I remember reading something about the Canadian Dollar being weaker (possibly close to 90 cents to the USD in the near future) while all the expansion/relocation talk was going on a couple months ago. Perhaps it's improved?
- EKolb13

Canadian dollar is at about $.95 against the US dollar - a low point for the year (it had been about $1.02 at the end of last year).

Have no idea where it's going.

Hi Ogie!
- EKolb13

Hola

JJ, I just don't see how Hjalmarsson deals is contingent upon Crawford taking less than Jimmy Howard.

Does hammer want to go to the West Coast as he and his agent stated when he "signed" with San Jose?

I think you are absolutely correct that he played well enough for us to think of him as a notch below Seabrook and Keith.

and if the open market was gonna put almost 5 mil in Bickell's pocket I have to think that Hammer gets more than 5 mil.

You may see Stanton Peckham Kostka and Johns mixed in your pairings for Cap relief in the next couple, but pretty sure they try hard to get him to stay...they may have NO control over that.

Before they start trading Oduya, or Leddy or others, they pretty much have know what Hammer's intentions are, and price.

Then they make adjustments around those facts.
- wiz1901

Ok.....lets look at this logically.

Everyone is assuming HUGE cap increases, which I somewhat get...but lets get real...what is a huge cap increase? If it goes up 10% which I think is crazy to think, but I'll give it to you.....you are going to pay up to 5 million, maybe more to retain Hammer...

So now you are at a little over 60 million in cap salaries...10 million in room and you need a back up goalie, and 6-7 players....Raanta is already at 1.4 with RFA deal expired, so he gets a raise....So now you're more at 8 million with 6-7 players....From there you'll have RFAs like Shaw, Hayes, Morin...Shaw is line for a pretty nice bump...like 1.5-2 million...So very quickly that room starts to go.

that's my point....everyone can speculate that maybe they trade Oduya, and they could, but even as that cap number goes up, and I honestly don't see how it goes up 10% next year, and a large % the following year, or otherwise what the hell was the purpose of the lockout? How do the small market teams continue to compete? They can't....The cap can't go up 10% next year, and another high percentage the following year.....

Oh...and the following off season...You have Kane, Toews, Saad, Kruger and Leddy...with at least 32.5 committed to only 6 guys...which easily could 41-43 after potential deals for Hammer, Shaw, and Raanta.

By the time you sign Toews and Kane you are at LEAST 59-61 million on the low end, and have all of 11 guys signed.....And have to sign another 11 with maybe 14 million in cap room? Imagine if Leddy and Shaw have some monster years.....very quickly this gets tight.

But....nobody will whisper a thing about this in the press...just absorbing all the talking points they feed out on conference calls.

All this is speculation and I completely get that, but somebody please show me when the cap EVER went up 6+ million in 1 year...

Crawford is a Cup winner...a Jennings winner...and has rock solid stats.

But I'll repeat the big one...he's a Cup winner. Being a winner gets you noticed.

He would get paid regardless of how skeptical Hawk fans view him.
- ArlingtonRob

I don't disagree...and I like Crawford, but HATE the deal...if that makes sense....

You have Raanta as leverage...You have a great 2011, a bad 2012, a great 2013 as leverage...which Crawford is he?

Put the deal out there, and come December if he's off to a hot start, push it then...but at least see.

I also don't like the fact they gave up TERM and $$ in this....So what is Raanta now, and what happens if they did strike it rich twice and find another Niemi? Would they have been better with a cap friendly goalie and a top notch D, or a huge $$ goalie, and losing at least 1, possibly 2 guys by the start of 2015 with the huge deals to Toews, Kane, Shaw, Leddy, Saad, Kruger and Hammer all coming up?

That's where I'm coming from....

Just checked today's rate and it's .95/1...which is about where it's been for years.
- ArlingtonRob

No, it was much higher. This is a pretty significant move (>8%) in terms of currency vs. currency in the last 12 months, and the trend is in tact.

http://www.advfn.com/exchanges/FX/CADUSD/chart

Well done John...

I will say the elephant in the room concerning future cap peril is Hossa.
That said the trade off was to send Hossa packing and lose a huge piece to the puzzle which can't be replaced for less money or take a chance.

Hawk management figures they can stay a true Cup contender for the next 5 years is my guess, and if so they need Hossa....And that's why he is here.

So my take is embrace their decision and pray for the best.

As far as Crawford...We have talked for the last few years the Hawks have a hole at the goalie position. If Raanta turns out to be the real deal he can be kept or traded...really no downside.

As far as Hammer....Couldn't have said it better than John....There is no one with his skill set coming.

If Hammer wants to stay they will pay him.

The money will come from the third pair and or Oduya.

The Hawks have the best defense 1-6 in the game, but they have a lot of money tied up in #'s 4-6 and that is where the cap shuffle will take place.

I don't have a crystal ball but by the time Kane and Toews are due a raise the cap could be closer to $80 mill than $70.

The concern with Crawford is if can he handle the pressure of a huge contract and do so without Stephane Waite.

He was the best player throughout the playoffs and I am certain discussions behind close doors surrounded the fact that without Crawford there wouldn't have been another parade in Chicago.

I have said this for a long time...Crawford was and is loved by management and that was a big reason why Niemi was sacrificed. Obviously they still think highly because they didn't need to sign him for 6 years.

Crawford has never made much money so they rewarded him greatly with the design that he will be a big part of the 5 year window I spoke about.

So far Bowman and Co. have been more right than wrong on Crawford.

This club is set up for another big run with some good luck on the injury front ...

So hang on tight!

On Twitter@AlCimaglia
- Al

Run the numbers on capgeek.com It gets very scary, very quickly....the HUGE variable is what % the cap goes up....even at 10% next year....it's still very tight, and going into 2015 I just dont' see how all the core is still here.....

What happens if Raanta is a Niemi type goalie? Can you really stick your 6 million a year guy on the bench for 30+ games to play Raanta?

Here's another HUGE variable, I haven't seen mentioned anywhere......lets see how the loss of Waite plays into all of this. Waite really got Corey on board a few times the past couple of years when he hit some turbulence....Can Steve Weeks do the same? That....I'm not sure of.....

Again....why not wait until December...a motivated Crawford to earn an Olympic spot, a new contract, could have probably been had for the exact deal he just signed.....Especially, when the Hawks had all the leverage.

I don't disagree...and I like Crawford, but HATE the deal...if that makes sense....

You have Raanta as leverage...You have a great 2011, a bad 2012, a great 2013 as leverage...which Crawford is he?

Put the deal out there, and come December if he's off to a hot start, push it then...but at least see.

I also don't like the fact they gave up TERM and $$ in this....So what is Raanta now, and what happens if they did strike it rich twice and find another Niemi? Would they have been better with a cap friendly goalie and a top notch D, or a huge $$ goalie, and losing at least 1, possibly 2 guys by the start of 2015 with the huge deals to Toews, Kane, Shaw, Leddy, Saad, Kruger and Hammer all coming up?

That's where I'm coming from....
- SteveRain

Ogi and SteveRain agreeing yet again...can't be good, possibly another sign of the apocalypse.

Run the numbers on capgeek.com It gets very scary, very quickly....the HUGE variable is what % the cap goes up....even at 10% next year....it's still very tight, and going into 2015 I just dont' see how all the core is still here.....

What happens if Raanta is a Niemi type goalie? Can you really stick your 6 million a year guy on the bench for 30+ games to play Raanta?

Here's another HUGE variable, I haven't seen mentioned anywhere......lets see how the loss of Waite plays into all of this. Waite really got Corey on board a few times the past couple of years when he hit some turbulence....Can Steve Weeks do the same? That....I'm not sure of.....

Again....why not wait until December...a motivated Crawford to earn an Olympic spot, a new contract, could have probably been had for the exact deal he just signed.....Especially, when the Hawks had all the leverage.
- SteveRain

I mentioned this yesterday. Smaller goalie pads this year too...might make a big difference for a positional, shot blocking type like Carwford.

Ok.....lets look at this logically.

Everyone is assuming HUGE cap increases, which I somewhat get...but lets get real...what is a huge cap increase? If it goes up 10% which I think is crazy to think, but I'll give it to you.....you are going to pay up to 5 million, maybe more to retain Hammer...

So now you are at a little over 60 million in cap salaries...10 million in room and you need a back up goalie, and 6-7 players....Raanta is already at 1.4 with RFA deal expired, so he gets a raise....So now you're more at 8 million with 6-7 players....From there you'll have RFAs like Shaw, Hayes, Morin...Shaw is line for a pretty nice bump...like 1.5-2 million...So very quickly that room starts to go.

that's my point....everyone can speculate that maybe they trade Oduya, and they could, but even as that cap number goes up, and I honestly don't see how it goes up 10% next year, and a large % the following year, or otherwise what the hell was the purpose of the lockout? How do the small market teams continue to compete? They can't....The cap can't go up 10% next year, and another high percentage the following year.....

Oh...and the following off season...You have Kane, Toews, Saad, Kruger and Leddy...with at least 32.5 committed to only 6 guys...which easily could 41-43 after potential deals for Hammer, Shaw, and Raanta.

By the time you sign Toews and Kane you are at LEAST 59-61 million on the low end, and have all of 11 guys signed.....And have to sign another 11 with maybe 14 million in cap room? Imagine if Leddy and Shaw have some monster years.....very quickly this gets tight.

But....nobody will whisper a thing about this in the press...just absorbing all the talking points they feed out on conference calls.

All this is speculation and I completely get that, but somebody please show me when the cap EVER went up 6+ million in 1 year...
- SteveRain

One of the problems with the old CBA was that the cap wasn't a fixed percentage of HRR: as HRR increased, the cap % to HRR increased.

HRR was increasing by 7%+ per year for most of the old CBA period.

Presumably, it could certainly go up by that much each year in this CBA.

Again, you have to think that the league - and its individual franchises - have excellent projections on where the HRR, and thus the cap, will be going out several years (certainly very accurately for 2014-2015, somewhat less accurate for years after that).

I would doubt very strongly that the league / owners / GMs get very surprised by anything that happens to the cap.

Ogi and SteveRain agreeing yet again...can't be good, possibly another sign of the apocalypse.
- Ogilthorpe2

Canucks fans and Hawks fans getting along, now this in the past 2 days.

Ok.....lets look at this logically.

Everyone is assuming HUGE cap increases, which I somewhat get...but lets get real...what is a huge cap increase? If it goes up 10% which I think is crazy to think, but I'll give it to you.....you are going to pay up to 5 million, maybe more to retain Hammer...

So now you are at a little over 60 million in cap salaries...10 million in room and you need a back up goalie, and 6-7 players....Raanta is already at 1.4 with RFA deal expired, so he gets a raise....So now you're more at 8 million with 6-7 players....From there you'll have RFAs like Shaw, Hayes, Morin...Shaw is line for a pretty nice bump...like 1.5-2 million...So very quickly that room starts to go.

that's my point....everyone can speculate that maybe they trade Oduya, and they could, but even as that cap number goes up, and I honestly don't see how it goes up 10% next year, and a large % the following year, or otherwise what the hell was the purpose of the lockout? How do the small market teams continue to compete? They can't....The cap can't go up 10% next year, and another high percentage the following year.....

Oh...and the following off season...You have Kane, Toews, Saad, Kruger and Leddy...with at least 32.5 committed to only 6 guys...which easily could 41-43 after potential deals for Hammer, Shaw, and Raanta.

By the time you sign Toews and Kane you are at LEAST 59-61 million on the low end, and have all of 11 guys signed.....And have to sign another 11 with maybe 14 million in cap room? Imagine if Leddy and Shaw have some monster years.....very quickly this gets tight.

But....nobody will whisper a thing about this in the press...just absorbing all the talking points they feed out on conference calls.

All this is speculation and I completely get that, but somebody please show me when the cap EVER went up 6+ million in 1 year...
- SteveRain

The purpose of the lockout was to shave the players share of the pie from 57% to 50%. It had nothing to do with the size of the cap - the owners would dance around naked and giddy if the cap went up to $100M.

Thats every goalie in the league dude. He outplayed Rask who everyone thinks is miles better and Boston had a top defense. BTW Rask got 8mil per.
- Blackwater13

Rask makes 7 million and in no way did Crawford outplay him. Rask had a better save percentage on 5 more shots a game from a more offensively talented team. Just because Crawford had a better team doesn't make him a better goalie.

I mentioned this yesterday. Smaller goalie pads this year too...might make a big difference for a positional, shot blocking type like Carwford.
- Ogilthorpe2

One thing that scares me about Crawford's contract: the FO knows that Hjalmarsson is going to go to UFA next years without siging a new contract in Chicago, which is why they rushed to get Crawford signed.

Should then look to trade Hjalmarsson at the deadline in February - but - if you're legitimately in a Cup-winning situation, can't trade him.

Should it scare me that Crawford might regress to 2011-2012 results? Probably should, but he didn't fold at all last year, even under tremendous play-off pressure - if the Hawks' defense is as good as last years, no reason to think that Crawford can't be as good as last year behind it.

Should it scare me that the cap won't be there for Hjalmarsson, Toews, Kane, etc.? Probably should, but I just think that the FO has a better-than-very-good handle on where the cap is going the next two or three years, and has figured it in.

I would almost go as far to GUARANTEE Crawdiddly gets 5.5 per at least from someone

6? flip a coin
- FourFeathers773

How can you guarantee that he has a good year this year? If he plays like 11-12 I can GUARANTEE nobody is paying him 5.5.

How can you guarantee that he has a good year this year? If he plays like 11-12 I can GUARANTEE nobody is paying him 5.5.
- rollpards19

What's the worry? The Hawks are going to pay Crawford $6 million starting in the fall of 2014 no matter how good or bad he does.

One thing that scares me about Crawford's contract: the FO knows that Hjalmarsson is going to go to UFA next years without siging a new contract in Chicago, which is why they rushed to get Crawford signed.

Should then look to trade Hjalmarsson at the deadline in February - but - if you're legitimately in a Cup-winning situation, can't trade him.

Should it scare me that Crawford might regress to 2011-2012 results? Probably should, but he didn't fold at all last year, even under tremendous play-off pressure - if the Hawks' defense is as good as last years, no reason to think that Crawford can't be as good as last year behind it.

Should it scare me that the cap won't be there for Hjalmarsson, Toews, Kane, etc.? Probably should, but I just think that the FO has a better-than-very-good handle on where the cap is going the next two or three years, and has figured it in.
- StLBravesFan

Very well said, STL. They also likely have a good handle on what Hammer is seeking and whether they can fit him in at all.

How can you guarantee that he has a good year this year? If he plays like 11-12 I can GUARANTEE nobody is paying him 5.5.
- rollpards19

I respectfully submit that you're not taking into account the inflation that is occurring at the position in the past year or so.

The purpose of the lockout was to shave the players share of the pie from 57% to 50%. It had nothing to do with the size of the cap - the owners would dance around naked and giddy if the cap went up to $100M.
- mohel

And they would spend to the cap and complain about losing money and again lock the players out to lower the players' share to 40%.

They are very predictable.

But your reasoning is correct.

How can you guarantee that he has a good year this year? If he plays like 11-12 I can GUARANTEE nobody is paying him 5.5.
- rollpards19

If the Hawks defense is as good as last year, why would he revert to 11-12 results?

Doesn't make him necessarily worth $6MM, but....

Very well said, STL. They also likely have a good handle on what Hammer is seeking and whether they can fit him in at all.
- mohel

Or, as I said, that he's going to UFA come hell or high water.

God willing, and the creek don't rise....

Or, as I said, that he's going to UFA come hell or high water.

God willing, and the creek don't rise....
- StLBravesFan

I suspect he wants the market rate and wants to wait to see what that market will be. He previously showed a willingness to go to another team to get top dollar (for an RFA), so I would not be surprised to see him do it again. If the Hawks have to pay him whatever Mike (Freakin') Gillis or Feaster or Holmgren is willing to pay, we might have trouble. Just a theory, though; I'd love to see him sign tomorrow.

If the Hawks defense is as good as last year, why would he revert to 11-12 results?

Doesn't make him necessarily worth $6MM, but....
- StLBravesFan

Pressure of being the high paid clear cut #1...lost his GT coach...smaller pads....injuries. Lots of possible reasons.

I respectfully submit that you're not taking into account the inflation that is occurring at the position in the past year or so.
- mohel

There were no free agent goaltenders this summer, and after next year there's a good chance there are 5 or so legitimate starting options on the market. You may be right, but I think if CC has a bad year than I may be right too. I just thinks its incorrect to guarantee that he'd get 5.5 million for sure if he was a FA

Pressure of being the high paid clear cut #1...lost his GT coach...smaller pads....injuries. Lots of possible reasons.
- Ogilthorpe2

What this guy said

Ogi and SteveRain agreeing yet again...can't be good, possibly another sign of the apocalypse.
- Ogilthorpe2

A new leaf.....