The Decision On Dominik Kubalik Has Been Made
Dominik Kubalik's days as a Chicago Blackhawk are rumored to be over. According to Mark Lazerus, the Blackhawks are not expected to tender an offer to Kubalik, making him a free agent.
While this move has been expected for some time, I don't think this move makes a whole lot of sense for Chicago. After the NHL draft, there is no question that this will not be a good hockey team next year. Kyle Davidson and co. are trying to stockpile draft picks and young prospects. After the draft, the prospects selected are still at least 2-3 years away from even a look at the NHL. While Kubalik had a bad season last year, there is still talent there.
In his rookie season, Kubalik scored 46 points, 30 of which being goals. Over his 3 seasons in Chicago, Kubalik has scored 62 goals and 116 points. One would think that there would be some trade value there, but apparently there wasn't. Last year at the deadline, to the surprise of many, Kubalik wasn't moved along with the likes of Brandon Hagel and Marc Andre Fleury. Since he wasn't moved, there was speculation that the Blackhawks would bring back Kubalik to see if he could recreate his scoring output from his rookie season, which would increase his trade value or allow him to be a leader of a young, rebuilding team.
While Kubalik will most likely walk into free agency, it will be interesting to see what comes from this situation. Will Kubalik sign a long or short deal? Will he sign with a contender or a rebuilding team? Will the Blackhawks let him walk and sign him for less if his market doesn't develop? Stay tuned for free agency to begin Wednesday, which will hopefully bring some closure to the Kubalik situation.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Blackhawks made the right decision? | ||
| Yes, it was time to move on | 44 | 31.4 % |
| No, he deserved another shot | 96 | 68.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
