Today is a blog featuring a few rumors circulating recently with one rumor being not-so-surprising and the others aren't specifically tied to the Blackhawks but are some food for thought during this slow stretch of the offseason before training camp begins next month.
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Dylan Strome
This rumor isn't surprising to many fans as it's somewhat common knowledge that Dylan Strome is on the market to at least see what type of return is out there that may be favorable for the Hawks. There are no specific teams or assets coming back proposed in the article.
However, as many already surmise, Strome's fate could depend on captain Jonathan Toews' fate. If Toews has a clean bill of health as he possibly can with his chronic ailment, then Strome may be expendable. But, if Toews is touch and go, it may be good to retain Strome.
Not counting Toews and Strome, the center depth is Kirby Dach, Tyler Johnson, Henrik Borgstrom, Philipp Kurashev, and Ryan Carpenter. Like some of their teammates, Adam Gaudette and Jujhar Khaira can also play pivot or wing so they are additional choices down the middle.
Thus, there are in-house options if Strome is shipped out and Toews is unfit to play more often than not over a slate of 82 games. It was frustrating to see how Strome failed to take the lead with top 6 center duties last season when Toews and Dach were out for extended periods.
Furthermore, players like Strome and Alex Nylander may lack key traits of the team's identity predicated on high compete level and solid work ethic. Sometimes when skill is blue chip, that skill takes over to help compensate. For both players, though, that skill hasn't taken over.
Then again, Strome was close to a PPG player when first acquired from the Coyotes so can he rekindle that fire?
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Sean Monahan
A top 6 center who has been in the rumor mill since the spring has been Flames pivot Sean Monahan. He presently has a hefty contract with term remaining at $6.375M AAV for this year and next. If the Hawks dealt Strome and had to put Toews on LTIR, is Monahan worth a look?
Of course, the cap calculus would have to be managed in order to take on a contract like Monahan's. Another factor is Andrew Shaw's contract but general manager Stan Bowman hasn't decided yet how he's going to use his $3.9M in cap space for 2021-22 to the team's advantage.
Monahan has regressed considerably the past few years yet he's still only 26 years old. After being more than a PPG player in 2018-19, he's dipped in successive years to about 0.70 PPG then a tad over 0.50 PPG. Prior to then, he was averaging around the low 60 point range.
In his career, though, Monahan has been known to be streaky so is he poised for a rebound? If he can hit his water level again while maintaining his career faceoff percentage around 50%, then he could be valuable as a top 6 center to replace Toews in the short or long term.
The question then becomes what is the asking price in a trade to not only make the cap situation work for the Hawks but also to avoid giving up any more coveted assets for the future like top prospects and high draft picks like those that were given up to acquire Seth Jones.
Then again, isn't $6.375M AAV a lot of cheddar right now for a team that really shouldn't be spending more?
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van Riemsdyk & Konecny
The Flyers recently re-signed one of their top D-men Travis Sanheim to 2 years at $4.674M AAV. His cap hit, though, may be cramping Philadelphia's player personnel budget so they may be forced to make a trade to free up space. As a result, a pair of wingers may be available.
James van Riemsdyk (32 years old) earns $7M AAV for the next 2 years while Travis Konecny (24) earns $5.5M AAV for twice as long. Although older, van Riemsdyk is still productive as a top 6 forward and could be dangerous if paired with an elite playmaker like Patrick Kane.
Konecny has been a revelation for the Flyers and may not have hit his prime yet or is at least in the front end of it so lots of top 6 hockey left in him. As stated in the article, he may be surprisingly on the market due to not meshing well with head coach Alain Vigneault.
Pretend for a second that Strome's $3M is off the books and Bowman finds a trade partner to take Calvin de Haan's $4.55M, then that frees up enough for either van Riemsdyk or Konecny but just for this season. More cap gymnastics need to be performed for their remaining term.
A trade for either van Riemsdyk or Konecny could make sense if Toews is as close to 100% as possible to play most of 2021-22 then form a line together with Patrick Kane or Dominik Kubalik. The irony, however, is Toews on LTIR would make such a trade more palatable price wise.
Then again, are the Hawks in the driver's seat to leverage a trade in their favor given the Flyers are up against the cap?
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Jimmy Hayes
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