Inside the NHL
Salary cap issues could drag Blackhawks down
Two years ago, the Buffalo Sabres became a cautionary tale, a reminder of how it takes a long time for an organization to build a contender but only a few seconds for a team to fall apart. They were in the conference finals two straight seasons before a few missteps led to a nasty spill.
Buffalo is still trying to regain its feet and brush off its knees, a fact the Chicago Blackhawks need to remember as they proceed through the offseason. The Blackhawks reached the conference finals with a young team. With that success come the same decisions that led to the Sabres’ downfall.
And it gets very tricky. The Blackhawks have 11 regulars who were 23 years or younger, giving them a strong core and promising future. The challenge for General Manager Dale Tallon will be keeping all that talent in place while managing the ever-looming, evermoving NHL salary cap.
Leading scorer Martin Havlat and No. 1 goalie Nikolai Khabibulin will become unrestricted free agents July 1 after making $12.7 million combined this season. The Blackhawks had all season to sign them but instead watched them play out their deals. Both have dropped hints about staying. They like the team, like the town.
Sound familiar? The Blackhawks could afford Havlat next season if he signed a one-year deal, like the one Marian Hossa took from the Red Wings. But any contract longer than one year will become a major problem next summer, when it comes time to pay restricted free agents Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.
This summer will be difficult enough. Chicago has about $20 million to spend if the $56.7 million cap remains unchanged.
Their restricted free agents include: Kris Vertseeg, their fourth-leading scorer; Dave Bolland, a talented second-line center; Ben Eager, a gritty forward; Troy Brouwer, a promising winger with size; Colin Fraser, who played on Kane’s line in the conference finals;
and Cam Barker, a former third pick overall. They made about $4.2 million combined last season under their rookie contracts.
It’s peanuts given their contributions and potential.
Kane and Toews, who have a combined base salary of $1.725 million next season, will command long-term contracts in the $6 million per season range each. Keith could triple his $1.9 million salary for next season. Andrew Ladd and Adam Burish, two key components this year, should expect hefty raises next summer. Plus, they’ve already committed $57 million over eight years for Brian Campbell.
Their problems aren’t going away, but their players might be. The Blackhawks don’t have many options over the next two summers. They can start by bidding farewell to Havlat and Khabibulin. They can trade several young players. They can also move one of their expensive superstars.
But how does that make them better?
Sutter looks in mirror
Flames GM Darryl Sutter has a few weeks to find a new coach, but it appeared last week that he was leaning toward one person in particular: Darryl Sutter.
“Right now, I’m the best [candidate],” Sutter told reporters last week while addressing questions about his decision to fire Mike Keenan.
There have been rumblings for months that Sutter wants to hire his brother, New Jersey coach Brent Sutter, but it would mean reaching an agreement with the Devils. Brent Sutter became homesick last season while spending his second straight season with the Devils while his family stayed home in Alberta.
Darryl Sutter could spend a year keeping the seat warm for his brother. He could also spend a year behind the bench and see if certain coaches become available. Alberta native Lindy Ruff has only one year left on his deal with the Sabres. Ruff would be an easy sell if he decided to coach out his contract.
The Flames have been eliminated from the first round in four straight years. Keenan was kicked to the curb because Calgary was 23rd in goals allowed. Sutter wants a coach who is more committed to defense.
Chiarelli staying?
Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, the Buffalo native and chairman of Delaware North Co., confirmed last week that one of his top priorities is signing GM Peter Chiarelli to a contract extension.
Jacobs suggested during a conference call with Boston reporters that the two sides were nearing an agreement. Chiarelli, who has one year remaining on his four-year contract, has done a terrific job rebuilding the Bruins.
“When we hired Peter, we didn’t hire him for four years. We hired him for the rest of his pro career,” Jacobs said. “That’s been our style before. Peter’s grown immensely the last few years. He’s done an admirable job. We want to see him around long term. I think that’s his objective as well.”
Jacobs didn’t expect much change in the salary cap, which will make Chiarelli’s job slightly more difficult. The Bruins are committed to spending to the cap in an effort to keep the roster intact. Young stars Phil Kessel and David Krejci are about to become restricted free agents.
What about Bob?
Colorado created a splash last week by offering goaltender Patrick Roy a coaching job. If the Avalanche really wanted a former player and junior coach who was capable of turning around their fortunes, they should have called Bob Boughner.
Boughner, who played for the Sabres during the rough-and- tumble days under Ted Nolan, was named the Canadian Hockey League’s top coach for the second straight season. He guided the Windsor Spitfires, as co-owner and coach, to the Memorial Cup title. He’ll be coaching in the NHL someday.
“People ask me that a lot, ‘Would you go if you had a chance?’ ” the Boughie Man told the Windsor Star. “At this point, no. I just settled [down] after 15 years on the road. I like living back in Windsor and building a program.”
Windsor beat the Kelowna Rockets for the title. Kelowna was led by Sabres prospect Tyler Myers, a 6-foot-8 defense-man whose stock soared this season. He signed a three-year rookie deal.
Zezel helped kids
Peter Zezel was known for being a gritty two-way center who played 15 years in the NHL, but he also left a lasting impression on youth hockey that was felt all the way to Western New York.
Zezel died last week of complications from a rare blood disease. He never married, but he had dozens of kids he called his own. He was devoted to coaching youth hockey for the Don Mills Flyers, who are based in Toronto. He never forgot the program that gave him an opportunity after he was cut from a different team at age 14.
He put together a spring tournament team this year that included Lancaster seventh-grader Josh Gabriel, the best player his age in the region. The team showed up for the wake wearing their jerseys and greeted Zezel’s family and friends as they entered the funeral home.
“He was an unbelievable guy,” said Craig Gabriel, Josh’s father. “You meet him and talk to him, and you feel like you’ve known him for 10 years. I never heard anybody say a bad word about the guy. He never said no. He was never too busy for anybody. He loved the kids. He was the best.”
Around the boards
• Leave it to the NHL to release its line of apparel celebrating the Red Wings winning the Western Conference title before releasing the schedule for the Stanley Cup finals. It says plenty about the league when generating revenue is higher on the priority list than the biggest games of the year.
• Former Sabres winger Jason Botterill, a former first-round pick who spent most of his career in the minors, is the assistant general manager of the Penguins. His primary duty under GM Ray Shero is running the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. His playing career ended five years ago with the Rochester Americans.
• A ruling is expected shortly after a June 9 hearing in Phoenix on whether owners or leagues determine where teams play. It has been the central issue in whether or not Jim Balsillie pulls the Coyotes from bankruptcy and moves them from Phoenix. If the judge rules in favor of the league, Balsillie is expected to pull his $212.5 million offer.
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