Blackhawks Re-Sign Goaltender Toivonen, Defenseman Cullimore

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have re-signed goaltender Hannu Toivonen and defenseman Jassen Cullimore to one-year contracts. Financial terms of both deals were not disclosed. Toivonen was acquired by the Blackhawks on March 1 from St. Louis along with Danny Richmond in exchange for goaltender Joe Fallon and defenseman Daryl Boyle. Cullimore signed as a free agent with the team in February. These are really just depth signings for the team, although, given Chicago's salary cap issues, it actually wouldn't surprise me if both players were able to secure roles on the team next season as long as their salaries aren't expensive, which I imagine they shouldn't be.

Blues Acquire Fallon From Blackhawks for Toivonen, Richmond

The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have acquired goaltender Joe Fallon from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Hannu Toivonen and defenseman Danny Richmond. Fallon has appeared in 29 games this season with Rockford of the AHL, posting a 15-10-1 record with a 2.64 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Toivonen has played in 26 games with Peoria of the AHL this season, posting an 11-11-3 record with a 2.73 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Richmond has one goal and 15 assists for 16 points and 135 penalty minutes in 54 games this season with Peoria. This will be Richmond's second stint with the Blackhawks. He played with the team for parts of three seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in July 2008. In 49 career NHL games with the Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, he has three assists and 75 penalty minutes.

This is really just a minor trade for both teams and in no way do I believe it's suggesting the Blackhawks are looking to move a goalie. Both Chicago and St. Louis were likely looking to bolster their AHL affiliates through this trade. Fallon brings promising goaltending depth to the Blues' organization, while Toivonen brings experience to the Blackhawks. Despite showing a lot of promise early in his NHL career, Toivonen has struggled at the NHL level in recent years, having last played in the league during the 2007-08 season. Perhaps a change of scenery will do Toivonen some good. Richmond gives the Blackhawks a very physical defenseman, but given their current depth on their blueline, he likely won't see much, if any, playing time this season.

Blues Re-Sign Goaltender Hannu Toivonen

The St. Louis Blues announced that they have re-signed goaltender Hannu Toivonen to a new contract. The exact length and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In 52 games last season with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish League, Toivonen posted a 19-23-0 record with a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage. He last played in the NHL with the Blues during the 2007-08 season, appearing in 23 games and posting a 6-10-5 record with a 3.44 GAA and .878 save percentage. The Blues have likely signed Toivonen as minor league depth for their AHL affiliate in Peoria, as they already appearing set with Chris Mason and Ty Conklin as their two netminders next season. Toivonen has struggled mightily in the NHL since his relatively successful rookie season in 2005-06 and spent last season in Finland to get back on his game, but only played okay. He could be called upon to be the backup if Mason or Conklin miss a lot of time with an injury, but I have my doubts that he will ever play regularly in the NHL again.