Blackhawks waive Bryan Bickell, send Marko Dano to AHL
The Chicago Blackhawks had been trying to deal Bryan Bickell all summer with no luck. So GM Stan Bowman is pulling one last-ditch effort to rid himself of the forward’s $4 million cap hit as the team tries to loosen their cap crunch.
On Friday, the Blackhawks placed Bickell on waivers, hoping there some NHL team with plenty of cap room is looking to add to their forward group. Mark Spector of Sportsnet Tweeted on Thursday that talks with the Edmonton Oilers about a deal involving Nikita Nikitin didn’t progress.
If no NHL team wanted to give up assets for Bickell in a deal, would any want to pick up the full tab of two more years and $9 million? Especially for a player who is still dealing with vertigo symptons?
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Should Bickell clear, and if he’s sent to Rockford of the AHL, the Blackhawks would get $950,000 in cap savings, giving them some decent space under the ceiling.
Maybe the bigger surprise out of Blackhawks camp on Friday was that forward prospect Marko Dano, acquired from Columbus in the Brandon Saad trade, was cut. That opens up a spot for Kyle Baun on the NHL roster, while Dano will have to wait his turn in Rockford, which may not be very long considering how much he impressed in preseason. That seemed to work out for Teuvo Teravainen last season.
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