All Entries Tagged With: "Martin Havlat"
Havlat takes parting shot
Marty Havlat takes a parting shot at Blackhawks management today in the Tribune.
The Blackhawks and Martin Havlat couldn’t reach a contract agreement and both sides have moved on — albeit maybe not so amicably. Havlat, who led the Hawks in scoring last season with 29 goals and 48 assists, may not be leaving on the best terms, as indicated by several tweets late Wednesday. “Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management,” Havlat wrote. “The real story about what happened in Chicago [will] come out. “Thanks to all Hawks fans. … Will never forget your generosity and the great playoff run! There’s something to be said for loyalty and honor.”
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Back up plan for Havlat?
Len Ziehm lists the potential replacements that Dale Tallon could be interested in if the Martin Havlat talks don’t go as planned.
If Tallon can’t sign Havlat, the Hawks’ leading scorer last season, he could acquire one of another team’s unrestricted free agents. They include Detroit’s Marian Hossa, Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik, Calgary’s Mike Cammalleri, Montreal’s Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay, the New York Rangers’ Nik Antropov, New Jersey’s Brian Gionta and Philadelphia’s Mike Knuble.
The Hawks reportedly took care of one of their restricted free agents, signing center David Bolland to a five-year deal worth $16.875 million, according to TSN.
A year ago, Tallon was the biggest player among the GMs in free agency, signing defenseman Brian Campbell to an eight-year, $56.8 million contact and goaltender Cristobal Huet to a four-year, $22.5 million deal. Tallon doesn’t figure to be as aggressive, but that could change if Havlat doesn’t sign.
”I don’t know what will happen. No one can tell,” Tallon said. ”We just have to be ready to improvise.”
In a Twitter message this week, Havlat said, ”Everyone should know I’m only interested in signing with Chicago. It’s where I want to be.”
Tallon wants to sign him, too, but the clock is ticking. Tallon had talks with representatives of both Havlat and Khabibulin while in Montreal for the draft.
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Havlat wants to stay, agent in talks with Tallon
Al Cimaglia posts that Martin Havlat’s agent, Allan Walsh, has been in Montreal for a few days and supposedly is meeting with Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon.
Havlat Tweeted on Tuesday: “Everyone should know I am only thinking about signing with Chicago. It’s where I want to be.”
Sounds like a plan, but probably not one easy to work out. There is nothing new to report, but there still is time until July 1.
Tallon is a busy guy as he has to get contracts for his restricted free agents done. Starting soon, clubs will have a chance to negotiate with unsigned restricted free agents.
Dave Bolland, Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker and Ben Eager are some of the Chicago restricted free agents who are still unsigned for next season.
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Clock ticking on Havlat
Tim Sassone writes this week will be key if Martin Havlat is to return to the Blackhawks. Dale Tallon feels the Hawks will know what direction the Havlat talks will go just before the July 1st date, that would make him free to negotiate with other teams. If no deal is reached, Tallon will turn his attention to other scorers.
“We’ve still got time, but not a lot of time,” Tallon said Monday. “We’re going to do everything in our power to keep him.”
“It’s all part of the process,” Tallon said. “When you’re about to become a free agent it’s only natural to maybe want to see what other opportunities are out there. We’ll know by July 1 what direction we’ll be going.”
There figures to be some very good scorers available as unrestricted free agents, such as Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Mike Cammalleri. Any one of them could be temping to the Hawks as a replacement for Havlat and his 29 goals and 77 points.
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Worry about Havlat?
Tim Sassone wonders whether it’s too early to start worrying about the Marty Havlat talks?
I thought this might get done quickly since both sides sounded so eager for it to happen, but the longer it goes on the better the chances Havlat hits the open market as a free agent on July 1.
While the Hawks want Havlat back, it looks like it has to be on their terms, which might mean less than the $6 million he earned in each of the last three seasons. Does Havlat want a long-term deal? Do the Hawks want to go shorter? It’s all speculation right now.
Perhaps there will be movement soon with the Hawks having completed their organizational meetings on Thursday.
If the Hawks don’t have a contract done with Havlat by the draft in three weeks, then it might be time to worry if you are a Havlat fan.
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Sassone: Re-sign Havlat, let Khabibulin go
Tim Sassone says the Hawks should concentrate on bringing back Marty Havlat, Sammy Pahlsson, and upgrading the defense.
I’ve gone back and forth on this one, but the Hawks need an experienced game-breaker to take the heat off Patrick Kane and the other forwards, and Havlat proved his worth with a great 2008-09 season.
I wouldn’t get too crazy with the number of years and the dollars, however. Two or three years for Havlat at about the $6 million he has been making sounds about right.
Some might worry about Havlat’s health history and if being in a contract year motivated him to play hurt. In scoring 29 goals and 77 points, we saw a different Havlat than his first two years in Chicago, on and off the ice. We saw a guy who matured into a leader, accepted his status as the team’s go-to guy, was looked up to by his young teammates and appreciated them in return.
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Hawks talking Havlat, want Pahlsson back too
Dale Tallon wasted no time in trying to re-sign Martin Havlat. Havlat was asked if he would take less money to stay in Chicago, and simply said he would “love to stay”. It sounds as if Tallon is not as concerned as bringing back Nikolai Khabibulin. Len Ziehm has the story.
Look for the Blackhawks to solve one offseason problem in a hurry.
On Thursday — a day after they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs — general manager Dale Tallon resumed contract talks with Allan Walsh, the agent for winger Martin Havlat. Then on Friday, as the Hawks began scattering for summer vacation, Havlat declared, ”I’d love to stay here.”
Tallon has three other unrestricted free agents — center Sammy Pahlsson, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and defenseman Matt Walker — to consider in what figures to be a challenging signing period. Tallon definitely wants to keep Pahlsson, who was acquired from Anaheim at the trade deadline in March.
”He was a really valuable addition to our team,” Tallon said. ”It was almost like adding another coach, and he was great in the locker room. We’re definitely interested in keeping him.”
Tallon was more lukewarm about bringing back Khabibulin, who signed what was then the biggest contract in franchise history — four years for $27 million. It expired after this season, and Hawks management will decide whether to offer him another one.
”Nik was great, and we’ll talk,” Tallon said. ”We won’t stop working here. We’ll meet later next week and evaluate the direction we’ll head.”
While Tallon wouldn’t rule out retaining Khabibulin, his salary demands would likely be a strain on the Hawks’ cap. Plus, Tallon was satisfied by Cristobal Huet’s play as the Hawks’ other goalie and alluded to ”depth in goal” within the organization.
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Can Hawks bring back both top FA’s?
Al Cimaglia looks at the biggest decison Dale Tallon and the Blackhawks are facing this offseason. Cimaglia thinks it’s not impossible for both Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin return, but deems it as lottery-like.
Even though he is injury-prone and takes quite a bit of time to get healthy, Khabibulin will get a nice offer from someone. Regardless of what he will be able to command as a free agent, the Hawks can’t afford to commit anywhere close to $12 million for that one position again. Unless Cristobal Huet is traded, Khabibulin won’t be back in Chicago next season. Huet has three more seasons left at a hefty $5,625,000 per, which will make him difficult to trade.
Havlat, although often injured, is an elite talent. He makes others around him better and will be impossible to replace by any one player in the Blackhawk system. Havlat can’t be paid $6 million by the Hawks again, and it’s most likely no other team will pay him that much. His last contract was inflated, and Havlat still hasn’t answered all the questions about his tendency to be injury-prone.
The 28-year-old Havlat could have another three years, or a little more, of top-end production left if he can stay reasonably healthy. He might be a force if he can play around 75 games per season. If he can build upon this season, Havlat could be compared to Marian Hossa some day. That time will never come if he can’t stay healthy.
Beside health concerns, the problem concerning Havlat re-signing with the Hawks is all about the salary commitment and free-agent market conditions. If the free-agent market is soft this summer, Havlat may not get a hefty offer from another club. Many big-market teams are in the same tight salary cap situation as Chicago. It will be very interesting to see what franchises will be out in the free-agent market spending this summer. Beside the fact many teams are hamstrung by huge, long-term contracts, there is the looming salary-cap reduction possibility.
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Hawks delay talks for FA’s
Tribune reports Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon said contract negotiations with two of his top players are on hold until the postseason ends.
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Tallon: We’ll try and keep them together
Dale Tallon tells Barry Rozner that he thought about moving free agent to be Nikolai Khabibulin and is obviously glad he didn’t. Tallon said ”You don’t know when your opportunity is going to come.”
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Hawks trying to keep Havlat
Martin Havlat’s ability to stay injury-free this season has been a big factor in the Blackhawks’ success. It also could keep the winger in a Hawks uniform next season and beyond. Havlat, who missed 73 games with injuries during his first two campaigns with the Hawks, has played in all 52 games this season as one of the team’s most consistent forwards.
The veteran is the Hawks’ second-leading scorer with 17 goals and 25 assists and is a plus-11. Those offensive numbers and Havlat’s play in the defensive zone have him back in the mix for the Hawks’ future. That didn’t seem likely in October, when the 27-year-old began the final season of a contract that pays him $6 million annually.But general manager Dale Tallon has begun early discussions with Havlat’s agent, Allan Walsh, regarding a new contract.
“He wants to stay, and we want him to,” Tallon said. “We just wanted to be careful and be sure [he was healthy]. The only thing that has held him back is the injuries. He’s getting better and better with each game. We’re excited about having him, and we’d like to keep him. “Yeah,” Havlat said. “The guys are great. We’re one of the youngest teams in the league, and there are guys who are only going to get better and better.”We still have 30 games left in the regular season. My goal is to play in the playoffs this year.”
Desire on both sides to re-sign Havlat isn’t enough to make it happen. Figuring out how to make a new deal happen financially will take some doing. The Hawks can’t afford to lock up too much money with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith all becoming restricted free agents after next season.”We want to make sure it makes sense,” Tallon said. “We’re not sure what [Kane and Toews] are going to cost in two years and what the [salary] cap is going to be in two years. We have to be creative if we do something.”
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