One down, one to go.
This morning it was reported my Pavel Barta from http://www.isport.cz that Michael Frolik signed a 3 year $7 million deal with the Blackhawks. Then denied by Chris Kuc. Then confirmed by a host of thousands, later in the day.
Now, while I think that an annual Frolik cap hit of $2.33 Million is a tad bit high, in this market, that's not too shabby. The Twitards have ALREADY been chirping that he only had 13 goals last year, but two thirds of his season was with an absolutely DEPLORABLE Florida Panthers team. The guy is only 23, he has 3 full NHL seasons under his belt and two 21 goal/40 plus point seasons. Once he found his spot on this team, in 7 playoff games, he had 5 points, all while also having to play with the shutdown crew. Remember, genuises, Rostislav Olesz, who has never scored more than 14 and is 2 years older, is making ALMOST $1 million MORE per season. If Alex Salak pans out, and Frolik just maintains, this Skille trade could end up being even more embarrassingly in Stanimal's favor.
In somewhat of a surprising under the radar move, the Blackhawks also signed former Coyote and Blue Jackets D-Man, Sami Lepisto to a 1 year $800 contract. This could mean a few things, the most welcome of which could be the exit of John Scott. It CERTAINLY means that there is no more room for him on defense, so he may just be set up at an "as needed" cementhead, when Carbomb's fists are swollen. This also may or may not figure into the curious case of Chris Stromboli. It COULD mean they are expecting some redonkulous arbitration number that they just aren't going to pay, OR it could just mean that they want one more solid D-man to keep the troops rested and healthy. At any rate here is the scouting report on the newest Blackhawk:
Assets - Moves the puck with aplomb. Has sound defensive instincts and a history of putting up numbers at lower levels. Can log a lot of ice time.
Flaws - Can lose battles in front of the net and in the corners, mainly due to a lack of strength. Is somewhat inconsistent, especially in the offensive zone.