Dealing Patrick Sharp to Stars give Blackhawks salary-cap breathing space
Caption Patrick Sharp Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Patrick Sharp during the Blackhawks championship rally June 18, 2015 at Soldier Field.
Patrick Sharp carries the Stanley Cup to a bus at United Center for the start of the championship parade on June 18, 2015.
By
Chris Kuc Chicago Tribune contact the reporter
Blackhawks trade Patrick Sharp in GM Stan Bowman's continued effort to shed payroll.
In the two previous salary-cap purges after Blackhawks Stanley Cup championships in 2010 and ’13, general manager Stan Bowman managed to avoid disrupting the team’s core group of players.
That changed Friday as the Hawks’ core was breached with the widely anticipated trade of alternate captain Patrick Sharp to the Stars in Bowman’s continued effort to construct a roster within the NHL’s salary-cap confines.
In return for Sharp, 33, and top defenseman prospect Stephen Johns, the Hawks received defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt.
Blackhawks trade Patrick Sharp to Dallas to help clear salary cap on July 10, 2015. (WGN-TV)
Most important, the Hawks shed Sharp’s $5.9 million salary-cap hit and now have some wiggle room under the $71.4 million limit to continue to build the roster for 2015-16.
The Stars retained half of Garbutt’s $1.8 million cap hit, and with Daley’s cap number at $3.3 million and Johns’ $800,000 off the books, the Hawks saved $2.5 million.
“This is more of an old-fashioned hockey trade,” Bowman said. “Sometimes when you make trades of players who make a lot of money, you’re just trying to get draft picks or prospects back. The key thing for us was trying to make our team better in the process.
“We did clear some salary-cap space in the process, which is a positive. From that perspective, it was sort of a dual-purpose move.”
Bowman had been working diligently to find a trade partner for Sharp, who for the last decade was not only one of the most productive Hawks players, but also one of the most popular. He finally found one in the Central Division rival Stars.
“It’s difficult trying to find a trading partner where it all lines up and you’ve got a need that they have and you’ve got a player that they like and they’ve got the cap space to do what you’re trying to do,” Bowman said. “There have been countless phone calls over the past three weeks trying to find the right deal, and this one finally made sense.”
Blackhawks dealing of Patrick Sharp makes it tougher to repeat
Daley, 31, recorded career highs with 16 goals and 22 assists in 68 games last season, and his arrival could mean veteran Johnny Oduya won’t be back with the Hawks. The unrestricted free agent has been waiting for the Hawks to clear cap space before signing, but Bowman raved about the acquisition of Daley.
“Certainly in today’s game, having somebody from the back end who can score at that rate is a nice weapon to have,” Bowman said. “We’ve always marveled at Trevor’s ability to skate. He’s a very active player, he’s involved in the play and I think he’s going to be a great fit for the style of hockey that we play here.”
Garbutt, 29, had eight goals and 17 assists in 67 games last season and is an agitator along the lines of Hawks forward Andrew Shaw.
“You hate playing against (Garbutt) but you like having a guy like him on your team,” Bowman said. “He certainly can agitate with the best of them. He’s got great speed as well. He’s a versatile player. Good role player and we expect him to be a contributor.”
Johns, 23, was expected to bid for a roster spot next season. The Hawks’ second-round pick (60th overall) in 2010 had a career-high 21 points in 51 games with Rockford of the AHL.
“It’s always tough to give up young defensemen, but sometimes it’s required in order to make a deal,” Bowman said. “(Johns) has a nice career ahead of him, but we wanted to add pieces that can contribute to our team next season.”
Caption Second showing Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune
Two-year-old Collin Michalak, of Chicago, touches the Stanley Cup for the second time in his short life as the trophy tours Evanston Hospital on June 30, 2015. Looking on is his dad, Mark Michalak. Collin and his twin brother, Peter, got to sit in the Cup shortly after their birth in 2013.
Barbara Pinc and Kevin Tietz, of Grayslake, pose with their 4-month-old son, Calvin Tietz, and the Stanley Cup at Evanston Hospital on June 30, 2015. Calvin was born in Feburary at 28 weeks, weighing 2.5 pounds, and has been in the hospital ever since with lung issues. He now weighs over 8 pounds, and his parents are hoping to take him home soon.
Drafted by the Flyers in the third round (95th overall) in 2001, Sharp was acquired by then-Hawks GM Dale Tallon in December 2005 and became an integral part of the franchise’s resurgence. The Hawks also received Eric Meloche in the deal for Matt Ellison and a 2006 third-round pick.
While the other two players failed to make an impact in the league, Sharp has gone on to capture three Stanley Cups, record four 30-goal seasons, win an All-Star Game MVP award in 2011 and help Team Canada capture the gold medal in the 2014 Olympics.
During 679 games with the Hawks, Sharp had 239 goals and 272 assists while developing into one of the NHL’s best two-way players. In the Hawks’ run to the 2010 Stanley Cup — their first in 49 years — Sharp displayed his versatility as he primarily played center on the second line.
He was a popular teammate, and Patrick Kane tweeted Friday: “Gonna miss my big brother and one of my best friends.”
Friday’s trade followed the June 30 deal that sent Brandon Saad to the Blue Jackets and began the alteration of the roster. It’s possible Bowman will do more, as he still has to bring restricted free-agent center Marcus Kruger into the fold.
“I’m not going to rule anything out or rule it in,” Bowman said. “It’s still sort of a fluid situation, and there are a lot of factors at play. We’re getting closer to a point where we can say, ‘This is officially our team,’ but we’re not there yet.”
ckuc@tribpub.com
Twitter @ChrisKuc
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