First off Wiz, your classification of Crawford is a
- gifmanlittle bit off don't you think? If I recall correctly that Crawford is a 2 time Stanley Cup Champion, who in some estimation could have the won Conn Smythe in one of those championships (2013). Yes he can help a team win now, but Buffalo is on the treshold of winning now. They have amassed a lot of pure talent both defensively and offensively. What they are missing is a goalie.

During the 2016 draft the sellers price on a top flight goalie was a top 10 pick. Per reports, Calgary was the one giving up their top 10 pick and the Blackhawks had a deal in place (apparently) that Crawford denied.

So trading for a top 10 pick is well within reason from the Sabers. Reinhardt comes to mind because he can play both RW & C. He checks many boxes off for us. He can replace AA at the dot and move AA to 1 RW or Reinhardt can just play 1 RW. He can score, is defensively minded (from what I have read). Maybe trade Crawford + for Reinhardt, Ennis, and Lehner. In this blog JJ mentions that trading TVR could net us a RW. Well how about Crawford & TVR for Reinhardt, Ennis, and Lehner.

The trade makes sense because it helps us resolve the 1 RW, a goalie to replace Crawford and give competition to Darling. Ennis comes this way because of money but more importantly he is the guy we leave available for LV to take in the expansion draft. That opens over 6 mil in cap space next season to sign Panarin.

For Buffalo they get an elite goalie and good young defenseman. How many Stanley Cup winning goalies are available right now, who can get you to the next level? Not many if any except Crawford, and the only real reason he is available is because he costs $6 mil.

Could it cost us a bit more like JJ was mentioning something like Crawford, TVR, & Svedberg? Maybe. Giving up the leagues most accomplished goalie plus a Dman and prospect is more then fair. The only real hold up is Crawford. As we saw during the draft the guy stopped us from getting a top 10 pick. WE are giving up a lot to get a 20 goal scorer who was a top 10 pick.

It simply doesn't work because they are NOT TRADING Reinhardt.

My comparison was only to illustrate a reason why a team that is a bit far from the Cup contenders doesn't trade their future for a NOW goalie, no matter how good the goalie is.
The Sabre defense is not there or close, these young high picks need the time to work out, and I really don't think Crawford can lead them to the promised land until the ARE better.

I am curious how the Hockey News start of season issue has them ranked.

And despite the "trade rumors" they didn't overspend on a vet goalie...in fact NO TEAM overspent on a vet goalie, so that tells me the price has to be right and Reinhardt is not an expendable especially now that the didn't land Vesey.

During the 2016 draft the sellers price on a top flight goalie was a top 10 pick. Per reports, Calgary was the one giving up their top 10 pick and the Blackhawks had a deal in place (apparently) that Crawford denied.


- gifman

Rumours like this are just that- horsefeathers

Thanks JJ, I'm inside now, off the ledge.

I remember - I think last offseason - Stan saying they really wanted more cost certainty so they wouldn't be under the gun each off season to clear cap space. It sounds like they aren't going to position themselves to resign Panarin yet, that they'll get what they can with the cap space they have and salary sent away in trades, and deal with the cap again once the season is over. I'm ok with that, I'd rather have a cup this year than Panarin next year, if it comes to that. Cups are rare, have to go for them when you can.

I'm hoping the reason Hudler hasn't signed with Vancouver yet is that he's considering the Blackhawks.

I also kind of like the idea of AA with 19 and 88 on the first and Kruger centering 72 and 81. That seems more solid than Kruger centering the 3rd line. Reading between the lines of your post, it seems like 5 on 5 scoring balance is needed most in the top 6, if you get something from the 3rd line, great, but better to have two solid scoring lines who can also play a 200 foot game. Flip 88 and 81 if you want.

I'm really interested to see what Stan pulls out of his hat!

No need in trying to turn Yak into a LW. If he were to end up in Chicago.. I would run my top 2 lines as such:

14 19 88
72 15 Yak

Gives both lines scoring threat and Toews help with Kane back up. I think Yak could have a little turn around playing with AA and the Bread Man. And unless a better option presents itself, Panik is the best choice at the moment to be the #1 LW. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

No need in trying to turn Yak into a LW. If he were to end up in Chicago.. I would run my top 2 lines as such:

14 19 88
72 15 Yak

Gives both lines scoring threat and Toews help with Kane back up. I think Yak could have a little turn around playing with AA and the Bread Man. And unless a better option presents itself, Panik is the best choice at the moment to be the #1 LW. Not ideal, but it is what it is.
- z1990z

Hossa in the top 6 >> Yakupov in the top 6

Not saying you're wrong, just a different POV.

Thanks, you are too kind, DD, but there are some posters on the HotStove thread who disagree with you.
- John Jaeckel

that thread is a cesspool

Great read JJ,

It would be great to get a top LW or even center and have AA move to the LW of Toews's line.

Do you think maybe the plan will be to put Panarin on the Toews line, of anyone who has the ability to create anywhere near the caliber of Kane would be Panarin

You know after 2010, and so many key pieces traded, I was very worried the Hawks were one and done, but Bowman and Co surprised the hell out of me winning 2 more cups.

If Hossa scores even 50 points this year it'll be a plus for us.

It's just so hard to repeat, especially when you have 3 rookies playing defense.

No need in trying to turn Yak into a LW. If he were to end up in Chicago.. I would run my top 2 lines as such:

14 19 88
72 15 Yak

Gives both lines scoring threat and Toews help with Kane back up. I think Yak could have a little turn around playing with AA and the Bread Man. And unless a better option presents itself, Panik is the best choice at the moment to be the #1 LW. Not ideal, but it is what it is.
- z1990z

When the Q blender is turned to "playoffs" and we want to create MAJOR matchup problems and roll 4 lines, this top 9 looks nasty to create problems
BUT: during the regular season, keep Yak on the bottom 6 and keep Hossa in the top

14 19 88
72 15 Yak
Schmaltz 16 81

That'd be awesome if they could swap Van Reimdyks but realistically Hudler is the best option. Not an easy task to get a top 6 winger under 4 mil.

Rumours like this are just that- horsefeathers
- wiz1901

I broke the rumor.

What I HEARD was the Hawks had a deal with CGY if they wanted to do it, but declined. I did hear there was either doubt or certainty Crawford would not waive for CGY. What was unclear was whether the hawks would approach him to waive or if they had. I also did not hear, as I recall, a specific return like a top 10 pick.

The Hawks did have more than one convo with 2 other teams about Crawford going back to Spring 2015. That I am 99% sure. One was BUFF, the other EDM.

A source in position to know who has provided solid info many times.

that thread is a cesspool
- DoubleDown

I jest. Thanks (ou Merci) DD.

Whatever happened to that Crawford to PHI rumor?

I broke the rumor.

What I HEARD was the Hawks had a deal with CGY if they wanted to do it, but declined. I did hear there was either doubt or certainty Crawford would not waive for CGY. What was unclear was whether the hawks would approach him to waive or if they had. I also did not hear, as I recall, a specific return like a top 10 pick.

The Hawks did have more than one convo with 2 other teams about Crawford going back to Spring 2015. That I am 99% sure. One was BUFF, the other EDM.

A source in position to know who has provided solid info many times.
- John Jaeckel

JJ, always fun to read your stuff, best blogger....hmmm? Only one i read soooooo I would say yes.

Being that Hudler will probably not sign in Chi and we lost out on Vesey do you think a trade is a possibility or will they do a patchwork of youth to resolve the issue a LW?

>JJ, a very well-written, balanced overview -- gracias
>Think the puck will spend a lot less time in the Hawks zone this year with the improved D
>Not going to forecast numbers, but I believe Toews will have a very impactful, offensive year -- regardless of who plays with him
>Hossa is a HOFer, so strong across 200 feet -- seems ridiculous to say, but a simple adjustment to his shooting motion would help him go upstairs accurately and with speed -- and he needs to go upstairs if he is going to finish more often
>Q commented that he thought the Pens "played like we do" after the playoffs
>Hawks need to get back to the speed game shift after shift
>And re-establish their team "on-ice" identity

John, always appreciate the perspective and discussion on the topics going around. Just some comments below for thought.

About Myth #2, I'm just thinking not many people expect the young guys to be an instant answer, but probably don't make the issue any worse than the revolving door last year. I get that some of the Pens rookies had some experience, but I also think there can be useful players we don't see coming and there are always surprises. Sometime a prospect will be able to transition to the NHL easier than others. I think Andrew Shaw was a great example of a guy who didn't have much pro experience, played a bit in the AHL and proved he could be an NHL player without. He was a 20 year old who played 38 games in the AHL, scoring 12 goals and 23 points. He also managed to net another 12 goals and 23 points for the Hawks in 37 games after being called up. I do agree it would be unreasonable for another to expect Saad 2.0 or someone that will just light it up, but I don't think we have seen enough of some of the prospects to write them off as guys that can give us some more depth at an NHL level. The Hawks might not have ideal prospects to fill in the holes, but I also firmly believe you need some young players playing above their pay grade to have a shot at the cup in the cap era. Either you need veterans taking a discount to play or you need youth that can make a difference. There isn't enough cap space to build a roster of proven players at market price to compete in the NHL, especially while having both the #1 and #2 highest paid players in the NHL on your roster.

Myth 3 - I think most of us would agree that the Hawks really could use a good top 6 LW. I think the Hawks are also in a position where filling that hole with the money available is challenging. The bottom 6 last season wasn't exactly good either. Kane, Panarin, Toews, AA were our 20 plus goal scorers, followed by Shaw, TT, Hossa who all put up 13-14 goals. After that....Desjardins with 8 and Panik with 6 were the only forwards to net more than 4 goals. So removing TT and Shaw, that leaves the Hawks with what...5 guys that can likely exceed 15 goals each. My point is that it might just be easier to fill some of the bottom 6 holes in the offense dept than trying to find the magic piece on top 6 LW.

Myth #4 I don't think Hossa is washed up, but also I think last year proved the Hawks can't just plug anyone on LW. We know the ideal situation would be get a solid LW, but if they can't land anyone, at some point they have to try something else. I think it was you who likes to say "insanity is trying the same thing over and over expecting a different result". The Hawks roster is an evolving beast and this season was the 2nd consecutive offensive output(points per game) drop for the Toews-Hossa line in the regular season. So even with Saad in 2014-15 Toews had his worst points per game of his career and Hossa was at this lowest in 15 years. If the Hawks keep Toews/Hossa together and the struggle continues, then I think something has to change. While I don't think Hossa will ever be a 3rd line plug, it is hard to argue against the signs of decline in his game and on the stat sheet. He could bounce back in a big way, but I think us Hawks fans need to also be prepared for the possibility that this season could be like last season or worse for Hossa if age/health are catching up to him. I truly do hope that extra rest does help him, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned with how many "maintenance" days he needed last season and his issues trying to get body position driving to the net. If they do end up playing him on a line with Kruger, maybe that helps Kruger get out of his offensive slump and possibly Toews starts to adjusting to life without Hossa on his wing. (Because honestly Hossa's retirement could come any year now)

I thought Panik was a 1st line LW?

http://lastwordonsports.c...o-blackhawks-prospects-3/

here is a article about our prospect pool. which is not really very good. So any idea what offer we have out for Hudler? I would think a 1 year 2 mil deal would seem reasonable? Are there teams that are going to offer much more then that and give him a spot in the top 6.

I'm also a Big fan of moving panarin off the kane line and get 1 elite pair of hands on both the top 2 lines. Also TVR is signed for 2 more years at $825 and is a RFA after that. He should have pretty good value if you were going to move him.

I broke the rumor.

What I HEARD was the Hawks had a deal with CGY if they wanted to do it, but declined. I did hear there was either doubt or certainty Crawford would not waive for CGY. What was unclear was whether the hawks would approach him to waive or if they had. I also did not hear, as I recall, a specific return like a top 10 pick.

The Hawks did have more than one convo with 2 other teams about Crawford going back to Spring 2015. That I am 99% sure. One was BUFF, the other EDM.

A source in position to know who has provided solid info many times.
- John Jaeckel

Wow - either Eichel or McDavid for Crawford!!!!



But on a serious note - Pokka, Forsling, Svedburg, even TVR - anyone see these as top-pairing defensemen?

And if not - why does some team send back a top-6 wing for one or even two of them?

I thought Panik was a 1st line LW?
- walshyleafsfan

In his junior days anyway

How good is Hossa anymore? I don't watch much of the Blackhawks, but I just saw he still has 5 years left at $5.275 million per. Is that going to be a killer?

Thanks, you are too kind, DD, but there are some posters on the HotStove thread who disagree with you.
- John Jaeckel

There are parts of that thread that burned my eyes out... other parts were like flossing my brain out with my dog's knotted rope... and I cant get that part of my life back.

JJ Keep reporting, speculating, and commentating! - i read this because of your efforts and a few other adult poster (and in spite of the horrible experience trying to read it on iOS)

Great read as always John...

I'm still hoping for Hudler, but it sounds like that train is leaving the station unless the Hawks want to pony up. Thinking they should as next season will be another cap killer - either Craw or Panarin out the door...thanks again Gary.

And then what's it going to take to pry one of those forwards away from Holland...
if that's where they're looking.

In comparison to the Pens.. the kids over there were farther along the track in developing to where our kids are now. So who knows how it plays out, but it's realistically asking too much for Hartman, Motte, Schmaltz etc to be plug and play.

Let's hope Stan can get something done here.

It simply doesn't work because they are NOT TRADING Reinhardt.

My comparison was only to illustrate a reason why a team that is a bit far from the Cup contenders doesn't trade their future for a NOW goalie, no matter how good the goalie is.
The Sabre defense is not there or close, these young high picks need the time to work out, and I really don't think Crawford can lead them to the promised land until the ARE better.

I am curious how the Hockey News start of season issue has them ranked.

And despite the "trade rumors" they didn't overspend on a vet goalie...in fact NO TEAM overspent on a vet goalie, so that tells me the price has to be right and Reinhardt is not an expendable especially now that the didn't land Vesey.
- wiz1901

I agree with you. No way we'd get Reinhardt.

http://lastwordonsports.com/2016/08/23/tsp-chicago-blackhawks-prospects-3/

here is a article about our prospect pool. which is not really very good. So any idea what offer we have out for Hudler? I would think a 1 year 2 mil deal would seem reasonable? Are there teams that are going to offer much more then that and give him a spot in the top 6.

I'm also a Big fan of moving panarin off the kane line and get 1 elite pair of hands on both the top 2 lines. Also TVR is signed for 2 more years at $825 and is a RFA after that. He should have pretty good value if you were going to move him.
- kmw4631

I wonder if tvr could fetch armia and Lemieux

Why is Hudler still available ?


How much aav do the Blackhawks have left to spend ?