Over the course of their careers, they have the same number of goals, and Toews has done it with less shots. Kane just has a lot more assists. Even looking at this past year, Kane had 0.4% better shooting percentage, but over 100 more shots. Toews "offensive skills" improve greatly if he just shoots more. They play different positions and are different types of players. I've got no issue with either.
- Chunk

Fair enough. That is a valid point. Maybe I am being too critical. I feel like he just wants to cycle the puck. Little more dynamic offense like we saw early one would decrease some of that wear and tear of the cycle game he is exposed to. Panarin on his line would be a nice start!!!! I bet Panarin would put a little extra juice in Hossa's game too. You can tell by Panarin's face he loves hockey. He plays with such a high level of passion. That kind of youthful enthusiasm would be good for the top line, whose game was stagnant for long stretches last year. Kane getting 100 pts is nice. But I will take Kane at 85-90 if that means Panarin is on the top line and this team has 2 scoring lines.

What are the chances that Bowman turned down a deal from Toronto for Crawford that Anahein accepted for Anderson? They wouldn't have gone to Crawford asking for approval until something was final.

If they don't clear more space this summer (probably by July 1), I fear they lose Panarin next summer AND lose Shaw AND wind up with the rookies and Swedes you note above - I fear it would be very hard to make a good cap clearing move under pressure next summer.
- StLBravesFan

If they wanted to trade Crawford and the offer was feasible from Toronto they would have asked him.

Anderson is younger and $1mill cheaper and maybe that's who the Leafs really wanted.

After the trade the Leafs were still $11 mill under the cap so they could have afforded Crawford's higher cap hit.

The Jets will expose him in the expansion draft.
- DarthKane

I thought of this as a head scratcher, because I thought they were confident that they were going to bring along Connor Hellebuyck and they need Hutch only if they found a new home for $3,900,000 that Ondrej Pavelec makes.

Trade?
Dunno but they may very well be going into the Las Vegas expansion with both Hutchinson and Pavelic available and the at that point, Connor Hellebuyck, if DEEMED ready, would be a RFA who they could overpay IF Las Vegas took one of the other two...
and many here would argue why would Las Vehgas take one "those" guys over the other star quality gaolers that may be there?

$ $ $

As an expansion team, you want to pay two gaolies FAT dollars and only one plays?

You and I weren't the only ones to notice, won't be many takers unless Lou throws something else in to help move him.
- RickJ

I can't see the Leafs being able to move him. They'll have to pay him for another year and someone will pick him up of the UFA scrap heap in 2017, for 1 million a season.

Gut feeling tells me something big is about to happen. With Panarins impending raise and an aging core, somethings gotta give. Couple that with Stan waiting too long last year at this time and some questionable moves at the deadline, seems to be a little more pressure. Swung and missed last year and gave up a lot.
- walter34

Yep, yep and yep. Maybe not this year but a change to the core seems inevitable, the math says so. Nobody, nobody is out of that conversation, nobody.

Until the way the cap is structured is changed/tweaked the math just not allow 7 players to constitute 73% of the cap.

Fair enough. That is a valid point. Maybe I am being too critical. I feel like he just wants to cycle the puck. Little more dynamic offense like we saw early one would decrease some of that wear and tear of the cycle game he is exposed to. Panarin on his line would be a nice start!!!! I bet Panarin would put a little extra juice in Hossa's game too. You can tell by Panarin's face he loves hockey. He plays with such a high level of passion. That kind of youthful enthusiasm would be good for the top line, whose game was stagnant for long stretches last year. Kane getting 100 pts is nice. But I will take Kane at 85-90 if that means Panarin is on the top line and this team has 2 scoring lines.
- bhawks2241

If Toews and Hossa stay together they need a F1 that can work the boards and get them the puck in position to score. Maybe that guy can be Panik...And that's why Shaw was used with them. Otherwise there's too much heavy lifting for both Toews and Hossa and it does make a big difference.

Yep, yep and yep. Maybe not this year but a change to the core seems inevitable, the math says so. Nobody, nobody is out of that conversation, nobody.

Until the way the cap is structured is changed/tweaked the math just not allow 7 players to constitute 73% of the cap.
- Mr Ricochet

Eventually the contracts would catch up to them... Unfortunately, we are seeing this unfold a bit. Too much invested in seven guys is killer right now. If this team loses both Shaw and Crawford, then we take one step back, depending on the returns and signings. There is still time. Something should happen in the next 4-6 days.

170 pound wood nymph rookie Swedish mini-meatball buddies.

JJ, this is simply tremendous. Funniest thing I have read in a long time!

A bridge deal for Shaw just kicks the can down the road a season. I really don't understand the Hawks plans if they do this. Next season you have to pay Shaw and Panarin??? No way you can sign both next season unless you move a big salary. Then maybe. So then it is an empty promise to Shaw or you lose Panarin next offseason or move a big salary and every GM will know your up against it and you will have a Sharp 2.0 on your hands.

The more I look at this cap situation the more I realize how much trouble the Hawks are really in. It is either go with several young guys and watch Q implode or fill in the league minimum vets. The bottom 6 will look like 2011. Pisanis and Jake Dowells of the NHL
- bhawks2241

Safe to say Panarin and Shaw together will be a 9.5 per cap hit in 2017/18? To keep both means moving one or more guys that equal that hit.

Math Death=nothing is off the table. As a fan I accept the reality of that.

Alright....Let me clarify what I meant, I questioned his work ethic regarding skill development. Not his work ethic regarding conditioning and weight training. I also get the point of rest. Some of the guys I know in the AHL, take a month of after the season. They call it "de-training" and literally do nothing but maybe yoga once or twice a week to keep everything loose.

I stand by my comment that no part of Toews offensive game has really improved since he came into the league not even the last 2-3 years. If anything it has gone down a bit. Shaw takes just as much of a pounding as Toews but he managed to improve his first step quickness/power last offseason.

Kane has improved his defensive game a lot since he came into the league. He also has improved his offensive game and his conditioning and body type.

I don't buy the excuse that Toews is too busy with other aspects of his game to improve his offense. Either he doesn't have the talent to improve at this level or he doesn't spend as much time on it as he should. I personally think the talent is there. We see how good his hands are in the shootout and how dynamic he was his first couple of years in the league.

This team is up against the cap big time. That means guys on the roster will have to get better that includes Toews, Hossa, Seabrook, and Keith. The roster is probably worse than last years playoff roster. If the big guns not named Kane don't have better years. It will end the same way.

Sorry if you think Toews is above any type of criticism but he isn't.
- bhawks2241

+1

Kevin ODonnell Fox13
@ODonnellFox13
Reports out of Canada have a deal in the works for the #Lightning to trade Ben Bishop to the Calgary Flames.

Michael Grosso ‏@RumorBreak 17s17 seconds ago
Late to the party, just woke up. CGY has made an offer for Ben Bishop. Will try to scoop out the offer.

I haven't waded through 600 pages of comments to see if this has been mentioned, but Corey Crawford has a NMC, which he would have to waive to be traded. Were he to do this, he would then lose that protection for the rest of his contract (through 2020), which frankly, just doesn't happen when a player has more than a year or two left.

What would the motivation be for him to agree to do this?

I don't know that I go that far, LOL.

BUT, Panarin>>Saad.

Funny all the people falling all over themselves for Steve Stamkos right now, to me, that is sort of a comparable for Panarin. Stammer is the better pure scorer/shooter, but Panarin is a better passer and stickhandler.

And Panarin is going to get better, especially as he gains confidence in his surroundings and the new language. Kid works very, very hard and wants to be great.

You do not simply trade Artemi Panarin. And you find a way to pay him and lock him up long-term. He is a star and the kind of star you want to build around.
- John Jaeckel

Normally I would agree all day long JJ but as you mention a core piece must be moved to allow the kid to become a core piece. Who moves (and consider who will bring back the most including Panarin) Crow, Toews, Kane, Seabs, Keith, AA+ another 1-2 mil?

Mahura may be very well gone by slot 50 even though he was out for the year with an MCL injury. He would have probably gotten chosen in the first or very early 2nd if he had built on his play from last year. The kid has soft hands, fits the hawks hard pass and reception style, and is such a good skater. Is smart and mistake-free positionaly for 200 feet. He doesn't over-extend who he plays and his skating, well, there is a deceptive glide in his long stride, and can unsuspectingly get past oppoenets before the realize.



That THEY is me...I ranked those players, wrote those profiles
Greenway may find some team taking him much earlier too, but not sure he is worth it as he just simply has shown in every watch by me he lacks Hockey IQ anf decison making right now.He is slow to react, but does have good tools and size decent feet. Another guy who is slow in te pivot to his backward pedal. Since his brotehr was picked so early teams might back on him being a late bloomer. The fun thing Hawks fans should know if the visit DraftSite, is I make sure my this point to surround the Blackhawk slots with players I like even in the picks before and after...so when you click on Greenway's name, you also should look at the profiles of Jordan Sambrook and Dylan Coghlan because they are there for my enjoyment..and yours, as alternate Blackhawk picks!



Same goes with that #95 slot and the surronding forwards: Henrik Borgström Tim Wahlgren Brandon Hagel and Travis Barron.



See if you can find a site where a mock draft has the hawks taking the raw Belgium goalie Wouter Peeters who was impressive when I saw him live in their NA tour here...just big and quick at this point, but I can dream, can't I?
- wiz1901

Thanks a lot Wiz! Based on what you're saying, Hawks would be lucky to get Mahura at pick 50. To your knowledge, what grade of MCL tear did he have? Grade 2 partial tear or Grade 3 full tear of the ligament? Other factors were at play but we saw what a fully torn MCL did to the skating ability/agility of Bryan Bickell. I would love for the Hawks to try and package a few 2nd+3rd rounders to get into the first round if there is a sliding talent still available late in round 1. I really think they need to get a future Top 4 minute munching defenseman in this draft. And I didn't know you were a contributor to DraftSite! Great stuff!

A bridge deal for Shaw just kicks the can down the road a season.
- bhawks2241

Isn't that what they've done since the dynasty started in this hard cap world, and are there other option in a hard cap world?

I haven't waded through 600 pages of comments to see if this has been mentioned, but Corey Crawford has a NMC, which he would have to waive to be traded. Were he to do this, he would then lose that protection for the rest of his contract (through 2020), which frankly, just doesn't happen when a player has more than a year or two left.

What would the motivation be for him to agree to do this?
- BobAlou

Sucks because the more i think about it, the more it seems that if we keep Crawford we'll only be a 3 line team(AKA not a Cup contender). I'd much rather use his 6mil on more forward depth. I think thats more important come playoff time than the starting goalie. I think we saw the Pens prove that once again this year, and we've seen plenty of other examples in previous seasons as well.

Michael Grosso ‏@RumorBreak 17s17 seconds ago
Late to the party, just woke up. CGY has made an offer for Ben Bishop. Will try to scoop out the offer.
- mrpaulish

He's got a NMC right? Not sure why in the hell he would waive it to go to Calgary when the team he is on just went back to back seasons of SCF/ECF

Michael Grosso ‏@RumorBreak 17s17 seconds ago
Late to the party, just woke up. CGY has made an offer for Ben Bishop. Will try to scoop out the offer.
- mrpaulish

Another potential Crawford destination crossed off the list...

Michael Grosso ‏@RumorBreak 17s17 seconds ago
Late to the party, just woke up. CGY has made an offer for Ben Bishop. Will try to scoop out the offer.
- mrpaulish

Looking more and more like CC, if even trade able, is a plan C or D for teams looking to trade for a goalie.

Really? Was that necessary.

Current management seems to be at least trying to get the franchise on the right track. Leafs fans are finally excited about that. I would think a guy writing for a team that has won a few cups recently would be somewhat more magnanimous.
- Aetherial

Fair enough. Yes, sorry, certain Leaf fans presentation of their logic on the board has been a little annoying and maybe hypocritical. Not yours. Apologies.

If Toews and Hossa stay together they need a F1 that can work the boards and get them the puck in position to score. Maybe that guy can be Panik...And that's why Shaw was used with them. Otherwise there's too much heavy lifting for both Toews and Hossa and it does make a big difference.
- Al

Indeed. I've got no problems with changing linemates, and I actually really like the idea of either Panarin or Kane with Toews. I just get kinda twisted when people harp on Toews for not putting up Stamkos goals. He's a different type of player. I'm sure everyone can agree that we need more balance and much better 5v5 numbers. How that is achieved is above my pay grade. "The first step is admitting you have a problem."

A little more buzz growing about Campbell.

All of it NOT from team sources right now, however.

Stay tuned. Again, the guy doesn't need the money at this point, loves Chicago, and if he would do a $1 million or less AAV deal, why not?

Looking more and more like CC, if even trade able, is a plan C or D for teams looking to trade for a goalie.
- purepone

I think a team that is closer to contention like NYI would be considering the 31 year old Crawfish. Toronto and Calgary are not going to contend for the Cup next year, so I see their logic in going after the younger goalies. Don't forget, Fluery is also on the market. So, if Stan's plan to shed cap space for Panarin's extension and much needed roster depth is moving Crow, he needs to act quickly bc it appears the goalie market is drying up.....

What are the chances that Bowman turned down a deal from Toronto for Crawford that Anahein accepted for Anderson? They wouldn't have gone to Crawford asking for approval until something was final.

If they don't clear more space this summer (probably by July 1), I fear they lose Panarin next summer AND lose Shaw AND wind up with the rookies and Swedes you note above - I fear it would be very hard to make a good cap clearing move under pressure next summer.
- StLBravesFan

And if this is management conclusion do they make a run at a cup this year (with the obvious holes they go into the season with) and move him when they have less leverage at seasons end or take whatever considerable haul they would get moving him this Friday.

No right, no wrong just a question based in reality.......... By the way there were a total of 44 players that had 60 or more points last year in a 30 team league. There aren't that many of them.