Hawks match for Hjalmarsson

[edthesandwich]

Interesting move...the 'Hawks official website is reporting they intend to match the offer sheet for Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Pierre LeBrun is now saying that Brian Campbell and even Patrick Sharp are in play as they continue to wrestle with the rabid grizzly that is the cap.

[cnshockey]

Good. Just makes the sharks worse. Maybe they can take back Campbell

[HammerHawks]

Good. Just makes the sharks worse. Maybe they can take back Campbell

I agree 1000000% Andy.

THANK YOU STAN!!!

[zunato]

Great news. Now I hope Niemi loses his arbitration case so the Hawks can get him cheaper. I think if Niemi gets awarded big time in arbitration Hawks might let him walk and then SJ makes a play for him.

[flemingc04]

Wow, that's going to be rough for Chicago taking on that much and resigning Niemi and a bunch of others.

IMO, it was a geneous idea of San Jose to do the offer sheet for a few reasons. Overall, it looks like San Jose is attacking Chicago off the ice for the 2011-12 Stanley Cup before the season begins. Since San jose has so much pressure to win the Stanley Cup and even more to make the finals, they made an offer sheet which would either bring one of Chicago's Stanley Cup peices to the Sharks or tack on another $4m to Chicago's books which is already at a boiling point.

Personally, I think Chicago should have taken the picks since prospects are even more important in a salary cap system. Not to mention they need to sign many more players including Niemi while already close to the cap.

[gretzky99]

if CHI finds a way to trade Campbell then they officially made a deal with Satan (not Miro)

i can't believe that Niemi will lose his case - he just won the freakin' Cup.

i gotta think that Sharp is the next to go as his salary is just about what they are paying Hjalmarsson now. they can call up Beach and he can take Sharp's spot.

[HammerHawks]

Beach will be on the team anyway...

[capt55]

I guess the going rate for 2 goals and 13 assists is near 4 Million, what a joke.

[HammerHawks]

So does that mean that someone like Mike Green is worth 20 million? I don't think so.

It's not about points, it's about what he does for the team. Honestly, and I doubt that many would disagree, Hjalmarsson is one of the best shot blockers in the league. He gets in front of anything. I watched a game once against San Jose, in the first two shifts, he had four blocked shots. That's what he is getting paid to do, not to put up big numbers.

[capt55]

Ottawa had the best shot blocker, now he is gonna play for the Devils.