Blackhawks Lose Stalberg To Predators
NASHVILLE (CBS) -- The Blackhawks have lost speedy forward Viktor Stalberg, who signed a deal with the Predators on Friday.
Stalberg signed a four-year $12 million contract with Nashville.
The loss of Stalberg was not a surprise, as he was seeking a more significant role than he had on the Blackhawks, and the Hawks were unlikely to pay him the kind of money he was seeking to stay on the third or fourth line.
Stalberg, 27, had a disappointing 2013 season with the Blackhawks, netting only 9 goals and 14 assists in 47 games, a year after showing flashes of strong play with 22 goals and 21 assists in 79 games in 2011-2012.
His subpar play continued in the playoffs, when he was benched twice by coach Joel Quenneville -- for the first two games against the Red Wings, and again for the first two games against the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. He didn't score a goal in any of his 19 playoff games, and had only three assists and was a -1 while averaging just over 10:30 of ice time per game.
