Shortly after trimming their roster -- which included the surprise demotion of Marko Dano to AHL Rockford -- the Chicago Blackhawks made another splash by putting veteran power forward Bryan Bickell on waivers.
Bickell, 29, scored 14 goals and 28 points in 80 games last year, but was a non-factor in the playoffs while dealing with vertigo.
He only played in one of six Stanley Cup Final games and, at the beginning of camp, said he was still dealing with the after effects.
Bickell has been a polarizing figure in Chicago for the last few years.
Signed to a four-year, $16 million deal in the summer of ’13, his lackluster regular seasons were often made up with very strong postseasons, including the ’13 Stanley Cup run in which he scored nine goals and 17 points in 23 games -- a performance that played a big role in him scoring that $16 million contract.
With the ‘Hawks pressed up against the salary cap, Bickell’s name was bandied about in several trade rumors this summer, none of which came to fruition.
It’ll be interesting to see if any team takes a flier on him via waivers; if he clears, the ‘Hawks would (presumably) send him down to AHL Rockford for a bit of cap relief.