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Don't Hang Campbell and Huet Just Yet
Fan Commentary, by Bill Love
July 2, 2008
During yesterday's whirlwind of a day, otherwise known as the NHL's Free Agent Day, the Blackhawks General Manager, Dale Tallon took the plunge and signed arguably the top two free agents in their respective categories - defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristibol Huet. At the same time he gave the fans exactly what they wanted - something to gripe about.
You'd think yesterday would have been a great day in the history of the Blackhawks. You'd think fans of the team would be joyous and in great moods. However, that just isn't going to be the case. You see, fans say they want teams to spend money on free agents, but then after that is done, they say the team spent too much. For the record, I believe the deals to both Campbell and Huet are a bit excessive, but that is what the market demands teams pay for top free agents.
It was rumored that Campbell was to get $8 million per season. He got less than that. However, he did get an 8 year contract. This appears to be a trend amongst the top players. If players can get that type of security why wouldn't they take it? I wish I had that type of job security.
What it ultimately boils down to is that Tallon has just set up Campbell and, to a lesser extent, Huet to fail in the eyes of the fans. I'm already going to pencil them in as public enemies number 1 and 2 in the minds of many Hawk fans. Granted it may not happen this year, but by the 2010-2011 season everyone will be saying, "Why can't Tallon (or whoever is the current GM at the time) trade these overpaid bums away?"
Campbell and Huet are going to be under a microscope for the next few years. I suppose that comes with the territory of getting paid millions as an athlete, especially in a large media and entertainment market like Chicago. However, one thing that fans need to remember is that every personnel issue is a gamble. Some work out great, others fail miserably, while most fall somewhere in between. One thing always remains the same - hockey is a team sport and no one person wins the Stanley Cup.
Campbell and Huet are both good at what they do. If they didn't they wouldn't have been such sought after free agents. Will they excel in a Hawks uniform? Only time will tell. However, just because they signed such big contracts, as a fan, don't fall into the same trap as many did with Khabibulan and expect perfection or that they are the saviors from the promised land. If so, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.
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