For more than 18 months, Stan Bowman has been trying to rid himself of the biggest mistake of his wildly successful tenure as Blackhawks general manager — Bryan Bickell’s contract. Bowman couldn’t find a taker at last year’s trade deadline. Or at the draft. Or at this year’s deadline. Or any time in between.
Well, Bowman finally, at long last, found a taker for Bickell on Wednesday. But it cost the Hawks one of their most promising young players.
The Hawks sent Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a second-round pick in next week’s draft and a third-rounder next year. It was a pure salary dump, as the cap-strapped Hawks desperately needed to shed Bickell’s $4-million cap hit in order to possibly retain restricted free agent Andrew Shaw and fill in the other holes in their lineup.
“We are relieved that a trade was finally completed,” said Todd Diamond, Bickell’s agent. “Bryan thoroughly enjoyed his time in Chicago, and we are appreciative of everything the organization has done for him, and for Stan’s effort to get this done early in the offseason. Bryan is looking forward to the new challenge and a new beginning.”
For Teravainen, the trade was a surprise.
“It was just a normal day, then this,” he said by phone from Finland. “You never know what’s going to happen, especially with Chicago with their cap situation. You never know, but I was not expecting anything.”
Teravainen now joins the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland, Nick Leddy, Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and a host of other cap-related casualties for the Hawks — all Stanley Cup champions whom the Hawks were compelled to unload by the realities of the salary-cap era. But unlike those names, Teravainen wasn’t the problem. Bickell was. Teravainen was just the price the Hawks paid, and it’s a steep one.
After posting four goals and six assists in the playoffs last spring, the 21-year-old Finn had 13 goals and 22 assists in 78 games this year, but came into his own in a defensive role. He also was Joel Quenneville’s most versatile forward, plugging holes on all four lines and playing all three forward positions throughout the season. Teravainen was a first-round pick in 2012, and had top-six ability. But with Jonathan Toews and Artem Anisimov ahead of him on the depth chart at center, and Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane ahead of him at right wing, there wasn’t much room for upward mobility.
“Playing with a team with a lot of superstars, it’s hard to [get a bigger role] because there’s a lot of good players,” Teravainen said. “Maybe now I get a chance to play more, and I’m excited about it.”
Bickell was signed to a four-year, $16-million deal in the summer of 2013 after his breakout performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, in which he had nine goals and eight assists in 23 games. But he never lived up to the contract, and spent most of last season buried in the American Hockey League. He had no goals and two assists in 25 games with the Hawks last season.
The Hawks had the option of buying out the last year of Bickell’s contract, which would have left them with a $1-million cap hit next season and a $1.5-million cap hit in 2017-18. Or they could have kept him buried in Rockford, which still left them with a $3.05-million cap hit. It’s also possible that the looming expansion draft next summer made moving Teravainen easier to swallow, as the Hawks can only protect so many forwards from the new Las Vegas team.
The Hawks now have about $62 million tied up in 15 players for next season. The cap flexibility could allow them to keep Shaw, and to more comfortably sign Artemi Panarin to a contract extension this summer.
“I would like to thank both Bryan and Teuvo for their contributions to the Blackhawks organization,” Bowman said in a release. “Both players were drafted by our organization and developed to play important roles on Stanley Cup championship teams. We wish them the best as they continue their careers with Carolina.”
Said Teravainen: “It was special to be part of such a great organization and fans and everything, such great players. Especially winning the Cup is something special. I just want to thank everyone.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/blackhawks-trade-bickell-teravainen-to-carolina-in-salary-dump/
Well, Bowman finally, at long last, found a taker for Bickell on Wednesday. But it cost the Hawks one of their most promising young players.
The Hawks sent Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a second-round pick in next week’s draft and a third-rounder next year. It was a pure salary dump, as the cap-strapped Hawks desperately needed to shed Bickell’s $4-million cap hit in order to possibly retain restricted free agent Andrew Shaw and fill in the other holes in their lineup.
“We are relieved that a trade was finally completed,” said Todd Diamond, Bickell’s agent. “Bryan thoroughly enjoyed his time in Chicago, and we are appreciative of everything the organization has done for him, and for Stan’s effort to get this done early in the offseason. Bryan is looking forward to the new challenge and a new beginning.”
For Teravainen, the trade was a surprise.
“It was just a normal day, then this,” he said by phone from Finland. “You never know what’s going to happen, especially with Chicago with their cap situation. You never know, but I was not expecting anything.”
Teravainen now joins the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland, Nick Leddy, Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and a host of other cap-related casualties for the Hawks — all Stanley Cup champions whom the Hawks were compelled to unload by the realities of the salary-cap era. But unlike those names, Teravainen wasn’t the problem. Bickell was. Teravainen was just the price the Hawks paid, and it’s a steep one.
After posting four goals and six assists in the playoffs last spring, the 21-year-old Finn had 13 goals and 22 assists in 78 games this year, but came into his own in a defensive role. He also was Joel Quenneville’s most versatile forward, plugging holes on all four lines and playing all three forward positions throughout the season. Teravainen was a first-round pick in 2012, and had top-six ability. But with Jonathan Toews and Artem Anisimov ahead of him on the depth chart at center, and Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane ahead of him at right wing, there wasn’t much room for upward mobility.
“Playing with a team with a lot of superstars, it’s hard to [get a bigger role] because there’s a lot of good players,” Teravainen said. “Maybe now I get a chance to play more, and I’m excited about it.”
Bickell was signed to a four-year, $16-million deal in the summer of 2013 after his breakout performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, in which he had nine goals and eight assists in 23 games. But he never lived up to the contract, and spent most of last season buried in the American Hockey League. He had no goals and two assists in 25 games with the Hawks last season.
The Hawks had the option of buying out the last year of Bickell’s contract, which would have left them with a $1-million cap hit next season and a $1.5-million cap hit in 2017-18. Or they could have kept him buried in Rockford, which still left them with a $3.05-million cap hit. It’s also possible that the looming expansion draft next summer made moving Teravainen easier to swallow, as the Hawks can only protect so many forwards from the new Las Vegas team.
The Hawks now have about $62 million tied up in 15 players for next season. The cap flexibility could allow them to keep Shaw, and to more comfortably sign Artemi Panarin to a contract extension this summer.
“I would like to thank both Bryan and Teuvo for their contributions to the Blackhawks organization,” Bowman said in a release. “Both players were drafted by our organization and developed to play important roles on Stanley Cup championship teams. We wish them the best as they continue their careers with Carolina.”
Said Teravainen: “It was special to be part of such a great organization and fans and everything, such great players. Especially winning the Cup is something special. I just want to thank everyone.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/blackhawks-trade-bickell-teravainen-to-carolina-in-salary-dump/
