Hawks come to terms with Dubinsky, at impasse with Michalek.

The Chicago Blackhawks management has announced upon return from vacation the signing of young forward Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, one of two remaining RFA's on the Hawks roster actually signed almost 2 weeks ago however with management out of town no announcement was made. "We are very pleased to have Brandon signed for this coming season, he has made solid strides on the ice and continues to develop into an impact player in this league."

On a less positive note it appears the team has reached an impasse with RFA Milan Michalek. It is believed the team and the players agent are miles apart with regard to both term, and dollar amount. "At this point we do not see any way a deal will be reached by August 2nd, we are very comfortable allowing this to play out as it will" said GM Semonick. "We have several players in our system who could feasibly fill a hole on the roster, so we are willing to allow the market to determine Milan's value".

Semonick did not close the door on a Michalek return, the team and Michalek went through the same dance last season with the two sides eventually reaching a deal later in the summer, however Semonick did admit he was growing tired of the song and dance that seemed to occur each summer. With young Chris Stewart very much ready to step into a big role on the Hawks pro-roster it would appear the team holds the cards in the standoff, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.