When
the Chicago Blackhawks quickly announced the trades of Dave Bolland
and Michael Frolik during Sunday's draft, it became clear what was
coming next.
TheBlackhawks soon after announced that they had reached terms on a four-year contract with winger Bryan Bickell. He'll average $4 million a year.
"I
feel like Chicago is a second home," Bickell told
chicagoblackhawks.com
Bolland
had scored the Stanley Cup-clinching for the Blackhawks less than a
week ago in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. It came 17 seconds
after Bickell had tied the game with a little more than a minute
left.
Bickell,
who would have been one of the top players available had he gone to
free agency on Friday, had taken a step forward this postseason with
a big playoffs. Move into the top six, he scored nine goals, tied
with Patrick Kane for team best, and 17 points, ranked fifth overall.
"Don't
forget that he played well in the regular season as well,"
general manager Stan Bowman said.
With
a big bump in pay from $600,000 this past season, Bickell knows he'll
be under pressure to produce.
"I
feel like I can bring that every night," he said. "I know
what it takes now and what they want and hopefully, I can just bring
it."
Bowman
also made the trades with an eye on some of the organization's
youngsters, such as Brandon Pirri.
"I
have to create some room for them to play," he said.
Bolland,
a Toronto native, was dealt to the Maple Leafs and Frolik went to the
Winnipeg Jets, both for draft picks.
Bolland
had been one of the eight holdovers from the 2010 Stanley Cup team
that was dismantled because of salary cap concerns.
"It's
unfortunate," said Bickell, who played on that 2010 team, but
not enough to get his name on the Cup. "I've know (Bolland) for
a long time. He's been a big part of these Cup runs that we've had."
Source:
usatoday
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