Buyout Wednesday: Could Bryan Bickell Be Gone?
With Pittsburgh winning the Stanley Cup on Sunday night, the offseason is officially under way for the NHL.
The first events on the offseason calendar come Wednesday, 48 hours after the Cup is clinched.
Buyouts start Wednesday, #2016NHLDraft on June 24/25, FA negotiations start June 25, the 2016 off-season calendar: pic.twitter.com/8wtPwmZ0L0
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) June 13, 2016
Wednesday is the opening of the first buyout period for teams across the NHL.
And Bryan Bickell’s name may be mentioned early in the process.
Bickell, 30, had two assists in 25 games with the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 regular season; he appeared in 47 games with the IceHogs after being demoted.
Originally a second round pick (41st overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks, Bickell scored 65 goals and added 70 assists in 384 regular season games. The best season of his career came in 2010-11 when he scored 17 goals with 20 assists, both career highs. During the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bickell posted 17 points in 23 games as the Hawks won their second Stanley Cup in four seasons.
After that postseason performance, Bickell was rewarded with a four-year, $16M deal.
He has simply never lived up to the dollars he was given.
If Bickell is bought out this summer, his cap hit for the 2016-17 season would be $1,000,000 – a $3,000,000 cap savings for the coming season (if Bickell is on the NHL roster). However, Bickell would carry a $1,500,000 cap hit for the 2017-18 season if bought out.
Dude had really bad injury luck.
That 2013 playoff run was incredible.
The notary stamped the buyout as soon as Bettman handed the SC to Crosby.
Stan and company must start executing the post season plan pronto.
I love Penguins GM Jimmy rutherfords comments interviews, he said the key was getting faster. Acquisitions such as Hagelin and Daley.
This is good news for the Hawks. As we all know, Q often talks about “playing with pace”. And so as the roster begins to change, it’s good to know that guys like Motte have been signed. He plays very “fast”. That’s what this league is now about youth and speed.
What you saw from the Sharks was speed, speed, speed. The Blues just didn’t have an answer for it. In the end, the Penguins had more skill and more speed and that was what won them the Cup when the smoke cleared. Losing Tomas Hertl really hurt the Sharks.
Good news for the Hawks, too. This team still has speed, skill and experience and there is more speed and skill in the pipeline.
For the record………BOTH the Sharks AND the Pens were 100% out of the playoff picture at Christmas time. You don’t have to win the division or run the table from start to finish, you just have to get into the playoffs and find your comfort zone.
I will be surprised if Hawks buyout Bickell at this point. With just one year to go and his contract value that savings of $2 million (by keeping him off the NHL roster) in cap space next year are nearly offset by the $1.5 million hit the following year. For such a small return it seems to make sense to hold on and hope for a better outcome (LTIR or whatever).
$3 M in cap savings isn’t enough on Bickell. Need the full $4 M, meaning it’s better to tie him to Teuvo in a trade.
Did anyone else feel nauseous when Sydney Crosby hoisted our Cup?
Teuvo should NOT be this year’s Stephen Johns. Trading valuable assets to get someone to take salary is bad business. Plus TT is a better, more proven, younger player than Johns.
I’d rather package some of our Rockford parts than TT, if you have to.
Short of someone taking all of Bick’s salary in trade, I’d rather him be stashed in the Rock for two seasons.
Let’s please stop trading away young promising players to get rid of bad contracts. If you can’t trade Bickell then suffer with him one more year we have done three already.
Teuvo is an ex-Hawk within 10 days.
I believe the Hawks will buy pickle out however I do not agree with it. Suck it up one more year and be done with it
I felt a little ping, pang, curdle, in my gut when Cindy Crosby took the cup from that smiling lizzard. How the crap did Cindy win the Con Smythe?,.,.Total Bullshit.
Craig Button just said,.,Crosby is better than Toews,.,.,.talking out his ass again.
Dropthepuck- I detest Cyndi Crosby and the Pens almost as much as I detest the Blues and St. Louis Cardinals.
A three million dollar cap savings if on the roster, or a 2 million cap savings if he plays in Rockford.
It is tough, and admittedly I dont know the numbers but the priority needs to be signing Shaw to a one year deal. This is the best way to remain competative. I believe it means trading Bickel, but if it can be accomplished through a buyout then all the better, as a good prospect, not TT, wouldnt have to be thrown out with BB. Still depends on next year too – everyone and their mom knows about the Panarin extension that looms.
Shaw 1 year @ 3m
Bickel buyout/trade – no TT involved
Call up the kids
go go go
On one hand you pay him and free up a roster spot today but you have 2 small hits this year and next year. On the other hand you are going to be paying him anyways perhaps you just bite the bullet bury him and let his contract expire. What an absolute pain in the ass contract. Of all the good players that left; the Hawks decided this was the guy they needed,…FUDGE!
950 savings if he’s in Rockford
Rufus, youve been saying that for a year. If you keep saying it it will eventually be true. I’ve been saying Toews will be an ex Hawk for a few days short of ten years
Hawks aren’t buying out Bickell. They will either trade him away with Teuvo or bite the bullet for one more season on the cap hit.
Milk came out my nose from laughing at whoever’s post that Shaw can be had on a one year, $3 million contract. Good Lord Tab needs to install a hockey IQ test on this site as prerequisite to be able to post.
I agree RTF and he should start with you.
Yeo to St. Louis?
Rufus does know his stuff. He is stubborn as a mule on most things though. I wouldn’t be shocked if they trade Teuvo. However, I’d like to know how they fill what he provides to them for under 900k.
Other names that are buyout candidates that might interest Hawks post buyout. Jared Cowen, Thomas Vanek. Vanek screams Semin clone and not a Q type. But he probably would come cheap and is a left wing. His production just didnt match his contract 18g-23a 41 pts 74 gp. Sound familiar? Koivu was the leading point producer with 56 in Minnesota last year with 8 more games.
Cowen, if bought out is a rather interesting case. because of his age the Leafs would actually have a cap credit of 650k this year. But a 750k hit next year. He’s big, but he’s coming off of some injuries and has an extensive injury history.
Shaw has no reason to take a 1 year deal. Price might be about right but the only reason I’d take that is to get to UFA status quicker. I could see a scenario where Bickell is traded, then bought out by a team with money that wants assets back. Teuvo would be a non starter as youd need to replace 2 top 6 players.
Hawks1961 – True that!! I blew milk out of my nose on that one, and I wasn’t even drinking milk.
Toronto has 8 draft picks in the first 100 (actually 101)
This would be a really good team for Stan to deal with. They have cap space. They have draft picks. They are in the Eastern Conference. If Shaw or Crawford or Teuvo are on the move, it should would be nice to nab picks 30 and 31.
Picture this, Stan and company wait the entire first round and nab a guy at 30 that they figured would go in the top 20. Then, go back to the hotel, look at their draft board, find consensus, go to bed, then go back to the draft on Saturday morning, open up the 2nd round with a steal. Suddenly the rest of the league is wondering how did the Hawks pull that off ?
Keep dreaming Craig. Hawks are win now. Picks 30 and 31 dont help as much as losing 50 hurts. Cap space is great, but when it comes down to it theyll spend right up to it because they are contenders. Regardless if the cap is 80 million or if they have 10 million in space. They’ll be a cap team until theyre not good enough to be a cap team.
As has been mentioned before, SB et al have had a fair amount of time to assess the current status of the team and look at other teams. Betcha they have about 10 different scenarios they could pull some sort of trigger on, and those could change into other scenarios as certain things fall in and out of place.
And it looks like they have time to evaluate the Bickell buyout. The possibility may start Wednesday, and he could be discussed early as Tab mentioned. But it looks like the Blackhawks have well over a month to decide on the Bickell issue.
I do find it hard to think he would be taken by someone in a trade, regardless of being packaged with TT or someone else. It’s gonna get nutty all around the league now that the Cup has been hoisted.
You are correct Ernie. I am dreaming. But I have a hard time believing that after exiting in the first round, that at the first opportunity to make an impact, and perhaps take a player with Schmaltz potential, they will sit there patiently until the 3rd round.
1. Just gotta love these people who can’t stay on point with their comments.
2. Agree 100% with Hawks1961
Maybe TT just needs more time or maybe he’s too much of a lightweight to ever make much of an impact (especially at center). No one knows for sure and both are possibilities. Over the next 5 years though, I would rate Schmaltz as a better prospect at center, and I would have no issue with moving TT to make a dent in the cap situation.
They waited last year. Regarding Schmaltz at center. He was 45% on draws at UND. Itd be great if he could play center but I have my doubts. He’s listed as a c/RW in some outlets.
re: teams w/ lots of picks that could look to deal – Buffalo is a lot closer to doing some damage in the east than Toronto and is still loaded up w/ picks (and veteran players fwiw).
Schmaltz is as much a center at the NHL level as Teuvo has been….
If Shaw is moved due to the cap, one low cost option I would love to see the Hawks pursue is UFA Trevor Lewis of the Kings. Not a big scorer but in the playoffs he really brings a tenacious style.
I am a bit skeptical that Hartman is just going to plug into the Shaw role.
Motte might also need a half year in Rockford. So Lewis might be a guy you can plug in to play some center and some wing depending on need.
RTF you finally got your wish the ill fitting Finn is gone. I hope he has a HOF career and hoists the Cup a few more times. Now Andrew Shaw will lead us to the Cup because he has so much talent. I don’t think so.