Hard Hawk Hockey

Please Dale Be Smart

In about 60 minutes NHL free agency begins and the Hawks have some definite questions that need to be answered. Will Martin Havlat be resigned? Will Nikolai Khabibulin be resigned, or allowed to test the market? Will Cristobal Huet be traded?

As these situations present themselves either together or independently, my vote first is to make sure that the Hawks re-sign Martin Havlat who last year was their leading scorer during the regular season, and provided the most consistency of all throughout the season, and until the Kronwall hit, was a major factor in the playoffs as well. I am not sure what he would get on the open market, and we know the Hawks have some cap issues in the coming years, hopefully both sides can see that the future here is bright and that Havlat needs to be part of the equation. His health has been a risk in the past, but this past season showed he can play a full year, and he registered the most points of his NHL career. Six million per is probably too much, but if they can settle at 4.5 or 5 million, maybe that can work.

As for the goalies, I am not really too scared if either one of Nik or Huet is the # 1. We don’t need a goalie to steal games every nite, just to be consistent, keep the Hawks in the games, yet when the big save is needed, be able to make it. Huet’s save in game 5 against the Wings was a classic. That being said a 2 year deal for Nik is ok, if Huet can be moved. If not, keep Huet and let Nik go. The problem with trading Huet is his contract. Also, he has never really played more than 50 NHL games during the regular season and is this the year to find out if he can? Big things are going to be expected of this team in Chicago this year and whoever is tending goal as the number one is going to be under the microscope.

That being said, at 36 did Khabibulin have a big year just because it was a contract year, or does he have 2 or 3 more of these left? Which Khabibulin did we witness last year, the one that helped Tampa win the Cup a few years back, or the inconsistent goalie of the Hawks prior to last season. Again, who knows and is this the year to find out.

In closing, I would prefer to sign Havlat as the priority if it is doable. Then deal with the goalie situation. If indeed Havlat cannot be signed, then please go and get a player of similar offensive caliber. I am fine with either goalie at this point if that happens.

We will see how this unfolds, but not since the 90’s have the Hawks brass had this much pressure on them to make the right moves. With all the front office braintrust, hopefully and collectively they can make the right decisions!

Thanks for reading!