((HT: TSN/Dreger))
Sources tell TSN the National Hockey League Players Association has filed a grievance over the Chicago Blackhawks mishandling of a number of its qualifying offers and intends to argue the players affected by the mishap, who remain unsigned, should be ruled unrestricted free agents.
The NHL will be notified and can agree with the NHLPA's filing, or the league can disagree and the case will move on to an expedited hearing.
"In response to various media inquiries, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) confirms today that it has filed a grievance regarding the failure of the Chicago Blackhawks to submit Qualifying Offers to its 2009 Restricted Free Agents prior to the deadline stipulated in the CBA. The NHLPA will make no further comment on the matter, which is now pending before the Impartial Arbitrator," said Jonathan Weatherdon, NHLPA Spokesperson.
At this moment, it's the Players' Association's contention, these players are unrestricted free agents and free to negotiate with any team.
The NHL is sure to fight back.
If the PA is accurate and the players involved are deemed unrestricted free agents, the Blackhawks could lose both forward Kris Versteeg and defenceman Cam Barker ((pictured, thanks Dave Sandford/Getty)) to the open market.
The interest in these two players league wide as UFA's would be significant. In Barker's case, one league source cites his value at $3 million on the low end, and as much as $5 million on the high end.
The Chicago Blackhawks have cap issues and may not be able to afford to compete in the feeding frenzy without making drastic moves to free up money.
This issue is far from resolved, but early indications suggest it may not end well for the Chicago Blackhawks.
UPDATE: The Chicago Blackhawks have responded very quickly to a grievance filed by the NHL Player's Association of mishandling their qualifying offers to restricted free-agents by signing defenceman Cam Barker to a three-year, $9.25 million contract extension.
Barker was one of five players whose qualifying offers from the Hawks reportedly were mailed but didn't arrive on time. Had Barker not agreed to a deal, and the grievance had gone through, he could have potentially become an unrestricted free-agent.
23-year old Barker had six goals and 34 assists in 60 games for Chicago last season and added three goals and six assists during the Blackhawks' playoff run.
The Winnipeg native was originally selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
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