Decades from now, they’ll be calling this the Hugh Jessiman
Trade. OK, maybe not.
The only first-round pick
from 2003 to never appear in the NHL was packaged by the Chicago Blackhawks
along with forward Jack Skille and minor league right wing David Pacan for the
Florida Panthers‘ struggling Michael Frolik and the rights to goalie Alexander Salak.
From
Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times, the breakdown:
General manager Stan Bowman always has maintained that he’s
been looking to add depth at center. And, he gets that with Frolik.Skille, the seventh overall pick in 2005, has been used
primarily on the fourth line this season. He signed a one-year deal worth
$600,000 in the summer.
The general manager of the Blackhawks in 2005, when Skille
was drafted? Panthers GM Dale Tallon, trading
with his old team for the second time in a year. (Brian Burke trades with
the Ducks, Dale Tallon trades with the Blackhawks … countdown to Lightning/Red
Wings trade begins now.)
Frolik, 22, is a restricted free agent this summer, coming
off his entry-level deal. He’s also having his worst goal-scoring season as a
pro with 8 goals in 52 games, following consecutive seasons with 21 goals. He
was demoted down the lineup and a
healthy scratch earlier this season. He was also mired in a deep slump last
month, as Miami
Herald writer George Richards mentioned on Jan. 31:
Michael Frolik really needs to get things going. Haven’t
noticed him much lately, have you? Frolik comes into this unofficial second
half of the season mired in a huge slump. Frolik hasn’t scored a goal since
Dec. 17 — that’s 19 straight games. Frolik had three assists in the month of
January — all of them coming in the first week of the month. So that’s no
points — zero — in 11 straight.
He does have assists in three consecutive games.
The X-factor in this deal is
Alexander Salak, a highly regarded
goalie currently in the Swedish Elite League. With Jacob Markstrom tagged
as the
goalie of the future, he was expendable.
This move form Bowman comes after the Blackhawks basically
hit rock bottom on Monday, with Duncan
Keith calling out his team for a lack of effort. It was time for a shakeup,
time for something to reinvigorate the offense. Can Frolik find his form with
the Blackhawks? He’ll be skating with a better class of sniper, that’s for sure.
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