Consistent Inconsistency

So, after a one day hiatus it's time to complain. There are lots of current hockey stories to follow and criticize, for example the Phoenix Coyotes debate, but I'm tired of them all. I wake up and on certain days watch Sportscentre several times in succession. It's just my being too lazy to walk the eight to ten feet to where my remote controls may lie. So I’ve heard all arguments for and against these stories that I care to at this time.

I have been racking my brain for something to complain about, but to no avail. I am in a mood to rant, but there has been nothing I have felt is worthy of a rant. I arrived home tonight about halfway through the third period of game two in the Detroit/Chicago series when that something stared me in the face: #51 Brian Campbell.

He is by no means a horrible player, but he is definitely not a great player. Over the summer he became the first player in NHL history to pull a spin-o-rama into another dimension where players are paid $7 Million a year ($56 Million over 8 years) to play on the second defensive pairing. This was a very poor signing by the 'Hawks, and they are probably the first to admit it. A young team with few veterans, Chicago will have trouble holding onto the star players on their current roster in the coming years. Players like Toews, Kane, Sharp, Seabrook and soon-to-be restricted free agent Versteeg will see offer sheets that the 'Hawks will struggle to match given the NHL Salary Cap. Not to mention Bolland, Eager and Barker who have all had strong post-seasons and will be RFAs come July 1. Martin Havlat will be a UFA this summer and will be difficult to sign in the offseason. Having Campbell tied up in a long-term contract will really hurt the 'Hawks in the coming years as he is too expensive to buy-out and too much of a defensive liability and an offensive dud to spark any potential trades.

Campbell struggled to make the scoresheet with just seven goals during the regular season. He was fifth on team scoring with 52 Points in the regular season, but was (and is) a defensive liability. If he was a basketball player he would have been on more posters than Shawn Bradley. All else equal, thanks to Brian Campbell for helping me establish a good basis for a short-but-sweet rant. His consistent inconsistency is always a conversation sparker and I hope to complain about his overrated abilities again in the near future.

I wrote this without the realization that Campbell gave the puck away in OT for the 3-on-1 that led to the winner, but thanks to Sportscenter I can watch his inadequacies over and over again.