brent Sopel, Chicago Blackhawks, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, NHL, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Norris trophy, Patrick Kane, Roberto Luongo, Troy Brouwer, Vancouver Canucks
Blackhawks: Dial It Up For the Full Sixty
Beat the Devil’s Tattoo – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
It’s no secret that the Blackhawks have not played their finest hockey since the Olympic break, but while they seemingly cruised into the hiatus on a 4-game win streak, it’s important to note that they allowed more than 2 goals ten times in the 14 games prior. Many were complaining about the goaltending ad nauseam, but it’s pretty clear now that the problems rest more on the shoulders of the Blackhawks blue-liners than in the net.
Categories: Central, Chicago Blackhawks, NHLHS Features, Phoenix Coyotes, Western Conference Tags: Brent Sopel, Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks, Dustin Byfuglien, John Madden, Nick Boynton, Patrick Sharp, Phoenix Coyotes
Islanders Looking for Help on the Blueline
Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank runs down the Islanders need for a new defenseman in his latest entry. A few main points from the article:
- Injuries: Radek Martinek out for the season. Andy Sutton out at least two more games.
- Depth: Rookie Andrew MacDonald already plays 12 minutes a game. Brendan Witt is a team worst minus 15. Dustin Kohn is the only option to be called up.
- A few players that Botta thinks would make sense: Aaron Ward, Garnett Exelby, Brent Sopel or Joe Corvo. Botta prefers Corvo or Ward.
A move could easily be made for all these rumored available defensemen. As I wrote earlier, I don’t think Carolina is purely in “sell-mode” yet, moving Ward will make the team younger and may even be a bit of addition by subtraction. Getting rid of a vet not necessarily working out may wake up some other underachieving players. I still feel Carolina will need a young defenseman coming back or will have to wait for Corvo to return from injury to replace Ward’s minutes.
Interesting to see what will happen on the Island. They are willing to spend, which is a welcome change to a very promising young team.
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-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com
Categories: Atlanta Thrashers, Atlantic, By Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Central, Chicago Blackhawks, Eastern Conference, New York Islanders, Northeast, Southeast, Western Conference Tags: Aaron Ward, Andrew MacDonald, Andy Sutton, Brendan Witt, Brent Sopel, Chris Botta, Dustin Kohn, Garnett Exelby, Islanders Point Blank, Joe Corvo, Radek Martinek
Trade Rumors: Fallout from the Big Three Signings
The big three in Chicago reportedly signed today. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both for 6.3 a year for five years and Duncan Keith 72 million over 13 years. By my calculations, the Blackhawks need at least 4.5 million off the books to even get under the cap and realistically around 7 million to round out their roster.
Analyzing their roster and cap room, NHLHS will break down the most likely candidates to be moved and what their trade value may be. All value is based on recent trades in the market.
Patrick Sharp, RW – The 27 year old is one of many talented right wings on the team. In theory, this could make him expendable with Kane and Marian Hossa naturally lining up on the right side. Sharp’s cap hit is 3.9 million, a manageable sum if he produces to his potential. His market value is relatively high due to his age.
Projected value: Two young roster players or prospects knocking on the door, preferably a forward and defensemen.
Brian Campbell, D – The 30 year old defensemen carries a lofty $7,142,875 cap hit. Although a big dent in the Hawks cap number he remains an elite puck-moving defensemen who can QB a power-play with the best of them. An argument can be made that shedding Campbell’s contract would alleviate every cap problem Chicago is dealing with. It would also open up a glaring hole on a strong PP, not something a Stanley Cup contender should do. Not to mention there is entirely no way his contract will be moved, Bob Gainey simply does not have the cap space anymore.
Categories: By Teams, Central, Chicago Blackhawks, Western Conference Tags: Brent Sopel, Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks, Dale Tallon, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp
