Late last night, just as the Hawks were taking the ice for warm ups, one of the few people who have their pulse on the Hawks, Adam Jahns, reported that team had have acquired Michael Frolik and goalie Alexander Salak from Dale Tallon and the Panthers, for Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan. Actually, the original report was just Skille for Frolik, which wouldn't really give me happy pants, but wouldn't break me down to tears, either. After looking thoroughly at the players involved, it looks like the Hawks stole this trade.
I like Jack Skillington very much, and I like the energy he brings, but in all reality he is a 23 year old fourth line winger that the team rarely used. Seven minutes a game just wasn't worth it, and there was nowhere else for him. He has a one year deal that will result in him being a Restricted Free Agent, and would be looking for a raise next season, which the Hawks probably wouldn't give him. Until this year, he's really been a disappointment. I shouldn't need to remind people that he was the Hawks first round pick the year BEFORE Jonathan Toews, and two years before Kane.
The OTHER first round disappointment in this trade is Hugh Jessiman. I'm not going to get all long and drawn out on him, but he was the 12th pick overall in 2003 and still hasn't seen a shift in the NHL. He was sitting on three goals and two assists, in 25 games with Rockford.
I can't say I know much about David Pacan other than what I can" Google". He was a 6th round pick in 2009, plays in the OHL and was cut from the University Of Vermont for "unspecified offenses". Sounds like Kyle Beach Lite to me.
He is a former Florida first round pick that has a little more success under his belt. At 22, he's already a two time 21 goal scorer in the NHL, and was the second leading scorer on the Panthers. He was drafted at #10, between Captain Serious at #3 and current Ice Hog Ivan Vishnevskiy at #27. Talk about opposite extremes of the scale. Anyway, he's a bit more expensive than Skille, with a cap hit of $1.275 million, and he is also a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The difference is that Frolik is a solid top six forward, and Skille was a bottom 6 guy. Frolik can play both center and wing, but expect him to relieve Kopecky of his atrocious centering duties. This will also leave Sharpie to head back to his natural position of wing. Frolik looks to be more of a need to this team than Skille, and you can't ignore 50 career NHL goals at 22. One scouting report says the following, regarding Frolik:
Assets - Has loads of offensive flair and scoring potential. Can play all three forward positions and figures to eventually fill out his 6-1 frame.
Flaws - Needs to bring it every night, as he still battles the inconsistency bug. Must prove capable of stepping up in big games.
Here is a little Michael Frolik highlight reel from the 08-09 season. Notice the #44 Boynton celebrating with Frolik at about 38 seconds in.
For my money, this is this guy is the key to the deal. He's 24 years old and has had success everywhere he's been. Currently he's playing in the Swedish Elite League and leading all goalies there with 6 shutouts and a .925 save percentage. This could be Corey Crawford's backup next year. He played a full season in the AHL last year where he had a record of 29-14-0, with a GAA of 2.89, a save percentage of .910, and one shutout.
His scouting report says the following about him: "Salak has an unorthodox style. He has a highly aggressive nature in net which often forces him to make the theatrical save with the extraordinary quickness and athleticism to do so". Sounds a little like two other former Blackhawks, Ed Belfour and Dominik Hasak, and maybe a little Tim Thomas. That style CAN work in the NHL, because there is really no solid way to scout it. I like what I've read about him. Here is a little teaser reel for him:
