’Hawks land Campbell with $56.8 million deal
The curtain rose on NHL free agency Tuesday, and a former Buffalo Sabre stepped into the spotlight.
Brian Campbell, the top free-agent defenseman available on the open market, signed an eight-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks — a young team that already features rising star forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The Blackhawks also signed free agent goalie Cristobal Huet to a four-year deal Tuesday.
Campbell’s deal is reportedly worth $7.1 million annually with the total of $56.8 million the richest in team history. Huet will make $5.626 million annually.
“We decided we’d try to make an impact today to give our fans something to get excited about,” General Manager Dale Tallon said. “When you do that, you’re going to overpay, but now we have the resources and the ability to do that.”
Campbell, who spent most of his first eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks at last season’s trade deadline, has 35 goals and 160 assists in 411 regular-season
NHL games.
“I’m happy for him,” Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier told The News. “He’s someone we drafted. He grew up in our organization. He got to unrestricted free agency, and all of that perseverance he put in as a draft pick and a prospect and a player has paid off for him.
“As an organization, we wish him the best.”
After two seasons with the Kings, Huet went to Montreal for most of three years before being traded to the Washington Capitals late last season. He has a career 83-61-11 record with a 2.43 goals-against average.
They are major moves for the Blackhawks, who are trying to become a playoff regular after missing the postseason nine times in the last 10 seasons.
“Our No. 1 priority was to solidify goal and defense and then move forward,” Tallon said.
Campbell is expected to help boost a power play that ranked 24th in the league last season. He scored five power-play goals last season.
“He can move the puck, skate up ice and get you out of trouble,” Tallon said. “The power play, at the point, is what he does best.”
Chicago finished at 40-34-8 and 88 points, three behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference last season. The Blackhawks were led by Kane and Toews. Kane, the South Buffalo native and No. 1 overall pick in 2007, won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.
There was a flurry of activity elsewhere around the league Tuesday, including several defensemen who didn’t remain free agents for long. Among the highlights:
• Mike Green, the NHL’s top scoring defenseman, was rewarded with a four-year, $21 million contract to remain with Washington. The Capitals also added free agent Jose Theodore, signing the former Montreal and Colorado goalie to a two-year, $9 million contract. Green scored 18 goals last season at age 22, becoming the youngest player to lead defensemen in goals since Paul Coffey in 1981-82.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets filled a huge hole with the signing of defenseman Mike Commodore, a 6- foot-5, 228-pounder who provides a hulking presence on the blue line that they have been missing. He signed a five-year deal worth a reported $18.75 million. The 28-year-old Commodore played two full seasons with Carolina and split last season between the Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators.
• The New York Islanders signed defenseman Mark Streit to a five-year contract worth $20.5 million. Last year with Montreal, Streit scored seven of his 13 goals and had 27 of his 49 assists on the power play.
• The Colorado Avalanche signed former Maple Leafs goalie Andrew Raycroft and forward Darcy Tucker, who both had their contracts bought out by Toronto last week.
• The New Jersey Devils brought back a pair of guys who got away, centers Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik. Rolston, 35, was chosen with the 11th pick of the 1991 draft by the Devils and played parts of six seasons in New Jersey — winning the Stanley Cup title in 1995. He was dealt to Colorado in 1999 and had stints with Boston and Minnesota before coming back. Holik, 37, was a two-time Cup winner with the Devils before making the controversial move to sign a lucrative free-agent deal with the rival New York Rangers in 2002. Holik had his contract bought out by the Rangers in 2005 and then moved to Atlanta for three seasons. He hasn’t won a playoff game since leaving the Devils.
