Bryan Bickell signed a 3-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday worth $1.625 million. This makes his cap hit for the next three years a mere $541 thousand. Pretty much league minimum for a guy who figures to get a decent amount of ice time in the upcoming season.

Now this deal is a one-way deal. He also must clear waivers to be sent down to the minors, so when Hawks' GM Stan Bowman starts doing the Skille Shuffle this season, Bickell isn't on that list.

Now, let's clear one popular misconception up right here...waivers and one-way/two-way contracts have absolutely no bearing on one another. All a one-way deal means is that when a player signs, he gets paid the same amount whether he plays in the NHL or any other league (minors, junior, Europe, etc.). Waiver eligibility is based upon a formula of players' age and number of years since he signed his first professional contract. To wit:

“NHL Games Played” = Regular Season GP + Playoff GP

Age = age when signing 1^st NHL contract as described in Article 8 
 — for 90% of players, this is largely true … but there are exceptions. When I’ve completely figured this out, I’ll post details on exactly how it works.

* - If a player plays in 11 or more NHL games at age 18 or 19, the exemption period shall drop to 4 years for goalies and 3 years for skaters with the first year playing in 11+ games counting as the 1^st year, and the following years counting toward the exemption regardless of if the player plays in the NHL.

(thanks to NHLSCAP.COM for the chart & info)


So anyway, Bickell can't do the Skille Shuffle. Last year, Jack Skille (then Bickell) were "sent to Rockford" on non-game days. The Salary Cap actually is a cumulative number, and every day that contract is in the minors instead of the NHL that buys some cap space for later in the season. So none of that for Bryan. On the other hand, he ain't going anywhere for three years. Anyone making this amount of money and can take a regular shift (let's remember he had some time with Kane & Toews, and held up his end) is worth his weight in gold. Even if he's not the next Al Secord, he'll be a bargain. Sometimes, bargains are almost as valuable as superstars.

Now, looking at the numbers on Capgeek we see...holy shit...the Hawks signed Hugh Jessiman? Wow. Perhaps the biggest bust this side of Christina Hendricks is now property of the Stanley Cup Champions. Huge Specimen was a first-round pick for the New York Rangers - two picks before the Hawks took Brent Seabrook. In fact, when Hawk fans get their Kyle Beach boners on, they might want to remember Huge Specimen. Hell, maybe the Hawks signed him to stay in Rockford as a reminder for Beach about what happens when you score goals, drop the gloves, and are dumb as a sack of hammers.

But I digress. The Hawks are currently a little over $403K over the Cap. During the offseason, teams are allowed to be up to 10% over. Which means they can sign Antti Niemi, and add another forward, another defenseman and a backup goalie for about $5 million.

This is where Bowman and QStache will have to work together this fall - sure, it would be nice to see Beach in the United Center, scoring some goals and being the second-string fighter behind the Murdersaurus. Beach, however, carries a cap hit of over a million, while guys like Chris DiDomenico and Igor Makarov make significantly less. Hell, you can almost fit those two guys in for what Beach would cost. Oh, I just used those guys as examples, so don't get too excited about DiDomenico just yet.

This is why the Hawks sent Marty Reasoner to the Panthers this week. A checking center making over a million dollars was a luxury the Hawks couldn't afford.

Here's something else to consider - the Chicago Blackhawks basically got the Stanley Cup on credit. They didn't claw their way up over the span of several years, finally culminating in a hard-fought triumph. Nope, they went from shithouse to penthouse in three years. Hell, these guys won it all in their second playoff run. So instead of clawing and paying dues to get there, the payment starts now. So, sure, they had to trade some guys we'd rather have seen stay. This will happen again next year. The harsh reality of the Salary Cap Era is that good teams can's stay intact.

Good teams have good players. Good players get paid more. Every team has a set amount they can spend, so there is a limit to how many guys you can give top dollar to. Oh, and before anyone starts with "The Hawks are getting screwed by the Cap", or "The Cap is unfair" or any other cursing of the Heavens you want to indulge in that involves the Salary Cap, remember this: If there were no Salary Cap, Marian Hossa would still be a Detroit Red Wing.

The Hawks have plenty of stars. They paid more for Niklas Hjalmarsson than they wanted to, but they'll adjust. They get $4 million in cap space next year they don't have this year, thanks to the bonuses they carried over from last season. That's money to re-sign Brent Seabrook and Troy Brouwer.

For this year, Brouwer is a bargain. Bryan Bickell is one for the next three.He's shown he can be tough.  Here's hoping he gets some bad ideas in his head.