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Nothing too terribly big to report.
I did get some clarification yesterday on some of the things I’d heard earlier in the weekend. So why the “developing… narrative?
Because in the situation the Blackhawks are in, it hasn’t been as simple as typing a solution onto a desktop keyboard and voila—it happens.
The Hawks went into the summer with a plan—get Brandon Saad and Marcus Kruger signed, unload the salaries of Patrick Sharp, Bryan Bickell and Kris Versteeg. Position themselves to sign Brent Seabrook to an extension at some point.
And to their credit, they had a contingency plan in place if the Saad negotiations got acrimonious. Which was smart. Rumors started simmering of an offer sheet for Saad, even before the Hawks hoisted the Cup. Those rumors came to a boil in late June, Bowman had discussed his contingency with Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen and he didn’t hesitate to move Saad to the Blue Jackets—a deal that many feel Bowman won.
Dealing Sharp was more complicated. Whether you choose to believe (accept) that Bowman had a better offer (or two) for Sharp at the draft, ultimately he was shipped to Dallas last week for a couple of usable parts in Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt. But not much cap relief.
Kruger remains unsigned. Bowman has spent some money too, on Russian import Viktor Tikhonov, and a big contract extension for Artem Anisimov.
As a result, the picture has clouded up at times. The dollars remain a questionmark. Johnny Oduya—once though gone to a big money offer with another team—reentered the picture.
Suddenly, rumors that Corey Crawford (reported here as far back as February) and lately even Seabrook might be dealt have popped up.
One thing is certain in all this: Bowman is exploring all the options. He probably did wait too long to pull the trigger on Sharp. So be it. Otherwise, he’s had a pretty good—if unexpected—summer.
The source I heard from yesterday had the following to say: if Crawford or Seabrook were to be traded, the likelihood is far greater next summer (albeit before Seabrook hit free agency). But the club really does not want to deal Seabrook in any event—they would like to sign him to a 5 year deal at an AAV of $6-7 million per.
If a deal came along that provided good return and cap relief, Crawford could go sooner.
Numerous reports I’m hearing are that the team knows it will have to sweeten deals for Kris Versteeg or Bryan Bickell with assets, and/or they will have to take lesser salaries back. Because of this willingness, the Hawks are now getting more interest in both.
Andrew Shaw could be one of those sweeteners.
Kruger will likely re-sign soon, but also likely after Bowman does a bit more cap-trimming. Oduya’s status is more unclear after the acquisition of Daley and his contract that pays over $3 million a year.
It’s really all dollars now—the cap this year and the year after. And definitely a few more moves to come.
More as I hear it,
JJ