Chicago Blackhawks Trade Michael Frolik To Winnipeg
Moments after trading one member of their fourth line, the Blackhawks have moved another. The Chicago Blackhawks have traded trade Michael Frolik to the Winnipeg Jets for the 74th and 134th overall selections.
Not sure about this one, but Bowman deserves the benefit of the doubt.
I guess he wasn’t joking when he said he was going to give players from Rockford chances to make the team.
Hawks have gotten 5 picks and dropped nearly 6 million dollars in salary for two fourth line players. CAN’T TRUST THIS BOWMAN
to JS’s point, Bowman has now added five picks for two fourth line forwards.
The Hawks will miss Frolik’s work on PK and Bolland’s postseason play, but they just cleared almost $6M in cap space off their fourth line and picked up five picks in the process.
Frolik had that great penalty shot goal against Detroit and he was very good with Kruger in making our bottom 6 better than the bottom six of the opposition. That being said, Bowman has to be given the benefit of the doubt. He has proven he knows how to make picks and he is in a much better position with respect to the cap.
Give Bowman his due, but I personally don’t agree with this one! Frolik is a winner and more than a 4th liner for $2.33mm. Jumped from line to line and was one of our best on the PK. That said, lets go
Mike, he was one of my favorite players and it hurts. But it appears they signed Bickell for 4m, and that explains the move I think.
I will Frolik for his consistency, game in and game out. He was a guy who was continuously playing his role with urgency. That said, I don’t know enough about Winnipeg to know how he’ll be used, but maybe he’ll have a chance to expand his role there. I wish him well for sure.
make that, I will MISS Frolik, for his consistency……
And he came up big when it counted. How bout that penalty shot goal against Detroit in the playoffs. I won’t forget that play. I was shouting FROOOOLEEEEK for days.
very tough to see Frolik leave. He and 16 always busted their asses to get a win….and the PK numbers were outta sight . Not crazy about trading to Winny
Maybe frolik is looking for something other than a 4th line pk role? Frolik also isn’t a fitting piece to the 14 puzzle with the cap going down. 2.3 is a lot of green for a 4th line pk guy when your stacked with potential young talent out west.
+1, JS!
I’ll miss Frolik, but I wish him well on his next stop.
I feel the same way I did when the ‘hawks traded away Ladd and Brouwer. Great players who were playing lesser rolls (and excelling) with the Blackhawks than they would with many teams. Here’s hoping Frolik is as successful as many other Hawks who have left. Thanks for the memories Fro!
Well, we called this one, and when I described it, there was nothing about Frolik’s level of play…he was awesome for us, and it hurts to see Fro leave…but it HAD to be done…and not so much for the money…I don’t think most of you really believed (or even still believe) in these Rockford kids, but they are for real and Bowman knows it…as I said a few days ago, Pirri, Smith, Morin, Hayes and Stanton can’t wait any longer…literally…they have to be given the chance to play this year, or we cut them loose…and as good as Frolik was, watch what Ben Smith does for us this year…this kid is a special young player, and he can do it all…5 on 5, 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line, 4th line, PP, PK…he contributes and doesn’t allow goals against when he is on the ice. Believe it or not, we will be fine.
My VERY best to Micael Frolik, a great Blackhawk…and not a bad trade by Bowman…Jack Skille (Tallon’s former #8 overall pick) for Frolik…and now, two more picks…
This is going to hurt our PK next year. It’s hurting me right now.
Nate, I don’t think it will hurt us as we have lots of candidates to take on this role effectively…the biggest thing we lose is Frolik’s quickness on the PK…
Sr Brad, I, probably others, do believe you are right and the Frolik trade will not hurt the club. The point is I believe he earned a larger role on the club and is a bargain at $2.33mm. I think some of us did not see this one coming.
We will see a lot of former Hawks when we play the Jets 4 times next season.
I agree with the youth movement (not that Frolik was a grissled veteran). IHowever, I think that Hayes is not ready. His skating ability needs to improve considerably to take a 3d or 4th line spot. I love the boy but he spend to much time on his butt.
Some of you do not agree with this trade because you’re too much caught up in the now. Yes, Frolik had a great season after redefining his hockey identity, but remember where Michael stood the year before. He had just come off a terrible season with zero consistency, lack of production, little confidence in his abilities after being benched etc. After the 11-12 season, the Hawks management would have loved to trade him away, but no team was interested in acquiring a loser.
Bowman couldn’t have picked a better moment to get rid of Frolik. Now that Frolik is a winner, Bowman was able to not only trade him away, but get some draft picks in return. Very smart move!
That being said, I have a lot of respect for Frolik and how he was willing to redefine his game and accept a different role. However, he can be replaced by our kids from the farm. It’s a solid move by Bowman.
Brad/JS- while I agree that Hawks could not afford the Luxury of all that $$$ money on 4th line- they both will be missed- and will be harder to replace than you think. Plus we will lose 25’s speed… so next year the Hawks will be much slower as a team!!!
IMO-The Hawks will make their next legit SC run w/ TT and or Danault in the lineup… Unless they pick up another FA or sign 25-
where I disagree Brad- none of the Hogs you mentioned can skate as well as Frolik/Bolland (or are as smart as 36)… while Pirri/Smith/Morin all can shoot as well- none can skate as well!!! The Hawks could be better offensively, but weaker on D… And the Hawks are built on speed/skating- so it will be interesting!!! The only guys who skate as well as those two are TT and Danault ( don’t know about Ross or 2013’s picks)
Brad – the Hawks PK was the best in the league this year. Frolik was a giant part of that. There’s no way a bunch of rookies are going to come up into the league and immediately fill those shoes. The PK this year simply won’t be as good – and all we’ve gained out of the deal is some mid-draft picks that might help the team somewhere down the road. Doesn’t seem worth the tradeoff.
Wall, technically your are right in the detailed comparisons, but the advantage is to Bolly and Fro because we got to see so much of them, and have seen very little of the 4 prospects…but remember, every time one of our prospects come up, they do very well…Ben Smith scored 3 goals against the Canucks in the playoffs, including an OT game winner…when have Bolland or Frolik EVER done that?
Smith, Morin, Hayes and Pirri all possess special qualities that will benefit the Hawks. Will we miss Frolik on the PK Nate? Yep, his speed, quickness and hustle are hard to replace, but we have the talent to overcome and that’s what we are going to do…
Mike (who’s a smart guy and a great blogger) said that he thought Jimmy Hayes was not ready for the show…and yet everytime he comes up he scores goals and is a + hockey player…he’s ready…although, he can spend less time on his butt.
Brad, understood- but I am still not sold on Pirri, Hayes, skating wise…
But I will add – I think 2 names that will surprise all in 3-4 years are Hinostroza and Alex Broadhurst- they can skate and are skilled- Just small…
Yep, I like both of them Wall…they just have to build that lower body strength…and play with a low centre of gravity…
I don’t like this trade at all. If you look back at when Frolik was with Florida, his goal scoring numbers were pretty good. Frolik is more than just a 4th line forward/penalty killer.
He wasn’t given the opportunity to be a goal scorer here being on the 4th line. Remember who was traded to get Frolik? Jack Skille. Who would you rather have?
IMO both Bowmans are all too anxious to get rid of players Dale Tallon acquired with the exception of the core of this team.
“IMO both Bowmans are all too anxious to get rid of players Dale Tallon acquired”
Bowman traded Skille for Frolik, so that theory doesn’t work.
And if Frolik was given the most appropriate opportunity possible in 2011-12, after he signed a three-year deal (offered by Bowman), and he earned a third line role on these Blackhawks. Now, with the development of players drafted by Bowman, he was pushed to a fourth line & penalty killing role. You don’t need $2.3M on your fourth line in the current NHL, so moving him makes perfect financial sense. The Blackhawks won the Skille trade and received great value for Frolik in the trade on draft day.