Did I mishear you on the podcast? You just made this fan feel a whole lot better. Not ideal but gives a non-capologist fan hope.

Good work on that thing, Al........
- Mr Ricochet

It's a misguided approach all the way around with the current cap structure, how they market stars, the sport and how they feel parity is synonymous with popularity.

I vote for 10+mil for Toews for 58pts

People want to talk about his "Selke's" - well, he won those with arguably the best defensive winger (Hossa) at his side and good two-way LW's in Saad/Sharp. How much pressure did he take off Toews in his own zone?

Or that he must have a better LW to produce. Well I would think part of his responsibility in commanding that contract would be to make his linemates better - not relying on higher paid players to inflate his play/numbers.
- PatShart

Well he got a guy on the cusp of being out of the NHL, a 2nd chance, in everyone's new found Frolik, aka Richard Panik.

I'd also LOVE to see a shot chart of Marian Hossa last year and the number of shots he took from the hash marks in where he didn't score. Factor in at least HALF those were set up by Toews and I bet he quickly gets over 70 points.

he needs to be better next year, like many others but he's not the most overpaid Hawk on the team.

I vote for 10+mil for Toews for 58pts

People want to talk about his "Selke's" - well, he won those with arguably the best defensive winger (Hossa) at his side and good two-way LW's in Saad/Sharp. How much pressure did he take off Toews in his own zone?

Or that he must have a better LW to produce. Well I would think part of his responsibility in commanding that contract would be to make his linemates better - not relying on higher paid players to inflate his play/numbers.
- PatShart

Yes, your constant bashing of Toews continues. Look at the stats, he is what he always has been. scores high 20s low 30s in goals every year - this year, his assists just went down. Not because he was doing anything different, it is because no one could finish like years in the past. Plus, with Kruger's injury he was playing more PK.

We get that you hate Toews and you think he is overrated. But, if Toews would have taken as many shots as Kane did at the same % his shot rate was at, he would have scored 44 goals. I am sure that would have made you happy - unless you would complain that Tazer shots too much and needs to pass more.

Man, how much have things changed when I'm turning in to a Stanley apologist.

My take on last summer: A+ on the Saad deal with CBJ. Did his homework, quietly went out and cultivated multiple bidders. Got the best deal. The Sharp/Johns thing, ultimately, I put on Q and his stubbornness, because of they handle Daley differently, that story perhaps ends quite differently, and better.
- John Jaeckel

Agreed on the Saad deal. Hard to think that was done by the seat of his pants and he was indeed prepared and not looking to gauge the other guys eyes out on a deal.

You know my thoughts on Daley/Garbutt from the day the trade was made until they were run out of town and how Q handled it, but IMO had StanBowPops&McD been as prepared as they were in dealing Saad they would have done much, much better.

I'm a foundation type of guy and regardless of players/picks involved yesterday it showed me good thought process, planing and realistic goals. That can be built on.

Al said it a while ago...Q is stirring the drink...And right now, with the moves that have been made, I have to think so...not saying I'm a fan of it, but with every move it just makes more sense that Q is having a BIG say in things
- captainserious

Correct and if you go back to locker room cleanout day, he unprovkingly went on a man crush speech about Shaw. That right there told, me put the pressure on the FO to make Shaw fit in.

One thought with the Ward deal is that I think that rules out Reimer as a potential FA option if you shipped Crawford out. If Ward get's 3.3/yr then Reimer is going to want more than that and he should get it since he was better than Ward. Not big enough of savings to make it worth the risk

Not jumping on the Panik Love Train—but this is a guy, if his mind is right and the effort is consistent, who can be a nice, physical role playing forward you can spot up and down the line-up. Sort of a Euro version of Shaw, without the full-on White Trash nastiness.

And yes, having the Bobby Orr of Slovakian hockey in town to mentor him ain't a bad arrangement.

So let me be the first to proclaim: #teuvotime is over. It's now #timetopanik
- John Jaeckel

It's a misguided approach all the way around with the current cap structure, how they market stars, the sport and how they feel parity is not synonymous with popularity.
- Al

A bumper sticker slogan that is dead on. Simple to understand with no nuance hidden for the simple minded.

Best shot at cost controlling him is controlling his TOI. The better he plays the higher his reup price goes.

And if they are on a run by the TDL, you don't want to lose your known quanitity for an unknown one.
- Return of the Roar

But the less Darling proves himself the more of a risk it will be. If he plays lights out the Crow option becomes more palatable. Right now, the risk is huge if Crow goes. Considering the age of Seabs and Keith you can't afford a few years of goalie projects. You need to ID his replacement first. Q didn't allow that chance with Darling last year.

Nice article JJ, it's too bad we had to give up a young talented player who's still a boy.

Will he be a top 6 player, maybe, unfortunately based on our time line we can't wait for him to develop which is very wise of this organization

We have 4-6 years left of this core the question is can Bowman do what he did after the 2010 season? I hope he can and the good thing is he's not shy about pulling the trigger in the past year. Keeping my fingers crossed

Al said it a while ago...Q is stirring the drink...And right now, with the moves that have been made, I have to think so...not saying I'm a fan of it, but with every move it just makes more sense that Q is having a BIG say in things
- captainserious

If this is true who ever is giving him that authority needs to be fired NOW! The guy screwed up last season with his tired doghouse routine.

One thought with the Ward deal is that I think that rules out Reimer as a potential FA option if you shipped Crawford out. If Ward get's 3.3/yr then Reimer is going to want more than that and he should get it since he was better than Ward. Not big enough of savings to make it worth the risk
- dstainer

Reimer is not a better goaltender than Cam Ward and never has been. He is a good 35 game a year G who usually finds a way to get injured.

And Q likes goaltenders who make themselves look big between the pipes. The Hawks have zero interest in Reimer IMO.

Agreed on the Saad deal. Hard to think that was done by the seat of his pants and he was indeed prepared and not looking to gauge the other guys eyes out on a deal.

You know my thoughts on Daley/Garbutt from the day the trade was made until they were run out of town and how Q handled it, but IMO had StanBowPops&McD been as prepared as they were in dealing Saad they would have done much, much better.

I'm a foundation type of guy and regardless of players/picks involved yesterday it showed me good thought process, planing and realistic goals. That can be built on.
- Mr Ricochet

The one guy the Hawks have traded that will haunt them will be Saad, until they can close that 1LW hole with 19. There's nothing a GM can do when you have X amount to spend and players wants Y. Too bad, because we saw in the cup run a young kid who finally put it all together and blossomed into a power forward. he had a pretty decent year on a crap team in Columbus.

As much as some rip on 15, I though without him 88/72 don't have the years they did. Very underrated player. Liked him in the return. I was never, or will be, a huge fan of Dano. Maybe he becomes a good nHL player but I dont' see him IMO becoming the star everyone hoped him to be, much like TT.

And for the love of god, this whole Q bashing on prospects has to stop. You aren't moving 88/81 off of RW. So if guys like dano or TT can't adjust to a LW spot OR be a very serviceable bottom 6 player then what good are they? Exactly why they were used to acquire better assets/cap space in Ladd and Bickell's $$ gone.

As far as Garbutt goes, he was a nice player, but hardly worth crying over. Sekac was a train wreck but it did free up LT cap space.

Daley...again.....didn't fit, and I beiieve he saw TVR standing in his way for top 4 minutes, and being expected to playing a constrained game which isn't his style. Just like Campbell, and jus t like Leddy based on his playoff benchings. As Al has pointed out, the cup win takes some sting out of the sharp return, but overall Bowman got fleeced but had zero leverage and had to move Sharp to make the cap work, as Kruger and Oduya, for awhile, sat by and waited......

Time will tell if I'm wrong, but I dont' plan on ever regretting the day Dano or TT left the Hawks organization.

Well he got a guy on the cusp of being out of the NHL, a 2nd chance, in everyone's new found Frolik, aka Richard Panik.

I'd also LOVE to see a shot chart of Marian Hossa last year and the number of shots he took from the hash marks in where he didn't score. Factor in at least HALF those were set up by Toews and I bet he quickly gets over 70 points.

he needs to be better next year, like many others but he's not the most overpaid Hawk on the team.
- SteveRain

Agreed. Another year like this then he deserves the title. It IS POSSIBLE this was just a down year for him. it certainly was the whole line. Chicken or egg. Dunno.

Yes, your constant bashing of Toews continues. Look at the stats, he is what he always has been. scores high 20s low 30s in goals every year - this year, his assists just went down. Not because he was doing anything different, it is because no one could finish like years in the past. Plus, with Kruger's injury he was playing more PK.

We get that you hate Toews and you think he is overrated. But, if Toews would have taken as many shots as Kane did at the same % his shot rate was at, he would have scored 44 goals. I am sure that would have made you happy - unless you would complain that Tazer shots too much and needs to pass more.
- spudrock512

So I'm not allowed to respond to a post when Ogi asked? Got it.

And he scored 5g in OT/gimmick hockey - so he was low 20's this year

If that's all he is, great. It's not worth the highest paid contract, IMO.

I never complain when a guy shoots more, so please don't make things up to try to prove a point. His ppg totals have been trending down -
10-11 - .95
11-12 - .97
12-13 - 1.02
13-14 - .89
14-15 - .81
15-16 - .73

And not to throw more facts into a discussion, but he averaged 1:24 in PK time per game, can you tell me how that's more than years past?

The future is bright in St. Louis. I think they'll re-sign at least one of the two.
.
- eggsegan

Less bright than the PRESENT... which is now PAST..... and did not include a CUP. It was a delightful choke. Watching my predictions about Elliott come true. Backes's tears. Delicious!

You're probably losing at least 2-3 of your top playoff performers and losing Muller and Shaw will not help that room IMO. Hitch's BS was already getting old. Tarasenko's going to love Yeo. Let Muller walk because you won't commit and then commit to Yeo?

Your feelings get hurt over the dumbest things. Sorry that simple gamesmanship bothers you so.

I will say that I thought that it was stupid for Blues fans to chant "Crawford" before they ever scored a goal.
- eggsegan

My comments about the Blues "gamesmanship" was that it was classless. From owner to organist it was juvenile garbage and showed a lack of focus. Contrast that to the Hawks placing newspaper ads thanking host cities - even after losing - in the playoffs. The organization lacks discipline and focus. That was why you lost.

Also, your point was to troll. Which is what you, Antilles, and Gerk do. Classless. You have a thread now. (frank) off to it and stay there.

Heard from my guy just now:

"Shaw is not anywhere near a done deal yet."

Reimer is not a better goaltender than Cam Ward and never has been. He is a good 35 game a year G who usually finds a way to get injured.

And Q likes goaltenders who make themselves look big between the pipes. The Hawks have zero interest in Reimer IMO.
- RickJ

How does Ward at $3.3 mil per compare with CC at $6 million per, for straight up value? Even leaving the Hawks' cap issues out of it.

While TT is a high price to pay to dump 1 year of Bickell's dead $4mil in cap space, when comparing the trade to last year's Sharp+Oduya+Johns larceny by Jim Nill, I may have to buy a old Canes Ron Francis jersey. The scenario could not have worked out better for Francis and the Canes as he was playing with basically "free" picks acquired in the E.Staal and Versteeg trades. They have to get to the Cap Floor, and it is likely that E.Staal will be re-signed, anyway. Ron Francis has nothing to lose and potentially a Top 6 player to gain. Savvy move by Francis and a big to StanBo for getting ahead of the cap, even if only a little. I think that $1mil this year and $1.5 next year (compared to a Bickell buyout) will be very valuable for filling out the bottom of the roster.

Some here have said that Tuevo Teravainen did not live up to the expectations of the fan base. While that may be true, it is clear that those who are paid to evaluate talent and direct this team have also lost faith in TT. If Stan thought he was going to reach the high ceiling he was thought to have coming out of the draft, no way does he make this deal. Otherwise, other prospects like Hartman or Schmaltz would have been included in the Cap-Dump trade.

Anyone who has been coming to the blog the last year knows my thoughts on Tuevo. For all his hockey IQ and puck skills, this isn't no check Men's League or the wide open ice of European hockey. To be an effective player, you cannot go 1 for 10 in board battles. You cannot be scared of any physical contact on the ice and you cannot be unwilling to even attempt a battle for 50/50 pucks along the boards. For the rumors of Tuevo's work ethic to be public knowledge, I think that speaks volumes to the type of player he is and wants to become. Another year of the same type of scared play, without a defined position/role in the league, and Tuevo's trade value would have plummeted.

Does it sting a bit to lose a versatile depth player that is under $1mil in salary? It certainly does. Does it sting as much as last year's cap dump that cost the Hawks their 2LW, 4D and #1NHL Ready D-Prospect, heck no! IF somehow StanBo can retain Shaw AND add a Top 6 LW (Ladd or others), then this trade is a big win. Also, someone on twitter mentioned that trading TT might be part of Stan's sales pitch to get Schmaltz to sign and play with the big club this fall. Finally, getting back into the top 60 picks at the draft could be huge down the line, as Stan+Co have a good track record of finding quality NHL talent in Round 2 (Keith+Saad+Crawford). Should be an interesting next few months!
- EnzoD

Yo Zo..........

Indeed Francis is showing how corrupted the cap system is the same way Detroilet showed the way it needed tweaked due to front loading.

And yes another sign of living in reality for StanBpwPops&McD in admitting what "might" be a mistake or mis-evaluation in moving TT out.

Heard from my guy just now:

"Shaw is not anywhere near a done deal yet."
- John Jaeckel

And I would bet my left nut if that AAV starts creeping further north, Hawks start talking about moving his rights, and go back to Ladd with longer term to offset a workable AAV

Doesn't sound like Ladd is lookgin to break the bank as much as find a winner, and a place his family is comfortable living in.......hawks check off a LOT of his wishes but just wonder if 4.5-5 million gets it done. Don't see how they go higher then that.

Also, your point was to troll. Which is what you, Antilles, and Gerk do. Classless. You have a thread now. (frank) off to it and stay there.
- tredbrta

Time to leave this alone and move on.

Remember that video clip of Panik when the interviewer asked him if he liked playing in Chicago?

He was so happy and talked about how the team served the players breakfast and other great food. He probably had been eating stale Pop Tarts and day old Egg McMuffins until then.

Now he has a countryman in Hoss to help him and a team that will give him a chance to play. He may not be the greatest player but at under a million he's worth taking a flyer on.
- RickJ

Lou doesn't provide a Horton's coupon as a per diem in the minors? That organization could afford a personal chef for every player and their families if they wanted to....

Heard from my guy just now:

"Shaw is not anywhere near a done deal yet."
- John Jaeckel

Hooefully that means Ladd is still in the building.

How does Ward at $3.3 mil per compare with CC at $6 million per, for straight up value? Even leaving the Hawks' cap issues out of it.
- John Jaeckel

Depends upon how many unshredded groin fibers Ward has left in his legs.