With speculation swirling about the Chicago Blackhawks possibly moving valuable defenseman Nick Leddy because of cap concerns, it sounds like the team is going forward with bringing Dan Carcillo into the fold. Word broke that he received a training camp contract on Friday, but now he has a full-fledged deal with the team.
It’s a one-year deal worth $550K, and probably most importantly, it’s one-way (according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun).
That’s not a huge chunk of cash, yet considering how polarizing the 29-year-old super-pest is, it’s somewhat awkward timing for some Blackhawks fans.
Here are some of the tamer reactions:
@Dr_Habs @reporterchris what's that feeling you get when someone usually makes good decisions & then make a bad one? Oh yes disappointment
— Jen LC (@RegressedPDO) October 4, 2014
Carcillo’s been a (small) part of some successful teams lately. He played 57 games spread nearly in half between the 2014 Stanley Cup Finalists, starting off with the Los Angeles Kings and then moving on to the New York Rangers; he managed to get into eight playoff games for New York. Of course, he won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013, making this photo a nice way to taunt his greatest detractors:
Even if there are times that his antics can be just as detrimental to his team as they may be to opponents, the unhappy reactions probably have a lot to do with timing. Then again, it rarely feels out of place to discuss controversies and Carcillo.
Update: It looks like Peter Regin is the odd man out after the Carcillo signing:
CHI puts Leighton and Regin on waivers.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 4, 2014