Opinion

By Craig Custance

updated 8:11 p.m. ET July 17, 2008

When you're Patrick Kane, hockey's reigning rookie of the year, you don't track NHL free agency like everybody else. You tap directly into the source.

Before July 1, the Blackhawks forward was tipped off by general manager Dale Tallon to expect something big. So when Kane returned from a workout on the opening day of free agency and there wasn't a lot of news surrounding the Blackhawks, he tried to find out why.

From the basement of his parents' home in Buffalo, Kane started texting a friend in the Chicago front office.

Quickly he found out the team was in the running for Wade Redden and Brian Campbell, the two most sought-after defensemen on the market. His only thought about landing one of those puck movers was, "It'd be sick."

Then he received this text: "Soup is in."

The Blackhawks had landed Campbell, the biggest prize of the first day of free agency, signing the former Buffalo and San Jose standout to an eight-year deal worth $56.8 million. The same day, they also signed the best goalie on the market, Cristobal Huet, to a four-year deal worth $22.4 million.

And just like that, the young Blackhawks were power players on hockey's free-agent market. The most irrelevant Original Six franchise of the past 10 years is back.

"We had to do something," says Tallon. "If we just sat still, it would have been 'Same old Blackhawks.' We felt like it was necessary to be aggressive."

Tallon says he felt something on the outset of this period of free agency: a demand from players to be part of the rebirth of hockey in Chicago.

Not even a year has passed since Kane first sat on the bench during a game at the United Center and was nudged by fellow rookie Jonathan Toews, who pointed out all the empty seats. "There were 7,000 people in the building, and Toews was like 'Geez, we need to fill this building out,' " Kane says.

The young core of the Blackhawks, which starts with Kane and Toews but also includes center Patrick Sharp and defenseman Duncan Keith, did just that, sparking a playoff push that played out in front of packed houses.

A home November win over Columbus drew an announced crowd of 9,717. A shootout win over the same Blue Jackets on March 30 drew 20,885.

That's why it was imperative for Tallon to make the splash he did on July 1. The Blackhawks and their young stars started something last season; the general manager wanted to make sure it continued into the offseason. If there's such a thing as summer momentum in hockey, the Blackhawks have it.

According to Tallon, the day after he signed Huet and Campbell, the team sold nearly 200 season-ticket packages, worth roughly $250,000. Chris Werner, the team's senior executive director of ticketing, couldn't confirm exact numbers but said his staff was working after hours to handle the extra phone calls.

In past years, Chicago didn't even bother selling season tickets in July. This year, the renewal rate is approaching 100 percent.

But a big day of free agency guarantees nothing. Tallon knows he overpaid for Campbell, and there's always risk when you sign a goaltender to a four-year deal. The Capitals coveted Huet but weren't comfortable offering the four-year term Chicago put up.

And the Blackhawks have salary cap issues, partly because of the $12 million tied up in goaltending this season between Huet and incumbent Nikolai Khabibulin. Khabibulin is slated to earn $6.75 million this season, which makes him a logical target in trade talk.

Not lost in the Chicago buzz was that the best available player on the market, Marian Hossa, passed up tens of millions of dollars to sign a one-year deal with division rival Detroit. That's why coach Denis Savard knows that being a winner on July 1 doesn't mean anything when the puck drops.

Sure, getting help for his power play and a boost in goal on Tuesday might have made Thursday's round of golf and cookout with a group of friends a little more enjoyable. But that's as far as the celebration got.

"I don't take anything for granted," Savard says. "Come September, we have a lot of work in front of us. But it's going to be fun."