Ah, the salary cap: a tool used in order to have greater parity throughout the league, even as it annoys both richer teams and teams who make stupid decisions with their money alike. You wanna sign Bryan Bickell to a four-year, $16 million deal? David Clarkson to a seven-year, almost-$40 million one? You do you, but it's either going to bite you, or you're going to have to find a way out of it.
The Leafs found a way out of their obligation; the Blackhawks, meanwhile, are a bit more on the screwed side. And there's even more bad news coming up for teams in harrowing cap situations.