Hawks sign Campbell, goalie Huet
Talk about making an impact on the first day of free agency. Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon did that and then some Tuesday.
Not only did Tallon snag the most prized defenseman on the market in Brian Campbell, he pulled off a shocker by signing goaltender Cristóbal Huet, possibly ending Nikolai Khabibulin's disappointing run in Chicago a year early.
"We had to make a statement," Tallon said. "We have started a buzz in this market and decided to try and keep the momentum going.
"We wanted to send a message that we'll do whatever it takes to get where we want to go."
Tallon reacted quickly to dispel speculation that Huet's signing meant the end for Khabibulin, but there's little doubt the Hawks are prepared to listen to any trade offer for the veteran goaltender, who turns 36 in January.
"We haven't talked to anybody about Nik," Tallon said. "We like Nik. He'll play together with Huet, and we think they'll be one of the best tandems in the league.
"We looked at where we were and what we needed to do to be successful, and it starts on the back end."
That would include defense, where the addition of Campbell is just what was needed on the blue line.
Campbell was the guy the Hawks wanted all along, a quick-skating, puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback what has been a disappointing power play.
The 29-year-old Campbell had two other serious offers from Atlanta and San Jose, but it was the Hawks' offer of eight years and $56.8 million that got the job done. It helped that Campbell saw the Hawks as a team on the rise.
"They're doing things that are making it known in Chicago and around the league that they want to win," Campbell said. "That was a huge factor.
"I fully expect big things in Chicago next year. There's no reason why it can't happen."
It's the biggest contract in Hawks history and will net Campbell an annual salary of $7.1 million.
"It is a lot of money and there's a lot of pressure that comes with it," Campbell said.
Campbell was the third-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL last season with 8 goals and 54 assists in 83 games with Buffalo and San Jose. He has 195 points in 411 career games.
"This gives us more foot speed on the back end and more creativity," Tallon said. "He has the ability to move the puck, to skate up the ice and get you out of trouble and to play a lot of minutes. And, of course, his ability on the power play is going to bring us a whole other dimension."
Campbell has a big left-handed shot from the point.
Tallon now has assembled a defense that should be the envy of a lot of clubs and includes Campbell, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brent Sopel, James Wisniewski, Cam Barker and Jordan Hendry.
"Keith and Seabrook have really stepped up, and Campbell will take a lot of heat off them," Tallon said. "With Dunc and Campbell, now we have two guys that can skate and get us out of trouble. It gives us two really steady tandems with two guys that can play half the game."
Campbell isn't the greatest defender on skates, but his offensive upside is what's important to the Hawks as a filled need.
Campbell would be 37 at the end of his new Hawks contract.
"That's a long term," Tallon said. "But it depends on the individual. You have to be careful who you give it to, but if a guy is passionate abut what he does and takes care of himself, you don't mind."