Stan was making moves yesterday… some very interesting moves.
Down goes John Hayden, up comes Tomas Jurco.
Then he ended the Cody Franson era in Chicago by putting him on waivers.
I heard that there were more than a couple teams sniffing around, but it was just announced that he has cleared waivers.
This a great for the Hawks (I doubt Cody is loving it), but now they can call him up if any injuries arise or if they move out any of the guys up there, as well as if a veteran presence is needed for the playoffs.
He also has more trade value himself as a team acquiring Franson would be able to freely move him from the NHL to the AHL.
Why would a team want him in a trade when they could have just picked him up for free? Well, some teams are at the max contract limit of 50. The Toronto Maple Leafs being one of them. Therefore, if the Leafs wanted a Franson reunion, they could send someone like Ben Smith or Martin Marincin for him to fit under said limit.
So, Franson down to ride the bus in Rockford and as predicted by Scott Powers of The Athletic, Erik Gustafsson has been called up take his spot, bringing the 8-man defence rotation back.
I had heard that the Hawks wanted to get back to a 7-man defence on the active roster, so this move is puzzling to me.
Gustafsson is having a great season in Rockford. He had an injury that kept him out for around a month but has been solid since he returned.
He's cheap @ 650k and is an RFA this summer.
So, is this move (as well as the Jurco call-up) a chance to inject a Hinostroza-type spark into this lineup or a showcase for teams? Possibly for the team they are playing – Ottawa. A couple of my contacts think that there is a strong possibility that this is the case due to the timing.
Also, there have been Ian Cole rumours. I haven't heard anything specific on this, but Cole would make sense. If he were to be acquired, he is a UFA this summer, but if he's a fit, I could see the Hawks looking at him as a longer-term top 4 option that they feel that they are currently lacking. That is unless Jordan Oesterle, Connor Murphy or Gustav Forsling change their minds very quickly.
I wanted to wait to push this blog out after the morning skate, as I was really curious as to what is happening with the lines/pairings.
So here you go:
Saad-Toews-Hinostroza Hartman-Schmaltz-Kane Sharp-Kampf-Debrincat Bouma-Wingels-Panik
Jurco rotated in for Sharp and Hartman but looks like he's out tonight and the lines remain the same.
In terms of defence, not entirely sure of the pairings, but some of you are getting your wish; Brent Seabrook will be a healthy scratch tonight.
Quenneville rarely changes up a winning lineup, so it’s surprising that Seabs is the odd man out. Is this the beginning of #7 being a frequent scratch in Chicago?
Or… are they looking to get someone like Kempny in the lineup to play as a showcase, possibly to their opponent tonight?
Or... is Seabrook just that bad he's now become a liability?
Thoughts?
Oh, Forsberg is your starter. He’ll go for his first ever 2-game winning streak.
See ya along the boards!
JL
-- Who we got tonight: Ottawa Senators
Season Matchup: 1st matchup of the year
14-17-9 = 37 points 7th in Atlantic Division Last game: WON vs. TB (6-3) on January 6th GF: 110 / GA: 133 PP% = 15.8% (27th in NHL) PK% = 76.3% (28th in NHL) Sniper: Mark Stone – 17 goals Producer: Mark Stone – 40 points Tough Guys: – Alex Burrows - 35 PIMs & Fredrik Claesson – 79 hits Expected Starter: Craig Anderson