We are just 17 days away from the trade deadline and we are officially in the eye of the storm. Not much is coming out, however, that can change at the drop of a dime. It is almost as if GMs are playing chicken with each other and seeing who is going to be the first one to blink. While the Rangers and Islanders both have made moves, I think the Tarasenko trade is going to set the market so GMs are in the war room trying to figure out how to work around these brutal cap situations. For me, while I agree there needs to be a salary cap, I feel there needs to be a reevaluation if this hard cap is the correct way to go. I say this in a completely selfish way as I want teams to be able to wheel and deal and make insane blockbuster trades that don’t seem to exist in the game today.
With a bit of a lull in trade news, I wanted to take a look at the 5 guys that I think could and should be moved at the deadline. Some of these players have been mentioned already, while others maybe a stretch. Either way, if some combination of these guys get moved to add to the Hawks Draft Capital, I would consider it a good deadline.
Patrick Kane ~ Very Likely What else is there to say about the Kane situation that hasn’t been said already. Clearly he is struggling to make his mind up of whether he wants to be moved or not, as there is so much to consider. With the Rangers apparently no longer an option, I am not as confident as I once was that he is moved as it made too much sense for him to end up with the Rangers. There have been teams linked to him (Dallas, Carolina, Vegas, Minnesota) but I just don’t know how they make it work money-wise and they don’t really have the right package of picks and prospects that Kane should be worth. I still believe he is the most likely to be dealt. I think KD needs to really ask himself if he’s really going to trade him, to just trade him if the value just isn’t there.
Jonathan Toews ~ Likely Toews situation is an interesting one as his season has played out. He came out strong, looking the best he has in years, putting up decent offensive numbers and reminding the rest of the league he is still one of the best centers in the dot. Despite clearly still having something to offer to playoff contending teams, non Hawk fans seem to laugh at the idea of their team picking up the captain at the deadline. Sure, if you are looking to insert him as your 1C you’re crazy, but that’s not why you are grabbing him. You bring Toews to your playoff roster, you are plugging him in as 3C, special teams, and when you need a big face-off, win. Bringing in Toews in a smaller role not only is going to be good for your team but also takes a lot of pressure off him and will be extremely good on his body and health.
Jake McCabe ~ Somewhat Likely This was a big topic of discussion this weekend when LeBrun dropped the inside look at what the Hawks asking price was for the defenseman. Again, I just don’t know if this is an anti-Hawks thing, but I don’t get the hate from other fan bases on McCabe. He is by far the best defensive player on this brutally bad team, some how having a +4 +/- rating despite playing most of the time with Seth Jones. Not only is he getting it done on the backend, he is also just 6 points away from tying his career-high of 22 points. What makes him an even more attractive piece is he is still under contract for 2 more years at a reasonable 4 million cap hit. If you make the return sweeter and get him at 2 million, I don’t know why any team wouldn’t take the chance at a top 4 guy with that kind of hit. While KD doesn’t have to trade him, it kind of brings me back to the Gus situation a few years back where Bowman held on just a bit to long and lost a lot of value. If the offer is there, you should probably take it.
Max Domi ~ Somewhat Likely Max came into this season on almost a tryout contract. Joining his 5th team in 8 years, he has been looking for an opportunity to find a more permanent home. While coming to Chicago in this situation probably wasn’t ideal, I would say he has made the best of it. One of the few bright spots on this team's offense as he currently sits in a tie with Kane for the point lead with 35. He seems to really enjoy playing in Chicago and for Coach Richardson and to be honest, if he were to stick around or resign in the off season, I wouldn’t be upset. With a reasonable cap hit of 3 million, he could provide a team who is looking to tighten up their top 9 a lot of options.
Sam Lafferty ~ Very Likely Lafferty has really found his game since joining the Hawks, playing an aggressive style and being just an absolute rat out there. The kid can absolutely fly out on the ice and being so good on the PK, he is a player you hate to play against but you wish you had multiple of him on your team. Not only does he have an attractive contract signed for one more year at 1.15 million, the fact he can be plugged into all 4 lines and be the spark plug needed to get your team going I would be shocked if he isn’t moved at the deadline.
Now those are just a few of the names I think could get moved come March 3rd, but don’t be shocked if you see guys like Blackwell, Dickinson, Tinordi, and Jack Johnson moved as well. All these guys are solid depth players that can provide a nice little insurance for teams to make a deep run at the Cup. Again, in just 17 short days we are going to have a much different looking team and I think you can officially say the rebuild has begun.
Quick Hits ~Prospect Frank Nazar made his debut at Michigan after missing most of the season with a hip injury. While he was held off the score sheet in the first game, he was able to find the back of the net in game two for his first collegiate goal.
Frank Nazar III unassisted goal, his first as a Wolverine! pic.twitter.com/XzVOn9VBjx
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 12, 2023
~Scott Wheeler of The Athletic released his top 50 prospect rankings and the Hawks had 3 players make his list all in the top 25. The last list he released was in July and Hawks players made some big jumps on his list. Kevin Korchinski (12th from 30th), Lukas Reichel (20th from 41st), and Frank Nazar (25th from 26th). Hawks also jumped from the 25th ranked prospect pool to 5th. Nice to see KD plan coming together and hopefully this is just the beginning.
~ An extremely rare Dustin Byfuglien sighting as he was skating in an event for Andrew Ladd’s 1616 Foundation. Don’t know what’s crazier, the way he just quit hockey or that he looks more inspire now than any most of his playing career.
Big Buff back on the ice 👀
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 14, 2023
📸: aladd16/IG pic.twitter.com/dL4KsJSxBr
Next Up Montreal Canadians 22-27-4
Players to Watch Nick Suzuki 17 goals 25 assists 42 points Kirby Dach 12 goals 23 assists 35 points Josh Anderson 15 goals 6 assists 21 points
Projected Starter Sam Montembeault 11-10-1 3.17 GAA .909 SV%
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