Thank you all, more to come, this is going to be an interesting offseason.

One thing that has been mentioned in this thread and all need to consider are the contracts and especially the no-movement/no-trade clauses.

I am a believer that a guy can be moved under those but it depends on the clause, where he's at with his contract and other factors—like his maybe wanted to be elsewhere anyway.

I will add this in to my next blog and then we can really focus on what the Hawks' real options are.

The truth is, they don't have a lot of options. There are few valuable chips Bowman can actually trade, or trade without hurting the club at the same time. And he needs to create cap room.

I believe Bowman has tried—a lot—over the last 12 months to package Bickell and his deal with a more attractive asset and had ZERO takers. So the only option likely left with Bickell is a buyout. Swallow the pill and get the cap room you can because the player has zero value anymore.

After that. I think you have to look at 3-4 players:

Shaw (dealing his RFA right)
Crawford (asking him for his list of teams he'll waive for)
TVR (packaging him with something for an upgrade_a legit top 4 guy with higher end ability)
TT

With Shaw, you have to look at guys like Ross or hartman, can either of them somewhat or completely fill Shaw;s shoes. Tall order. hartman, especially, is an intriguing prospect. And other teams like him too. Like him in return for a top 4 D, unlikely.

With Crawford, can Darling and some cheaper vet, really carry the mail—albeit backing an improved defense.

TVR. Again, maybe some team is wiling to do a defenseman with upside swap for a legit top 4 guy (and some other piece involved)

TT. You deal his upside and short-term cost certainty to someone who thinks they can develop him. My belief is there is enough bloom left on the rose that someone will bite. The price may have come down a bit though because there are legit questions what his best NHL position will be and how effective player he will be in all situations.

Kruger, Hossa, Seabrook, Kane, the other guys often mentioned, much harder to see them dealt for a variety of reasons.

And then there is always the hope of some lightning in a bottle discovery by the scouting staff, but in this instance I don't see it. So few defensemen come in the first year form Europe (anymore) and have an impact. Forwards. Yes. Goalies, Yes. Defensemen? I can't think of any in along time, maybe since the early 90s when all the Russians came over. The other issue is EVERYBODY is scouting Europe hard now, not just the Wings and the hawks and a few others.

To me it looks like a significant trade or two will happen—if the FO can get out of its own way.
- John Jaeckel

I don't see the point in trading TvR. We can argue all day about TvR being a 4D who's learning the ropes or 5-6D at best. Either way TvR is a solid defenseman and the Hawks will need him and his $825,000 cap hit for the next 2 years.

I think Teravainen could be on his way out. I believe TT will get better but Stan will have to give up on something of value if he wants a decent return.

I hope Crow doesn't go and Stan should do whatever it takes to sign him. But I wouldn't be totally shocked if he was moved. But I'm not expecting changes on that scale this summer.

For all of those people saying the FO didn't trade for a 4D...actually, they did. Hamhuis. Unfortunately, that 4D didn't want to leave his team. Who else that changed hands would you have wanted? Russell? Maybe, but that return was huge as well. Big Buff resigned. Wiz? Didn't play. Despres? Meh. Holzer? Michalek? Brewer? Leopold? Falk?

The only one that I could possibly think of is Petry.

I don't see the point in trading TvR. We can argue all day about TvR being a 4D who's learning the ropes or 5-6D at best. Either way TvR is a solid defenseman and the Hawks will need him and his $825,000 cap hit for the next 2 years.

I think Teravainen could be on his way out. I believe TT will get better but Stan will have to give up on something of value if he wants a decent return.

I hope Crow doesn't go and Stan should do whatever it takes to sign him. But I wouldn't be totally shocked if he was moved. But I'm not expecting changes on that scale this summer.
- DarthKane

BUT...if you can package TvR, TT and something else for a legitimate top 4 D, you do it. Easier to find forwards than D, as has been said ad nauseum on this board. Then you can fill the bottom pair with cheap vets and new guys not named Rundblad.

For all of those people saying the FO didn't trade for a 4D...actually, they did. Hamhuis. Unfortunately, that 4D didn't want to leave his team.
- CanOCorn

Reports at the time were that he agreed to waive his NTC for a trade to Chicago, and Vancouver never pulled the trigger for reasons that continue to baffle me.

Al on XM right now. Thanks for your take on Shaw not being that easily replaced. I haven't seen anyone else come close to what he does night in and night out.

For all of those people saying the FO didn't trade for a 4D...actually, they did. Hamhuis. Unfortunately, that 4D didn't want to leave his team. Who else that changed hands would you have wanted? Russell? Maybe, but that return was huge as well. Big Buff resigned. Wiz? Didn't play. Despres? Meh. Holzer? Michalek? Brewer? Leopold? Falk?

The only one that I could possibly think of is Petry.
- CanOCorn

Do you still want Wiz? Cuz........ What about Ron Hainsey?

Reports at the time were that he agreed to waive his NTC for a trade to Chicago, and Vancouver never pulled the trigger for reasons that continue to baffle me.
- darklighter

Word from Canucks Gm was that Dano+1st was never offered by Hawks. I remember even coach Q mentioned that he thought that Hawks D was fine before TDL. They went hard after Ladd and didn´t offer enough for Hamhuis from Nucks standpoint.

JJ sorta nails it spot on.

The Hawks are in serious trouble:

-Very little cap room. Many players needed to be resigned. With Panarin bonus the best you can hope for is a cap increase to wash that out. I am seeing about 7 million to resign 8 or 9 players (not counting Panik and Shaw)

-Minor league cupboard pretty baron now. Maybe a couple decent forward prospects, mostly bottom 6 guys. At most, two with higher upside, but that's still TBD. I do like Motte and Smlatz and Hayden and Bondra are sleepers. Kero and Hino are nice but smallish.

-Weak minor league system equates to inability to replenish roster. NHL now littered with former Blackhawks players playing roles.

-Shaw (as well as all UFAs) most certainly gone.

-If Bowman's "hands were tied" last season and no one would deal with him how do things change this year? One option is Bowman STOP waiting until the last minute trade high quality players (Sharp, Leddy) and getting virtually nothing for them.

-A big money player WILL have to go in my view. I think right now EVERY option has to be considered. Yes, I believe Crawford is a candidate and YES that would hurt the Hawks

-I don't think the Hawks can compete next year for a long run, sorry "rest" isn't enough. You need talent, and depth. The Hawks only have talent in one place (the top end of the roster). Unless Bowman has something really amazing up his sleeve the Hawks will be left with two options:

1) Fill out roster with kids,rejects and bargain bin options while running core 8 or 9 players into dirt
2) Trade KEY piece, which likely decreases overall talent at top of roster while HOPING newly acquired pieces can fill in

The numbers are what they are. And mind you I DO NOT expect a Cup next year. There are just way too many variables to overcome, but perhaps some very intelligent management can get the Hawks into play in two years, when Bickell is off the books and the Hawks would have one player (Panarin) to deal with. By then perhaps a couple of the aforementioned kids will have developed. Only problem is in two years Hossa, Seabrook are two years older. How will that extra wear and tear impact them.

I'll be honest. I am not a fan of Bowman. Never have been. The entire lot of the core (Hossa, Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Crawford, Hammer) EVERY last one of them is a product of 1 of the 2 former GMs. Yes, he has made a few good deals. Getting Leddy was nice, trouble is he washed that away by a poor trade in sending him off. And sorry I refuse to give Bowman credit for TDLs like Vermette. It takes NO genius to send a top prospect+#1 pick for a rental player.

As I said I liked the initial Leddy move, the Panik move has potential and draft picks of Saad and Shaw were very good, but overall this "brilliant" GM has done nothing but tinker around the edges and has 3 garbage moves for every 1 good move he makes. The core guys I still maintain OVERCOME the poor front office decisions (as well as the poor coaching decisions). They won the 2013 Cup with VERY questionable concerns at center so they tried the SAME model in 2014 and missed on their goal. They then fixed their center in 2015, won another Cup but did so WITHOUT anything on the bottom pair so they tried that same model this year. Again, so close yet so far. I am very proud of this franchise, it has been the beset we've ever seen, but I have to wonder what we'd be talking about today had this franchise been more proactive and addressed the center position AFTER winning the Cup and the Defense position addressed AFTER the most recent Cup?

This core is probably the best we've seen in a generation, all they need is reasonable support players. You don't need Shae Weber on your third pair, but rolling out Kimo Timonene, Michael Handzus, David Rundblad...players who were subsequently out of the sport the moment after their last Blackhawk season ended or who were rejected by EVERY SINGLE team in the NHL does not inspire confidence that they can now navigate a salary cap and team issue this team has NEVER SEEN before. Sorry, this cap situation is vastly worse than previous years in my view.
- kwolf68

Well I agree with you but I was called out yesterday for being a negative nancy by some mouth piece. Amazing how people can ignore numbers and try to spin bs.

See what bowman says or doesn't say today.....

If it came down to Seabrook or Crawford who would you rather trade and why?

Time to refresh the roster a bit and graduate some kids to full time NHL duty and force feed it down Q's throat as necessary.

They have their big 3 on the backend and 7 or 8 guys with contracts that cost under $1M - TVR, Gustafsson, Pokka, Svedburg, Norell, Dahlstrom and Fournier. Some of that group has to play because there is no Vladdy Fetisov coming out of the Russian forest to play in September.

Same with the forwards - pick a couple guys from that Rockford group that have to get a jersey next year and play - Rasmussen, Kero, McNeill, Hartman, Ross, Hinostroza etc.

Dumping TT at this point makes no sense to me because he is cheap for one more year. He is a similar type of player to Sam Reinhart who got sent back to junior after being drafted and this year scored 20 goals because he was bigger and stronger. Give TT a 4 month off season conditioning program and a list of expectations when he arrives back in September. He still has the potential to be a very, very good player if properly managed - the longer offseason should help.
- RickJ

We shall see. With Teuvo shouldn't this have happened 2 years ago yet every training camp we see very little physical size enhancement. I've lifted weights for years and you can add muscle and mass quickly and cleanly if diet and dedication are there. That's the difference between Kane and Teuvo. Mentally Kane wants to be the best and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Teuvo is yhe guy who was told how good he was all his life and has done zero work to adjust physically.

If you watch clips vs Stl he looks tiny and he won't go to hard areas to score. He doesn't have the skill set to be a perimeter player and be effective. At what point do you just move on and admit the mistake? To me that's the most intriguing debate that has to happen in the fo prior to the draft.

I do agree on refreshing the roster. Seems the core thrives when younger guys are injected and prove their worth and provide a spark. With the cap the role players will cycle in and out and this may be time for the 3rd wave. See what bowman can do with limited realistic trade chips and not much cap room. He's got a helluva up hill battle.

If it came down to Seabrook or Crawford who would you rather trade and why?
- MjulQvist

Crow bc there is NO replacement for Brent Seabrook in the system....bc Bowman gift wrapped Seabs 2.0 (Stephen Johns) to Dallas. I may get ripped for this, but I hope the Hawks trade Crawford to improve the Defense group. Otherwise, the Hawks are in the Pittsburgh territory of top heavy rosters and will look VERY similar to this season's team. Darling can be an NHL #1 with a legit defense group in front of him. We have already seen a mediocre goalie (Niemi) lead this team to the promised land with an elite defense group (Keith, Seabs, Hammer, Cambpell). Cant replace Seabs impact on the ice or in the locker room.

Agreed
Keith is in the conversation as the most valuable Hawk since 2009 ....PP,PK, Minutes and results

Keith 5 Million
Toews 10 Million
Kane 10 million
Seabrook 7 million

Yikes
- Colbyboy

Keith signed for 13 years and $72 million in 2009. More than Hossa!

It was also front loaded with a signing bonus, so he received $8m per year the first 4 years, and $7.5m these last two.

His contract kicked in not far of the stock market bottom, and I can assure you he has a financial advisor. Given the timing of his $8m a year and the multi year stock market rally, I'd say he is considerably better off than Toews or Kane right now, all things considered.

More fun facts: Toews and Kane made $13.8m this year. Each. But I wager Keith could care less.

If it came down to Seabrook or Crawford who would you rather trade and why?
- MjulQvist

Cc has grown on me but it would be him

Seabrook is your pseudo captain in that room. He's also your most consistent offensive d man and he's a legit 1 on any other team. Organization has zero depth at d and replacing him would be a step backwards.

Cc....guy has sacked up since Phoenix series. Legit top goalie bit bowman system proves you can win with multiple goalies. See Detroit in 90s. Niemi Crawford. If d is strong darling might be able to do it. Look around nhl. Lots of 2nd tier goalies still playing. Elliott greiss jones Pitts won with 2 back ups. Goalies in nhl are becoming like rbs in football. You can with a committee of you don't have an elite one.

If it came down to Seabrook or Crawford who would you rather trade and why?
- MjulQvist

Crow. Seabrook's leadership and intangibles are very difficult to replace. A glue guy who really needs to stick.

We shall see. With Teuvo shouldn't this have happened 2 years ago yet every training camp we see very little physical size enhancement. I've lifted weights for years and you can add muscle and mass quickly and cleanly if diet and dedication are there. That's the difference between Kane and Teuvo. Mentally Kane wants to be the best and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Teuvo is yhe guy who was told how good he was all his life and has done zero work to adjust physically.

If you watch clips vs Stl he looks tiny and he won't go to hard areas to score. He doesn't have the skill set to be a perimeter player and be effective. At what point do you just move on and admit the mistake? To me that's the most intriguing debate that has to happen in the fo prior to the draft.

I do agree on refreshing the roster. Seems the core thrives when younger guys are injected and prove their worth and provide a spark. With the cap the role players will cycle in and out and this may be time for the 3rd wave. See what bowman can do with limited realistic trade chips and not much cap room. He's got a helluva up hill battle.
- SteveRain

Steve I've gotten torn to pieces ALL YEAR on this board for ripping on Tuevo's pansy boy style of play. He does not have the intensity/compete level to win puck battles against men that are 20++ lbs heavier than him. Look at Gaudreau, St. Louis, Theo Fleury, Brad Marchand ect...all those little guys have a killer instinct and a fire in their belly. Tuevo plays scared and belongs in Europe with Rundblad. He can sit in open ice and distribute the puck over there. I'd trade him now before his value keeps dropping...

Agreed
Keith is in the conversation as the most valuable Hawk since 2009 ....PP,PK, Minutes and results

Keith 5 Million
Toews 10 Million
Kane 10 million
Seabrook 7 million

Yikes
- Colbyboy

Ok but that is very misleading Keith's actual salary by year below. Also keep in mind he signed this deal the same year the wonder twins signed theirs and they only got 6.3 per for 5 years, not lifetime contracts. Lastly the salary cap was 59.4M when he signed this. It was 71.4 when K&T's went into effect. I highly doubt Keith is pissed at that money he's making vs what others are making.
8M
8M
8M
7.65M
7.6M
7.5M
6M
5M
4.5M
3.5M
2.65M
2.1M
1.5M

Edit: Sorry ItHoosaGood, typed this before I saw your (pretty much exact) post.

We shall see. With Teuvo shouldn't this have happened 2 years ago yet every training camp we see very little physical size enhancement. I've lifted weights for years and you can add muscle and mass quickly and cleanly if diet and dedication are there. That's the difference between Kane and Teuvo. Mentally Kane wants to be the best and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Teuvo is yhe guy who was told how good he was all his life and has done zero work to adjust physically.

If you watch clips vs Stl he looks tiny and he won't go to hard areas to score. He doesn't have the skill set to be a perimeter player and be effective. At what point do you just move on and admit the mistake? To me that's the most intriguing debate that has to happen in the fo prior to the draft.

I do agree on refreshing the roster. Seems the core thrives when younger guys are injected and prove their worth and provide a spark. With the cap the role players will cycle in and out and this may be time for the 3rd wave. See what bowman can do with limited realistic trade chips and not much cap room. He's got a helluva up hill battle.
- SteveRain

I think it is quite opposite. Kane has always known he is good. TT is probably wondering is he good or what. Kane has had that arrogant confidence in a good way to become one of the best. TT is lacking that. I don´t think it is about work ethics. Last summer was just too short for TT. You need to recover to build foundation for your condition.

Let´s see how he responds after long summer. But he won´t ever be player who out muscles opponents in board battles etc..that´s just not his game.

Ok but that is very misleading Keith's actual salary by year below. Also keep in mind he signed this deal the same year the wonder twins signed theirs and they only got 6.3 per for 5 years, not lifetime contracts. Lastly the salary cap was 59.4M when he signed this. It was 71.4 when K&T's went into effect. I highly doubt Keith is pissed at that money he's making vs what others are making.
8M
8M
8M
7.65M
7.6M
7.5M
6M
5M
4.5M
3.5M
2.65M
2.1M
1.5M

Edit: Sorry ItHoosaGood, typed this before I saw your (pretty much exact) post.
- tyweb69

Also, I believe at the time not one dman was making 8M a year so he was getting his for sure!

I think it is quite opposite. Kane has always known he is good. TT is probably wondering is he good or what. Kane has had that arrogant confidence in a good way to become one of the best. TT is lacking that. I don´t think it is about work ethics. Last summer was just too short for TT. You need to recover to build foundation for your condition.

Let´s see how he responds after long summer. But he won´t ever be player who out muscles opponents in board battles etc..that´s just not his game.
- MjulQvist

Ya he wont win board battles like Toews or Hossa, but he cant go 0/10 in board battles. Hawks need guys who can win a puck battle along the boards every once in a while. I hope Tuevo adds 10lbs of muscle and steps up his game next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

After watching the year, I am on the agreement that TT is not the right fit on this team. We have enough finesse type players and have obvious needs on the back end. That being said, what teams have quality D prospects, but have a need for offensive help? The first team that pops in my head are the 'Cane, maybe the Devils. What other team might fit this?

At this point I would think that a quality prospect that is either young and on the verge to entering the league, or a player that just doesn't have a spot on a team but is still on his ELC like TT is would be the perfect match.

After watching the year, I am on the agreement that TT is not the right fit on this team. We have enough finesse type players and have obvious needs on the back end. That being said, what teams have quality D prospects, but have a need for offensive help? The first team that pops in my head are the 'Cane, maybe the Devils. What other team might fit this?

At this point I would think that a quality prospect that is either young and on the verge to entering the league, or a player that just doesn't have a spot on a team but is still on his ELC like TT is would be the perfect match.
- spudrock512

I would do TT for John Moore/Damon Severson without a second thought.

If it came down to Seabrook or Crawford who would you rather trade and why?
- MjulQvist

Seabrook for sure, I would see if an EDM would take that crap contract and sell high on a player clearly in decline. Otherwise that contract has Bickell 2.0 written all over it. I would go as far as trading them both along with TT and resetting for the long run, but the fan base would call for blood

We shall see. With Teuvo shouldn't this have happened 2 years ago yet every training camp we see very little physical size enhancement. I've lifted weights for years and you can add muscle and mass quickly and cleanly if diet and dedication are there. That's the difference between Kane and Teuvo. Mentally Kane wants to be the best and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Teuvo is yhe guy who was told how good he was all his life and has done zero work to adjust physically.

If you watch clips vs Stl he looks tiny and he won't go to hard areas to score. He doesn't have the skill set to be a perimeter player and be effective. At what point do you just move on and admit the mistake? To me that's the most intriguing debate that has to happen in the fo prior to the draft.

I do agree on refreshing the roster. Seems the core thrives when younger guys are injected and prove their worth and provide a spark. With the cap the role players will cycle in and out and this may be time for the 3rd wave. See what bowman can do with limited realistic trade chips and not much cap room. He's got a helluva up hill battle.
- SteveRain

Patrick Kane is a different cat so lets not go there with the comparison.

Sorry, I don't view TT as a mistake, he's a developing player who is only 21, small and never going to be Martin Handzel or Bjugstad. So the decision for Bowman is what is of greater value to the team - TT's cheap contract with one year left on it or what he can bring back in trade. I don't like any idea of giving up good young talent to rinse a bad contract like Bickell's down the sink. There are teams out there that need a #2 center - Ottawa for example but are they going to give you Codi Ceci? Is Buffalo going to part with Jake McCabe for a TT?

And we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion if the Hawks had won the series or played any other team in the playoffs than the Blues.

Crow bc there is NO replacement for Brent Seabrook in the system....bc Bowman gift wrapped Seabs 2.0 (Stephen Johns) to Dallas. I may get ripped for this, but I hope the Hawks trade Crawford to improve the Defense group. Otherwise, the Hawks are in the Pittsburgh territory of top heavy rosters and will look VERY similar to this season's team. Darling can be an NHL #1 with a legit defense group in front of him. We have already seen a mediocre goalie (Niemi) lead this team to the promised land with an elite defense group (Keith, Seabs, Hammer, Cambpell). Cant replace Seabs impact on the ice or in the locker room.
- EnzoD

Stephen Johns is Seabrook 2.0? Man, that is an insult to Seabrook. The guy might stick in the NHL but he isn't anywhere close to Seabrook or where Seabrook was at his age.

Seabrook - 114 Pts +35 - playing top pair minutes against opponents top units. Playing in all situations.
Johns 3 Pts -6 - playing 4-5D minutes, but not trusted to play PP or PK.

Johns has a long long way to go to be in a conversation with Seabrook.

Seabrook for sure, I would see if an EDM would take that crap contract and sell high on a player clearly in decline. Otherwise that contract has Bickell 2.0 written all over it. I would go as far as trading them both along with TT and resetting for the long run, but the fan base would call for blood
- Sundevil

Wasn't Seabrook linked to Edmonton as a possibly FA landing spot last summer before he signed his mega-deal? While people frequently bash his diminishing skating "speed" (ha), I think his savvy play, leadership and consistency has only increased over his long tenure with the Hawks. If the right type of prospects and cost-controlled d-men with upside were offered in return, it would be hard to not consider.

Unfortunately, I think we're eating Seabrook until that massive contract runs out as he has the NTC/NMC