Blackhawks Sign Bickell; Trade Bolland, Frolik
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 1, 2013 1:30PM
There’s no rest for the Chicago Blackhawks. While the Stanley Cup made appearances at Rush and Jimmy Buffett concerts over the weekend, GM Stan Bowman and his staff returned to the task of ensuring the Hawks remain in Cup contenders in the future.
The Hawks signed Bryan Bickell to a four-year, $16 million contract that will be a significant hit against the team’s salary cap, thanks to his breakout postseason where he scored nine goals and had eight assists. Bickell will receive a $2 million salary and $1 million bonus next season, $4 million in 2014-15, and $4.5 million each of the next two seasons. The value of the contract increased with Bickell’s postseason performance, but Bowman said locking Bickell into a long-term deal was one of the team’s priorities.
But the addition of Bickell to the Hawks' future plans comes with a couple subtractions. Bowman traded Dave Bolland, who scored the Cup clinching goal against Boston, to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two draft picks next season and another in 2014. Michael Frolik, who assisted on Bolland’s goal, was sent to Winnipeg for two draft picks in 2013. Moves like these have become an unfortunate part of life in the NHL’s salary cap era, but the stocking of draft picks indicates Bowman has a vision for sustained success through the Blackhawks’ farm system. Bowman said during Sunday’s NHL Draft in New Jersey, ‘‘We have a lot of young players that are ready to play, and at some point you have to open up spots for them to play.”
Still, the trades were met with bittersweet receptions. Bolland, a Toronto native, said he wanted to return to the Blackhawks but thanked fans on Twitter Sunday while expressing excitement to play in his hometown. His departure leaves the Hawks thin at center—he was their second-line center last season. Frolik, who the Hawks received in a trade from the Florida Panthers in the 2011-12 season, emerged as a penalty killing specialist.
The trades save the Blackhawks $6 million against next season’s cap. They also bought out the contracts of Steve Montador and Rostislav Olesz and will use that cap space to sign Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger, both restricted free agents.
Bowman drafted West Dundee native Ryan Hartman in the first round of the NHL Draft Sunday. Hartman, who played at high school hockey at Fremd, had 37 assists, 60 points and plus-29 rating in 56 appearances for Plymouth in 2013 and is a pest on the ice like Bickell and Andrew Shaw.