The Chicago Blackhawks had fat to trim off their roster in the wake of the Andrew Ladd acquisition and made quick work with the blade,
Looked at in a vacuum, Sekac’s assignment to the Rockford Ice Hogs isn’t overly significant one way or the other. Chicago had 24 players on their active roster and had to get down to 23. Sekac is by no means the worst player on that roster, but he’s the most expendable player relative to what the Blackhawks can save against the salary cap if he clears.
How does this relate to the Canucks, though? Let’s tackle that on the other side of the jump.
Should the Canucks Claim Sekac?
If the Canucks are faced with this question in October or November, the answer is an easy yes. Sekac can play on the wing or at centre and what he lacks in production, he more than makes up for with excellent two-way play. He is, in essence, the perfect fourth liner.
Doesn’t make sense at this point, though. The Canucks have more forwards than they have roster spots to accommodate as is. They’re also relatively close to the contract ceiling, with 46 of a total 50 spots taken. It would also hamper the Canucks ability to absorb salary in a Radim Vrbata or Dan Hamhuis trade.
Impact on Hamhuis & Vrbata
The decision to waive Sekac, rather than Richard Panik, is intriguing where the dollars and cents are concerned. They’re roughly similar players, but Panik is making $50,000 more against the cap – $25,000 of which can be saved against the cap. That seems like peanuts, but when one considers the impact a couple thousand dollars had on the Canucks ability to manipulate the salary cap in 2011, it’s clear that this isn’t nothing.
If the Canucks and Blackhawks are still working on a deal involving Hamhuis, this could be a move facilitated by the Canucks willingness to eat a few extra dollars here or take on a few extra dollars there. Of course, it could just as easily mean nothing at all. Spitballing mostly here.
Speaking of Panik, that’s the Blackhawks first line right winger as is. Jonathan Toews can cover all sorts of ills, but that’s a big one. It’s one of the reasons I don’t think the Blackhawks are necessarily out of the Vrbata sweepstakes just yet, either.
