Let's Hope Daniel Carcillo Doesn't Skate Into New Hawks Teammates

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 5, 2011 9:05PM

So we're just returning from vacation ourselves (and big propers to Samantha for keeping the chains moving downfield while we were out) and catching up on some of the news we missed because we didn't have wireless service. We're reading about Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman's rebuilding the depth the team lost to their post-Stanley Cup salary cap purge.

The most curious signing, in our opinion, is the one year offer accepted by Flyers winger Daniel Carcillo. If you don't remember Carcillo, let's provide a reminder.

Carcillo is that Dennis Rodman/Carl Everett/AJ Pierzynski-type player: the one you hate when he's not on your team. He's one of those hockey players whose pugilism skills outweigh his actual talents scoring or passing the puck. It's expected that Carcillo will be paired with Jamal Mayers on a fourth line that was weaker than toilet paper last season.

Problem is that Carcillo and Mayers got into a combined 25 fights last season and Carcillo is set to serve a two-game suspension at the beginning of the season for verbally berating officials. Mary Ann Reitano at Bleacher Report asks the same question we've been repeating to ourselves once we read the news: why? Reitano can't find any reasonable answers.

I am all for having enforcers on the team—Bob Probert will always be one of my favorites—yet this isn’t the 1970s and there is a fine line between enforcer and thug; Carcillo certainly falls into the latter category.

Just keep in mind that days before the 2010 Winter Classic, this is the guy who bragged to NBC’s Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk that he was going to be part of the first fight in Winter Classic history. While other writers have been typing on eggshells, not wanting to come out and say it, I will: this is wrong on so many levels that it is mind-boggling.

He averaged 7:45 minutes/12 shifts per game this past season and had no PP goals and no shorthanded goals either. While spending more than 2 of those 7 minutes in the penalty box, leaves 5 minutes of playing time to make an impact.

Reitano's colleague at Bleacher Report, Jon Fromi, weighs the pros and cons of the Carcillo signing.

Carcillo is a capable skater who has the talent to get the puck in the net. By most regards, he has good hands when he's not using them to swing at opponents.

When he reins in the lunacy a bit, he can be physical and add to the offense. Of course, last year's numbers with the Flyers (4 G, 2 A in 57 games) suggest that he can easily lose sight of the skills he does possess.

Burish was lamented as a gritty piece of the team that wasn't replaced last season. If GM Stan Bowman picked up a guy who can pester the opposition and rack up 20 points (Burish never hit 10 points with Chicago), great move.

If Carcillo does possess these skills Fromi claims, then his $750,000 deal may turn out to be one of the steals of Bowman's free agent frenzy. Until he shows those skills, Blackhawks players may want to keep their heads up in practice, lest Carcillo skate hard into them.