Hawks find a way for Frolik, but can't for Campoli
On the same day the Blackhawks signed restricted free agent forward Michael Frolik to a three-year, $7 million contract, they said goodbye to defenseman Chris Campoli.
General manager Stan Bowman said Friday he ended negotiations with Campoli, the Hawks' last unsigned restricted free agent, after it became clear the defenseman wanted too much money. It's believed Campoli was looking for the same kind of deal the Hawks gave free agent defenseman Steve Montador, whose four-year contract is worth $2.75 million per season.
“We tried to work it out with Chris,” Bowman said. “We made him our best offer and it didn't work for them, so we indicated we're going to have to go in another direction.”
To replace Campoli, the Hawks signed free-agent defenseman Sami Lepisto to a one-year deal worth $750,000.
“He's a guy who has some growth to his game,” Bowman said. “He fits in with what we try to do because he's able to play a few different ways. He can move the puck, kill penalties and has a bit of an edge to him.
“In a lot of ways, Sami is a similar player to Chris.”
Bowman will now try to trade Campoli, who still has an arbitration hearing scheduled for next month.
“It was apparent from the beginning that their salary demands were just not in concert with where we see him fitting in with our team,” Bowman said. “He obviously played well for us in the short time he was here and we wanted to bring him back, but it didn't work for him. He sees himself in a different category than we did price-wise.”
Done deal for Frolik: Michael Frolik's new three-year deal comes with a cap hit of $2.33 million.
#8220;Michael is an important part of our team and a guy we expect to be part of the group for a while,#8221; Bowman said. #8220;In the long run he's a big part of what we're trying to do here. I think there's a lot more to his game.#8221;
Frolik found out his deal was done after he landed in Chicago from the Czech Republic.
#8220;This one of the best places to play hockey,#8221; Frolik said. #8220;I really love the city and it's a hockey town. I'm very excited to stay with the Blackhawks.#8221;
Man in the middle: Patrick Sharp knows that if the season started today there's a good chance he would be at center on the second line.
#8220;I'm fine with that,#8221; Sharp said. #8220;The last six years, I don't think I've played one position more than another: left wing, right wing or center and even defense on the power play. I'm sure if I start at center, I'll play some games at wing and if I start at wing, I'll play some games at center.
#8220;I really don't put a lot into line combinations in July. You guys know how Joel (Quenneville) runs the bench. He's got a good feel for what's going on. We've got a number of guys who can play the position. I don't really care as long as I'm on a line that's working and I can contribute on that line.#8221;
Tip-ins: Dan Carcillo won't attend this weekend's fan convention because of a family wedding ... Duncan Keith got married last week ... Radio broadcasters John Wiedeman and Troy Murray had their contracts extended through 2014-15.