The Chicago Blackhawks' cap woes are the gift that keeps on giving. Like herpes or syphilis, once you think it's cleared up, it comes back.

Today the San Jose Sharks signed Hawks' defenseman Niklas Hjamlarsson to a 4 year, $14 million offer sheet. The Hawks now have 7 days to match the offer, or they lose Hjalmarsson for the Shark's first and third round picks in the 2011 NHL draft.

So what exactly are the Hawks' options here? I'm sure GM Stan Bowman would have liked to bring Hjalmarsson in for around $2.75 million per instead of 3.5. In the multimillion-dollar world of modern sports that might not sound like all that much money, but that's basically a fourth line or third pair player - they're paying for Hjalmarsson and Jordan Hendry, but only getting Hjalmarsson.

Of course, the easiest thing would be to just match. They have the Cap space, albeit barely. They'd have $113 thousand dollars, and that's without a backup goalie, a number 6 defenseman, or 3 forwards. It would probably speed things up with Antti Niemi. Rather than wait out the arbitration hearing, which would take place somewhere between July 20 and August 6, they would have to decide to either fish or cut bait.

There are still some inexpensive options out there, and one shitty one (Marty Turco). I'm sure the first think Bowman did when he heard about the offer sheet was call Niemi's agent. Once Niemi's status is set, either as a Blackhawk or not, they can decide what to do with Cristobal Huet. Waiving him looks to be the only option, and I'm sure the Hawks wanted to wait to settle things with Niemi before committing to anything.

The Sharks were smart to do this. Not only would Hjalmarsson strengthen their blueline, it would also weaken the team that kept them from the Stanley Cup Final. After Rob Blake's retirement and Evgeni Nabakov's departure to the KHL, they have plenty of Cap space. Even with the new deals for Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau, they've got over $6 million in cap space. A very calculated risk.

So what should the Hawks do? Given the choice between Hjalmarsson and Niemi, if they can only keep one, Hjalmarsson is the one to keep. He's part of the Hawks' system that makes the goaltender a far less important component than a lot of other teams. That's not to say you can stick Marty Turco in there and win (I can't stress this enough - MARTY TURCO SUCKS), but the Hawks don't require great goaltending, they only need "good enough".

Not only that, but Hjalmarsson's joining the defense late inthe 2008-09 season stabilized Brian Campbell's game. Campbell could be more creative with the puck knowing he didn't have to cover for a Matt Walker. Plus, Hjalmarsson is a guy who takes the body and blocks shots like a veteran.

The Hawks need to nut up and match. They've got a week.