Blackhawks Re-Sign Andreas Martinsen
On Thursday morning the Blackhawks announced the team has signed forward Andreas Martinsen to a one-year extension.
Martinsen, who will turn 28 on June 13, appeared in nine regular season games for the Blackhawks and scored once. He added a physical presence to the Hawks’ lineup down the stretch that clearly got the attention of the front office.
In 64 games with Rockford he scored 12 goals with 14 assists while compiling 62 penalty minutes. He added two goals and three assists in 13 postseason games for the IceHogs.
Chicago acquired Martinsen from Montreal on Oct. 4 for forward Kyle Baun. He had a $675,000 cap hit last season.
Bollig, Jr. ; Mashinter, Tootoo… this has Q’s fingerprints/input all over it. He is bottom six AHL player – at best. He has little to no offensive skillset, takes dumb penalties in the offensive zone at times, and he doesn’t skate anywhere close to Stalberg/NHL level.
This was highly predictable (and against my posts at the time) after his cup of coffee at the end of the season where Q was smitten on first sight. Hopefully this is a two-way contract.
He is competition for John Hayden for the physical role on the bottom six. I know that sounds weird as he is a journeyman but the fact is he outplayed Hayden pretty badly in the Rockford Icehogs postseason run, not to mention when he played for the Hawks late in the season.
He is not a game changer by any means, but the fortunes of the Hawks this year won’t ride on the 12th or 13th forward slot anyway. Plus, from things that have gotten out over the years, some of the vets, such as Toews, are all for the Carcillo / Bollig / etc. type guys having a role on the team to do the designated fighting when it’s called for so they don’t have to risk concussions doing it themselves.
So it’s not just Q. It’s the core too.
A depth role type player that could be needed over the course of a season. Have to have them around.
I like this. We need SOME grit on the team.
I thought he played fine as a 4th liner for the Hawks he gives them some needed size and physical play. Good move depth signing
Maybe they believe he can achieve the dickhead status of Ryan Reaves?
I like this move. Minimal cap hit. We need the grit. Hopefully Hayden will step up this year and supply some of the same.
Getting Martinsen, a guy who can sometimes play in the NHL, for Kyle Baun, a guy who cannot play in the NHL and who can’t be effective even in the AHL, was a good, albeit minor, trade engineered by the Blackhawks.
Good trade and a good resigning.
He gives leadership to a young Rockford team and gives the hawks org something they don’t have much of size and physicality.
Agree with Southside. A banger who made the most of his opportunity. Even Eddie O. noted how he would go to the net in the offensive zone, stop and plant himself.
Good size also.
Good move!
I also like it – he’s a better skater than Bollig.
If he’s not playing for the Hawks that’s probably because Hayden is doing well and that’s good.
Reaves is a puss on boots.
Ever since I posted that, after people were sucking on how good this guy is now, the expansion team lost 4 games in a row.
No complaints on the move. Hope he didn’t get Rutta money though.
Sincere congrats to the Caps and Vegas. Very entertaining games, only wish the series went longer. They play fun hockey.
We’re now squarely on the losing end of the greatest trade in Capitals history. We traded a stanley cup winning, serviceable top-4 Dman for a late third round draft pick. I say whoever we draft for that pick, we package him in a trade for Trevor Daley. Really help it all come full circle.
Don’t tell me to get over it. It’s too brutal. I’ll try to work through it by training camp.
A very bad look for Q. Horrendous. Brutal.
A solid check on the plus side for Bowman. He is the one that has consistently identified young talent, particularly cost effective, to fit the Hawks’ needs.
NHL confirms Vegas will be exempt from Seattle expansion draft and not have worry about losing/proteçting any players. This shit of unfair advantages just doesn’t seem right to me.
“This shit of unfair advantages just doesn’t seem right to me.” – what a half billion dollars buys…
What will Seattle get for $625 mil.?
Ian, that’s complete horse shit and proves the league did in fact fix the expansion draft style/rules to create a team to get more interest into the sport from non normal hockey people. The league wants the people they just recruited to not leave now/ratings.
That they know WIN was worn out by beating NAS and WAS pounded them, even with league/refs trying to help/give it to expansion team with tieing 4th ‘cross checking’ goal and that goalie interference waive off 1st goal in game 3. Still WAS scored and was up 2-0. Then WAS had their fun toying with them in the 6-2 blow out in game 4
As AJ pointed out so well about how their success was mainly based on silly bounces, and then it happened. Silly rabbit tricks are for kids.
ER, good call on Ovechkin when TB was up 3-2 it looked like TB would win Cup. You called it and make it happen. Thank you, as expansion team doesnt deserve to win anything, TB still hasn’t won anything yet, and a team that has paid its dues over the last 8 yrs won the Cup.
Very good for league compared to the last two yrs. Hockey is back now/headed in right direction.
Congrats to the Caps and Ovie. Also congrats to Kempny who very likely extended his NHL career several more seasons after spending most of his tenure not playing for the Hawks.
Some dope said this when he was traded
“Wish Kempny the best, he was NEVER going to work here with Q, He will no doubt go on and do some good things in Washington. A 2nd would have been great but a 3rd is a good haul. Stan should have worked in some playoff stipulations based on games played and rounds advanced. Guess that’s only what good GM do with us.”
http://committedindians.com/report-blackhawks-trade-michal-kempny-washington/
Sometimes I hate being right
Dickie thank you my point exactly, buying it is not winning it. Free agents at least are a competition although some teams have an edge in money available but cap helps even it out. This is just a deal for one team.
If anyone didn’t see it with how they did expansion draft, everyone sees it now. It was fixed.
Which really takes away from how good they did or people liking them, from the right reasons.
A fun fact from new SC champs WSH – Ovie, Oshie and Backstrom are all older than Toews – hungrier too but also older
just saying
Hunger to win is huge-and that shouldn’t be an excuse for 19 anymore but will to win/battle thru the crap of the playoffs is another thing-hard to measure but so important-8 had both this year.
It starts with your leader(s).
Yeah iceman, I think Bowman does really well at finding talent from a variety of pipelines. You have to in the cap era. He overpays some of his finds but that’s a league-wide endemic.
I generally don’t mind when we trade a player and then they do well. Sometimes a fresh start helps, sometimes a new system fits your skill set better. But Kempny was a perfect fit for our needs and style of play (I thought), and at a good age and price. How he sat for half the year given our blue line is completely beyond me. Squarely on Q.
Also I liked the comment about putting playoff stipulations in the trade, e.g. advance a round = higher draft pick.
Could also be good for future trade relations with WAS. Same with MTL, we have some good trade coming with those teams.
What about trade for Faulk and try to sign 91.
Don’t see how you get 91 and Faulk without moving both Saad and AA. Would allow Toews to take a Hossa type role but be dangerously close to cap hell again. Not sure if no. 8 pick worth Faulk even if you get Darling too and they take Hossa’s contract.
Keeping 8th, could trade 27th for an good established player.
With 16.5-18.5 for 7 players and trade AA that could be enough. Faulk is only 4.8m
Faulk can be that top pair Dman and has size we need.
We trade for Faulk and then go from there. We can get that FW with size at draft if we get Faulk.
Faulk sucks. The best thing about Faulk is his shot which admittedly is pretty good. He makes horrendous reads in his own zone, is a giveaway machine and has no idea how to cover a guy defensively or even keep him to the outside, let alone tie up a stick in front of the net. As someone who enjoys watching Carolina and watched 85% of their games this year. Faulk’s offense is trending down in his career, he’s lost at least a step, and still hasn’t a clue how to play defensive defense. This is a move backwards so please Hawks let it go. Take Hanifin or dreaming now Slavin in a minute. Pesce is a poor man’s Seabrook so love to have him too but he and Slavin aren’t going amywhere. Hanifin is a possibility though which shocks me that Carolina would consider trading a d-man with his kind of ability and lots more potential still to be realized on both sides of the puck.
I am not sure, which ever guy is a better D man. Who evers better of the options for a trade. We should do it if its the 27th and etc. Must keep 8th.
We should be able to add this summer and next summer. Were looking at16.5-18.5 to use without AA caphit.
Tavares or Carson.
Totally agree with Darren. When did Justin Faulk turn into a stud ? His play has been declining steadily and now Carolina is stuck with him as their Captain and his contract.
Stan should steer clear.
Here’s a plan : how about we get two really good prospects at 8 and 27. Then see if we can move around the board a bit from rounds 3 thru 7 !
Come home with a really good harvest of future talent from the draft.
Then from June 24 thru July 2 focus on upgrading the immediate roster. Perhaps a trade involving Anisimov. And once we get to July 1, use the cap space we finally have.
“Here’s a plan: how about we get two really good prospects at 8 and 27…” — Craig, GOOD plan. Or maybe they can find a way to move up from 8? 8 and something(?) to Mtl for 3, or whatever? I would not trade 8 otherwise.
I like the Hanifin deal.
Nice thread. I’m having trouble seeing what the Hawks can or should do this offseason. Looking for input.
On one hand, we need a LOT of ifs to go our way to be contenders in the near future. Toews, Keith, Seabrook, Crawford, Saad resurgences. Murphy and some kids on D to take the next step. Magically healed PP. Backup goaltender. One or two draft picks that immediately make an impact. What are the odds that all or most of those ifs go our way? 1%? Less?
On the other hand, we only have ~2 years of core prime time left. While Toews and Seabrook and Keith may resurge at 30-32 years old (e.g. Kopitar), they almost certainly won’t at 32-34+.
So what do we do? Draft well and try to compete in a few years, when those prospects mature, at the expense of the last few reasonable years of the core? Trade those draft picks for more mature prospects or players? I can honestly go either way, though I lean towards the former given the depth of the draft class. But the worst case scenario is that we try to get the best of both worlds and end up in mediocrity purgatory for half a decade.
I agree that the Hawks should hang on to #8 unless they can use it to move up.
But #27 I would trade in a package if it brought immediate help
The core may or may not bounce back but if they do you can’t waste the next year by not trading for/signing players who can play now
The Hawks seemed poised to make some trades/ufa signings with that in mind
In may end up in mediocrity but as long as the core is here I think you keep trying to contend – if you can’t contend anymore then you start the real rebuild by trading core pieces
However I’m cautiously optimistic that there is one more good playoff run in these core guys
The Blackhawks first 5 picks this year; 8th own, 27th Hartman, 70th own, 93rd Kempny and 120th Hartman. If they trade 8 or 27 it leaves an big void at the top of a good draft, hard to justify moving either. Moving Hossa’s contract and maybe AA with some lesser picks or or or other cost effective players for budget teams would allow them room to makes some moves and not strangle you in a couple of years for signing younger players.
Good points. I see a lot, lots and lots of action coming from us. The full ice press is coming and Maverick is on stand by if need be during games 15-25.
Your right we cant just load up with drafting only. We have to add top ufa players or more of medium to top ufa players. Theres no point in selling out until 19/99/2 are retired etc. We can be smart and make wise creative moves to stock up for a 3-5 yrs section in a yr or 2 from now. It starts this yr with the young guys getting experience and winning experience in playoffs. That be against the top teams in league as well, NAS and WIN. It will raise our level by having to beat those teams.
WAS won because they had the hunger and played good, also because TB didn’t show up or play hard. They did deserve it, as WAS or NAS were the teams that should have won last yr.
I would be ok with trading 27 to get a good player or more ready prospect. Can see drafting a good player as well and just trading/ufa for to get a good player and do both.
The stronger the wave of good young players we have is, the stronger we ll be for the yrs coming up where were really good again and deep. By then the top team now will be less then they are now.
We could keep loading good draft players/wave and just add ufa not long term yrs. Also though get a high end ufa/trade player when we can, 81/4.
I like adding a top ufa or trade to get another player without having 81/4.
Keep loading up the wave, since we had to do it and the blessing of sucking on a deep draft yr?,
This should be a good situation, not a scared what do we do.
Think whats the most ideal and do it. No regrets.
No real problem with the Martinsen signing. I think he’s more than Bollig and Mashinter. Need to have some guys like him in the mix, for competition with other guys and his potential to be better next season.
Yeah good thoughts thanks. I’m understanding that we have to play out the core in case they do rebound. There could be another good run in the tank. Make cap space and land a big name or two for the short term without mortgaging the farm. I tend to agree.
I read an interesting stat on draft picks. Late first round picks only have about a 30% chance of playing in the show. They take almost 3 years to play 40 games on average.
So if our goal is competing in the next 2 years, the draft probably won’t help with that particular goal. We might find a Saad who blows us away right after the draft if lucky.
We do have lots of chips. Good picks and good young D prospects. I’ll be hoping we trade some of those chips for immediate help. 2 top 4 D, an offensive center, and a backup goalie. And having additional space for a deadline rental or bonuses would be nice. Yikes that’s a tall order for one offseason.
That’s gonna cost a lot of chips. But if the goal is to quickly build a contender from a team that easily missed the playoffs, we have a kitchen sink scenario. This roster is not a center or a healthy Crawford away from contending.
Good post Travis. The problem I have with trading away pick 27 is this is a draft and development league that is getting younger and younger. In this day and age, if you can come home with a stud prospect at #8 and a really good blue chipper at 27, then that’s huge. Consider that the Hawks traded a 1st rounder to get Vermette. It worked. They won the Stanley Cup and his double overtime winner in the Conference Final in game 4 was enormous. They also traded a 1st rounder a year later get Ladd back. Also a 2nd rounder for Weiss and Fleishmann. It was a bust and the Hawks lost in the 1st round to St. Louis.
Point being, hole plugging by trading first rounders is a not a good plan, unless you are a contender that is one piece away theoretically.
I say : Draft, Develop and plug holes through free agency.
Sure, there is lots of space 16.5-18.5 before AA etc. A nice new sink and stainless steel to go around. We have the space and chips.
We have the room, so we can do that.
I am saying add big and draft/keep picks. We can do both.
Here is a name I have not heard rumored with the Blackhawks, Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Here is kid who has been raising based on his workout and measurables.
At the NHL combine, Kotkaniemi told Oilers TV that he interviewed with 25 teams. He went to dinner with three — the Canadiens, Red Wings and Blackhawks, all of whom pick in the top eight.
SSHM i mentioned a few posts ago that the 3 of them took him out to dinner. Habs reportedly really interested in him and rumoured to be looking to trade down and pick him and get a nhl ready center too. Kotkaniemi scouting reports say he needs to improve his skating 1st before ready for NHL.
SSHM– I suggested ( and hoped) that Hawks would go “off the Board” with
Kotkaniemi several blogs ago (assuming Wahlstrom is gone)… (before he jumped up on many Draft charts)
After reading/researching and viewing some Youtube videos… Kid looks like a Can’t miss Top 6 future player -IMO
His stats/age for league ( translate very well too) when compared to others who went on to NHL/Draft for his very young age/pro league
What type/kind of center are we looking at here.
Yeah good stuff. So I totally get the value of draft and develop. Stan has done very well so far making us younger and faster. And I totally get that we have space to sign some shiny names. I just don’t see how both are possible. I see the merits of each, but not the possibility of both.
For example. We can use 18M in space and fill as many holes as we can with free agents (say 3). Give the core a swan song or two. But then we can’t resign pending RFAs. We are right back in cap hell. We have seen how cap hell cripples development.
Or we continue to draft and develop. But there’s only maybe a 50% shot that even one draftee makes a real impact in the next 2 years. The competitive window for the core and a stacked farm in 2021 might be even briefer than it is already.
That’s the source of my confusion. I get both philosophies and I’m cool with either but I can’t see how we do both. If we try to do both half assed, then we’re basically the Habs, but with less annoying fans.
WWSBD?
I’ve seen Kotkaniemi’s name listed very high in some draft rankings – Pronman I think had him 4th. A Kopitar/Toews like player apparently and one of the younger players available which would imply more room for upside
One draft analysis said that he doubted the Hawks would pass on Kotkaniemi if was still there at #8
If Wahlstrom and/or Bouchard is still there as well as Kotkaniemi it’ll be interesting to see who they go with
A lot of people think Kotkaniemi has the best chance to be a #1 centre of all draft eligible players
If you listen to what the owner says, it sounds like he wants to be competitive next year with existing core. I doubt he wants to sell the future of the team to do it, so the make the signings and trades that make the most sense. Not necessarily the biggest contracts.
Travis nice posts. It is an interesting problem the Hawks have. Either you move forward like the 3 year decline they are on will reverse next season or you realize that they are on a pretty steep decline and act accordingly.
I think there is information the management is privy to that we do not know about that will be very telling. That is, concerning Toews and Crow’s health status. If either is not healthy, or if they know that an accumulation of concussions has rendered Toews unlikely to ever regain his former playing level, then they need to start the rebuild.
If you look at Boston and the NYR they have sold off some veteran pieces while keeping others to try and build a competitive team. But the thing to remember is you are not winning the Cup without a true number one center. Any Cup aspirations we have start with him, because there is no one else on the roster or in the system that fits the profile of a number one center.
Certainly it seems Wirtz expects more from him next year. That being the case, my guess is the management staff will proceed forward like he will rebound as well. I am just not confident that that is a realistic hope.
He is still a very good player. 50 point guys that play solid defense are valuable in today’s game. But normally as top shelf second line centers on winning teams. This isn’t the same Toews we have been watching for the past ten years or so.
And it is understandable. With all the shots to the head (like in the Final against Boston) and hard miles he has had, some decline was inevitable. But his shot percentage has been 2/3d’s of his career average for the past two seasons. That is a trend that is not likely to reverse itself. It’s what happens when guys get older. See Sharp last year and Hossa the year before, same thing.
That shot Toews took vs BOS (Boychuk I believe) was high impact and he only sat out the remainder of that game
I’m cautiously hopeful based on 19’s play for the last 1/2 of the year that he will rebound to 1st line status – I don’t think we can expect him to be the player he was in 2010, 2013 or 2015 but a reasonable facsimile would do
He’s not that old yet – I think concussions have played a part and burn out as well.
I think he’ll be improved in both those areas next year but if not I agree it’s hard to see a path for the Hawks to the SC.
I think we can do both. AA aand Seabs will be closer to his contract yrs by then. Theres 11 and change there, salary cap goes up each yr and less player bonuses.
It wouldn’t just be what we have now and future bridge rfa contracts. I just do not see how we cant make that part of it work, to do both the right way.
Like we cant see whos not on the 23man in a couple yrs from now when we would need more space for contracts after bridges
Tazer also is transitioning to the faster less power route to compete better against these younger faster players. That’s prob takes more then a yr to transition. Another factor.
Were not going to get any more for certain payers now then we will in 3yrs from now, if there was a rebuild. So add add and keep draft picks.
I am not buying we cant do both, because of 16.5-18.5 this summer and you also have AA and Seabs down the road and other normal stuff/cap bonuses.
Top ufa and mid ufa, do not know yrs contract. If its a top player who cares. We traded Soupys contract. Look what that got us, Frozal.
I am wondering how much trades we do at draft. When is that, 4th wknd in june.
Regarding Tazer transitioning to get faster… cuz league is getting faster and younger… is laughable!!!
He is too old to get faster than 18-24 year old’s (who are faster to begin with… and truly getting faster- because they have not Peaked as athletes)
imo- he has IQ to out think utes… and should be working on strength to out muscle utes and win 50/50 puck battles and scrums in front of net.
Maybe Seabrook- will work on “getting faster” too!!!
Mo-Seabs down the road? That is 6 years away, which is an eternity with a team and their key players.
As much as both Tavares and Carlson would look great in a Hawks uniform there is a very slim chance that either happens. Both want to stay with their current teams, and they might but if they go it won’t be to Chicago. (My opinion)
Tavares wants to win right away, which is the only reason he doesn’t re-sign. He knows the Hawks defence is a mess and his buddy from team Canada Keith is 35 this summer. And Carlson knows the Capitals might be able to win one more in next couple of years. He loves it there.
Faulk, no.
Q’s contract is up in 2 yrs and so is Crawfords, likely thats about what the window for core they are looking at and the length of any veteran help to sign for. If they can acquire a younger player in a trade, that would be good for long term. Biggest question is will the core be able to rebound as hoped. Time will tell.
They’re not currently rebuilding, just retooling – they’re going throw in the towel on the final years of Toews/Kane/Keith quite yet.
So in that case, cap space does them jack shit. If they’re always playing the restraint game, they’re never going to go for it enough to win the cup. They’re going to spend to help for the present with an eye on what they’ll need in the future.
Darling is a silly option but getting a legit top pairing d-man in Faulk, at a reasonable price as well, would be an amazing grab and would help immediately. Plus, they absolutely have the space to do this and sign Schmaltz in a season.
Say the cap goes up a conservative amount of $3m next season, that would put the cap at $83m. With Rutta coming off the books, that right there opens up $5.3m alone to dedicate to Schmaltz if need be. Debrincat isn’t until the season after that when Crawford’s contract is also up and isn’t likely to get another $6m. So, conservative raise for the cap, coupled with natural exists of players (like Gus) and a lowering of Crow’s cap hit if he resigns, should be plenty for Debrincat. Not to mention they could move Anisimov this summer decently easy if need be but can definitely move him wherever the next summer as he loses his NTC completely. If Murphy ends up not working out, they could shed him pretty easily, though I’d dislike that.
As it stands now, the Hawks are in a decent position cap-wise to make a move or two this summer and still have space in the future, even if the cap only going up a bit. They’ll have to be careful, but they certainly shouldn’t be scared to make moves that with benefit the team this season or next. The minute a team is scared to operate as a contender is the minute they’ve already lost.
That’s a post I read somewhere, that explains of more of what I mean.
Noonan, I meant Seabs down the road in terms of being able to trade his caphit when he closer to that 6yr and when we would need to resign the rfas (Buckeru, Mitchell, 8th pick etc guys), as a way of doing it.
Didn’t mean to seem like that was a reason 19 people say about. That he is in fact not as heavy physical etc as before and more faster and lighterwighted.
Batman is headed in right direction, after the first 1.5 of last 3 yrs of not doing as good (that 1.5 would be after he took those hits, like the late high one Boy chuck in game 5, sat 3rd period). Hopefully that’s a sign hes coming around.
Faulk had an off year and regressed, acquiring him would be a gamble that it is only a blip and he improves signifucantly over last season. So don’t want over pay for what may not work out favourably, and the warning already is there.
Yea I like that post, other then Faulk as that guy Darren pointed out the Hamilin guy would be better then him. Faulk would only be 2yr contract though.
Basically that post and get good ufa players or trade for them.
We finally have space, and a lot of it 18.5m and people want to sit. That way think we cant win for sure because of 19 and 7 so lets just wait another ? yrs.
I say get back 81/4 with whoever is available that can play/good 1st line and top pair and 2nd pair. Then keep getting young players/draft or trade.
I want to hear, upbeat!
and None of that stinkin root beer.