Who would be better on the Blackhawks' blue line:
Brent Sopel
DOB: 01/07/1977 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 205 10 years of NHL experience
Drafted sixth round (140th overall) by Vancouver in 1995
Current team: Chicago Blackhawks
Sopel is a 32-year old defensive man who is trying to make it on one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. He missed most of the 2008-09 season with an injury, but has come back to be the sixth blue liner on the Hawks' roster.
His offensive game does not exist, and his contributions are minimal. Through nine games played (Saturday, Oct. 24), Sopel has recorded just nine shots on goal, zero points, and is minus three for the season. His puck handling is mediocre, his passing is suspect, and he looks like a European pedophile who lives in a van outside the United Center.
He is the only player on the Blackhawks that has played in more than two games this year who has not yet scored a point. Only Tomas Kopecky andColin Fraser, both minus four, have a worse rating than Sopel on the Hawks' roster. He is averaging just 12:11 ice time per game.
Sopel is currently in the second year of a three-year contract worth $7 million; his salary cap figure is $2.3 million.
Why Sopel?
Because he's currently under contract. The Blackhawks would have to buy out the remainder of this season and his $2 million salary for 2010-11, which isn't a popular idea because of the Hawks' proximity to the NHL salary cap. Sopel has also been a contributor to the Hawks' power play killing unit this year, and is willing to sacrifice his body to block shots.
Why not Sopel?
Because he's just not good enough. He makes the stupid mistakes in his own zone that often turn into goals, and does not exist offensively. He's expensive and slow on his skates, and has not produced enough to merit a roster spot on a team that's trying to win the Stanley Cup.
Chris Chelios
DOB: 01/25/1962 Ht: 5'11" Wt: 192 25 years of NHL experience
Drafted second round (40th overall) by Montreal in 1981
Current team: Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Chelios is a first-ballot Hall of Fame player who's entire resume reads like a Hall of Fame roster. He broke into the NHL with Montreal, and was an All Star in his rookie season. He was runner-up for the Calder Trophy that season to Mario Lemieux. He was a member of the 1985-86 Stanley Cup Champion Canadiens.
In 1990, he was traded from Montreal to Chicago with draft picks for Denis Savard, who's in the Hall of Fame and is a current Blackhawks Ambassador. In Chelios' first season with the Hawks, they would advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, the last time the franchise has been to the Finals.
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