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Stan Bowman was finally able to find a taker for Marian Hossa's contract. This blog is dedicated to the trade itself and what's next for the Hawks. I will have a follow up later on in the summer about the impact Hossa had on this franchise though.

We've all seen the deal by now, but let's look again quickly:

Arizona Coyotes acquire: Marian Hossa, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle, 3rd round pick in 2019

Chicago Blackhawks acquire: Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwhistle, Jordan Maletta, Andrew Campbell, 5th round pick in 2019.


Essentially it took Hinostroza to make this deal happen. Does it hurt to lose a top 9, versatile player at an efficient cap hit for the next 2-years? Yes.

However, the cap space for this season and beyond is going to be extremely valuable.

I always loved Kruger but I'm afraid what he has left. To me, I think he's a fine 4th line centre and hopefully his injuries (wrist and sports hernia) will be in the past come October.

Overall, I'm good with the deal. I will be even better with this deal when I see what the master plan is from Stan and the Blackhawks.

Lots of chatter out there from some pros:

* Jay Zawaski says the Hawks have checked in on Skinner, as well as possibly adding a defenceman from free agency to help the top 4. He mentioned Toby Enstrom, Luca Sbisa and Dan Hamhuis.

My take on that is that the Hawks will need more of an upgrade on D to help out. I don't think those names are enough to elevate this team. They would fit the short-term, low-cost that Stan likes though.

* John Jaeckel says that the Hawks are making a strong play for Pacioretty.

I'm not the biggest Pacioretty fan and Marc Bergevin really needs a win if he's trading his captain, so I worry about an overpayment for a guy for only 1-year. I don't see the Hawks giving the former Habs' leader a 7x7 type of an extension so I would be wary of a deal like this.

* Scott Powers has some great stuff in his 10 thoughts post-Hossa trade, one being that the asking price for a Skinner and Faulk package would be Nick Schmaltz and a 1st pick.

Eeeek. Moving Schmaltz and a 1st rounder (which could be a high pick if things go sideways) for 1-year of Skinner and 2-years of Faulk would be a mistake in my opinion.


So, what's my take on what the Hawks should do moving forward?

Well, now that the Hawks have between 5-6M in cap space, I commented on the message boards that I heard the Hawks were willing to help out (see: help themselves) in a deal with someone like Tampa Bay.

The Lightning are looking to acquire Erik Karlsson but don't have the cap space. They have been rumoured to be looking to move Ryan Callahan.

If it were me, I would be looking to take on 1-year of Anton Stralman, as well as a nice prospect like Anthony Cirelli or Mitchell Stephens in exchange for lower picks/prospects from the Hawks system.

Stralman would fit perfectly beside Keith and the Hawks benefit long-term with a Cirelli/Mitchell type.

Obviously, someone like Callahan, Johnson, Palat, Killorn – the players on longer deals – would be the more ideal candidates for Stevie Y, but if it gets down to a race for EK and they have to shed salary quickly, I would want an offer like that from Stan to be on the table.

I was also one of the first to mention the possibility of a Rick Nash signing (if he decides to come back). To be honest, I would be open to Nash being reunited with his former Team Canada teammates Toews, Keith, Seabrook and Crawford. It would likely be a 1-year deal for around 4-5M per.

Those are just a couple options; however, I do waver on which direction I would go if I were Stan.

I do believe he's made a plan and maybe already has a deal in place and this Hossa move is just the first domino.

My thinking is, and I've commented on this recently, that the Hawks are in no-man's land a bit. They're stuck with big contracts on a fading core (that could bounce back this year) and a baby core that needs to take that next step to help carry this team.

So, you don't want to mortgage the future by trading Schmaltz, Debrincat, Sikura, etc. but what other assets do they have to acquire to a top 6 forward or top 4 D.

I don't envy Stan at all, I just hope he doesn't make a knee-jerk move to try to improve just because the teams around him are beefing up.

For now, great move to get cap space freed up. *high five, Stan*

Now, let's use that space properly and put a competitive team together for Fall. Can't wait to see the final product.

I will check back in on the boards if I hear of anything in the rumour mill.

See ya out there!

JL

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