The ABCs (blackhawks)

What if the nuclear option of tearing the roster down to the studs comes to fruition? The top line of Kane, DeBrincat, and Strome as well as Toews as the default 2C would be gone. Dominik Kubalik, Philipp Kurashev, and Henrik Borgstrom don't inspire confidence.

Kubalik and Kurashev are free agents so they would need to be re-signed first. Kurashev has a greater chance of staying put while Kubalik seems to be on the outs. Same with Borgstrom. That leaves an aging Tyler Johnson as the veteran presence in the top 6.

Of course, there are top youngsters Kirby Dach and Lukas Reichel plus newly-acquired budding power forward Taylor Raddysh. While Raddysh may have the pedigree to thrive right away in the top 6, Dach and Reichel ideally need some sheltering to aid their growth.

Another factor to consider is who and what would come back in trades involving Toews, Kane, DeBrincat, and Strome. Johnson isn't untouchable either, of course, and could be shipped out or possibly bought out if the economics are favorable to management.

In a Toews trade, he's not getting back a top 6 caliber player as the Hawks are going to have to retain his salary and/or take back salary to entice another team to take him. As far as draft picks and prospects, trade partners aren't giving up prized ones for Toews.

Even though no salary needs to be retained, Strome won't bring back a top 6 forward. More realistically he brings back a fellow NHLer with a similar see-saw career to date. He might garner a 2nd rounder and/or prospect who projects to be middle 6 or a 4/5/6 defenseman.

Kane and DeBrincat are where a king's ransom is more doable for each of them. Like Toews, salary retention is key for a Kane trade. So is taking on salary in a roster player or two. Otherwise, Kane should net at least one 1st round pick and at least one blue chip prospect.

And a DeBrincat trade is going to look similar to the Brandon Hagel trade but relatively better as the Cat would attract multiple 1st round picks, at least one top-shelf prospect, and potentially another asset like a young up-and-coming player already in the NHL.

So is this a reversion to the days of the ABC line comprised of Tyler Arnason, Mark Bell, and Kyle Calder of Dark Ages lore?

Who constitutes the 1st line or even the top 6 scoring units? The Blackhawks are in an explicitly-declared rebuild so it's inevitable to a large degree for there to be a dilution of talent up and down the lineup for a few years. The above only discussed the forwards.

One last consideration is signing veteran free agents to one-year contracts this summer then flip them at the 2023 trade deadline for futures similar to what the Hawks did last season with Carl Soderberg, Mattias Janmark, and Lucas Wallmark.

Blackhawks Game Summary

Wednesday Boxscore

DeBrincat - Strome - Kane Kubalik - Toews - T Johnson Kurashev - Lafferty - Raddysh Katchouk - R Johnson - Borgstrom

Vlasic - S Jones McCabe - Regula Stillman - Gustafsson

Lankinen Delia

Scratches: Dach, Entwistle, de Haan, C Jones

1st Goal (1-0): McCabe (Toews, Kubalik) 2nd Goal (2-0): Kubalik (T Johnson, Toews) 3rd Goal (2-1): Hayton (Schmaltz, Ladd) 4th Goal (3-1): Vlasic (DeBrincat, Kane) 5th Goal (3-2): Smith (Kessel, Galchenyuk) 6th Goal (3-3): Stralman (Kessel, Schmaltz) 7th Goal (4-3): DeBrincat (Kane, S Jones) OT

SOG For/Against: 40/35 PP: 0-for-5 PK: 1-for-1 Faceoffs Won: 61%

Highlights

IceHogs Game Summaries

Tuesday Boxscore

Reichel - McLaughlin - Teply Hardman - Slavin - Barratt Altybarmakian - Gicewicz - Osipov Pour - G Mitchell - Gabriel

Phillips - I Mitchell Watson - Kalynuk Galvas - Beaudin

Morris Soderblom

1st Goal (1-0): Phillips (Reichel, McLaughlin) 2nd Goal (2-0): Hardman (Barratt, Slavin) 3rd Goal (2-1): Ponomarev (Jacobs, Gunler) 4th Goal (3-1): Altybarmakian (Kalynuk, Beaudin) PP 5th Goal (3-2): Smallman (Jacobs, Lajoie) SH 6th Goal (3-3): Smallman (unassisted) SH 7th Goal (4-3): Hardman (Barratt)

SOG For/Against: 28/47 PP: 1-for-4 PK: 4-for-4

Highlights

Wednesday Boxscore

Reichel - McLaughlin - Teply Hardman - Slavin - Barratt Altybarmakian - Gicewicz - Osipov Pour - G Mitchell - Gabriel

Phillips - I Mitchell Stanton - Kalynuk Galvas - Beaudin

Soderblom Morris

1st Goal (0-1): Worrad (Lashoff, Elson) PP 2nd Goal (1-1): Hardman (McLaughlin, I Mitchell) PP 3rd Goal (2-1): Altybarmakian (Kalynuk, Beaudin) PP 4th Goal (2-2): Ghafari (Dove-McFalls) 5th Goal (2-3): Barber (Lashoff, Hirose) PP 6th Goal (3-3): Barratt (unassisted) 7th Goal (3-4): Elson (Berggren, Newpower) 8th Goal (3-5): Barber (Hirose, Criscuolo) EN

SOG For/Against: 18/34 PP: 2-for-3 PK: 3-for-5

Highlights

IceHogs Notebook

* D.J. Busdeker is out for at least a week with a right shoulder injury; the Hawks organization needs to protect shoulders more as that seems to be the most common injury of late for the NHL and AHL personnel.

* Jaxson Stauber has been released from his amateur tryout so that he can finish the spring semester of his junior year at Providence College before he officially starts his first NHL contract next season.

--

See you on the boards!

Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago

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