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KESLER
So the Ryan Kesler Saga went down to the wire, and as I heard from multiple sources, it was the Hawks' unwillingness to include Teuvo Teravainen in the deal that cost them the chance to obtain Kesler.
So let's examine this closely.
I have zero doubt that the Hawks are right to like Teravainen's future. But those who see Teravainen as the Hawks' second line center this fall, and the fact that the team chose not to deal him for Kesler as proof of that, need to check their logic.
The Twin 800 Pound Gorillas in the room are these.
If Teravainen is going to be ready for said duty in October, why wasn't he in April?
The Hawks had a glaring hole at center then. I heard the argument yesterday that Teravainen is/was "ready," but the Hawks didn't want to burn a year toward his unrestricted free agency. So an NHL club that is in contention for a Stanley Cup decides to bury a guy, even though he's "ready" to fill a huge hole on their roster going into the playoffs? The Stanley Cup playoffs?
OK, that's just silly.
And the other question is, if he was/is ready, why then go so hard after Kesler? Again, the denials started floating out. "The Hawks were never after Kesler anyway." OK. Please stop trying to sell me a bridge.
Teravainen might well be a 2nd line center in the NHL someday, and who knows, maybe even April 2015. But the odds and hockey history would indicate otherwise. And he might well be ready for some spot duty at wing, or even some center next year. The Hawks have held onto a promising asset—without question.
But those just assuming Teravainen will fill the hole that was so painfully obvious versus LA, and could be again against the Kings—and now the Ducks as well—next Spring, need to hear the following.
There's is no substitute for experience. And as the Kings proved versus the Hawks, size+skill always beats less size+skill.
Then there's this argument: the Hawks were just a bounce away from getting into the Stanley Cup Finals. Why give up the "farm" to get Kesler (or another legitimate NHL second line center)?
First, that argument ignores the superhuman efforts of a Hawk team that looked physically overmatched versus LA.
Second, the Hawks just subtracted (Michal Handzus) one of only 3 legitimate NHL centers they had on their roster. So a 170 pound rookie who some—some—feel might be better suited to the wing anyway, is going to fill not one center slot, but two of them?
Of course not, and sure, the Hawks will likely find some center help somewhere, hopefully not among the failed auditions already on the roster.
Which leads me to . . .
BOLLIG
The Bollig Era (tongue firmly planted in cheek) ended this morning when the Hawks sent the polarizing 4th line banger to Calgary for a third round pick.
I mean, kudos to GM Stan Bowman for getting a 3rd round pick for Bollig. But maybe this also proves that since Calgary's hockey people have probably forgotten more about hockey than Bollig's critics in the blogosphere will ever know, the guy has some value in the NHL.
Dunno. Ya think?
But why deal Bollig? Sure, everyone wants to see more of Jeremy Morin. So would I. But there is the argument the move saves some cap dollars (though not much) and maybe it's a precursor, among other cap-cutting precursors, to a move for one of the remaining legitimate 2C's out there: Jason Spezza (trade) or Paul Stastny (UFA).
See, I'm going to give Stan Bowman and the Hawk hockey people the benefit of the doubt here. I had it on good authority the team was looking to dump some salary yesterday, including a mega-offer to Florida.
And I also know, pretty much for a fact, the team was hard after Kesler. So they seem to recognize that, in spite of all the hype surrounding Teravainen, they have a need for a legitimate 2nd line center.
Has the $69 million cap figure and the salary demands of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane changed all that? It should't have, The Hawk front office should not have been caught off guard, or that off guard, by either.
So we'll see.
THE DRAFT
The Hawks took the brother of 2012 St. Louis first rounder Jordan Schmaltz, Nick Schmaltz in round 1. Skilled, but small. American. Played with Green Bay in the USHL. Heard this one before? Yes. Does that mean he won't be terrrrrrrrrific? No. Let's check back in 3-4 years.
Otherwise, more Americans and Swedes in the latter rounds. This has been the theme of recent Hawk drafts. The NHL draft is sort of a crap shoot as, unlike other pro sports (except baseball) kids are drafted 3-5 years before they will ever make the pros.
I suspect there will be some more Hawk news to report in fairly short order. Back when there is.
JJ