So as trade rumors have been declared false regarding former captain of the Blackhawks, Adrian Aucoin, I began to research salary commitment, and other such things to see if his departure could help the Hawks. What I found made me sick.
Aucoin, who has been a frequent on the injured list the past two seasons (kind of like the Mark Prior of Chicago hockey), is owed:
12 million dollars till 2009.
12 million dollars to a player that has spent more time on the bench than the ice? All that money to a player who is going to lose his position to six first and second year players?
And that brought me to research another player on the Hawks IR, who also happens to have been prone to getting hurt this year.
Who should I find? None other than Jassen Cullimore. I think Cullimore has been good for all of two games this whole entire season, and if and when he comes back to this team, I don’t see him sticking around and playing much. Dustin Byfuglien and Wisniewski have definitely earned their spots on the team. Barker is doing all right in his first trip up this season, and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are loads better than Cullimore. So that leaves Lasse Kukkonen and Jimmy Vandermeer. Vandermeer has looked the better of the two, and I think that he has earned a spot on the team as well, leaving Cullimore with nothing.
How much do we owe Cullimore? Survey says:
3, 800, 000 over until 2008.
…What? Jassen Cullimore deserves that much money over say a Tuomo Ruutu? Over a Brent Seabrook?
So that brings the grand total of money being paid to two defensemen who probably won’t even be playing if they return, to:
15, 800, 000 until 2009.
Sickened yet?
Well, if not, think of what that money, over the course of three seasons, could do for this team. It could fill the gap in the offense at the center position. It could find someone who knows how to shoot the puck. Hell it could bring in two good forwards for short term deals.
…but instead it is locked up in two horrible defensemen.
Sickened?
I thought so.
– Jon DePaolis
Hawkscast.com
