Hawks are in a no lose situation with Panarin.

He is an RFA, they have him signed for this year, if he gets offer sheeted the Hawks get a crap ton of picks, if he wants too much money the Hawks get great value in return.

But most importantly.....worry about next year next year. The stagnant cap era has changed the dynamic for many contract negotiations, and will eventually impact them all.
- Return of the Roar

This is true, because he is an RFA, they would go to arbitration, if needed.

My gut is also telling me Kruger might get taken in the expansion draft, which would free some cash too. I don't think Darling would go, too many other good starting goalies will be available and TvR could go possibly, but think there might be better options on D as well.

Hawks are in a no lose situation with Panarin.

He is an RFA, they have him signed for this year, if he gets offer sheeted the Hawks get a crap ton of picks, if he wants too much money the Hawks get great value in return.

But most importantly.....worry about next year next year. The stagnant cap era has changed the dynamic for many contract negotiations, and will eventually impact them all.
- Return of the Roar

ABSOLUTELY agree. Love to keep him. Think we will keep him. BUT, the worse case scenerio of a team tossing a 7 million per year offer brings back mega picks (a first, 2nd & 3rd at minimum), and most teams dont even have the picks on hand to be allowed to make such an offer. And in a trade, no doubt get a pile back too. So, no worries. Pararin will be a HUGE value to the Hawks whichever way the cookie crumbles!!!

Panarin isn't going anywhere, need to stop worrying about that
- vabeachbear

Agree...and certainly not for draft pick compensation. The kids a star. You don't just let him walk. I'm sure there will be a contingency plan in place, if there isn't already.

Hawks are in a no lose situation with Panarin.

He is an RFA, they have him signed for this year, if he gets offer sheeted the Hawks get a crap ton of picks, if he wants too much money the Hawks get great value in return.

But most importantly.....worry about next year next year. The stagnant cap era has changed the dynamic for many contract negotiations, and will eventually impact them all.
- Return of the Roar

Unless he decided to return to Russia.

We are looking at a salary that will require serious compensation from the team offer sheeting him. I would make him a reasonable offer -he either accepts or we get compensatory picks much greater in value than a quality for quantity trade. This is not like a UFA situation.
BTW I just removed my Mark Lazerus twitter book bar link this morning. Looks like he has switched to politics.
- 67hawks

My point is starting from last year thru this year and for the next 6 years who is going to be a better player with more value? SAAD at 6 Mil or seabs at 7 mil. SAAD baring injury will probably lead the league in 5 x 5 goals over the next 6 years and Seabs is going to keep slowing down each year. The fact that every team in the league would trade for SAAD at 6 mil per year 22-28 and nobody would want SEABS contract 31-39 for any return other then a bad contract, tells you that SAADS contract is a way better value. Panrin looks to be at a Min 60 PT guy with a high of maybe 80 or 85. When all the money for a guy is in his prime that is when you should slightly overpay not when 1/2 the contract is after 35. Seabs was already slowing down at 29.

Agree...and certainly not for draft pick compensation. The kids a star. You don't just let him walk. I'm sure there will be a contingency plan in place, if there isn't already.
- walter34

this never gets old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL3VHRp0xpA

My point is starting from last year thru this year and for the next 6 years who is going to be a better player with more value? SAAD at 6 Mil or seabs at 7 mil. SAAD baring injury will probably lead the league in 5 x 5 goals over the next 6 years and Seabs is going to keep slowing down each year. The fact that every team in the league would trade for SAAD at 6 mil per year 22-28 and nobody would want SEABS contract 31-39 for any return other then a bad contract, tells you that SAADS contract is a way better value. Panrin looks to be at a Min 60 PT guy with a high of maybe 80 or 85. When all the money for a guy is in his prime that is when you should slightly overpay not when 1/2 the contract is after 35. Seabs was already slowing down at 29.
- kmw4631

I think there is a bit of competition for 5x5 goal scoring. Saad is a good player, but I don't know about that good.

No surprise Brad Richards retired. I was shocked people were claiming for him to come back because it was very apparent to anyone who watched him more than briefly in Detroit that he was done. His style was never going to be suited for bottom 6 depth and he had no top 6 potential anymore. At least he was honest with himself and his retirement confirmed the tires were bald

Unless he decided to return to Russia.
- DarthKane

If he did that we still win - no other NHL team will get him, and we will have cash to find another player.

Crap.... Now this blog will be nothing but Vessey foolishness for 3 weeks. He will be intrigued with the promise of playing LW on the same line as Toews and Hossa, but in the end he will be a Bruin or Sabre.

It unfortunately goes deeper than that.

There are a lot of NHL front offices watching this situation - and worried about their own players that they have drafted and helped to develop.

There is a growing feeling that college players may go this route even more in the near future - and it won't be the lower revenue teams that benefit from it.

Columbus felt there was definitely tampering last year with Mike Reilly, Nashville has made their case about Vesey behind the scenes. If this continues, it will become yet another embarrassment to a league that just can't get out of it's own way.

I know Wiz went through the rules of college eligibility earlier in the blog, what I have been told is a majority of GMs around the league want to see more of a punitive measure against the team that poaches one of their top picks - compensatory second round picks don't cut it in return.

The model in baseball is forfeiting your first round pick when signing another team's top free agent - the NHL GMs would like to see something like this in the near future - before this gets out of hand.
- dahawks8819

I never get why unsigned picks get to be UFAs. They should be RFAs, if not forced to sign ELCs...

No surprise Brad Richards retired. I was shocked people were claiming for him to come back because it was very apparent to anyone who watched him more than briefly in Detroit that he was done. His style was never going to be suited for bottom 6 depth and he had no top 6 potential anymore. At least he was honest with himself and his retirement confirmed the tires were bald
- hawkeytalkman

Now this is the kind of retirement package I'd love to have:

General Fanager ‏@generalfanager
Retired Brad Richards will earn $5,055,556 this year from his #NYR buyout, and a total of $14.55M from now until 2025-26 season.

Crap.... Now this blog will be nothing but Vessey foolishness for 3 weeks. He will be intrigued with the promise of playing LW on the same line as Toews and Hossa, but in the end he will be a Bruin or Sabre.
- -Doh-

We can always talk about how amazing Panarin is and how he should get 9+mil...and the Hawks should trade any and everyone to appease him?

We kane NOT help panik! This team is nothing to crow about! Never mind they're media darlings, we need a 1LW and probably another one too too. If the hockey gods have a hart, man, then maybe we'll get Vesey! Otherwise come playoffs they'll ride out on the hossa they came in on, and that would be blad....
- Kewl1

Not bad

Crap.... Now this blog will be nothing but Vessey foolishness for 3 weeks. He will be intrigued with the promise of playing LW on the same line as Toews and Hossa, but in the end he will be a Bruin or Sabre.
- -Doh-

Agreed. Besides the fact that we won't get him, nobody even knows if he can play at this level. IMO there can be no 'rebuilding' when you have two ten mil contracts on the books. Its all in every year no matter what. Stan's gotta pull the trigger on a VETERAN winger or he's going to waste a very good D. Just making the playoffs is not enough, it's Cup or Bust.

Unless he decided to return to Russia.
- DarthKane

Yes that would indeed be a loss but I don't see that happening. Also if he did bolt for the mother land the team gave up ZERO assets (other than cap space) to acquire him, that would ease the pain a little. A little.

We can always talk about how amazing Panarin is and how he should get 9+mil...and the Hawks should trade any and everyone to appease him?
- PatShart

Or we can talk about how we are absolutely positively certain which young guys are going look good in camp, what lines we are absolutely certain they will play on and who we are absolutely certain their linemates will be, and how we are absolutely certain they will be busts.

No surprise Brad Richards retired. I was shocked people were claiming for him to come back because it was very apparent to anyone who watched him more than briefly in Detroit that he was done. His style was never going to be suited for bottom 6 depth and he had no top 6 potential anymore. At least he was honest with himself and his retirement confirmed the tires were bald
- hawkeytalkman

I'd rather have an aging Richards than a sucky Mashinter in the Hawks line up

I think there is a bit of competition for 5x5 goal scoring. Saad is a good player, but I don't know about that good.
- pjm901

How about top 5 he tied for 6th last year and was the youngest guy in the Top 10 and the only guy in the top 10 that did not play on a playoff team. IE if he can put up 25 on the Columbus team last year (kane had 28, Ovi 29) at 22 I'm pretty sure he can do that every year.

Agreed. Besides the fact that we won't get him, nobody even knows if he can play at this level. IMO there can be no 'rebuilding' when you have two ten mil contracts on the books. Its all in every year no matter what. Stan's gotta pull the trigger on a VETERAN winger or he's going to waste a very good D. Just making the playoffs is not enough, it's Cup or Bust.
- Kewl1

I beg to disagree. We can win without trading a veteran this year. Next year is a whole different story.

I think Shea is good, not the end-all-be-all Defenseman, though. I think he's pumped up a lot for two major reasons:

1. His shot (which has taken on an almost-Herculean status over the years from announcers pumping it up so much)
2. He's one of the last of his kind: big, strong, stay-at-home D man

But when it comes down to the big PK/Weber trade, PK is the superior Defenseman and all-around player in my opinion.
- Hank3Henshaw

I don't know if Subban is superior defensively but both teams needed what they got.
I think at the end of the day one thing surfaced the last few years... Suter is better than Weber and most people didn't think so before he left Nasville.
When it comes to dmen the list starts with Doughty and Keith and then the order can be debated but next in line for me aren't Weber or Subban.

I'd rather have an aging Richards than a sucky Mashinter in the Hawks line up
- BetweenTheDots

Apparently, he turned down a good offer from a "good team" (CBH?), because he wanted to stop moving his young family around the continent.

Apparently, he turned down a good offer from a "good team" (CBH?), because he wanted to stop moving his young family around the continent.
- pdx2ord

The rub is Richards is no longer a 2nd line center on a good club. So to play he is looking at 3rd/4th line and maybe some PP time.

Good for him to retire... Nothing left to prove and wasn't a fit here at all.

My gut is also telling me Kruger might get taken in the expansion draft, which would free some cash too. I don't think Darling would go, too many other good starting goalies will be available and TvR could go possibly, but think there might be better options on D as well.
- gringointoronto

I think only one Hawk can be taken.

Where are we at cap wise if we offer a deal to Vesey?