Lots to cover today.
Wish I had a lot of shiny, new developments. I don't. Well, one or two. But there's a lot of gray here—important gray. Here goes:
HOSSA
The NHL is a lot like the federal government—a lot of checks and balances and a lot of lobbying. I was told last night to view Bill Daly's comments yesterday regarding an "assessment and determination" regarding Hossa's injury situation and ongoing status as mostly public posturing.
The reactions of fans of other teams who showed up on my message board thread yesterday were a pretty good indicator, I'm told, of how some NHL executives reacted. There is a lot of lobbying and griping and working the refs at the level of the NHL league office.
But here's the deal, like it or not, Hossa's injury/allergy situation is real. It would be a conspiracy of Magic Bullet proportions for Hossa, his agent Ritch Winter, Hawk doctors and the team to concoct both the condition and the treatment Hossa has undergone for it. The condition is hard to live with and play with, even while getting maintenance medical treatment. And the treatment can both attenuate in its effectiveness and have lasting medical implications.
The Hawks know this. The league probably knows this. Daly's statement yesterday is nothing more than public bluster meant to placate those executives of other teams who called and complained. Should the league really try to intercede against Hossa, there would be "a massive grievance filed" by the NHLPA" on his behalf.
Where this is all most likely leading, eventually, is mapped out in my original post on this topic two weeks ago, on June 10.
End of story. Sort of. Which leads to . . .
THE HAWKS TODAY
This is a lot less clear cut. It is not as readily apparent how prepared the Hawks were for the Hossa announcement or its timing. There are varying theories.
One thing is for certain, the script for the summer was altered yesterday or at some point recently, when the widely reported (including here) trade of Marcus Kruger to the Las Vegas Golden Knights didn't happen. Is there a connection between the Hossa announcement and this change in plans? I don't know.
My hunch is, Kruger is still going to be traded and most likely to Las Vegas. There's another rumor out there—not delivered to me by my sources—that the Hawks have a deal in place for a defenseman. Most likely from Vegas. And one might connect that dot to Kruger.
Getting back to Hossa, it seems there was a bit of a groundswell yesterday around a rumor that had the Hawks landing TJ Oshie in free agency—seemingly as a replacement for Hossa. On to that:
OSHIE
It didn't make sense to me when I heard it. It makes less sense to me now.
Is it possible? Sure. But it sounds more to me like a media type (or a crafty agent) thinking: "Oh, Hossa's out, LTIR, they'll get someone to replace him to play with Toews. Oshie's a right wing, played with Toews in college, and he's a free agent. Bob's your Uncle—OSHIE TO CHICAGO."
Ehhhh, maybe . . . not.
Again, it could well be that there is a legitimate interest on behalf of the team and the player to make a deal happen. But there are many reasons it won't.
First, the Hawks are substantially over the cap right now. So nothing happens as far as signing any free agents until they aren't, per league rules.
Second, Oshie is 30, has had severe knee injuries in the past, and will likely be looking for money and term this summer, two things the Hawks can't just eagerly hand out, much less get into a bidding war.
Finally, Oshie doesn't really fit the profile of the players I have been told the Hawks have pursued at wing over the last couple of years: Mikkel Boedker, Jonathan Drouin, Matt Duchene. All of whom have one important thing in common: elite speed.
Oshie had a nice year last year in DC, but his numbers were kind of paltry the previous three seasons for a guy who will likely be looking for big bucks this summer.
Could he help the Hawks? Absolutely. Is it a slam dunk move, logically or logistically? Not even close. Which leads to another rumor:
EVANDER KANE
This one, I'm told, has some legitimacy. But I'm also told the Hawks are unlikely to land Kane due to what Buffalo wants in return and that the Hawks would expect the sabres to retain salary.
NEW RUMORS
First an update on a rumor I first reported earlier this week:
As of last night, the Golden Knights were still in hot pursuit of one Artemi Panarin. The rationale—with two former KHL teammates of Panarin in Las Vegas—is fairly obvious. What might come of that is anyone's guess.
I also heard—and it didn't sound like this was necessarily connected to a Panarin deal, was that if James Neal became a Golden Knight (he has), the Hawks would have some serious interest in acquiring him.
Some may have issues with that. I am just reporting what I heard.
Finally, another source tells me there is still a lot of chatter around Artem Anisimov (Las Vegas and New Jersey were two teams mentioned), and even Niklas Hjalmarsson (Montreal).
WHAT TO MAKE OF ALL THIS
There are lots of rumors and theories out there around the Hawks, but things have gotten very quiet and/or sketchy from my point of view. Much could happen starting this morning, or very little could.
Back with more as I hear it.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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