Chicago's options to not totally f*** itself are none too pretty

Chicago is holding steady at $1.34MM over the cap with three players left to sign. If they simply promote their prospects under contract to fill the spots (which is the cheapest option), that adds another $2.1MM, which makes the magic number $3.45MM (over the cap). Candidates for salary dump:

Brian Campbell - cap his of $7.14MM for SEVEN MORE YEARS. If you ask me, that contract is literally untradeable. They would have to thrown in valuable assets as freebees just to make it palatable, and even then, there is no one who can afford it. Next...

Cristobal Huet - $5.625MM for another three years. See Campbell, Brian above. No, he's their goalie, for awhile.

Brent Sopel - $2.33MM for another two years. I doubt anyone will take him at that price.

(note that these are Chicago's three UFA signings from last year; how's that working out so far?)

So it's going to have to be one of these guys, two of them if they have to take salary back...

Sharp

Bolland

Versteeg

Byfuglien

Seabrook

Barker

(or, of course, Hossa. And wouldn't that be hilarious. Won't happen though, because Tallon would immediately be fired. No, it'll be one of the "core.")