Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman: No easy answers to replacing Hossa
How do the Blackhawks replace Marian Hossa?
That was the $5.275 million question for general manager Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville one day after Hossa revealed he's dealing with a skin condition that will not allow him to play during the 2017-18 season.
Bowman and Quenneville searched for answers to that query but came up empty.
“I don't think you replace Hoss because he's a special player,” Quenneville said.
Bowman wouldn't speculate how the NHL will rule when determining cap relief on Hossa's condition. He did, however, say the Hawks can't simply go out and sign a $5 million player to replace Hossa.
“I wish it were that simple, but it's not,” Bowman said. “It's a much more complicated provision than people think.”
Bowman said there is a difference with long-term injured reserve (LTIR) during the season and during the off-season. He also said it's not feasible for the Hawks to start on Day 1 right up against the cap.
“You can't start the season with zero cap space and then expect when two guys get hurt to play short-handed all year,” Bowman said. “It's not a functional way to run your team.”
For now, it's a wait-and-see process for all, and the bottom line is the Hawks will deeply miss what Hossa gave them on and off the ice.
“He's the most classy and humble person I think I've ever met,” Bowman said. “Marian is probably the biggest reason that the culture here changed. When he came here (in 2009), we had a lot of young players. …
“Here we have Marian come in, and he handles every situation with the perfect amount of humility and class. He was a great role model for our players. Off the ice he helped establish a tradition and a culture here that's going to live on for decades and decades.”
Quenneville gave Hossa many practice days off because of the condition, which he said first appeared “the last few years at least.”
“I'd like to give you a number on how many different things that he would try to do to alleviate what he was trying to deal with,” Quenneville said. “I'm sure the number was probably staggering because it was a constant thing and he would be getting tested different ways and trying to (figure) whether he was allergic to this or that or that or this.
“It was several different things that they tried to look at and figure out, but it's been a tough process.”
Schedule released:
The NHL released all 31 teams' schedules on Thursday, and the Blackhawks will play 19 of their 41 home games on the weekends. They open against Pittsburgh on Oct. 5 and then host Columbus on Oct. 7. The two longest homestands are six games (Jan. 10-24) and five games (Feb. 15-23). The longest road trip is six games from Dec. 21-Jan. 3.
The Hawks will face Nashville, the team that eliminated them from last season's playoffs, twice in the first 11 games (Oct. 14 and 27). Both games will be at the United Center. The Hawks are at Las Vegas on Oct. 24 and Feb. 13, and host the expansion team Jan. 5.
The season finale is April 7 at Winnipeg.