Blackhawks got exactly what Savard, team needed
A week ago we wrote here the Blackhawks' next news conference needed to be one for the acquisition of a key player.
Presto.
Next Tuesday, the Hawks plan to introduce defenseman Brian Campbell at the United Center.
Now we're getting some- where.
All right, so Campbell isn't Nicklas Lidstrom. Who is? But when it comes to difference-making defenseman, particularly with the puck, Campbell is on the NHL's short list.
Only five defensemen scored as many as 60 points last season, and Campbell was one of them, netting 8 goals and 54 assists with Buffalo and San Jose. Only Lidstrom had more assists among blue liners with 60.
Those Hawks fans who always must find something to complain about will point out Campbell is not a lockdown defender. They are being picky and missing the point about exactly what the Hawks needed.
Campbell was plus-8 last season. Chris Pronger was minus-1, and who wouldn't want him on their team?
The Hawks needed another defenseman with great wheels to lug the puck up the ice and make plays. Duncan Keith is fast, but he is jittery with the puck and doesn't have Campbell's skill.
Brent Seabrook is not a playmaker either, nor is James Wisniewski. Campbell is a playmaker, and on a power play that ranked 24th in the league and likely cost the Hawks the 4 points they needed to make the playoffs, he can make a world of difference.
Hawks coach Denis Savard must be drooling over the possibility of a first power-play unit of Campbell and Seabrook at the points with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and either Martin Havlat or Dustin Byfuglien down low.
Is Campbell worth $7.1 million a year? Probably not, but do economics in sports ever make sense? Is Alfonso Soriano worth more than $18 million a year?
Campbell is a very good player with luck on his side - luck in that his contract expired at a time when there weren't a lot of top-end defensemen available as free agents. That's how the business works.
In signing goalie Cristȳbal Huet to a four-year, $5.63 million contract, Tallon raised a lot of eyebrows.
Hours after the surprising announcement, Tallon told reporters the plan was to have Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin split the goaltending duties next season.
Maybe that is the plan, or maybe Tallon was simply being respectful to Khabibulin. What purpose would it have served for Tallon to come out and say he was trading Khabibulin?
As of today, the Hawks have $12.41 million committed to their two veteran goalies, and that's a lot.
Too much, some would suggest. Which is why you've got to think Khabibulin is available if there's a team out there willing to pick up the final year of his deal at $6.75 million.
Tallon said Huet was fine with splitting the duties. He didn't say if Khabibulin would be OK with it. My guess is there would be a problem.
The Hawks' depth chart in goal today reads Khabibulin, Huet, Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi.
Will it still look that way in September? Don't bet on it.
tsassone@dailyherald.com