Chicago and Boston Making Right Calls Despite Cap Crunch

Reports indicate Bruins center Marc Savard is close to inking a new, long-term deal to stay in Boston.

Burning up the hockey news wire the last few days have been reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are close to inking their “Big 3″ – forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and defenseman Duncan Keith, to long-term contracts that will keep them in Chicago for the foreseeable future.

Similarly, a Boston Globe report says the Boston Bruins are close to signing their star forward (and impending unrestricted free agent) Marc Savard to a 7 year deal that will keep the Ontario native in Boston through the end of his career.

For hockey fans in Beantown and the Windy City, this is good news. Chicago has seen a resurgence in the last two seasons, and Kane, Toews and Keith have been the single biggest reasons behind the Blackhawks return to prominence. The former duo are two of the NHL’s brightest young stars, and Keith has developed into one of the NHL’s premier blueliners. Locking these three tremendous talents up long-term is an excellent move by Chicago GM Stan Bowman; he’s identified his core, and intends to build around that core for the future, cap ramifications be damned.

The same story rings true in Boston, where Savard has emerged as a perennial NHL All-Star, finishing near the top of the scoring race every season he’s donned the Black and Gold, and playing a key role in the Bruins’ rise to the top of the Eastern Conference (this season notwithstanding, as Savard has played in just 7 games due to a broken foot). 

Of course, these impending signings haven’t been met with universal applause, as there are some who feel both franchises are hedging their bets on a small number of players, something to avoid in a cap world, or so they say.

The reality is, thanks to the salary cap, implemented after the lockout in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay competitive year in and year out, and as championship windows draw near, teams are left with a choice; sign your top players and worry about surrounding them with talent when the time comes, or try and build a club based on depth. 

Recent history indicates the former model as the way to go.

Take the Pittsburgh Penguins, for instance. 

Led by two of the NHL’s three great superstars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pens have been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and are the defending champs. They’re also near the top of the NHL once again this year, tied with New Jersey in the Atlantic Division, despite suffering numerous injuries to their club.

In 2007, Pittsburgh’s front office locked up Crosby to a 5 year extension with a cap hit of $8.7 million per year. One year later, days after falling to the Red Wings in the Finals, they were once again proactive, signing Malkin to the same long-term deal as Crosby. 

Although Crosby and Malkin are the two highest paid players in the NHL aside from Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier, they’re unequivocally 2/3′rds of the 3 Greatest Hockey Players on the Planet, the other 1/3′rd of that triumvirate being Capitals sniper Alexander Ovechkin, with a Hart, two Art Ross trophies, and a Conn Smythe between them. And with both locked up long term, the Penguins will be a dominant force in the East for years to come.

The Penguins have the right idea, and with the recent news in Chicago and Boston, it appears those two clubs are following suit.

Chicago’s situation is a bit more complicated than Boston’s, as the Blackhawks have around $14 million in cap space available for next season. With all three of Kane, Toews, and Keith looking to command in the $6 million range per year, they’ll be far over the cap next season as currently constructed. But honestly, why worry about next season, when Chicago has the horses to win a Stanley Cup this season? Deal with the cap ramifications next summer (hopefully while drinking champagne out of Lord Stanley’s Cup), and know that you have your core talent locked up for years.

The situation in Boston is similar to Chicago’s, although the details are a bit different. At age 32, Savard is substantially older than any of Chicago’s Big Three (Duncan Keith is their elder statesman, at 25), however if reports are true, he’ll be commanding less than any of them.

Kevin Paul Dupont, the Boston Globe’s Hall of Fame Bruins writer, reported yesterday that Savard is close to inking a contract that will pay him $32 million over 7 years, equivalent to a $4.7 million per year cap hit. Further, it appeals the deal would be front-loaded, which would suit both parties best. Savard gets the financial security he deserves early on, and the Bruins have the option of buying out his contract in the final 2 years of the deal. A win-win for both sides.

The struggling Bruins need Savard, as evidenced by their lackluster play since his injury in October. He’s the heart and soul of their offense, and has become a bonafide clutch performer, scoring at a point-per-game clip in three career playoff series. Locking him up through the remainder of his prime at such a low cap hit is a coup for GM Peter Chiarelli, and means the Bruins would have centers David Krejci, Savard, and Patrice Bergeron down the middle for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps the Bruins have learned from past mistakes. This past off-season, they were forced to trade top line sniper Phil Kessel to Toronto for picks, as negotiations between the mercurial winger and the Boston front office had soured beyond the point of no return. With Boston’s current inability to find the back of the twine, it appears Chiarelli understands offense is at a premium in the Hub right now, and is acting accordingly. Getting Savard back in the lineup (reports have him returning at some point this week) will be a boost for the Bruins inept ‘O’, and the thought of him donning the Spoked ‘B’ for the remainder of his career has Bruins fans believing that their club can remain among the elite teams for years to come.

Regardless of what’s to come, the impending moves these two front offices are about to make are proactive, asset-hoarding decisions. Both Chicago and Boston have identified their core talent, and, like Pittsburgh has done in the past two seasons, can build around that core adherent to the salary cap. 

Both clubs will be competitive for the foreseeable future, and here’s hoping other teams follow suit, as frankly, it’s a shame to see young stars depart the teams they have shined with due to the NHL’s “parity” cap.

Reid Jackson is the NHL Editor at PeteProse.com. He can be reached at reid@peteprose.com. Disagree with his thoughts? Leave a comment below.