Irish Hawk
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It's not an April fools joke. The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired <strong class='bbc'>Michal Handzus[/b] from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 4th round draft pick in the upcoming 2013 draft. The 4th round pick originally belonged to the Sharks, and the Blackhawks obtained it last year during the 2012 draft.
Handzus, 36, has appeared in 28 games for the Sharks this season, scoring one goal and added one assist. His best trait is exactly what I mentioned the Blackhawks were searching for just a few days ago: 55.6% face-off percentage. Handzus also brings the Blackhawks size up the middle at 6' 5" 215 pounds.
"I’ve always been a two-way player," Handzus said to the Chicago Tribune. "I kill penalties and if I have a chance I can play power play. It's an all-around game. It’s been that way my whole career. I’ll try to just fit in any way I can."
That may sound nice to Blackhawks fans, but realistically Handzus has really lost a step or two in his game. He won't get a chance on the power play in Chicago (although stranger things have happened), but he may see some time on the penalty kill, and will probably get a lot of opportunities at the face-off dot in important draws.
The San Jose Sharks fanbase apparently couldn't get rid of him fast enough.
"Handzus is a train-wreck in every way imaginable, aside from face-offs and shoot-outs. Slow as can be, looks completely disinterested at all times, kills any and all offensive pressure whenever he is on the ice. Defensively he is abysmal as well, worst on the team."
Harsh.
With <strong class='bbc'>Jonathan Toews[/b], <strong class='bbc'>Dave Bolland[/b], <strong class='bbc'>Andrew Shaw[/b], and <strong class='bbc'>Marcus Kruger[/b] all playing center, someone is going to have to shift to the wing. Shaw, or possibly Kruger, will most-likely move over to let Handzus take the face-off dot.
PURE OPINION — Take it for what it's worth, but this is purely a depth move to improve our face-off percentage and size up the middle. Two needs that Bowman wanted to address, albeit, this addition was certainly on-the-cheap. He is on the final year of his contract, so the Blackhawks don't have to worry about any future commitment either.
At best, Handzus could exceed expectations and provide good two-way ability, size, and face-off ability, along with a bit of creativity on the offensive side of the ice like he did with <strong class='bbc'>Martin Havlat[/b] in his brief stop to Chicago in 2006-07. At worst, Handzus is a healthy scratch filling the press box. Somewhere in the middle of those two situations, he could provide a role similar to <strong class='bbc'>John Madden[/b] in 2010.
One last thing to consider: Joel Quenneville coached Handzus back in the day when both were part of the St. Louis Blues organization, so perhaps he had some input on this move.
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Handzus, 36, has appeared in 28 games for the Sharks this season, scoring one goal and added one assist. His best trait is exactly what I mentioned the Blackhawks were searching for just a few days ago: 55.6% face-off percentage. Handzus also brings the Blackhawks size up the middle at 6' 5" 215 pounds.
"I’ve always been a two-way player," Handzus said to the Chicago Tribune. "I kill penalties and if I have a chance I can play power play. It's an all-around game. It’s been that way my whole career. I’ll try to just fit in any way I can."
That may sound nice to Blackhawks fans, but realistically Handzus has really lost a step or two in his game. He won't get a chance on the power play in Chicago (although stranger things have happened), but he may see some time on the penalty kill, and will probably get a lot of opportunities at the face-off dot in important draws.
The San Jose Sharks fanbase apparently couldn't get rid of him fast enough.
"Handzus is a train-wreck in every way imaginable, aside from face-offs and shoot-outs. Slow as can be, looks completely disinterested at all times, kills any and all offensive pressure whenever he is on the ice. Defensively he is abysmal as well, worst on the team."
Harsh.
With <strong class='bbc'>Jonathan Toews[/b], <strong class='bbc'>Dave Bolland[/b], <strong class='bbc'>Andrew Shaw[/b], and <strong class='bbc'>Marcus Kruger[/b] all playing center, someone is going to have to shift to the wing. Shaw, or possibly Kruger, will most-likely move over to let Handzus take the face-off dot.
PURE OPINION — Take it for what it's worth, but this is purely a depth move to improve our face-off percentage and size up the middle. Two needs that Bowman wanted to address, albeit, this addition was certainly on-the-cheap. He is on the final year of his contract, so the Blackhawks don't have to worry about any future commitment either.
At best, Handzus could exceed expectations and provide good two-way ability, size, and face-off ability, along with a bit of creativity on the offensive side of the ice like he did with <strong class='bbc'>Martin Havlat[/b] in his brief stop to Chicago in 2006-07. At worst, Handzus is a healthy scratch filling the press box. Somewhere in the middle of those two situations, he could provide a role similar to <strong class='bbc'>John Madden[/b] in 2010.
One last thing to consider: Joel Quenneville coached Handzus back in the day when both were part of the St. Louis Blues organization, so perhaps he had some input on this move.
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