Unlike his former teammates Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien, who the Hawks intended to deal due to cap restrictions, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson will stay with the team for four more years.
One would have to think his holdout created unnecessary problems and signing an offer sheet with a divisional rival could have been avoided but we are reminded constantly that hockey itself is a business.
At this point, this move has little to no effect on his fantasy value except that Hjalmarsson has improved every season he played in the NHL. A mild up-tick in his statistics can be expected following an impressive playoffs but 30 points would be a reach.
In addition, his 3.5 million cap hit should be enough to exile the albatross contract of Cristobal Huet as the team continues to negotiate with starting goalie Antti Niemi. Keeping Hjalmarsson on the blue line insures the team will remain strong on their back end for the next couple of years.
