'Hawks sign D Barker, but n0t Versteeg (AP)

CHICAGO (AP)—The metropolis Blackhawks resolute whatever of the administrative problems close their limited liberated agents by agreeing to lessen terms with sextet of those players.

The Blackhawks declared they had united to two-year deals with nervy Troy Brouwer(notes) and goaltender Corey Crawford(notes) and one-year contracts with forrad Ben Eager(notes) and Colin Fraser(notes) and defenseman ballplayer Johnson(notes).

On weekday night, they united to a three-year care with defenseman Cam Barker(notes). Barker had sextet goals and 34 assists in 68 games.

Still abstracted from the itemize of subscribed players was nervy Kris Versteeg(notes), an NHL rookie-of-the-year finalist.

The NHL Players’ Association filed a grievance on Monday, locution the Blackhawks hadn’t notified their limited liberated agents in time.

“The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) confirms today that it has filed a grievance regarding the unfortunate of the metropolis Blackhawks to submit limiting offers to its 2009 limited liberated agents preceding to the deadline stipulated in the CBA,” the NHLPA said in a statement. The NHLPA said the housing is pending before an arbitrator.

NHL teams had until June 29 to remember their limited liberated agents. Tendering a limiting substance enables a player’s aggroup the right to correct any offer he receives from added club.

Last week, Blackhawks generalized trainer Dale Tallon said that offers had been tendered to every heptad of Chicago’s limited liberated agents.

But publicised reports surfaced that the offers—commonly dispatched to players and their agents via traveller and to the NHL via fax—hadn’t arrived in time.

On Sunday, the NHL over a short enquiry of the possible administrative nonachievement without attractive some action. A conveying retard could have been caused by the Canada Day pass on July 1 and U.S. metropolis Day on July 4.

“I am aware of the grievance filed by the NHLPA,” Tallon said weekday in a prepared statement. “We are respectfully employed with the NHL, NHLPA, our players and their representatives so that we crapper hold this as presently as possible.”

If Tallon signs Versteeg, the grievance could embellish moot. Last season, Versteeg has 22 goals and 31 assists in 78 games to surpass ordinal in aggroup scoring.