NHL Capsules: Blackhawks coach Quenneville looking ahead
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville keeps repeating that he's "excited" about the Stanley Cup championship team's upside potential, even after shedding seven players to remain under the NHL's salary cap.
Quenneville believes goalie Antti Niemi is among those players with a bright future, even if Niemi becomes the eighth Blackhawk trimmed from the team's roster due to financial constraints.
An arbitrator is scheduled to award Niemi a one-year salary figure no later than Saturday night, following a hearing in Toronto on Thursday. Niemi, a restricted free agent, filed for arbitration after his agent, Bill Zito, and Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman couldn't reach contract terms.
Niemi became the team's top goalie last season and then backstopped them their first Cup in 49 years. The issue is whether Blackhawks can squeeze the 26-year-old Finn under the NHL's $59.4 million salary cap in 2010-11.
"When he played regularly he just got better and better and he's very consistent," said Quenneville on Friday before the opening of the Blackhawks' annual fan convention. "He handles big games like any game and he welcomes all challenges.
"His upside is still in place and goalies usually mature later. He's not a 20-year-old, but in goalie development stages, he's still got a lot of good years ahead of him."
The arbitrator's decision will determine if Chicago re-signs Niemi and keeps him, walks away from the salary rendering him an unrestricted free agent or accepts the amount and then trades the goalie before the start of the season.
"There are business decisions, but you'd like to say there are little hockey decisions behind them as well," Quenneville said. "Obviously, we're in a tough spot (with the a salary cap), but want to enhance our team and our future as well."
Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson hopes Niemi returns. The 23-year-old signed an offer sheet with San Jose as a restricted free agent earlier this month before the Blackhawks matched the Sharks' four-year, $14 million deal.
"I like him not just as a hockey player, he was a good friend of mine, too," Hjalmarsson said. "I know it's going to be tough, he's a great goalie and he won the Cup for us. To be honest with you, it doesn't surprise me too much that he played the way he did last year."
Niemi, a rookie last season, played all but one period of the Blackhawks postseason run to the championship, going 16-6 with a 2.63 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and two shutouts.
Niemi, who earned $826,875 in 2009-10, has played in just 42 regular-season games in his career. In 39 regular-season contest last season, went 26-7-4 with seven shutouts, a 2.25 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
Many of the current Blackhawks attended the convention, but Niemi didn't. Team officials said 10,000 tickets were sold for the event at a downtown hotel.
Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz confirmed Friday that the family-owned team lost money last season, despite selling out every home game at the 20,500-seat United Center. He doesn't expect the team be profitable for "four or five years."
"Just because you fill the place up and win the Stanley Cup doesn't mean you're in the black," Wirtz said. "But the nice thing is we have light at the end of the tunnel and we're going to be there."
The Blackhawks plan to increase ticket prices an average of 20 percent, team officials confirmed.
"We'll modestly and judiciously look at our ticket prices every year," Wirtz said.
Although his team has lost players and could lose Niemi because of the league's salary cap, Wirtz said the Blackhawks would be worse off with the payroll limit.
"We took a year off (the 2004-05 lockout) for a reason, to drag down the salaries so they just weren't just escalating out of control and the Blackhawks are a good example," Wirtz said. We'd probably have our salaries up 40 percent if we didn't have a hard cap."
Bruins' Wheeler signs 1-year, $2.2 million deal
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins signed forward Blake Wheeler to a one-year contract on Friday.
His agent Matt Keator said the deal is worth $2.2 million, the amount of an arbitrator's award given after a hearing on Tuesday.
"The decision came in the range we expected," Keator said. "There were no winners or losers in this case."
Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said in a statement announcing the deal, "It is never a pleasant experience for either side to go to arbitration. However, as a manager, you know that the player will be under contract for the following year either way."
In two seasons with Boston, Wheeler has 39 goals and 44 assists in the regular season but just one goal and five assists in 21 postseason games. He was one of two players to participate in all 82 regular-season games for the Bruins last season and finished with 18 goals and 20 assists.
Wheeler said he was "anxious" going into the hearing.
"It was handled extremely professionally," he said. "I was really happy to be through with that part of the process."
Islanders acquire Wisniewski from Ducks
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Islanders acquired James Wisniewski from the Anaheim Ducks on Friday for a conditional third-round pick in 2011.
The 26-year-old Wisniewski had three goals and 27 assists in 69 regular-season games last season for a career-high 30 points. He led Anaheim in blocked shots with 102, had 129 hits and averaged 24:20 of ice time.
"We see James as a key addition to our team and we feel our fans will connect with his style of play," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "He is a solid puck-moving defenseman who can bring an added element of toughness to our blue line."
The Michigan native has 17 goals and 80 assists in 254 regular-season games with Chicago and Anaheim.
Sabres agree to deal with free agent F McCauley
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a contract with free agent forward Dennis McCauley.
McCauley, 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, spent last season with Worcester of the American Hockey League, where he had 10 goals and four assists in 45 games. It was his first professional season after completing his four-year college career at Northeastern.
The deal was announced by the team Friday. McCauley is a likely candidate to play for the Sabres minor-league affiliate in Portland, Maine.
Flames sign White to 1-year deal
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames avoided arbitration with Ian White by signing the defenseman to a one-year contract Friday.
The 26-year-old White had 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 83 games last season with the Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs.
White was acquired in a multiplayer deal with Toronto in January. He has 32 goals and 85 assists in 323 NHL regular-season games.
Free-agent Dominic Moore signs with Lightning
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Free-agent center Dominic Moore has signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Moore appeared in 69 games last season with the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens. He also has played for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Toronto and Buffalo during a career that spans 374 NHL games.
Moore had 10 goals and 28 points for the Panthers and Canadiens last season. He appeared in 19 postseason game with Montreal, scoring four goals.
Blackhawks sign Leddy
CHICAGO (AP) — Former University of Minnesota defenseman Nick Leddy signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Taken with the 16th pick in the 2009 draft by the Minnesota Wild, Leddy was traded to the Blackhawks with defensemen Kim Johnsson for defenseman Cam Barker on Feb. 12. Leddy had three goals and eight assists as a freshman for the Gophers last season.
Canadiens sign Louis Leblanc
MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens signed former Harvard center Louis Leblanc to a three-year contract Friday.
Montreal selected Leblanc 18th overall in the 2009 Draft.
Leblanc led Harvard in goals (11), assists (12), points (23) and game-winning goals (three) last season in 31 games. Leblanc, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, has been invited to the Canadian world junior camp next week in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Senators re-sign Chris Campoli
OTTAWA (AP) — Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Campoli re-signed Friday, agreeing to a one-year, $1.4 million contract.
The 25-year-old Campoli had four goals and 14 assists in 67 games last season, and added two assists in six playoff games. He has 29 goals and 85 assists in 320 career regular-season games with New York Islanders and Senators.
