Big Oil Lie: Edmonton Falsely Claims New GM Stan Bowman Was ‘Architect’ of Blackhawks Stanley Cup Teams

Tallon had just signed Hossa, number 81 and retired by the Blackhawks, as a free agent on July 1, 2009. It was an upfront 12-year contract that paid an average of $5.233 million per year, and put Chicago well under the salary cap. of US$56.8 million. But the deal paid off, as Hossa played a key role for eight seasons in Chicago before retiring due to a recurring skin condition.

Drafted second overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1970, Tallon was not cast out for his inability to scout and acquire talent or a lack of knowledge of the game. The former defenseman had a reputation, however, for not particularly enjoying administrative duties in the NHL’s salary cap era, which began in 2005-05.

When Hossa was signed, the Blackhawks did not make qualifying offers to eight restricted free agents before the July 1, 2009 deadline. This created the possibility of these players becoming unrestricted.

Every prominent RFA on the team signed with Chicago, but not before the NHLPA filed a complaint. https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/

Tallon took responsibility for the confusion and said it would not happen again. The Blackhawks ended up paying more than they would have for forward Kris Versteeg and defenseman Cam Barker.

Supported by his father, Scotty, and then-Blackhawks president John McDonough, Stan Bowman was elevated to GM. Tallon became a senior advisor for Chicago for a year, then GM of the Florida Panthers from 2010 to 2020. He is now a senior advisor and pro scout for the Canucks.

Post-Aldrich Fallout Effect

Bowman is the first former Blackhawks executive rehired by an NHL team since the team’s 2010 sexual assault scandal came to light in 2021. The league reinstated Bowman, head coach Joel Quenneville and Al MacIsaac, who also served in the front office from Chicago earlier this month. .

Bowman stepped down as Chicago’s GM on October 26, 2021, after an independent investigation found the organization mishandled allegations made by prospect Kyle Beach that he was sexually assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich. Bowman was at a May 2010 meeting led by McDonough when McDonough said he would “take care of” Beach’s complaint, and intentionally delayed it during the team’s championship run.

Aldrich, who was later convicted of assaulting a high school player in Houghton, Michigan, was also accused of sexual assault by a second former Blackhawks player as well as a front office intern. The second player’s civil case against the team is still ongoing.

Related: Law Firm Provides Details on Second Former Blackhawks Player’s Suit in Brad Aldrich Sexual Abuse Case

The cocky McDonough was fired in 2020 by late Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz and replaced by Rocky’s son Danny. After Rocky Wirtz died in July 2023, Danny became the team’s president and CEO.

But the Aldrich case isn’t the biggest problem here

Bowman was a lukewarm GM

But Bowman’s biggest complaint may be his handling of Blackhawks player personnel. While often limited by the salary cap, he has done a cursory job of bringing in new talent and has traded away draft picks and young players who have thrived with other teams. Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling could be at the top of the list.

Related: Bowman’s Blackhawks Mistakes: Draft Picks That Shouldn’t Have Been Traded

The Blackhawks’ inability to maintain a pipeline of quality talent is the main reason the team has fallen to last place in the NHL. Bowman’s draft classes from 2010 to 2021 have been lukewarm, producing only a few impact players thus far, such as Brandon Saad (2011), Teuvo Teravainen (2012), Ryan Hartman (2013), Nick Schmalz (2014), Alex DeBrincat ( 2016) and Alex Vlasic (2019).

All except Vlasic, who had an excellent season on defense in 2023-24, were traded. Teravainen returned to Chicago as a free agent, signing on July 1.

Related: Blackhawks sign defenseman Alex Vlasic to six-year, $27.6 million contract

The jury is still out on some perspectives crafted during the Bowman regime. They include Wyatt Kaiser (2020), Lukas Reichel (2020) Drew Commesso (2020), Nolan Allan (2021), Colton Dach (2021) and Ethan Del Mastro (2021).

One of Bowman’s first priorities with the Oilers will be getting Leon Draisaitl, who is now less than a year away from unrestricted free agency, on a long-term contract. Connor McDavid’s current deal expires on July 1, 2026.