Yep........... So let's all get ready and understand that Stan Bowman is going to make this team considerably weaker every day from here on forward. He will lose on every trade he makes. The Darling and Crawford dilemma is just the tip of the iceberg because of his own darn deficiencies as a GM. We don't have to go over them repeatedly but they are obvious. EVERY single move he makes from here on forward will make us all scratch our heads in disbelief. If he were to come out ahead on 1 DEAL, I will be astonished....but as I've posted before... It's HIS mess, he created it !!
Sorry to be negative but it's going to happen.
- Hawkytalk

It's not as black and white as you make it - Stan has made some prudent trade and draft decisions. However, the rock this team is going to struggle to get out from under are the 19 & 88 contracts for the sum total of $21M. Those contracts were predicated on the cap going up much more than it has - AND - both players maintaining or even improving their level of play throughout the duration of their contracts. 88 has kept up his end of the bargain - 19 - not so much.

So great the hawks are weaker at goalie BECAUSE no move/trade clauses. Darling is better and would have been cheaper BUT Crawford doesnt want to leave Great for him but not great the the hawks. I hope something has been learned no move/trade and LONG 6,7,8 year contracts are now going to kill the Hawks.

That's a bingo.

Here's an idea that I'm not sure if anyone has thought of.

If the Hawks really want to bring Darling back, as the Habs about Crawford. Yes, they would need to move Price (who has 1 year left on his deal) but he is WASTING AWAY in Montreal. Price could potentially be moved for a younger, proven offensive asset (s), which would open up the goalie slot in Montreal. I'm sure Crawford would waive to go home.

How Bergevin could spin it would be "we love Carey Price but we have gotten X players from X team and a two time Stanley Cup winning goalie in Corey Crawford."
- DMCsPulledHammy

Or he could just be honest - This is a results-based league, and despite Price being a top goaltender, we as a team have not gained the desired results we wanted. We are making changes to getr to the results we want.

So great the hawks are weaker at goalie BECAUSE no move/trade clauses. Darling is better and would have been cheaper BUT Crawford doesnt want to leave Great for him but not great the the hawks. I hope something has been learned no move/trade and LONG 6,7,8 year contracts are now going to kill the Hawks.
- Aeolos

Add some angry to the D core. Guys that will clear the f'n crease.

The other alternative is to ramp up the scouting department to get something in the 2nd round and later. Hawks used to be able to find Keith, Byfuglien, Saad, Bolland, Brouwer, Hjalmarson, Crawford, Wisniewski, Bickell, etc. etc.in later rounds. Where's that been lately?

Would have made that trade yesterday.
- 93Joe

Doesn't help their cap situation though.

If the cap goes up to $75M the Hawks have ~$3M to sign 5 players...average salary $600K...if they move Panarin's $6M they will have ~$9M to sign 6 players...average salary of $1.5M...not many difference makers that will be free agents that you can pay less than $2M. Moving Panarin and Hammer gets you ~$13M to play with, but you then need to spread that over 7 players...still not a lot of flexibility.

It's not as black and white as you make it - Stan has made some prudent trade and draft decisions. However, the rock this team is going to struggle to get out from under are the 19 & 88 contracts for the sum total of $21M. Those contracts were predicated on the cap going up much more than it has - AND - both players maintaining or even improving their level of play throughout the duration of their contracts. 88 has kept up his end of the bargain - 19 - not so much.
- Chief4Feathers

That sums it up pretty much . Towes and Kane were paid for what they had accomplished and what they may accomplish ,and on the speculation that the cap would rise accordingly .I don't think many in the hockey world or out saw the price of oil dropping to 47 dollars a barrel ,which in tern slammed the Canadian dollar . And stalled the cap . Sometimes you win sometimes you lose .

Darling deal was made much to my dismay ,because it was the best deal possibale at this time . I thought Crow would be moved ,and he still may but as I have said be prepared for more kids it the new way . Keep the core bring in the kids and hope for a diamond in the rough . This is why I believe the only real change this summer or early will be the coach . GO HAWKS !

So great the hawks are weaker at goalie BECAUSE no move/trade clauses. Darling is better and would have been cheaper BUT Crawford doesnt want to leave Great for him but not great the the hawks. I hope something has been learned no move/trade and LONG 6,7,8 year contracts are now going to kill the Hawks.
- Aeolos

Darling is better, really? The upside to trading Crawford and signing Darling was for some measure of cap space relief - not as an improvement at the position.

The other alternative is to ramp up the scouting department to get something in the 2nd round and later. Hawks used to be able to find Keith, Byfuglien, Saad, Bolland, Brouwer, Hjalmarson, Crawford, Wisniewski, Bickell, etc. etc.in later rounds. Where's that been lately?
- DarthProbert

Debrincat Maybe .

Trade for Grabo's contract LTIR 1yr $5m should help??

Great write up as always John...

"Crawford and his agent made it abundantly clear they didn't want to move and could possibly make it extremely difficult to move him (limited NTC). Darling and his agent are fully prepared to test the market. This was not the direction Chicago wanted, but Stan backed himself in a corner."

You'll be hearing a lot more of that phrase over the next couple of seasons...this is on the caretaker and his structuring of those deals with the clauses. Deals that are overpayments based on past performance...sure you can point to the deals for 19 and 88 and say well they thought the cap would go up...but did Stan learn from that...look at Seabrook's deal.

You have an aging high paid core of players that you are having to subtract secondary talent from every summer. Add that to Bowman's trade record the last couple of offseasons and TDLs and you can see why we're here.

With the lack of flexibility with some of these deals it'll be interesting to see who he can actually move to free cap space up so this team can get younger and faster.

As far as Crawford - he's been stellar and you can't blame him or his agent for expressing their rights according to the deal they were given by the Hawks. Meanwhile hats off to Darling - sad to see him go. I'm sure he'd love to still be here.

Where the Hawks go from here, the only solution is to weaken the team in one position, and hope for the best.

Moving out Hjalmarsson, weakens the defence. Moving Panarin, thins out an already bare LW side.

But...deal 7 or 4 to a team like TB, who need defence, and can move a Palat, Johnson, or Drouin. Deal 7 or 4 to TML for a JVR perhaps. Then resign Kempny, but also take a chance on Oduya, hoping he rebounds from a bad season, hoping that the injuries were a major cause of it. I bet you can get JO pretty cheap right now for the following year.

Panarin is a trickier move, but if you get yourself maybe a less skilled younger player in return, with more size and snarl, the Hawks would have to look at it. Tom Wilson is the type of guy they need now, though I am not specifically stating go get him...someone like him.

It will not be easy, but there will be deals there to be made, just have to be willing to put your neck out on the line, instead of always looking for the "safe" alternatives.

The bottom six forwards need an injection of size and speed, but also some skill. A return of Sharpie on a one year deal with a low base salary and incentives would help out. Sorry, but Rasmussen, Kero, Hinostroza types, while all giving their best, do not help with snarl or skill. With Kruger taking up a spot in the bottom six and contributing basically no offence, you are looking at a lot of deadwood on the 3rd and 4th lines.

Very interesting days ahead.

In a perfect scenario:

1. COL: Anisimov, Panarin, and TvR for Duchene, Zadarov, and Cumpher.

Then

2. NYI: Seabrook and Schmaltz for Brock Nelson

Where the Hawks go from here, the only solution is to weaken the team in one position, and hope for the best.

Moving out Hjalmarsson, weakens the defence. Moving Panarin, thins out an already bare LW side.

But...deal 7 or 4 to a team like TB, who need defence, and can move a Palat, Johnson, or Drouin. Deal 7 or 4 to TML for a JVR perhaps. Then resign Kempny, but also take a chance on Oduya, hoping he rebounds from a bad season, hoping that the injuries were a major cause of it. I bet you can get JO pretty cheap right now for the following year.

Panarin is a trickier move, but if you get yourself maybe a less skilled younger player in return, with more size and snarl, the Hawks would have to look at it. Tom Wilson is the type of guy they need now, though I am not specifically stating go get him...someone like him.

It will not be easy, but there will be deals there to be made, just have to be willing to put your neck out on the line, instead of always looking for the "safe" alternatives.

The bottom six forwards need an injection of size and speed, but also some skill. A return of Sharpie on a one year deal with a low base salary and incentives would help out. Sorry, but Rasmussen, Kero, Hinostroza types, while all giving their best, do not help with snarl or skill. With Kruger taking up a spot in the bottom six and contributing basically no offence, you are looking at a lot of deadwood on the 3rd and 4th lines.

Very interesting days ahead.
- plyrs99

No one is taking that Seabrook contract unless Hawks retain salary or take bad salary back. While I can give Bowman a pass on Toews and Kane contracts based upon their performance up to the time of signing and the expectation that the cap would continue to rise, the Seabrook contract was signed when he was much older, his play was already declining and the cap had already stagnated. Terrible contract which will burden the Hawks for the next 5-6 years.

As to bringing back Sharp, how did the Oduya, Campbell and Ladd "I'm back" transactions work out? Maybe you'd like SB to bring back John Madden, Adam Burish and Brent Sopel as well!!!??

I'd hate to see Hjarmarrson go. He's their most consistent Dman.

But Stan put himself in this situation handing out the ludicrous contracts to guys like Seabrook, AA, Crawford etc.

Unless you get back a good young stay at home defensemen with the trade of Hammer I'd rather see AA get moved.

Add some angry to the D core. Guys that will clear the f'n crease.
- z1990z

Tell it

That sums it up pretty much . Towes and Kane were paid for what they had accomplished and what they may accomplish ,and on the speculation that the cap would rise accordingly .I don't think many in the hockey world or out saw the price of oil dropping to 47 dollars a barrel ,which in tern slammed the Canadian dollar . And stalled the cap . Sometimes you win sometimes you lose .

Darling deal was made much to my dismay ,because it was the best deal possibale at this time . I thought Crow would be moved ,and he still may but as I have said be prepared for more kids it the new way . Keep the core bring in the kids and hope for a diamond in the rough . This is why I believe the only real change this summer or early will be the coach . GO HAWKS !
- oldduffman

Sure, Crow is going to change his mind and agree to move his pregnant girlfriend from her hometown and family in Chicago, just because the Old Duffer wants it to happen.

As you say, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Well, unfortunately, it's time for the Hawks to lose, as SB's bad contract and trade decisions, and Q's inability to adjust, can no longer be overcome by a Blackhawks' abundance of talent. As a loyal fan who saw my first game at the Stadium in 1959, this run was terrific. I never thought I'd live to see 3 Hawks' Cups in 6 years, but let's face it -- it's over.

It's now time to focus on and enjoy another equally likable, historic and talented team, but one with a much better front office and coaching staff -- the Chicago Cubs!

You know, everyone wanted more cups after 2010. So they go and do what they had to do to get two more. Everyone knew the band would have to get paid, so suck it up. Have to take the good with the bad. Don't potshot the guy now after he accomplished what all wanted, knowing all the time a situation like this was inevitable. It's like the day after a blow out party. Right now is the hangover. Most of us have been there, it takes time.

We are DOOMED.....
- BGKarras

The Hawks are beyond doomed.

The guys that need to be traded can't because of their NTC/NMC - Toews, Seabrook, Anisimov, Crawford, Hossa, and Keith.

The guys that can be traded because of limited trade clauses or no clauses at all only hurt the team to lose - Hjalmarsson, Panarin, Darling (who was dealt).

Stan in completely inept and cannot make a decent hockey trade to save his job. Plus he has crippled the team by overpaying 19, 88, 15, 7, and 50. Not to mention all the NMC/NTCs.

Q is a line juggler who won't play young guys and has lost the room. His best friend was fired so he will no longer be fully vested into the team.

The rookies and prospects are AHL fodder at best, there is no help on the horizon.

That leaves the team with an aging, past their prime "core" that's shown they don't care anymore and a totally incompetent GM who painted the team in a corner by overpaying these same losers and giving them no trade clauses. As fans we're stuck with this garbage and we have to watch as this slow painful decline continues.

So basically Crawford is a baby..... he screwed us now and will continue to drive this team down in shambles for the next three years......
- bigfly46

Why should he have to move? He earned the contact and is now raising a family in Chicago...people forget hockey players are people with actual lives.

Would you want to have to move your family accross the country or into Canada just to make your boss happy? It's Bowman's fault for giving him a NMC. Crawford is just using what he has to an advantage. The NMC isn't given to make a contract look pretty

In a perfect scenario:

1. COL: Anisimov, Panarin, and TvR for Duchene, Zadarov, and Cumpher.

Then

2. NYI: Seabrook and Schmaltz for Brock Nelson
- Bjm84

Maybe last year but this year no, bc team has too many RH dmen plus is another albatross contract and team already has Boychuk, PASS

Maybe last year but this year no, bc team has too many RH dmen plus is another albatross contract and team already has Boychuk, PASS
- Ur Not Me

Seabrook barely has any value at all.

If he was a UFA would you pay him 7 million for 7 years ?

At 28...100 percent

At 32...no way

Seabrook barely has any value at all.

If he was a UFA would you pay him 7 million for 7 years ?

At 28...100 percent

At 32...no way
- Santo_44

Correct, thats why i said last year possible but not now plus team has 4 RH dmen and not taking on the salary

You know, everyone wanted more cups after 2010. So they go and do what they had to do to get two more. Everyone knew the band would have to get paid, so suck it up. Have to take the good with the bad. Don't potshot the guy now after he accomplished what all wanted, knowing all the time a situation like this was inevitable. It's like the day after a blow out party. Right now is the hangover. Most of us have been there, it takes time.
- 6628

Well put. Many of us, myself included thought this team might be a One Hit Wonder after 2010. They gave us two more wild celebrations in '13 and '15.

I've said it before, but if you'd have come to me in 2006 and told me the Hawks will collect 3 Cups in the next ten years...a) I'd have said you're crazy and...b) I'll take it!

I'm hoping there is one more run in them and that if Stan can do a couple deals that reconfigure things a bit there just may be.

If not, it was fun while it lasted.

Panarin has the 4th best point per game in the playoffs of any hawk since 2009-2010.
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