Niklas Hjalmarsson to stay with Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks sign left-winger Josh Green
It’s the end of the line for the San Jose Shark’s bid to acquire the Chicago Blackhawk’s restricted free agent Niklas Hjalmarsson. On Friday, the Sharks signed the defenseman for a 14 million dollar offer sheet. The way the Blackhawks are strapped for cash, there was jubilation in the San Jose camp but their honeymoon with Niklas must end before it could even begin.
On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks General manager Stan Bowman told the press that they would be matching the San Jose offer in order to retain the defenseman. Stan said that Niklas constituted the core of the Chicago Blackhawks and the Blackhawks won’t be parting ways with him for at least the next four years. Stan said that he had been in contact with Niklas as he was too important a part of the Blackhawks success last season to be allowed to go without a fight.
The disappointed San Jose General Manager Doug Wilson was a real sport about the entire matter. Wilson admitted that he was surprised by the Blackhawk’s move to match the offer sheet while making sure that he didn’t wrongfully criticize the defenseman. “We appreciate Niklas' interest in coming to San Jose, and we respect the process as it has unfolded,” he said. Doug was hoping that Niklas would fill the shoes of the retiring San Jose defenseman Rob Blake.
Stan Bowman said that the Blackhawks star-studded roster might have overshadowed Niklas but his contributions were effective and consistent throughout the year and Stan expected him to only get better. The Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was no less impressed by Niklas than he was pleased with the fact that he would continue to stay with the Blackhawks. “Having a predictable defenseman at such a young age is hard to find,” Joel said.
The paperwork is expected to be ready by Tuesday. The question which pops up is that where is Niklas getting this salary from? The Blackhawks had no room in their salary cap and now they would be paying 3.5 million a year to someone who they had hired for just $666,000. Bowman has lost 7 players from the roster that won him the Stanley Cup last year due to the NHL Salary Cap. Complicating matters for the General Manager are the nearly $4 million in bonuses that his players have earned; bonuses that would count in the 2011 salary cap.
Bowman acknowledged the possibility that the Blackhawks would have to move more players in trades. Another possible outcome could be losing goaltender Antti Niemi. Niemi has filed for salary arbitration and in all likelihood, the arbitrator would rule in favour of the goalie. “We are going to have to work things out,” Bowman said. He reserved comments about the possibility of Niemi trade.
Even with the losses that the Blackhawks have suffered and the ones its likely to incur now, their coach was still as upbeat about the team. “When you look at our team and you look at the pieces that are in place, you're in the right spot”, Quenneville said.
Anaheim Ducks sign Left Winger Josh Green
The Anaheim ducks signed winger Josh Green for a one-year two-way contract. No specifics of the contract were released as yet. Over a period of 13 years in professional hockey, the 32-year-old veteran of over 300 NHL games has scored 35 goals and 39 assists for a total of 74 points. In the AHL, he gathered 181 points with 83 goals in 266 games.
Josh Green was the 30th overall pick in the 1996 NHL draft and since then, the six-foot-three-inch player has played for eight NHL and AHL teams. He spent the last year with MODO Hockey with the Swedish Elite League, scoring 12 goals and making 8 assists in 47 games.
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