Alex or Colton please. Shatty likely won't resign with us and doesn't have enough term left to make it worthwhile.
We would have to add for Alex of course.
- Wildschwein

The only one that is moving is Shatty.

That first isn't worth Petro, who has arguably been our best player in these playoffs; and Colton is too much a piece of the team's future to part with. If Petro+ is going anywhere Draisaitl and Nurse are coming the other way. I think Shatty and our 1st is worth Edmonton's 1st, but I think we'd go for Tkachuk over Laine, simply because of the connection; Puljujärvi is enticing though.

I see Edmonton moving a few other pieces over the summer, which would likely clear up enough cap to entice Shatty to stay. Edmonton has a future with guys like McDavid at the helm, they could make it worthwhile.
- RobShouts

Laine may be better than Matthews. Those two are the cream of the crop. Tkachuk and Pul are good but are on a rung of the ladder below the first two imho.

Anybody wish we would have taken the rumored Shatty for Drouin trade... I for one wish we had! I wonder if we can still pull that off now that his value is probably quite a bit higher. Shatty has made some pretty bad defensive plays so far in the playoffs.

I am ready to see him gone by the draft.
- cuethenoise

As I thought then and still do now, that trade works in the summer, not now. Bortuzzo eating Shatty's minutes now would be an issue imho.

As I thought then and still do now, that trade works in the summer, not now. Bortuzzo eating Shatty's minutes now would be an issue imho.
- Jason Millen

It actually might take more than Shatty for Drouin

It was tough to trade Shatty in season as you didn't know how CP was going to play in the playoffs

It actually might take more than Shatty for Drouin

It was tough to trade Shatty in season as you didn't know how CP was going to play in the playoffs
- sycsam

Parynko would / has taken Shatty's spot. Then you have Borts/Lindbohm/Edmundson for your 5/6/7. I think the only hold up was Drouin going to play and then Petro go hurt. When that happened I think it killed the trade talks. Also I think Drouin's value is now way higher than Shatty and there is no way that trade happens unless there is something else going back.

I think Armstrong would have looked like a genius now if he had made that trade.

Reavo isn't scared of any of those stars

He backs up what he does with his fists

Its the Benns and Rousells that don't

Garbage players that will never answer the bell
- sycsam

I would not say garbage players. Benn is one of the best players in the league period. He has a passion whch I admire and is still learning how to control it.

He is so focused on winning I do not think he cares what he needs to do to win, such as cross check and get Tarasenko and Peteo's faces. What scares me is this penchant for this team to cross the line. Might be able to beat these guys but it might end up costing a good player.

Mehhhh, I'm ambivalent on him, he has some very good qualities but to me he also suffers from "I'm the smarted guy in the room" disease by making the game seem more complicated than it really is.

He had a very good run, with a very talented and veteran team in Dallas. But he's been less than mediocre since (in playoff performances).

This season may add a gold star to his future HOF resume........
- bcallaway

I think he also took Philly to the finals so that is not accurate.

Columbus was a two trick pony and it rested on Mason and the ugly one Pascal being dominant in net and Nash scoring goals. When one leg fell of the entire car tipped over. That team is just plagued with management issues.

I appreciate elements of Hitch but I have issues with his ability to make adjustments. Though this year he took up some of my offerings based on video scouting. Two power play units that are set up differently. So a team can focus on one unit's way of doing things and the other does something different and is successful.

But his read on players in game often leaves a lot to be desired. If you see a guy have a bad game minimize him. If you see a guy playing in the zone exploit that.

The Blues adjusted to Elliott's rebounds last game which helped.

A lot of people seem to be missing this and actually have that script flipped. AA and AP were what took Kane's production to a whole new level imho.
- Jason Millen

We are definitely in agreement.

That kid made Kane expandable and did so by first inflating his numbers and raising his value. Now the question is will the Hawks management exploit it and do what they were thinking at the start of the season and move him while his value is high and he has not done anything bad in the off season.

I think the talks have just ramped up because certain things have come to light. At the beginning of this season, I was ready for Backes to be gone. His numbers were decent, but he showed no signs of leadership and didn't seem to be taking any ownership or responsibility in how the team was playing. Fast forward to now and Backes seems to have done a 180. He's not letting his emotions get the best of him, he's playing a clean and tough game, the rest of the team is looking to him to set the tone, he has taken responsibility for the mindset of the team, and he's got three game-winning goals so far. This guy I was ready to get rid of, or at least demote, now seems like a guy I'm scared to lose.

To compound that, Brouwer is a guy I'd kind of like to keep around too. The question is whether Bouwmeester or Shattenkirk is the obvious choice to get rid of. I think moving both puts the defense in too much of a tight spot, but I'd be fine with getting Shattenkirk off the books for a pick/prospect/young guy.
- RobShouts

You are closer to blues hockey than I am...but from a hawk perspective your analysis is spot on...i didn't think they would ever win with him; yet a beaten up hawk team with nothing in the tank took the blues to 7; ya lose that after being 3-1 and this blues team is blown up with hitch and backes

We are definitely in agreement.

That kid made Kane expandable and did so by first inflating his numbers and raising his value. Now the question is will the Hawks management exploit it and do what they were thinking at the start of the season and move him while his value is high and he has not done anything bad in the off season.
- BluemanGuruu

NO...not this year....the return would have to be all world for the hawks to move 88...

It actually might take more than Shatty for Drouin

It was tough to trade Shatty in season as you didn't know how CP was going to play in the playoffs
- sycsam

When talking about a trade, it "working" for me means that those particulars would be the basis to start discussing a real trade, not it being an exact trade.

new blog up

Doesn't matter. Dallas Goal situation is a mess. Two over paid backup at this point. 4.5 and 5.9 for next two years on both of them. Gonna have to be a cash dump with them getting little or no value.

Blues in total have 4.8 for both goalies this year and next.
- Gerk

It is only because Lehtonen has fallen. Two years ago I would hatento face Dallas because you never know when that guy could lock it down. He was on of the best just a few years ago and then something happened to his confidence last year and the constant injuries.

Nill messed up by signing Niemi. There is a reason the Sharks gladly went another direction.

ya got a 2-1 lead in round 2 and ya griping about cap and contracts....geez...i get enough of that at the hawk blog...hell they got the best goalie over the last 4 years being traded
- bogiedoc

Yeah most ofnthem would rather keep Kane and trade Crow. A big mistake imho. Kane's value is crazy high and his cost is high and the return would be great.

Shatty and our second to Edmonton for their first

After the long playoff run is over of course
- sycsam

Shatty would get their first plus....

NO...not this year....the return would have to be all world for the hawks to move 88...
- bogiedoc

I think the return you could get from Buffalo would be just that. I would suggest Reinhart, this year's first(which looks like a really good dman), and more. Sabres are loaded with prospects and have cap space. They will not have that cap space for long. I would bet Kane has a NMC and I would bet he would go to Buffalo. The stars are alligned perfect for such a move.