So the Hawks are just going to stand pat while the rest of the division gets better? Great recipe so far.
- 93Joe

Nashville can have Nash,and I'd take Weber over subban any day,there's a reason subban doesn't make Canada's team and Weber does

Toews and Kane were not asked anything mostly because NO ONE EVER EXPECTED the Cap to not to continue to rise and rise even more rapidly...I posted a year and a half ago. I thought by 2016-17 it would 125 million.

If it was now or last year, sure they would have been negotiations like what happened with Hammer...

It's really nice to look backward.

...when Lucic signs this 5 year deal with the Oilers you gotta wonder if it impacts them pretty quickly because the rookie of the year (sic) isn't gonna get bridge deal either.
- wiz1901

Serious? Really?

Is this blog going to break the all time record for comments?

Is this blog going to break the all time record for comments?
- kevndevries

Not even close for JJ's little corner of HB!!

Apologize for the dumb question. You see it all the time in the NFL where players restructure their deals to help with cap issues. Does the NHL not allow that? If im 19/88 and we do deals at 9 mm per.. that extra money could mean the difference on a needed player.

Do you people know anything about how income taxes work and how professional athletes - who play half of their games in states other than their home states - are taxed?

The difference between the taxes he pays in Cicago vs. Tampa is certainly not 10% of his deal - more like about $100,000 (without doing a full calculation).
- StLBravesFan

No, how do they work?

My uninformed assumption is that if they are playing half of their games in Florida, and half in other states, that they would be subject to about half of an average state income tax (that is obviously rough, not sure they would be taxed on a per game basis or how it would work with Canada).

If an average state income tax for the highest bracket is ~7%, than I would assume an athlete in Florida would have an effective state income tax of ~3.5%, or a tax savings of 3.5%, meaning that his $8.5M*(1-3.5%) contract in Florida would be equivalent to $XM*(1-7%) in an average US state if that $XM is ~$8.8M, so yeah, not that different from the $8.5M.

...Hawks won 3 Cups without a true 2nd line C. Last yr scoring balance was out of whack and 5 on 5 play poor. I'd take a chance.
- Al

....with much deeper teams. That level is nowhere in sight now.

Grosso retweeting that MTL making a serious offer to Ladd.

Was responding more to the NSH possibly getting Nash and now they have Subban. I should have clarified.
- 93Joe

I'll repeat, with the cap situation, what do you want them to do?

Its OK to give a scenario that's persuable, they just can't be unrealistic like Lucic, Matt Martin, or most FAs, there is no money for that.

Also, if they do sign a FA on the cheap, they can't do it until the 1st so what should Stan be doing right now?

Talking to agents to see who might be available for what they can afford? Do you not think they are doing that?

I just don't understand what people don't understand about the cap and needing to move salary and get nothing back for it.

Should they trade AA or CC for picks next year? Because if they take anyone back, they can't sign Panarin. Subtract AA or CC for future picks, doesn't make them better the upcoming season.

and before somebody says they had a big young defenseman in Hamilton, whom they let go to Calgary...

Hamilton was on the Bruins to develop him, and when they needed him to step into the injured Chara's shoes, he was unable...so the Bruins weren't gonna pay based on that.

Trouba on the other flat lined based on the fact he was asked to move to the left side for almost half the year to help acclimate the over rated Tyler Myers

Hamilton is to me a big finesse defender with a high offensive upside, but is far from being a potential Doughty-horse in his own end, if ever. (No one will ever accuse me of NOT having strong opinions on these youngsters)

I think Trouba has a lot better much better in close space, along the wall and can't be under-valued before Hamilton based on Hamilton offensemen status...

Next

Kruger can play that 3rd line spot easily, we saw how he was able to generate with better players surrounding him.
You HAVE to move him back to the 4th during the playoffs to give him the breathers to be on your mainstay PK.

You have to think there is some sweet heart deal for a veteran centre-forward that gets done before August is over.
- wiz1901

Whoah, I seem to recall a cantankerous blogger who was in love with Tyler Myers and was begging the hawks to draft him !! Funny how it all works out.

Apologize for the dumb question. You see it all the time in the NFL where players restructure their deals to help with cap issues. Does the NHL not allow that? If im 19/88 and we do deals at 9 mm per.. that extra money could mean the difference on a needed player.
- z1990z

Can't do that. Wish they could. Maybe next CBA.

I'll repeat, with the cap situation, what do you want them to do?

Its OK to give a scenario that's persuable, they just can't be unrealistic like Lucic, Matt Martin, or most FAs, there is no money for that.

Also, if they do sign a FA on the cheap, they can't do it until the 1st so what should Stan be doing right now?

Talking to agents to see who might be available for what they can afford? Do you not think they are doing that?

I just don't understand what people don't understand about the cap and needing to move salary and get nothing back for it.

Should they trade AA or CC for picks next year? Because if they take anyone back, they can't sign Panarin. Subtract AA or CC for future picks, doesn't make them better the upcoming season.
- vabeachbear

Really was looking for picks for CC this summer, then go bargain hunting several days after 7/1, when the dust has settled.

I'll repeat, with the cap situation, what do you want them to do?

Its OK to give a scenario that's persuable, they just can't be unrealistic like Lucic, Matt Martin, or most FAs, there is no money for that.

Also, if they do sign a FA on the cheap, they can't do it until the 1st so what should Stan be doing right now?

Talking to agents to see who might be available for what they can afford? Do you not think they are doing that?

I just don't understand what people don't understand about the cap and needing to move salary and get nothing back for it.

Should they trade AA or CC for picks next year? Because if they take anyone back, they can't sign Panarin. Subtract AA or CC for future picks, doesn't make them better the upcoming season.
- vabeachbear

The team needs money for Panarin. They also need depth and a 1LW that both Toews and Kane asked for. The team is much weaker without TT, Shaw, Ladd, Weise.

I do believe the FO is working the phones and speaking to agents. I also believe they are exploring every scenario to make them a more deeper and dangerous team. If unloading CC or Anismov get you back a useful player, along with cap space, they can make more moves to improve the team. Depth on this team is near the bottom of the well. There needs to be a few tweaks to become a better team. Just my opinion. Not saying you're wrong with your assessment - it's well thought out.

Are you really saying that the difference if $850,000?

When the Illinois tax at 3.75% would be $318,750 - which is deductible for federal taxes - making the difference a net of $191,250?

Yes - more than $100,000 - not 10%.

EDIT: thought you had 10% difference - it's really about 2.25%.
- StLBravesFan

Except Illinois has a jock tax, and Florida doesn't. Most state jock taxes are reciprocal now. Meaning since Florida doesn't put an extra tax on visiting athletes, most other states don't put an extra tax on athletes from Florida. The result is Toews pays higher tax rates for most of his away days than Stamkos does. Chicago also has a higher sales tax, etc.

The tax differences don't make 8.5m in Fl equivalent to 10.5m in IL, certainly. But it is 300-400k worth every year.

The team needs money for Panarin. They also need depth and a 1LW that both Toews and Kane asked for. The team is much weaker without TT, Shaw, Ladd, Weise.

I do believe the FO is working the phones and speaking to agents. I also believe they are exploring every scenario to make them a more deeper and dangerous team. If unloading CC or Anismov get you back a useful player, along with cap space, they can make more moves to improve the team. Depth on this team is near the bottom of the well. There needs to be a few tweaks to become a better team. Just my opinion. Not saying you're wrong with your assessment - it's well thought out.
- 93Joe

I don't disagree, and would do it also, guess I just don't see it being realistic that they are going to trade either guy and get a good player and cap space in return.

I'm all for it, just have my doubts that a deal like that exists for the Hawks.

Bravo, well done!
- hawkfan79

What credible source ever mentioned there was a hometown discount involved in their extension?

I'm just not sure who he'd be going after with the opened up salary. That's going to bring us more than AA does.
- walleyeb1

This is the part everyone needs to understand.

You trade Crawford, you will downgrade the position—but you have something like $2-5 million that you can now use elsewhere.

You trade AA, you will probably downgrade the position, but maybe only slightly, and you could save $2 million a season that you can use elsewhere.

Actually you trade Kruger, and you will not only downgrade the position likely, but you might not end up saving much.

The issue is this, you have only one top 6 LW and one of the top lines, in the absence of said LW, stopped dead last year. What is the "cost" of that? AND you have to pay the other LW you do have BIG TIME next year.

You want an upgrade over AA? Meh. $4.5 million is a lot for a guy who's 43% in the dot, not terribly fast and only produced 42 points playing with the MVP and the rookie of the year. I think he can be somewhat replaced honestly. Not to say he didn't do some solid work. He did. But he is NOT what made that line go.

14 19 88
72 15 81

There you go... 2 legit lines.
- z1990z

You can't have 21 million tied up in two players on one team and make deep runs in the playoffs with a stagnant cap. The cap isn't likely going to grow the way all of us on the board would like to see. One of the core guys needs to be traded or we can get use to 1st round exits for the foreseeable future!

What are their options? There is just no way for this team to improve yearly unless they unearth a Panarin every 2-3 years, NO other way. The goal is how much "less worse" will they get every year until the model of 6 core guys eating 67% of the cap and moving anything of value in Rockford for TDL adds, changes. There is no other alternative except to bring in a Gagner, Vanek, Stepniak, Pelley, Campbell type, or two, to contribute in a top 6 role for 1 millish per.

DAL is losing Demers and Goligoski.

STL is losing Shattenkirk, BackAss and Brouwer.

ANA lost Andersen and probably Fowler.

Peg probably loses Trouba.

I could go on and on but the Hawks still have the best core of anyone. If that's not enough to offset getting a bit worse each and every year is the model wrong?
- Mr Ricochet

Nashville just got better and younger IMO.

We'll see what St. Louis loses.

But last year they and Dallas were better than the Hawks and you leave out the fact that mostly all the Hawks have done this offseason is subtract for draft picks and breathing room.

What credible source ever mentioned there was a hometown discount involved in their extension?
- Al

I don't think there was. I was just spewing about a few posting here that Toews and Kane should have and Stamkos did take one. They shot high and negotiated down to 10.5. It be what it be.

Except Illinois has a jock tax, and Florida doesn't. Most state jock taxes are reciprocal now. Meaning since Florida doesn't put an extra tax on visiting athletes, most other states don't put an extra tax on athletes from Florida. The result is Toews pays higher tax rates for most of his away days than Stamkos does. Chicago also has a higher sales tax, etc.

The tax differences don't make 8.5m in Fl equivalent to 10.5m in IL, certainly. But it is 300-400k worth every year.
- Antilles

I'll take your word for it - but it seems high, given the deductibility of state income taxes (including, I would assume, the difference in the jock tax) for federal tax purposes.

In the end I think the early exit was probably a blessing since they weren't gonna win and now they get more rest. But 100% agree that while there were a lot of problems, some of them were exacerbated by Q's decisions, or could have been fixed but weren't because of Q's decisions. Who knows what Gus would have looked like if he hadn't been shuffled back and forth and then press-boxed and asked to change his style of play. And Runblad on the ice in a game 7 is straight up embarrassing. (Stan AND Q at fault for that one). We've rehashed the Mash Mistake endlessly, but that's another one on Q, and he didn't manage Stan's TDL pickups very well either.

Every year Q does seemingly dumb poop, roster-wise, and usually takes a few games to figure out the best lineup. Some of it is feeling out the other team and figuring out the best response, but some of it is without a doubt also Q's stubbornness and this is nothing new. Every year before this year he had a team so stacked that they kept in it in spite of Q's lineups until he settled on the right one. This year there were too many holes, and too many tired core members, for them to tread water during Q's figuring it out period.
- maria_wyeth

I agree with the bolded. Based on how the Sharks played, I don't think the Hawks would have gotten past them in the conference final, and certainly with the way Pittsburgh played in the Cup Final, they would have skated the Hawks out of the building. Heart and a championship pedigree can go a long way, but last year's team had too many tired and slow players to win it all.

And if that's the case, an earlier exit and an extra month of rest is not all bad ....

Well said. We need the young guys to step up...like Saad and Shaw and TT did before them. Long offseason of rest too. A couple cheap free agent signings and I think we will compete hard once again for the cup. We have a really good team.
- onehundredlevel

Important newsflash: there are no Saads, Shaws or even TT's left in the Hawks system. Maybe Schmaltz is a different and in some ways better version of TT some day, but after that, you're dreaming.

In terms of low cost quality vets for the bottom 6, there is two right there. Q should take the leash off of Weise and let him do what he does. Forecheck and hammer people.
- z1990z

Hawks can't afford him in a bottom 6 role. At least not right now.

Nashville just got better and younger IMO.

We'll see what St. Louis loses.

But last year they and Dallas were better than the Hawks and you leave out the fact that mostly all the Hawks have done this offseason is subtract for draft picks and breathing room.
- John Jaeckel

Aadd in improvement from Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary (other division, but could be fighting for a wild card position).

Competition in the West will not be any easier.