Carcillo addition caps Hawks’ day

Just when it appeared Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had completed his work Friday after signing Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers and Sean O’Donnell as free agents, up popped the biggest surprise of the day.

Dan Carcillo was coming to town as well.

Let the craziness begin.

Considered by many to be one of the NHL’s bad boys, Carcillo is an energy guy who plays on the edge of the rule book. He racked up 127 penalty minutes in just 57 games for Philadelphia last season, but before that had years of 207, 254 and 324 penalty minutes for the Flyers and Coyotes.

“He’s a guy you can’t stand playing against because not only can he get under your skin, but he can play hockey as well,” Bowman said.

“I like the flexibility to Dan’s game. He can play the game a couple different ways. I like the fact Dan can disrupt the opponent, and that’s an important element to have on your team. He’s got a lot of personality and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can use that on our team.”

Carcillo will start the season serving a two-game suspension for verbally abusing an official between periods in Game 4 of Philadelphia’s first-round playoff series.

Carcillo admitted playing on the edge has gotten him into trouble at times.

“It’s a tough line to walk and you don’t want to hurt the team when you’re playing like that, but I think over the years I’ve gotten a lot better with it,” Carcillo said. “My game is just getting in on the forecheck, being physical and playing hard every night. It’s something I pride myself in, playing with that emotion and bringing it every night.”

Carcillo and Mayers will comprise two-thirds of the fourth line.

“When you talk about Carcillo or Jamal Mayers, those are guys that play an in-your-face kind of style, but they don’t look to just play the body,” Bowman said. “They can take it to the net and do it all.”

Showing restraint:Stan Bowman stayed true to his word and didn#146;t throw big money or long-term deals at certain free agents on Friday.The Hawks weren#146;t going to pay Erik Cole the $18 million he got for four years with Montreal, or Joel Ward $12 million for four years as Washington paid him.Even the five-year deal Maxime Talbot got from Philadelphia was too lengthy for the Hawks#146; liking.Everyone Bowman signed was for one year: Andrew Brunette ($2 million), Sean O#146;Donnell ($850,000), Dan Carcillo ($775,000) and Jamal Mayers ($550,000).The Hawks also signed veteran center Brett McLean to a one-year, two-way contract.Blue line strength:Sean O#146;Donnell will stack the Hawks#146; defense unit of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Nick Leddy, Steve Montador, Chris Campoli, himself and John Scott up against any in the NHL.#147;From top all the way down, it#146;s a pretty good blue line,#148; O#146;Donnell said. #147;It#146;s a well-rounded group of six, seven or eight guys.#148;