TommyHawk, I didn't think Stan was treating me to an exciting blog as it looked like Ryan Carpenter was the only pickup of the day until around 5 pm EST.
The fact that the Hawks hadn't called a press conference yet though and all things were quite – all too quiet – on the Hawks front, it seemed like they were up to something.
Then… BOOM… Vezina finalist, Robin Lehner was signed to a very team-friendly 1 year / $5M AAV deal.
I still believe there are moves to be made before opening day because as of right now, the Hawks are right up against the cap according to CapFriendly with just over $1M remaining.
Oh, and they still have to sign Perlini who will cost them between $1.5M and $2M AAV.
This will look a little better once Delia and Dahlstrom or Koekkoek get sent back but that's only another $1.8-$1.9M removed.
Something has to give.
Based on what I've heard, I still believe Artem Anisimov will be moved for pick(s) and/or prospect(s). There's a chance Connor Murphy is dealt but it sounds like AA is the more likely one to be dealt.
If that's the case, here is where the Blackhawks sit if that happens and no other moves are made:
Shaw-Toews-Kane DeBrincat-Strome-Perlini Saad-Kampf-Kubalik Caggiula-Carpenter-Sikura
Keith-Gustafsson De Haan-Seabrook Maatta-Murphy
Crawford Lehner
Extras: Wedin, Quenneville, Koekkoek (or Dahlstrom)
Robin Lehner was the big surprise of the day for almost any team.
Why?
Well, it sounds like Bowman contacted Lehner's agent this afternoon once he realized he was available. Then, things escalated quickly.
Bowman didn't even contact Corey Crawford before this deal happened. He did mention that Jimmy Waite reached out to Corey when the deal was going down.
This may look like a knee-jerk reaction but there's no way the Bowman and the Blackhawks executive team didn't discuss their future in net before they pulled the trigger on this move.
Crawford is a free agent after this year is up and his health has obviously been in question. I figured the Hawks were looking for a veteran goalie as an insurance policy if Corey was to get injured again.
If Crawford gets hit again and suffers another concussion *knock on wood* he may be done for good. I really hope this doesn't happen for Corey's personal health and his career but this is a business and that scenario could be a reality.
The Hawks would be left with Delia and Lankinen to man the pipes if that's the case. That is just not good enough if the Hawk if they want to be a playoff team this year. There's too much uncertainty.
I took to Twitter after this move:
Everyone wanted the Hawks to sign Lee or Dzingel however scoring was not an issue for CHI last yr.
— Tyler Cameron (@TylerTyping) July 1, 2019
Bowman recognized this and traded for/signs:
* Maatta
* de Haan
* Carpenter
* Lehner
(and Shaw) ...
But Stan was addressing defence over offense and it's hard to argue that.
Listen, if Ryan Dzingel or Anders Lee would have signed here at a decent term/dollar amount, I wouldn't have been upset but it was obvious where the Hawks needed to shore up.
The defensive additions were never going to be flashy but adding de Haan, Maatta, Carpenter, Lehner and even Shaw have made this a much better team.
Are they a playoff team? I think they are but I still want to see the final product.
In the above, maybe I'm wrong and Anisimov stays in the 3C spot. Maybe the Hawks firmly believe that Kirby Dach can step in like Jesperi Kotkaniemi did last year in Montreal. The 18-year-old Finn played in 79 games registering 11 goals and 23 assists. He was playing against men in the Finnish pro league but he was pretty much the same size as Dach.
I think what it will come down to is the maturity and if Dach can play at the NHL pace. He's got a chance but we'll continue to monitor that situation as the summer goes on. One way to help the 18-year-old succeed would be to put him with a couple of vets that fit his heavy, cycle style of play and I can't think of two better linemates for him than Saad and Shaw.
Get ready for a couple more surprises as the summer goes along.
How do you think Stan and the Blackhawks did today? I don't think many would disagree that Carpenter is a nice depth pickup but how is everyone feeling about Lehner?
I will have a dedicated blog focusing on "The Future of Goaltending in Chicago" shortly but wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the day first.
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Lastly, I'll leave you with a couple of videos of the newcomers. Robin Lehner highlights (Courtesy: Last Name Sports):
See ya out there!
TC