Posted by Jim Neveau, Blackhawks Beat Writer
“I didn’t see very much joy on his face as he stood in front of the newly stitched jerseys in the Hawks’ locker room (after the signing of Hossa and Kopecky). To be pithy, he had the look of a man dissatisfied with what he had done” – Jim Neveau, article dated 7/2/09
“Let’s hope that these allegations (regarding the NHLPA grievance concerning qualifying offers to restricted free agents) turn out to be no big deal, and that the mess blows over, because if it doesn’t, then Tallon is going to pull a Lucille Ball and have “some ‘splaining to do”. -Jim Neveau, article dated 7/4/09
In the days following the Marian Hossa signing, the fans of the Blackhawks were having their fair share of doubts about Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon.
They questioned his ability to run the team effectively if he couldn’t handle a task as simple as faxing qualifying offers to restricted free agents, and also questioned the foresight of signing Marian Hossa to a mega-bucks deal, which seemed to be at a contradictive angle to the stance the team took in avoiding signing Martin Havlat to a multi-year contract.
Through it all, however, the prevailing thought was that these were nothing more than minor setbacks for the PR juggernaut that the Blackhawks had created in Chicago. Never in a million years did anyone really give any serious thought to the notion that Tallon’s days might be numbered because of mistakes like this.
Needless to say, Hawks Nation has been shaken back to reality tonight.
Josh Mora of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago reported on Monday night at around 11:30pm CDT that Dale Tallon was being relieved of his duties as GM, and that he would be replaced by assistant GM Stan Bowman. An announcement is expected tomorrow regarding the decision.
Patrick Kane, a Possible Victim of Tallon's Oversight (property of mindubonline.com)
So the question inevitably becomes: why? Why did Tallon, a person very popular in the Chicago community, and among the players, lose his job a mere three days before the biggest celebration of the Chicago hockey renaissance, Blackhawks Convention, takes place?
The answer to this question is immensely complex, so it helps to start with the most likely reason first. One need look no further than the black eye the organization received during “RFA-gate” for a start. Even though all of the potential issues that the failure of the Hawks’ management to get qualifying offers sent out in time were averted by signing all of the guys to contracts, it still put the team in a precarious position financially. They undoubtedly had to pay a lot more than they rightfully should have to retain the services of Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker, and it also put more strain on an already tenuous cap situation.
Compounding the multi-million dollar mistake was the huge contract that the Hawks had just given mere days earlier to Marian Hossa, which also stretched the purse-strings a little too much for comfort. A lot of fans in Chicago worried that the team was shortchanging its future for the opportunity to achieve a lot in the present, and the assurances came down from on high that Mr. Tallon knew what he was doing, and that we shouldn’t worry.
Obviously, “RFA-gate” proved that fans had a lot of worrying to do, and it seems now as though the organization sensed that there was a loss of trust on the part of the fans.
Other Tallon decisions have drawn similar fire as well. In last year’s off-season, the signings of Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet were greeted with a mixture of skepticism and enthusiasm. The long-term, big money nature of the deals concerned fans, because as any knowledgeable scholar of the game will tell you, keeping your team within reasonable proximity of the salary cap, instead of pushing right up against it, is the key to success in today’s NHL. It seemed as though Tallon had pushed the envelope a bit too far with those contracts, and some hesitated when being encouraged to celebrate the deals.
As if the signings weren’t reason for doubt enough, there was also the handling of the firing of head coach Denis Savard a mere four games into the regular season. It seemed like a foolish move at the time, simply because Savard had enough time to implement his system for the new season, only for the players to be yanked out of it and thrust into something new, just when they were getting their legs under them.
Predictably, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp endured some pretty hefty slumps to start the year, and it wasn’t until around December that the team really began clicking on all cylinders under the leadership of Quenneville.
Even with all of that occurring on Tallon’s watch, it wasn’t until the off-season began that things really began to unravel quickly. The issues with restricted free agents and Marian Hossa notwithstanding, Tallon also handled the departure of Havlat in a tactless fashion that hardly endeared him to many fans of the organization. Havlat’s feelings were obviously hurt by the Hawks’ decision (the headline “Hawks Reach Out to Havlat via Text Message” should have been a dead giveaway of impending doom), and fans of the team were taken aback by his unceremonious ouster in favor of the slightly older Hossa.
Couple all of these incidents together, and you have got quite a confection of discontent and missteps. It all should have been so obvious, and yet it still comes as a shock that Tallon was let go at this point in the game.
So, what does the future hold with Bowman at the helm of the ship? To answer this question, one need only look at the numbers.
The Blackhawks are going to be one of the teams hardest hit if the salary cap takes a sizable dive, as most pundits are arguing that it will after the upcoming season. This downsizing in the cap couldn’t come at a worse time for Chicago, as they will have three of their most important pieces (Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith) all up for restricted free agency at the end of next season.
If we thought that signing Versteeg to a three year deal worth about $3.25 million per was excessive, it will be a drop in the bucket compared to what these three are going to command, and if emotion is put aside, it is hard to envision a scenario in which all three remain in the Windy City.
In addition to the three big upcoming free agencies, there is also the matter of all the long-term cap hits that this team already has on the books. In addition to the aforementioned Hossa, Campbell, Huet, and Versteeg deals, there is also the not-so-small issue of Patrick Sharp’s contract being on the books for another four years, and the contract of Dave Bolland, which extends a glorious five years into the future. Undoubtedly one or more of these players will have to be moved in order to keep the team competitive if the cap crunch does actually happen.
On top of all the possible doom on the horizon, there is also the issue of the competitive viability of the team on the ice. It is widely acknowledged both inside and outside of the organization that the team likely still needs a big, physical defenseman to really be competitive for a Cup next year, and the only way they will be able to obtain that is via trade. That will mean moving a piece or two (likely Sharp or Versteeg), and a move of that type will be unpopular with a fan base who has grown attached to the current crop of Hawks.
In summation, Dale Tallon has left the Blackhawks with a mess that will not be easy to clean up. While on paper this team looks to be a surefire favorite to at least contend for a conference championship, if not a Stanley Cup winning run, there are some deep seeded issues that the outgoing administration has left the organization with. These issues will not be easy to address and fix, and fans had better pray to the hockey gods that Stan can work similar magic to what his father was able to do in Detroit.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
D’oh! Dale Tallon’s Boo-Boo May Cost Blackhawks Dearly
Chicago Blackhawks
As Patrick Kane Gets Booked, Is the Hawks Revolution Over in Chicago?
Hey Dale, Do the Blackhawks a Solid and Trade for Dany Heatley
Youth Revolution: A Peek Inside the Blackhawks’ Talent Cupboard
Lightning-Blackhawks Game Preview
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
I have to say, I disagree with a lot of what you have said here…
1) You assign blame solely on Tallon for the RFA fiasco. Unless you have some insider knowledge, that most likely is not true.
2) There was a much larger positive reaction to the Hossa signing than negative reaction. The negative reaction came from people who looked at the 12 year contract and saw that as a negative, but in the NHL (for a player under 35) that is a very very good thing. It showed the blackhawks are willing to work the system, and in doing so, spend more money while minimizing the impact on the cap, protecting both their current financial situation as well as their future (when Hossa retires well before his contract is up).
3) I’d agree about the timing. Quite odd with the convention, but I’d have to guess that this won’t be the last bit of big news coming from the Hawks in the next couple of days. They need to go into the convention on a decisively positive note, not on this mixed note.
4) In one paragraph you bemoan the $ wasted on having to sign Barker and ‘Steeg for more than what was needed because of the RFA bungle and in another paragraph you warn of Toews/Kane/Keith. They “undoubtedly had to pay a lot more” by screwing up the offers this year. So by that logic, if they don’t screw up next year then they won’t have to pay Toews/Kane/Keith a lot more $. You can’t have one without the other. Sure, they could have resigned Barker and Versteeg for 10% more than their last year’s salary, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. Did they overpay with the 3 yr 9.25M? Perhaps. Did they overpay by any sizable amount? Undoubtedly, no. Barker and Versteeg got nice raises (as they would have as normal RFAs) and Toews/Kane/Keith will get nice raises next year too. In the end, the RFA bungle was a whole lot of hoopla over nothing.
5) I agree that at the time the Campbell and Huet signings didn’t make much sense, but again, while Tallon is the face of these moves, who knows if he was acting alone. And as a side note, how stupid is it to sign a goalie who gives up juicy rebounds all the time AND an undersized defenseman who can’t handle the crease. One or the other NEEDS to go. Same logic goes with Savard. I’m not giving Tallon a pass on any of this, but with Rocky and Mac, you know they had their hands in these decisions.
6) Tallon isn’t the most tactful guy, thats for sure, but it was pretty evident that not bringing Havlat back was the right decision. I love the guy and hes immensly talented, but he’s just not healthy enough to give all that money for all those years.
Nilo…
on point # 2
What planet would these positive reactions be coming from. I live in Montreal, speak with many hockey people daily and not a single one that I can recall has given this a thumbs up. And the thing is – it has little to do with the contract. At Hossa’s market value, the peer group that his salary puts him in – makes him a wasted roster space. The Hawks looked like a team poised to go far in the near future and with subtraction by addition they just made themselves a weaker playoff team. If it’s all about winning in the playoffs then this deal looks horrible and I re-iterate I do not know of anyone who has reacted positively to this signing.