I'm also very interested in the next few years of Hossa and his contract... There's no doubt he's not quite the same player as he was when we signed him but certainly still very valuable overall... His contract is what will be very interesting as he has (I believe) one more year of salary and then he's owed very little... That contract may look very appealing to a team trying to hit the cap floor (or a team w/ an internal cap such as Winnipeg) as he will carry a $4+ million hit but will be owed a fraction of that ($1 mil-ish I believe) in real money... Could ride off into the sunset and help a team at the same time. Def will be interesting... I don't think he's moved next year, but come expansion time or two seasons from now (when Panarin's next contract will kick in -- yes, we will resign him) there could be mutual gain for Hawks dealing him to a select group of teams

Do you guys have any favorite sites for hockey prospect news? Everything that I google is several months old.

This feels like the day after an unexpected breakup. When will this feeling go away???
- phantasmo

In a couple days. You guys have had it really really good over the last few years. It doesn't make losing any easier, especially when you're not used to it. But it could always be worse. Hawks have NOTHING to be ashamed of. Seriously.

Do you guys have any favorite sites for hockey prospect news? Everything that I google is several months old.

This feels like the day after an unexpected breakup. When will this feeling go away???
- phantasmo

As soon as you meet the next chick!

So watch the Cubs tonight, they're the 2010 Blackhawks right now.

realistically speaking don't you feel the guy who they can afford to trade to help clear room while not creating another huge is....Teuvo?

Would you also add that the return of Shaw probably sits at 40% depending upon his willingness to take a small bridge deal but then Bowman faces an uphill better next year with Shaw and Panarin needing to be signed?

My point is....trading Bickell only opens a slight door of relief and you have to pray that your D men hit......

Again, if I were Bowman I think Kruger would bring back a nice return and his ceiling already has been established. He's a bottom 6 player with limited scoring ability. See by his 59 games and counting without lighting the lamp. His last goal was game 2 vs Anaheim.

Lot of money to pay for small skill set.
- SteveRain

There isn't much of a market for RFA rights...Shaw imo can't be replaced easily. So I would try to do a Kruger deal...One year and then pay. Also I mentioned a few times Shaw does a lot of commercials and maybe he wouldn't mind signing a more modest deal because he has another income stream.

TT is the most interesting trade chip because of his potential and modest salary. He can bring a good return but doesn't open up cap space.

Kruger would be wanted and he isn't easy to replace but I would keep Shaw over him. Down deep I question how long either player can hold up but especially Kruger.

I'm also very interested in the next few years of Hossa and his contract... There's no doubt he's not quite the same player as he was when we signed him but certainly still very valuable overall... His contract is what will be very interesting as he has (I believe) one more year of salary and then he's owed very little... That contract may look very appealing to a team trying to hit the cap floor (or a team w/ an internal cap such as Winnipeg) as he will carry a $4+ million hit but will be owed a fraction of that ($1 mil-ish I believe) in real money... Could ride off into the sunset and help a team at the same time. Def will be interesting... I don't think he's moved next year, but come expansion time or two seasons from now (when Panarin's next contract will kick in -- yes, we will resign him) there could be mutual gain for Hawks dealing him to a select group of teams
- Frenchy4488

I actually thought he looked damn good. Better than the last couple years

To add to this...

I think Bowman overvalued Sharp. Purely as a player, Sharp is a valuable guy. But when you take salary into account, as you absolutely MUST do in a hard cap world, he's not valuable at all. He's probably overpaid for what it is he brings to the table these days. Not necessarily by a whole lot, but maybe by a million or two. That means a team taking him on is actually getting worse. Dallas could have used that $6m to improve their blue line. To balance the scales out, Dallas needed more, which is why they demanded Stephen Johns.

(Watch the same thing happen with Brent Seabrook in four years.)

When you look at it that way, you might actually be able to make a case that Bowman did as well as he could have under the circumstances. He got two quality players in return, both of whom are contributors to still-active playoff teams. Unfortunately, Q didn't like either of them.

Quenneville's inflexibility and impatience is going to be a bigger and bigger problem as time goes on here because it's becoming harder and harder for Bowman to acquire players who are both quality and Q-approved. It's an especially big problem for the defense, because their cap situation means they basically have to acquire younger guys. If they don't already play Q's way, they don't get enough time to settle in and learn how to.

And that's how you wind up with a bad turnover in the neutral zone in the third period of a tied Game 7.
- darklighter

Kind of hard to argue with this.

Having stewed on this more recently, I have to say Stan is more to blame. Here's why:

He knew it was a long shot to move Bickell and blew the late-June buyout window. If he bites the bullet, the Hawks have $2.05M more cap space than an AHL bury. JO can be re-signed. Everyone knew Q rode his four big horses in last year's WCF/SCF.

That also changes the complexion of the Sharp deal in that Daley likely doesn't come bacck in return. Stan could have gone the route of a lower line forward to compliment Garbutt. Then he lets Garbutt go only to have to waive his replacement weeks later.

I am not giving Q a pass on his roster by any means. However a lot of this goes right back to hanging on to Bickell. Now it is even more likely Bickell is bought out this June.
- blackhawk24

THIS!

JJ wrote in an article earlier this year that the offseason plan in 2015 was to sign Saad, Oduya, and Kruger while trading Sharp and Bickell. What if he bought out Bickell and traded Sharp for Garbutt ($1.8M) with no salary retained? Assume the Saad trade still goes down. He keeps Oduya at $3.5M AAV and signs Kruger for 4 years at $2.2M AAV. Not to beat a dead horse, but here was your lineup to start the season with salaries in millions.

Versteeg (2.2) - Toews (10.5) - Hossa (5.275)
Panarin (.8125) - Anisimov (3.283333) - Kane (10.5)
Desjardins (.8) - Kruger (2.2) - Teravainen (.894167)
Garbutt (1.8) - Danault (.863333) - Shaw (2)
Tikhonov (1.04)

Keith (5.538462) - Seabrook (6.875)
Hjalmarsson (4.1) - van Reimsdyk (.825)
Oduya (3.5) - Rozsival (.6)
Rundblad (1.05)

Crawford (6)
Darling (.5875)

Extra Money
Bickell - Buyout (1)
Timonen - Bonus (.2)

This adds up to $70.9M, which is half a million under the cap.

There isn't much of a market for RFA rights...Shaw imo can't be replaced easily. So I would try to do a Kruger deal...One year and then pay. Also I mentioned a few times Shaw does a lot of commercials and maybe he wouldn't mind signing a more modest deal because he has another income stream.

TT is the most interesting trade chip because of his potential and modest salary. He can bring a good return but doesn't open up cap space.

Kruger would be wanted and he isn't easy to replace but I would keep Shaw over him. Down deep I question how long either player can hold up but especially Kruger.
- Al

Don't you think the only way you dump Bickell is with TT. Bickell's deal only one more year, so maybe someone who can, is willing to take Bickell to get TT. Can't see how it makes sense anyway else.

This a 1000 times over.

Part of me still wonders if he really had that opportunity at the draft. Seems like a no brainer to trade Sharp, Versteeg and or Bickell each for a 7th round pick. especially after the Leddy deal. What they needed was cap space.

He had to be sitting there at the draft with the cap numbers up on the board with the team laid out (that or he saved a roster on General Fanager).

It was too much of a no brainer to not sign Rundblad, buyout or trade Bickell, and trade Sharp and Versteeg for picks.

Still wonder if he really could have just traded them for picks, hard to believe he couldn't, but harder to believe that if he could, he didn't.
- vabeachbear

I'm sorry I can't believe the draft pick story for Sharp...That was the perfect scenario.
Only qualifier is if Sharp absolutely vetoed the destination....Which I can't bet on.

Don't you think the only way you dump Bickell is with TT. Bickell's deal only one more year, so maybe someone who can, is willing to take Bickell to get TT. Can't see how it makes sense anyway else.
- vabeachbear

I think that is the best possibility....

That way it's 2 players averaging about $2.5 each.....If someone is a believer in TT and has the space that could work. Most likely it will be attempted.

I actually thought he looked damn good. Better than the last couple years
- Just5

I agree that, all things considered, he looked pretty good. The knocks he suffered at the end of the season are no easy task to play through, especially at his age. That being said, this is why I think there will be a market for him after next season if he can play at the level he did this season (to a select group of teams)... When he carries a $1 million salary (with a $4-$5 mil cap hit) that would be a tremendous value for someone with an internal cap (Winnipeg, amongst others) or a team looking to be cap floor compliant. Hossa looked great playing 3rd line, but a team with the cap issues of the Hawks can't justify a $4.5 mil cap hit playing third line wing; however, if cap is not a concern for your franchise he becomes a very solid 3rd line future hall of fame player who is owed $1 mil-ish in real dollars... Very justifiable on a roster at that point

I think that is the best possibility....

That way it's 2 players averaging about $2.5 each.....If someone is a believer in TT and has the space that could work. Most likely it will be attempted.
- Al

Yikes... I think the Bickell buyout is a better option. $1M next year and $1.5M the year after.

I think that is the best possibility....

That way it's 2 players averaging about $2.5 each.....If someone is a believer in TT and has the space that could work. Most likely it will be attempted.
- Al

One thing for certain is that there are plenty of teams that need to make improvements to their rosters because they have decided what they currently have just doesn't work - Minnesota, NYR, Colorado, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Winnipeg,Calgary.

There may be some unexpected and crazy deals happening before the draft.

Any guesses on what it will take to resign Panik??

Maybe we can get a "kill two birds" scenario in place this summer. Kane either stays in Chicago or goes to Winnipeg and works with Toews on his offense. Toews can work with him on his defense. Think the last thing Kane needs after this huge disappointment is to go back to Buffalo.

And, yes, I have no doubt Toews is serious about coming back better than ever, and will do everything he can to make that true.
- pdx2ord

>Kane is working with the best "game-sequence skills" coach in the game every summer -- and his is improvement has been and continues to be significant
>Those that are elite NHLers and those that want to be have little choice but to work with specialty coaches -- or get left behind
>It's happening all over the NHL

Crawford was amazing this year and has been the last few years. I think Darling needs a long hard look next season to see if his performance in the Nashville series last year could be replicated. In other words, could he really be a true #1?

If so, then I think you have to consider moving Crawford at the end of next year.

Any guesses on what it will take to resign Panik??
- z1990z

Not sure on $$ figures, but certainly won't be breaking the bank. I think he was an incredible acquisition, and given that he hasn't done much elsewhere but will be able to count on good minutes w/ the Hawks I have to think he'll have interest in staying w/ the Hawks... I'd wager a mutually beneficial deal will happen i'd be shocked if he was elsewhere next season

JJ...earlier in the year, when the 'yotes were picking up Tikhonov and Sekac, you had mentioned this may have implications down the line. Is that still the case?

Finally, an irrefutable reason for the 1st round exit - 2011, 2012, 2016

Not sure on $$ figures, but certainly won't be breaking the bank. I think he was an incredible acquisition, and given that he hasn't done much elsewhere but will be able to count on good minutes w/ the Hawks I have to think he'll have interest in staying w/ the Hawks... I'd wager a mutually beneficial deal will happen i'd be shocked if he was elsewhere next season
- Frenchy4488

He is making 975K right now. 1.5?? There is alot to build on with Panik. He did not look outa place in the top 6 and very well could be another trade steal by the Hawks. And if it looks like Shaw can't be kept, do we trade his rights to a team for D help??

And lastly, a prior poster brought up the fact that the Hawks might have alot more young players then Q wants to deal with. Q needs to adjust his style to help the growth of the Rockford kids who are gonna get a long look in September.

>Kane is working with the best "game-sequence skills" coach in the game every summer -- and his is improvement has been and continues to be significant
>Those that are elite NHLers and those that want to be have little choice but to work with specialty coaches -- or get left behind
>It's happening all over the NHL
- SnapitUpstairs

Who is that coach?

And what's your connection to the team? Stan? McD? Just kidding.

>Kane is working with the best "game-sequence skills" coach in the game every summer -- and his is improvement has been and continues to be significant
>Those that are elite NHLers and those that want to be have little choice but to work with specialty coaches -- or get left behind
>It's happening all over the NHL
- SnapitUpstairs

Yeah, saw a bunch of promo stuff for these types of coaches over the summer - Seguin, etc. all part of it.

Kind of hard to argue with this.
- vabeachbear

Except the mouth breather Gustafsson played 41gms in the regular season over 15min a game. It's not Q's fault the idiot still couldn't comprehend throwing the puck to the worst possible spots at the worst possible times. He did it all year...never improved. Did it in the playoffs, cost them the game winner.

So if the coach can't sit a player, what is he to do? Give him more playing time?

He is making 975K right now. 1.5?? There is alot to build on with Panik. He did not look outa place in the top 6 and very well could be another trade steal by the Hawks. And if it looks like Shaw can't be kept, do we trade his rights to a team for D help??

And lastly, a prior poster brought up the fact that the Hawks might have alot more young players then Q wants to deal with. Q needs to adjust his style to help the growth of the Rockford kids who are gonna get a long look in September.
- z1990z

Yeah I think that figure would not be unreasonable... I'd absolutely sign him for that I think he looked great w/ Toews... He was the only player that seemed intent on stinging blues players back in that series he was throwing his body around and I loved it... Gotta work on finishing a bit, but that's not an intangible and can be coached... A body like that on the side of Toews offers some protection as well, as people are less likely to run stars when there's a chance they get lit up for it in return... (I was very pleased w/ Panik this series if you couldn't tell haha) he offers similar protection to what they thought Bickell would give (and grit) w/ a poorer shot than the old bicks had, but far better skater than bicks ever was

Who is that coach?

And what's your connection to the team? Stan? McD? Just kidding.
- DMChi2010

>Darryl Belfry
>Another player he works with (among many) is John Tavares -- notice play recognition and his below the goal line improvement with the biscuit?
>None at this time