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As the Hawks deal with the CAP issues over the summer, the two most important thoughts for Stan Bowman (besides making it under the Cap) will be staying strong down the middle and shoring up the bottom pairing on the defence.
To that end, Bowman will have no other choice than to resign Johnny Oduya. Since Oduya got the time he needed to heal his foot and rest up, he's been an outstanding Defenseman, perhaps his best hockey as a Blackhawk. Now, as I understand it, Oduya really wants to stay in CHI, so he should be resigned for a reasonable amount, not the $4mil+ figure suggested by someone here. So with Oduya resigned, that gives the Hawks the top 4 DMen that Q needs to be able to ride during the playoffs. Bowman can then use Rockford, FA signings and trades to fill out the remaining three spots, with Stephen Johns and TVR as two that will be given every possible chance to make the roster. This will allow for Ville Pokka to spend one more year in Rockford, to really round out his strength and conditioning for a full NHL season. So to that end, I can see by game 25, the Hawks possessing a BETTER defensive lineup than they had this year! So far so good.
With the forwards, the Hawks possess more than enough skill, speed and talent to win another Cup, but where the Hawks need to "improve" at is physicality and energy. To that end, we are going to see a number of veterans either traded or released to fit the CAP restrictions and to get stronger and more physical. Kyle Baun had a great audition for the Hawks at the end of the season. Being part of the Black Aces has also been an important part of his "Hawk Education" getting ready for next season mentally. He's got speed to go with his size, an intelligent head and a willingness to be physical on every shift. He replaces Bickell, who while I like the luxury of having, simply can't justify his contract in this era of the CAP. There is no way the Hawks resign Brad Richards, I think he would be able to give the Hawks another mirror image of this season, probably for the same money, but his "game" isn't what Q wants or what the Hawks need. He's slow, he's inconsistent and he's NOT physical. Resigning Richards at any amount would be a mistake for the development of the Hawks "new look". Phillip Danault is a damn good hockey player right now, sound technically, and can play a wide variety of roles, which Q likes. Being asked to return to Rockford for another season doesn't do a thing to help him, so he must matriculate up. So the question thus becomes, can Marcus Kruger step up a notch in the Hawks hierarchy of Centres, or not? If not, then as good as "Freddy" is, he shouldn't be resigned. If Kruger is going to get a million dollar raise (as many of you suggest he will), then his role on the Hawks needs to evolve, and 6 goal/20 point seasons no longer will cut it because Phillip Danault can play his 4th line centre role very well. Can Kruger become a 12-15 goal/40 point 3rd line Centre with the Hawks? I think so, as do Bowman and Q, so he should get the role that Vermette currently holds and Andrew Shaw has held down for 2+ seasons. So, who is the 2nd line Centre if Richards isn't going to be resigned? I don't know. My idea would be for Bowman to resign Vermette to that role if he will take a CAP friendly deal, but who knows if he will...Q hasn't been very "warm" towards him. Do the Hawks hand over the role to Teuvo? He has been something of a revelation late this season, but as a WINGER, not a Centre, and there is a big difference. As JJ said, TT possesses a frame and a mental approach that mimics Patrick Kane when he first broke into the league, and that takes time to adapt to a solid, dependable 2 way player, so I don't know. The Hawks could give TT chance out of TC as the 2nd line Centre, and then look to make a Vermette-like deal at the trade deadline if it doesn't pan out. But resigning Vermette would give the Hawks 6 Centres on their team, with tremendous strength at the dot and solid two way play...strength down the middle!
But signing Vermette won't come cheap, even if he takes a CAP friendly deal, so with he and Oduya resigned, Richards would have to be let go and Bickell, Versteeg AND ONE OTHER would have to be traded. So the question is, would it be Crawford or Sharp? My preference would be to move forward with Scott Darling and Anti Raanta in net and trade Crawford's $6 million contract. I have never believed in locking up big dollars into the goalie position, I would rather spend the money on the skaters in front of the goalie! Crawford has been a good Hawk goaltender, but IMO not great and can be replaced by a much bigger net minder who possesses better rebound control, with a large window for improvement. Darling has the size and skill set to become one of the best goalies in the league, and all Raanta did this season was win with outstanding numbers.
By retaining Sharp, he gives Q enormous skill depth that can be used to either play first line minutes with Toews and Hossa, or 3rd line minutes with say Kruger and Shaw to provide leadership and production.
I would be shocked if the Russian Artemi Panarin doesn't make the Hawks out of camp. He has the skill, strength, speed and experience to overcome his size in the NHL. So by adding Panarin and keeping Sharp, it maintains Andrew Shaw as a 4th line winger, perhaps the best in the NHL (who can also play Centre and take face-offs). This would give the Hawks FOUR powerful lines that few other NHL teams could deal with and keep them fresh right through the playoffs. So the roster would shape out something like this:
Saad/Toews/Hossa
Panarin/Vermette/Kane
Sharp/Kruger/TT
Baun/Danault/Shaw
Keith/Seabrook
Hammer/Oduya
Johns/TVR/Free Agent
Darling/Raanta
With Ross, McNeil, Hartman, etc. battling for the extra forward spot.
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