the chips will begin to fall.

Posted by FlyersFan on 07/01/08 at 04:47 PM ET

Brian Campbell - my new most hated defenseman.

... ok nah I guess #1’s still Pronger…

Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 07/01/08 at 04:49 PM ET

Yup, that’s just huge. Huge domino effect, and mega-huge for those kids in Chicago. This is a major coup for the Blackhawks.  Bravo

Posted by Franco from MI on 07/01/08 at 04:50 PM ET

Brian Campbell - my new most hated defenseman.

You can’t hate a guy with Ronald MacDonald hair. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/01/08 at 04:51 PM ET

The Central has gotten even tougher.  It’s great to see Chicago rising from the depths of hell and impressing the hell out of everyone.

Posted by Huss from Sarasota, FL on 07/01/08 at 04:54 PM ET

Campbell plays like crap in the playoffs and gets a contract like this..  thats the new NHL for ya.

Posted by PuckHound61 on 07/01/08 at 04:58 PM ET

Note to the Hawks:

Congrats,
Looking forward to watching you on your new WGN contract.

but

Sorry

too bad you’re not in the Eastern(Bettman)/Conf.,
because:

It’s our Cup..
And we’re keeping it.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/01/08 at 05:02 PM ET

Campbell’s not worth more than $5 million a year, but he received fabulous hype and played one a successful team following the lockout.  He’s average at best defensively, and although he can move the puck and put up some offensive numbers, for $7.1 million a year you could sign a forward and a more capable defenseman and probably get more production. Unreal what’s happening with these salaries…

Posted by Dan from Pittsburgh on 07/01/08 at 05:04 PM ET

Later Soup.  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.  Tallon, I bet you can’t wait until a past-his-prime, aged, and broken-down defenseman counts as a $7.1M hit at 37 years of age!

Dougie, are you on the phone yet?  ...Dougie?

Posted by Mike from San Jose on 07/01/08 at 05:11 PM ET

Kudos to Chicago. Though I’m very interested to see what they do about their cap situation. Someone’s gotta go.

Posted by Aphaea from Pennsylvania on 07/01/08 at 05:23 PM ET

So how are the Hawks going to get below the cap before the season starts?  They’ve got players to sign to fill out their roster and no room to do so…

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 07/01/08 at 05:30 PM ET

So how are the Hawks going to get below the cap before the season starts?  They’ve got players to sign to fill out their roster and no room to do so…

No problem!  This is Chicago you’re talking about.

Nik Khabibulin will “disappear” in an “unfortunate” “accident” in the “suburbs.” Terribly sad, but it happens sometimes. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/01/08 at 05:46 PM ET

So how are the Hawks going to get below the cap before the season starts?

Maybe Dale caught wind of Tampa’s plan to play only forwards, and it inspired him to concoct his own revolutionary plan of playing only Campbell and two goaltenders. 

Posted by BobTheZee on 07/01/08 at 11:35 PM ET