Bleacher Report - Jonathan Toews

Blackhawks Preserve Toews and Kane's Careers With Contractual Restraint

Steven Ovadia — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:58:02 -0500

NHL GMs are falling in love with the long-term contract.

What's not to love?

Since cap hits are calculated using the average annual value of the contract, superstars can be retained with front-loaded contracts that are relatively easy to buy out toward the end of a career, thus taking the sting out of a hefty superstar salary.

The downside? You're basically saddled with a player who could seriously deteriorate before it's financially viable to buy-out the contract.

That's what makes Chicago's recent signing so very interesting. On the one hand, you had the team holding onto defenseman Duncan Keith with a 13-year, $72 million contract, which works out to a cap hit of around $5.5 million per year.

The length isn't horrifying when you consider how gracefully defensemen tend to age and the annual cap hit is certainly reasonable.

What was even more impressive were the signings of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to five-year $31.5 million contracts, which turns into an annual cap hit of $6.3 million per year, a high number, but well within the norm for two rising NHL stars.

The lengths of the contracts are what's most impressive, though. For as much upside as the two youngsters seem to have, there is always a huge degree of risk with unproven talent.

We've seen it this season. While Kane is on-track for another 70-odd point season, Toews, captain of the Blackhawks, is struggling with just six goals in 20 games. It could be an aberration or it could be an indication Toews' first two successful NHL campaigns were statistical anomalies.

But the beauty of the relatively short-term signings is that if Toews is on the downside of his career sooner than anticipated, the Blackhawks aren't saddled with his contract for the next decade.

And if, as expected, Toews rebounds in the second half of the season, Chicago has him locked down for a good amount of time, with the option of re-signing him at the end of his contract.

Even better for the Blackhawks, assuming no no-trade clauses were granted, a six-year contract is a lot easier to trade than a 13-year one. Especially a few years into a six-year deal.

One has to wonder if the Blackhawks weren't a bit scared off by the adventures of Mike Richards in Philadelphia. Richards, just a few years older than Kane and Toews, signed a 12-year, $69 million extension in December 2007.

He finished the next full season with 80 points and the Flyers captaincy. He has played well this season, with 11 goals in his first 24 games, but he's come under fire for the Flyers' recent swoon , with fans complaining he's not taking enough of a leadership role.

What happens when Richards gets tired of the backlash and realizes he's still got a decade to go on his contract? Will the security of a 12-year deal begin to feel like a prison sentence?

One has to wonder if the Blackhawks watched this situation carefully and worried about sinking Toews with the pressure of being the team captain, plus the pressure of a huge, long-term contract.

And one has to wonder if the organization worried that by keeping him for 10 or 15 years, they might accidentally crush his spirit and destroy his career.

Long-term contracts are useful from an economic point of view, but not enough GMs seem to consider the psychological toll it can take on a player—especially a young player.

There's definitely some pressure on a player coming up in the NHL with a reputation for being a rising star. The pressure can become oppressive on a player whose team potentially ruined its ability to sign future free agents, or retain players, because it threw the bank at him.

Duncan Keith is going to have some huge expectations to live up to for quite a long time.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane's relatively short contracts will give the Blackhawks two wonderful gifts: Future flexibility with their roster and a chance for the two forwards to develop without the yoke of a long-term contract holding them back.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com

It's Official: The Chicago Blackhawks Lock Up Keith, Toews, and Kane

TAB BAMFORD — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:15:44 -0500

An organization that is coming to be known for doing things right continues to one-up their own benchmarks. Thursday’s press conference, and the reason for it, is just one more notch in the right direction.

At the United Center, the Chicago Blackhawks announced the new contracts for Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Kane on Thursday in a press conference that serves as a wonderful example of how much the organization “gets it.”

The press conference began with a video tribute to the three players. Appropriately, as the video began playing, the voice of Chicago’s own Billy Corrigan came through singing “Today’s the greatest day I’ve ever known,” from the Smashing Pumpkins’ classic. GM Stan Bowman correctly stated that today was a historic day in the history of the Blackhawks organization.

Bowman stated that that "the plan was to keep our core together for a long time and Jonathan [Toews], Duncan [Keith], and Patrick [Kane] are a major part of that.” Bowman’s effort to keep that core together came in the form of matching five-year, $31.5 million contracts for Toews and Kane, and a 13-year, $72 million deal for Keith.

All three players noted during the press conference that they were drafted by the Blackhawks as 18-year-olds, and sharing the day together was fitting to all three. As much as Bowman considers these three players the core of the organization, it was obvious at the press conference that the organization, and the city of Chicago , has become the core of the three players.

One reporter asked the three if they realized how good they have it, playing in front of roaring packed buildings every home game, and now becoming the best team in Chicago across all professional sports. Toews responded that its fun to meet and spend time with guys in other sports, but it was Keith that drove home the evolution of the organization.

Keith made his Blackhawks debut in 2005-06, when the Hawks were regularly filling between 7-9,000 seats. Kane and Toews have been the poster boys for the evolution of the Hawks organization, but Keith said it’s “amazing to see the turnaround…how much fun it is to play here.”

Keith also said he’s happy to have signed such a long term deal with the team, and he is confident that the team will win a championship during his tenure. Keith said he always envisioned playing his entire career for the Blackhawks, and now he’ll get that chance.

When asked why it was important to announce all three deals together, Keith said it was because no single player is bigger than the team. It was overwhelmingly apparent that all three of these players are committed to the Indian and their teammates.

Both Toews and Kane said in their remarks that they’re new contract is for five more years, but that shouldn’t be the end of their Chicago careers. And Keith made special mention of his partner on the blue line, Brent Seabrook.

The Blackhawks did not, however, address the salary cap issue. One question was presented to the players, but Kane simply said they don’t think too much about the business end of things and just focus on the ice. There has been little done publicly to clarify how the tagging situation for the Hawks would play a role in these three contracts, and whether or not a move needed to be made to formally make these deals a reality.

It is clear, though, that money will have to be moved off next year’s payroll to put a complete roster on the ice under the projected salary cap. The speculation will be in high gear as the coming days and months move along toward the trade deadline, but for now Hawks fans can sit back, put their feet up, and enjoy a cold one in honor of a great day in Chicago hockey history.

All three players stressed that today was about the team, and winning the Stanley Cup. Now that they’ll be part of the team for the better part of the coming decade, the Cup dream might be closer to becoming more of a reality than at any time since 1961.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com

Done Deals: Chicago Blackhawks To Announce Extensions Thursday

TAB BAMFORD — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:33:38 -0500

The Chicago Blackhawks have scheduled a 2:00 p.m. press conference at the United Center to formally announce new contracts for Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.

It's believed that the initially reported years (five each for Kane and Toews, 13 for Keith) are the lengths of the deals. TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting Wednesday night that Kane and Toews' deals will average $6.3 million per season, while Keith's will average $5.5 million.

TSN is also reporting that the Blackhawks have not cleared the "tagging room" hurdle, however. That means another move could come as early as tonight to clear cap space on next year's payroll. Rumors have swirled recently including Cam Barker, Brent Sopel and Patrick Sharp. The Hawks likely will need to either trade a player or move one through waivers to make space for the new deals.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com

Blackhawks Leave Jackets Blue as Quenneville Reaches Milestone

TAB BAMFORD — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:58 -0500

How many firsts were there for the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night?

Tuesday was Dec. 1. The Blackhawks played at home for the first time in two weeks. It was the first game of the year between the Blackhawks and division rival—and second place—Columbus.

Marian Hossa was playing in his first home game as a member of the Hawks. It was the first time the Hawks wore their new third jerseys. And it was the first time a Blackhawks’ team had a shootout reach double-digit shots.

All of that to get Coach Joel Quenneville his 500th career win as an NHL coach.

Welcome home indeed!

The Blackhawks admittedly didn’t have their legs in the first period as they were outshot by the Blue Jackets 10-5. But Chicago still held the advantage on the scoreboard after an incredible short handed goal from Kris Versteeg.

Versteeg got the puck on a break up the right side, used a ridiculous toe-drag to beat an initial defender, then used another sick toe-drag to elude a second defender before depositing the puck over Steve Mason’s shoulder to give the Hawks the 1-0 lead.

Despite the score, the Hawks didn’t have much momentum heading to the first break. On the radio broadcast, Patrick Kane told the Chicago broadcast team that the Hawks were struggling to get the flow of their offense down after being gone for two weeks on the West Coast.

The Blackhawks made a number of mistakes, including two questionable penalties and numerous turnovers in their own zone that their stellar defense effectively mitigated.

The second period started with more back and forth action, and just over eight minutes in the Jackets tied the game when Antoine Vermette put back a sloppy rebound off Cristobal Huet. Then, six minutes later, former Blackhawks' center Sami Pahlsson got another puck past Huet to give Columbus the lead. The Hawks were still searching for their groove.

But the second penalty of the period on Anton Stralman opened the door for the Hawks to put together an offensive rush, and they capitalized.

With a lot of traffic in front of the net, Kane threw the puck to Hossa in front of the net. Hossa tipped Kane’s pass nicely through the traffic to a wide-open Patrick Sharp on the backside of the play and he tied the game again.

Once Sharp tied the game, the Hawks became noticeably more physical. Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer, and Niklas Hjalmarsson worked the corners hard, and, more times than not, left their opponent without the puck and off their feet.

The Hawks controlled the final three minutes of the second period, and the game headed to the third period even in almost every way; not only was the score tied, but the Hawks had taken just one shot more than the Jackets, and the two teams were nearly even in every other statistical category.

Columbus came out strong in the third, and took the lead only 40 seconds into the period on a long shot from Kris Russell.

However, the Hawks continued to press the offensive zone and drew more penalties. Only 17 seconds after Fedor Tyutin was called for high sticking, Jonathan Toews tied the game at three. The Blackhawks' power-play offense, which had been a concern for much of October, has continued to improve since Toews’ return.

The other side of the special teams, the penalty kill, also continues to be exceptional for Chicago. The Hawks entered Tuesday with the second-ranked PK unit in the NHL, but were facing the top converting power play in the NHL in Columbus. Through three periods and overtime, the Hawks defense was again superior as they killed all three penalties the Jackets drew.

Why, after being gone for two weeks, would the Hawks cheat their fans by playing only 60 minutes of hockey? Let’s play five extra minutes.

Neither team was able to score in the overtime session though, so the Blackhawks treated their great fans to a shootout.

In the second round of the shootout, Hossa put the puck into the net to start the dance for the Hawks. But Jakub Voracek answered to start the third round, and when Kane couldn’t end it, the game continued for extra shots.

Sharp, Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Brouwer, Tomas Kopecky, Byfuglien, and John Madden all tried their best but couldn’t beat Mason, who had struggled in shootouts before Tuesday.

It wasn’t until the 11th round, when Quenneville finally called on a defenseman, that the game ended. Brent Seabrook, who already has two overtime game-winners this year, got the puck past Mason to end the longest shootout in franchise history.

Huet stopped 20 of 23 shots, but made great saves on the best moves from Columbus.

On more than one occasion, Rick Nash made stunning moves in traffic and got the puck to Huet, but the Hawks’ goaltender was up to the task every time. He was also stellar in the shootout, in which he was aggressive playing the puck and made saves in nearly every direction.

Hossa had two assists in his first game in Chicago, giving him four points in four games with the Hawks. Duncan Keith had his 14th assist on the season on a shot that has, for now, been credited as a goal to Toews. Whether or not Toews made contact with the puck could be reviewed.

And so, after a night filled with firsts, Quenneville finally reached his 500th career win in his third try.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com

Chicago Blackhawks November Recap

TAB BAMFORD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:16:46 -0500

At the end of October, we looked ahead to a November schedule that looked like it would provide a rough test for the Chicago Blackhawks . With most of the top teams in the Western Conference on the schedule, and the annual Circus Trip taking the Hawks on the road for two weeks, it was clear that November would provide an opportunity for the Hawks to gauge their play against the best in the West.

November is now over, and the Hawks got a pretty good idea of where they stand in the West. They are one of the elite.

The Blackhawks ended November 8-2-2 (18 pts), and finished the Circus Trip an impressive 4-1-1. On the Circus Trip, the Hawks put seven goals on both the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks in the midst of an eight-game winning streak that raised the Hawks to national prominance.

Cristobal Huet had a solid month, allowing only 2.00 goals per game and earning a 7-2-1 record for the month. His play raised him to the Top Five in the NHL in goals against average and put the Hawks near the top of the conference standings.

For the month, the Hawks outscored their opponents 39-25, or 3.25-2.08 per game.

Huet was aided by superb defense from nearly every position. The Hawks continued their dominance on the power play kill, only allowing seven goals on 39 power plays (an 82.05 percent kill rate). When you factor in that the Hawks scored four short handed goals in November, including the spectacular three-goal effort in San Jose last week, the Blackhawks have established arguably the best PK unit in the game.

Many players had good offensive months, but perhaps the most surprising player in November was Troy Brouwer. Usually a third or fourth line wing, Brouwer led the team with three power play goals among his nine points (four goals, five assists) for the month of November. Duncan Keith led the team with 13 points in 12 games, recording one goal and 12 assists in the month. Patrick Kane led all goal scorers for the Hawks with five; Kane also had seven assists in the month.

Jonathan Toews missed the first two games of November because of his concussion, but rebounded to score four goals and record six assists for 10 points in just 10 games. Toews had two power plays goals as he and Brouwer led a resurgent unit for the Hawks that improved by scoring 10 goals on 38 power plays in the month (26.32 percent conversion).

Oh, and we haven't even started talking about the arrival of Marian Hossa in the lineup. The great two-way forward has already contributed two goals in just three games and is playing physical defense on both sides of the ice. Despite the Hawks losing Dave Bolland to back surgery early this November, they have continued scoring and moving the puck well, even with players like Kris Versteeg occasionally picking up ice time in the circle.

As the Hawks come home for most of the month of December, the Eastern Conference teams come calling. The Blackhawks got a good idea of where they rank among the heavyweights in the Western Conference in November and should feel fairly confident heading towards Christmas.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com

Kings Over Hawks: Royal Flush Ends Circus Trip

TAB BAMFORD — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:11:22 -0500

Most years, the Chicago Blackhawks would be thrilled to come home from their annual Circus Trip with nine of a possible 12 points. But after winning the first four games of the trip in overwhelming fashion, only getting one point in the final two games leaves the feeling that the Hawks let something get away.

The Blackhawks tried to bounce back after being shut out in Anaheim, but again struggled to get their offense going. The defense was significantly better than it was on Friday afternoon, but the groove on offense took two periods to appear on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

In the first, the Hawks shut down the Kings just as they did in Chicago a couple weeks ago. The score ended tied at zero, but the Hawks only allowed four shots on Cristobal Huet.

The second period saw more shots getting to both goalies, and the Kings getting on the board first. Wayne Simmonds got the puck past Huet to make the score 1-0 Kings.

However, the Hawks killed three penalties in the second period, as they effectively got back to their excellent defense on the penalty kill; the Hawks allowed all three goals in Anaheim with a man advantage, but entered action as the second best penalty killing team in the league.

In the third, Jonathan Toews got the Hawks back onto the scoreboard after over 153 minutes between goals with a nice putback of a rebound in traffic to tie the game. Patrick Kane threw a hard shot at Jonathan Quick that escaped his grasp, and Toews was there to capitalize. Quick had a magnificent game for Los Angeles, saving 32 of 33 shots he faced in the game to earn the win.

The game extended through a lackluster overtime period, and then came the shootout. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were Chicago’s first two shooters, and both failed to beat Quick. Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson scored on Los Angeles’ first two attempts on Huet, and the game ended with the Hawks receiving just one point for the 2-1 loss.

Dustin Byfuglien served two more penalty minutes in the game, while Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson also spent time in detention. Duncan Keith had an assist on Toews’ goal to give him ten points in his last ten games.

The loss delays coach Joel Quenneville achieving 500 career victories until the Hawks return home on Dec. 1, when they host Columbus.

Read more Jonathan Toews news on BleacherReport.com