Been saying this all week......if you think this year's cap issues are bad, don't look at next year.
- SteveRain

Is it not conceivable that the Vegas team will pretty easily sell out every game? I can only imagine the number of Hawk fans that will be in Vegas and envision a lot of other teams fans traveling as well

What I just heard, from a normally pretty solid source, guy who tipped me on the Hawks being in the WC last year long before it became official:

(and I apologize in advance for the confusion—lots of conflicting stuff flying around)

- Hawks are shopping about 5 guys with contracts (or contract demands) north of $3 million per
- Team feels they gave out too many big contracts to too many guys
- They want a POWER FORWARD type LW. Kane and Toews specifically have lobbied
for . . . Milan Lucic.
- They want a guy to play with them who can both play and provide some physical protection.
- Source believes Malkin thing is just a smokescreen, Hawks may have asked but there was never serious interest


I have to be honest with you guys, all of this makes a lot more sense to me. But too much out there right now that conflicts, so I am still ferreting through and asking some questions
- John Jaeckel

Shopping contracts/demands (plural) North of $3M for a contract (singular) likely to be North of $6M.....

I don't get the underwhelming narrative on Ladd. 12 points in 19 RS games, led the team in hits in the playoffs. Only 7 games in the one round, so he didn't really have a lot of time to score, and it wasn't jsut him not scoring in that series.
- JRoenick97

Just didnt seem like he was any better than Shaw was on that line until maybe game 6 and 7 when they seemed to get it going

5 guys on the block allegedly. So yeah, but it appears they'd recoup the money elsewhere.
- John Jaeckel

5 Guys?

Kruger
Shaw
AA
Crawford
only other 2 that fit the criteria that make sense Seabs or Hossa

Just didnt seem like he was any better than Shaw was on that line until maybe game 6 and 7 when they seemed to get it going
- Hawkeyes1

Over the course of an 82 game season Ladd would be wayyyyyyy ahead in every category compared to Shaw

The first year HRR should be a positive impact. LV is the shiny, new penny. Lotsa coverage, first ML sports team there, and it's a another ice surface in the desert. Hype will be there. It's after the second year I would be concerned if LV has a really poor record and the draw is well under 100%.
- blackhawk24

A lot depends on:

How many of the 13,500 committed season ticket buyers will actually buy season tickets

How much of a local TV contract will they get

Forbes average revenues per team in 2014-15 = $133MM - in the Detroit/Dallas/LAK/Flames/Caps range.

Can the Black Knights (or whatever they're going to be called) get to that level?

Just didnt seem like he was any better than Shaw was on that line until maybe game 6 and 7 when they seemed to get it going
- Hawkeyes1

But honestly, the whole team wasn't very good until then. Shaw was just the most intense. Wish the whole team would have played with his heart. I liked that Ladd was hitting everything that moved, it just didn't translate.

If Lucic was signed the Hawks would have to resign Dale Weise as well.

6m would have to come from CC being delt for picks.....
- mrpaulish

Or a combination of the other "potential candidates"

What perplexes me is that Lucic is looking for a good deal of money. Now the team supposedly thinks they allocated to much money? Idk man, there really has to be salary moving out if the star players want #17 on their LW - that's why I said it would make sense.

If Lucic was signed the Hawks would have to resign Dale Weise as well.
- a2zhawks

Fights in practice every day would be interesting.

Is it not conceivable that the Vegas team will pretty easily sell out every game? I can only imagine the number of Hawk fans that will be in Vegas and envision a lot of other teams fans traveling as well
- hawks1921

How many?

Two plane loads? Four?

That would be about 1,200 at most - a lot, IMHO.

And most visiting teams wouldn't even generate that many - LAK, Ana, SJ, Denver - not many others.

No, if they don't make it with local fans, they aren't going to make it.

Over the course of an 82 game season Ladd would be wayyyyyyy ahead in every category compared to Shaw
- mrpaulish

The points weren't always there in Blues series for Ladd, but he competed every shift. Throwing hits, forechecking, net front presence etc. he helped, but the team came up short.

Crawford to Calgary for 2nd in 2016 + 3rd in 2017.

Shaw's rights to Buffalo for 2016 2nd + 2017 4th

Sign Lucic 4yrs x $5.75mil

Sign Campbell 1yr x $1.5mil

Man... A Lucic signing would be incredible. I have always been of the opinion that the Hawks need some sting in their lineup. Nothing irritates me more than to see players take a run at Toews or Kane or Crow... And skate away without any bite-back.

-Players like Orpik run Toews (who gets injured)... Nobody steps up
-Kane gets checked from behind and breaks his clavicle... Nobody steps up
-Crow gets consistently hit in the head by Brouwer and Fabbri... And has to defend HIMSELF!!!
-Seabs gets run by Brouwer... Nothing happens

I get that the goon is slowly being phased out of the game, but if I'm a superstar I feel a heck of a lot better on the ice if Milan Lucic is my teammate, knowing if I get cheap shotted that guy is getting seven shades of sh*t beat outta him by Lucic... Just sayin'

Lucic is also no Ott... He actually brings a lot offensively as well and is a strong net-front presence. Would love to see this happen, though $$$ may be hard

How many?

Two plane loads? Four?

That would be about 1,200 at most - a lot, IMHO.

And most visiting teams wouldn't even generate that many - LAK, Ana, SJ, Denver - not many others.

No, if they don't make it with local fans, they aren't going to make it.
- StLBravesFan

Vegas gets something like 3.5 million tourists per month. All they have to do is promote hockey like they do the shows and they will have no problem selling out.

Man... A Lucic signing would be incredible. I have always been of the opinion that the Hawks need some sting in their lineup. Nothing irritates me more than to see players take a run at Toews or Kane or Crow... And skate away without any bite-back.

-Players like Orpik run Toews (who gets injured)... Nobody steps up
-Kane gets checked from behind and breaks his clavicle... Nobody steps up
-Crow gets consistently hit in the head by Brouwer and Fabbri... And has to defend HIMSELF!!!
-Seabs gets run by Brouwer... Nothing happens

I get that the goon is slowly being phased out of the game, but if I'm a superstar I feel a heck of a lot better on the ice if Milan Lucic is my teammate, knowing if I get cheap shotted that guy is getting seven shades of sh*t beat outta him by Lucic... Just sayin'

Lucic is also no Ott... He actually brings a lot offensively as well and is a strong net-front presence. Would love to see this happen, though $$$ may be hard
- Frenchy4488

Lucic


Was my Tom Wilson before Tom Wilson

Is it not conceivable that the Vegas team will pretty easily sell out every game? I can only imagine the number of Hawk fans that will be in Vegas and envision a lot of other teams fans traveling as well
- hawks1921

I know personally a number of people in Vancouver/Calgary/Edmonton who are going to be division rivals that would plan trips down to LV to watch hockey. The flights are cheap and people go there often anyway.

James Mirtle ‏@mirtle 1m1 minute ago

Unless Vegas is an above average revenue generator, expansion will likely have negative impact on NHL salary cap. HRR split will be 31 ways.


Maybe Stan is considering this as well.
- JRoenick97

That's just simple math - something divided by 31 is going to be smaller than dividing by 30. The only way it doesn't go down is if Vegas generates more HRR than the average and when considering TV revenue is a large portion of HRR - Vegas will probably not be close to generating enough HRR to not negatively impact the salary cap.

If the brainiacs in the NHL had any sense, they would have tied the expansion to an amendment of the salary cap calculation ... I'm not holding my breath.

Crawford to Calgary for 2nd in 2016 + 3rd in 2017.

Shaw's rights to Buffalo for 2016 2nd + 2017 4th

Sign Lucic 4yrs x $5.75mil

Sign Campbell 1yr x $1.5mil


- EnzoD

I think you are undervaluing Crawford. I do not trade him for less than a first. His return has to be greater than what Toronto traded to Anaheim, based on his two cups alone...

Vegas gets something like 3.5 million tourists per month. All they have to do is promote hockey like they do the shows and they will have no problem selling out.
- JRoenick97

Yeah.. I don't think attendance or revenue will be an issue in Vegas.

The gradual drib-drab of selling off higher-paid or due to be higher paid players and filling in from a depleted farm system is just going to be a slow slide back to the pack for this organization. I felt—and said so on the message board thread and in a few blogs—that the team might need to make some big, and unpopular, moves this summer to break the inertia of said slow slide, shake things up a bit, and maybe extend this run a bit longer.

Since I grudgingly accepted, even though it defies common sense on its face, that the Hawks and Pens have had some kind of contact about Malkin, in what context who knows, the above is where I have landed.

Very good point JJ but I would go so far as to say it's been more of a drib-drab of losing talent, I'd call it hemorhaging. In one year you lose Sharp and Saad (two of your top 6) and Oduya (#4 Dman), this year you move your top young player in TT just to lose salary to become cap compliant, now you're faced with losing at least a Shaw, maybe an AA type to keep Panarin.

Imagine for a moment how lucky, and rare it is, for the Hawks to unearth a Panarin. Imagine the Hawks last year if Panarin had chosen the Blues, WSH or someone else. Does anyone, more importantly the Hawks, think finding a Panarin every 3 or so years is a feasible model going forward?

I believe we are looking for answers we don't even have questions for. That theory is supported by what on it's face is the total nonsensical "fact" (not rumor) that the Hawks are inquiring about, insert any name, a 9.5 mil per player.

This Rubik's Cube is beyond my comprehension other than to say I can't begin to have an answer when I have no idea what the question is, but the Hawks inquiring about a 9.5 mil guy shows that they are looking to do something differently. It very well might be the Hawks feel model they have is unsustainable as they hemorrhage talent and reasonably feel the odds of finding a Panarin, and then keeping him, every 3-4 years is not probable.

Add a broken cap system, an obvious disconnect between Q and StanBow shown by the TDL additions cast away, by Garbutt and Daley cast off and not replaced and Rocky very little back on playoff gate money to whatever the equation is and I can see a change in the philosophy used the last 5-6 years of One Goal, consequences be damned.

I think you are undervaluing Crawford. I do not trade him for less than a first. His return has to be greater than what Toronto traded to Anaheim, based on his two cups alone...
- hpk90

I think the Sharp situation made me SUBSTANTIALLY curb expectations when doing a pure salary-dump trade for an established NHL veteran. Would I hope for a better return for a 2x Cup winning goalie? Of course! Do I expect anyone to take his full $6mil off the Hawks' books AND give a 1st rounder or more? Not at all.

Interesting. McNeill needed to at least be looked at by the Hawks. I guess Q knows more than all of us, but it perplexes me how Q gives some players almost no chance while some players get the proverbial long leash.
- kwolf68

I may be misremembering but wasn't he the other player (I think originally they didn't name him) involved in that whole Ross mess? Maybe that's factoring in

How many?

Two plane loads? Four?

That would be about 1,200 at most - a lot, IMHO.

And most visiting teams wouldn't even generate that many - LAK, Ana, SJ, Denver - not many others.

No, if they don't make it with local fans, they aren't going to make it.
- StLBravesFan

We've filled half of opposing stadiums before. My point is more of that people will look for any excuse to go to Vegas and it will attract more opposing fans than probably any other city.

They absolutely need local support and there's 2 million people that live in the surrounding LV area and I'd have to imagine that many lifers out there have been dying to see any sort of professional franchise come to their city.

Lucic


Was my Tom Wilson before Tom Wilson



- mrpaulish

I don't see the obsession with Lucic...do we really want this guy? Especially at close to $6 million.