Blackhawks drop Niemi

[MU B2002]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=5430163


This is somewhat shocking to me, as I thought he was huge in the playoffs last year.

Oh well.

[Blue Horseshoe]

It's not the Hawk's fault. He won a decent sum in the arbitration hearing and they can't afford to pay him. Not having a big time tv deal really hurts the NHL.

[damuts222]

 Not shocking, I think once he was awarded the $2.75 million judgement the Hawks were going to part ways. I'm not diminishing what he did in the playoffs last year because he showed up big time, but our defense was the key in many games. Plus, I think the Hawks may be giving Crawford his last shot at net-minding as well.

[TallTitan34]

I'd rather have Sharp over Niemi.  It sucks we are losing him but it's the right move.

[damuts222]

 Oh and the Hawks lost money last year, so how exactly can you make money in the NHL when you lose money on your way to winning the Cup?

[TallTitan34]

Living in Rockford, I see Crawford play from time to time.  He is NOT the answer.

[g0lden3agle]

As a Wings fan it makes me happy to know they have the opportunity to spank Turco around even more this year with him being in the division.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Pretty much the only way to make money in the NHL is buy a franchise and then some how sell it for more than you bought it for.

[TallTitan34]

Oh and the Hawks lost money last year, so how exactly can you make money in the NHL when you lose money on your way to winning the Cup?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0730-confidential-hawks-20100730,0,1613106.column

The league operates under a 2005 revenue-sharing agreement. The way it works is that the teams that rake in the most income, generally regardless of expenses, subsidize the teams that generate the least.

A drawback is that it disqualified the Blackhawks, because of the size of the Chicago market, from receiving revenue sharing dollars.

For instance, the Blackhawks keep ticket revenue from their regular-season home games. But for every playoff home game last season, the Hawks had to give the NHL at least 50 percent of what their gate receipts would have been at a regular-season United Center sellout.

And gate receipts are everything in hockey. Ticket sales typically account for up to half of a team's income.

"You can technically lose money during the playoffs if you don't raise your ticket prices" for them, Wirtz said.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

As a Wings fan it makes me happy to know they have the opportunity to spank Turco around even more this year with him being in the division.

Being a Hawks fan this is pretty sick.  Hopefully with a better defense in front of him he can turn this around a little.

Marty Turco is 1-9-2 in 13 Games Played at Joe Louis Arena.  3.31 Goals Against Average with a Save Percentage of .884.

[robmufan]

Nemo didn't deserve that much money...

He played well for one year.  Soriano played well the year before the cubs signed him and look what happened. With a great defense in front of him (Which is why it was more important to sign hjalmerson) Turco and Crawford will be fine!

If they kept Niemi they would have had to trade Kopecky....with the loss of Byfuglien and Ladd, this would have been a devastating blow to the size of the hawks!

[g0lden3agle]

If they kept Niemi they would have had to trade Kopecky....with the loss of Byfuglien and Ladd, this would have been a devastating blow to the size of the hawks!

I lost all respect for Kopecky when he ended up missing the rest of the playoffs after he had his face bashed in by a Duck skater during a fight he picked... I was embarrassed to be a wings fan after the fight.

[Brewtown Andy]

Nemo didn't deserve that much money...

He played well for one year. 

Not even a year.  32 starts in the regular season and all the playoff minutes.  Raise, sure.  300% raise?  Woof. 

Now he's an unrestricted free agent, and good luck finding a team to pay him that much money.

[robmufan]

Not even a year.  32 starts in the regular season and all the playoff minutes.  Raise, sure.  300% raise?  Woof. 

Now he's an unrestricted free agent, and good luck finding a team to pay him that much money.

Dale Tallon will...he is ok with over spending on every player

[TallTitan34]

Dale Tallon will...he is ok with over spending on every player

Good point.  Maybe he can get Dale's standard $5 million a year deal!

[brewcity77]

Simple truth here is that you don't need an elite goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. The Wings never had an elite goalie. Last year, the 'Hawks didn't have an elite goalie. Every series, all we heard was about Luongo, Nabokov, Leighton, and yet the Blackhawks won the Cup. I'd rather have an average goalie with a great defense and attack than a great goalie and not enough money to fill the rest of the roster.

[Brewtown Andy]

Simple truth here is that you don't need an elite goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. The Wings never had an elite goalie. Last year, the 'Hawks didn't have an elite goalie. Every series, all we heard was about Luongo, Nabokov, Leighton, and yet the Blackhawks won the Cup. I'd rather have an average goalie with a great defense and attack than a great goalie and not enough money to fill the rest of the roster.

Even from '09 to '10, they went arguably went backwards at goalie by booting out Khabibulin's corpse, and then went further in the playoffs.

I'm fine with Bowman going with the "if the puck never gets to the goalie, we can put anyone in net" theory.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Why is everyone dismissing Huet?

As far as Huet, he will either be sent to Rockford of the American Hockey League or will play in Europe. Either way, the Hawks will still be on the hook to pay his contract but it will not count against the salary cap.

[Brewtown Andy]

Why is everyone dismissing Huet?

Because he's 35, didn't play at all in the Hawks last 9 games, and somehow managed a GAA of 2.50 while stopping less than 90% of the shots he faced.

[robmufan]

Why is everyone dismissing Huet?

As far as Huet, he will either be sent to Rockford of the American Hockey League or will play in Europe. Either way, the Hawks will still be on the hook to pay his contract but it will not count against the salary cap.

Not entirely true...

If he plays in rockford i believe they take a $2 mil. hit to the cap.  If he plays in Europe his contract is not penalized though they still have to pay him

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Not entirely true...

If he plays in rockford i believe they take a $2 mil. hit to the cap.  If he plays in Europe his contract is not penalized though they still have to pay him

Chris Kuc of the Tribune is saying that if he plays for the Ice Hogs he will not count toward the cap, I am not a cap expert at all.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Living in Rockford, I see Crawford play from time to time.  He is NOT the answer.

I know it is early but Crawford is on a 7 game winning streak.....maybe the D is just playing better in front of him but I will take anything right now.

[TallTitan34]

Haha I was wrong on that one.  I think you are right with the D though.  Crawford is looking good with the Hawks and Niemi is looking below average without the Hawks.