Seabrook next in line for payday
This is the last thing Stan Bowman needs to hear.
After all, the Blackhawks GM just did an amazing job of getting the Big Three signed, and he inherited a budget deficit for next season that makes Congressional spending look conservative.
But he also has to begin thinking about a new deal for Brent Seabrook.
It was around this time last year that Duncan Keith sneaked up on everyone, even though his restricted free agency was more than a year and a half away.
His terrific play, combined with the Brian Campbell contract ($7.1 million), made Keith's current salary ($1.9 million) look puny.
Now with Keith signed to a big deal ($5.5 million), Seabrook ($3.5 million) is a year and a half away from a new deal in the $5 million range.
He's become a physical presence on the blueline and with Keith he gives the Hawks a true shutdown defensive pair.
In 17 playoff games last spring, Seabrook led the Hawks in ice time (26 minutes) and his plus/minus was even while some big-name teammates were big minuses.
Offensively, he was fourth in playoff scoring (12 points) behind only Martin Havlat, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and in his last 37 regular season games he's got 20 points and a plus-15.
Good deal
Bowman and assistants Kevin Cheveldayoff and Al MacIsaac ran everything through the league office - even traveling to Toronto to work with the NHL - on the Big Three deals, making sure they were legal, which is a nice change from the past.
The Hawks also didn't overpay. If anything, they got the Big Three for market value or just below.
Credit Toews, Kane and Keith for wanting to stay and for taking fair deals, and credit Bowman for treating this like a business decision, not as though he were paying his own children.
Very creative
Contrary to reports in the Canadian media, the Hawks did not have tagging rights problems for next season, and didn't need to move a salary to get these deals done.
According to a league source, the key was the Hawks resisted putting any players on the long-term injury list this season.
Had they put players on the LTI, the performance bonuses accrued this year would have taken space off the cap next year, dollar for dollar, and would have made the deals announced Thursday impossible.
Instead, only the amount they go over the cap this year, bonuses included, is taken off next year's cap space. That's a difference of several million dollars.
This very wise move gave them the room they needed on next year's payroll to get the deals done now without having to move any players, and avoided any concern over a Big Three offer sheet next summer.
However, the Hawks have left precious little room to get anything done if they have a serious injury the rest of this season.
With the Olympics and the pre- and post-Olympic schedule, they're going to need some luck in the health department to get through this.
Cap vs. Cup
The Hawks can win it all this year, but they still have an eye on next year.
So you'll be hearing the names of Brent Sopel, Cam Barker, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien and Dave Bolland in trade rumors for the next few months.
The Hawks have leverage in trade talks right now, but they lose it the minute the trade deadline passes, when teams will know they have to dump contracts for 2010-11.
If at the trade deadline they believe they can win it all, they'll keep their players, and some will have to be given away for nothing over the summer.
Just goaltending
Give Cristobal Huet credit for turning it around after a terrible season last year and a terrible start this year.
But now that they've got him confident and playing well, the Hawks would move him to get an expiring contract if they could, believing Antti Niemi can do the job just as well.
Say it again
It's rare that Brian Urlacher says anything that makes sense, but now that he's finally said something logical, he gets a beating. Figures.
Urlacher said Kyle Orton's a winner and so far Jay Cutler isn't, and he says Matt Forte can't make anyone miss, all of which is true.
Cutler, to his credit, takes a realistic approach, points at the record, and wonders how you can argue with that. Forte gets mad.
Tells you a lot about both guys.
Irish eyes
I was totally wrong about Charlie Weis, believing he'd do a great job at Notre Dame. I still think he'd be a big help in the right NFL spot. Maybe I'll be wrong about that, too.
Whither Arlington?
It's time, after decades of sparring, for the state to put up or shut up. Give the racetracks slots or kill Illinois horse racing. It's that simple.
Congrats
To Bulls media relations manager Matt Yob and wife Krisha, who recently welcomed twins Jacob and Ella to the family.
The good guys
The Wolves will begin their three-game, Marine Corps "Toys for Tots'' drive Friday. Fans donating will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a team-autographed stick. For more info, visit chicagowolves.com.
Just qualified
Libertyville e-mailer Scott Phillips: "If Brett Favre wins the MVP, they need to put an asterisk on it for having played 25 percent of his games against the Lions and Bears.''
And finally-
From e-mailer The Last Bear Fan: "Any truth to the rumor that Bears fans are bypassing the traditional brown paper bag over their head, in favor of plastic?''
brozner@dailyherald.com