No doubt about it, giving up Teuvo Tervainen to get rid of Bryan Bickell’s cap hit really stings the Chicago Blackhawks. Bickell himself describes Tervainen as “crazy skilled.”
GM Stan Bowman isn’t giving up a quality piece for nothing, though.
The Blackhawks have grown accustomed to making tough choices to keep the core together, and it sounds like management identified Andrew Shaw as a key member. The space cleared by that trade to Carolina might help Chicago retain the talented pass, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Source says #Blackhawks fully expect to re-sign Andrew Shaw with Bickell's contract off the books. Still waiting on cap number, though.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) June 15, 2016
Update: Bowman commented on the matter.
#Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman says moving Bryan Bickell is a "Step in the right direction" toward re-signing Andrew Shaw.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 16, 2016
Shaw brings a mixture of decent scoring ability and nuclear agitation to the table. It feels like he’s been a fixture in Chicago for ages, yet at 24, he’s still in his prime.
Still, the question is: Did the Blackhawks just clear Bickell’s cap space to make a similar mistake with Shaw, at least when it comes to being forced to part ways with Teravainen? Needless to say, plenty of ‘Hawks fans are unhappy.
Second City Hockey captures the mood of those who are upset:
From here, this all looks like a major miscalculation in asset management. GM Stan Bowman has overvalued Shaw relative to the more valuable asset in Teravainen, effectively giving up the latter in order to clear cap space for the former. It’s a clear decision to choose Shaw over Teuvo because the draft picks (or other assets) would’ve come Chicago’s way regardless, whether it was through this set of moves, trading Shaw or letting him sign an offer sheet. Now you’ll have to find a way to protect Shaw in the expansion draft, just as you would’ve with Teravainen.
Ouch. From the sound of things, this might be a decision that the Blackhawks will ultimately regret. Time will tell.