Yeah, Chicago just manages their roster better than anyone else out there. Paying Kane & Toews $10.5M isnt so bad when you consider they have both Hossa and Keith locked up long term for about $2M less than they are worth.
- MacPatty

and that $4M is Panarin right there....

It seems rather that they're claiming that Artemi Panarin on his 2-yr ELC is sustaining the 28-13-4 record of the Hawks in the Central Division. Obviously that more than makes up for trading Sharp and Saad last summer.
- Johnny Wrath

Don't underestimate Panarin's impact. Not saying he's the sole reason they're rolling, but adding a 80pt player out of thin air is absolutely helping. Credit to them for landing him, but picking up that kind of talent isn't "typical"......even for the best franchises.

Should still be better than the Flyers.
- jmatchett383

Maybe so but they aren't.

Yeah, Chicago just manages their roster better than anyone else out there. Paying Kane & Toews $10.5M isnt so bad when you consider they have both Hossa and Keith locked up long term for about $2M less than they are worth.
- MacPatty

I'm much more impressed with who the Blackhawks didn't decide to retain. Andrew Ladd, Brouwer. Saad was a surprise. Sharp not so much but he's still good for Dallas. They understand that these players will continue to be good but that it's not what's best for business to keep them. And this was with the added pressure of keeping players who have had championship success with that team!

I think that was Pittsburgh's main misstep. In one summer they decided to keep Fleury, Kunitz, Dupuis, Letang, James Neal, Orpik.. Basically a core that had clearly lost the ability to compete a few seasons before. The shadow of 2009 is still cast forward over the Penguins and it's going to outstretch the usefulness of all of the players from that Cup team.

And won't for a while at their current rate.
- BINGO!

You wouldn't know if they got Malkin for Bonino straight up the way he's bragging. It's trolling at it's finest...and I took the bait. Brandon Sutter is not going to make that big of a difference to any team. At 4.4 mill a year they can have him and of course his stats are going to go up if he's playing on the top two lines, especially with ageing ginger sisters.

I'm much more impressed with who the Blackhawks didn't decide to retain. Andrew Ladd, Brouwer. Saad was a surprise. Sharp not so much but he's still good for Dallas. They understand that these players will continue to be good but that it's not what's best for business to keep them. And this was with the added pressure of keeping players who have had championship success with that team!

I think that was Pittsburgh's main misstep. In one summer they decided to keep Fleury, Kunitz, Dupuis, Letang, James Neal, Orpik.. Basically a core that had clearly lost the ability to compete a few seasons before. The shadow of 2009 is still cast forward over the Penguins and it's going to outstretch the usefulness of all of the players from that Cup team.
- Johnny Wrath

The problem was they were (and are) in win-now mode. Sure, you can dump those players and/or trade them for picks, but that sets you back a few years. There is likely no one who could be had in free agency who can duplicate what those players do (sans Orpik) for less money. To do that, you have to build through the draft, and few teams (Detroit, Chicago) can do that while being a legit contender, which the Penguins were (and are, despite the massive negativity in here).

Don't underestimate Panarin's impact. Not saying he's the sole reason they're rolling, but adding a 80pt player out of thin air is absolutely helping. Credit to them for landing him, but picking up that kind of talent isn't "typical"......even for the best franchises.
- madmike71

Chicago took a chance on an undrafted guy and it paid off. Every other team had the opportunity to get him and did not. Not sure where the "loophole" is.

Chicago took a chance on an undrafted guy and it paid off. Every other team had the opportunity to get him and did not. Not sure where the "loophole" is.
- jmatchett383

Agree. It's not a loophole at all. His bonuses will count against the cap for next season so he'll be a $3+ million dollar player next season.

Chicago took a chance on an undrafted guy and it paid off. Every other team had the opportunity to get him and did not. Not sure where the "loophole" is.
- jmatchett383

pens tried but panarin CHOOSE chicago

Chicago took a chance on an undrafted guy and it paid off. Every other team had the opportunity to get him and did not. Not sure where the "loophole" is.
- jmatchett383

Yep.

Penguins should have just re-signed Sutter and moved along. Neither Bonino or Fehr are anywhere near Sutter in terms of ability.

They finally went and got some depth at forward and then traded away their talented third line center, rendering that forward depth far less useful.
- hardnosed

Holy crap, I never thought I'd see the day when trading Sutter was regretted!

pens tried but panarin CHOOSE chicago
- martox

Them's the breaks. They should have drafted him or tried to talk to him a season before Chicago did.

Blackhawks would be in trouble with Panarin. Hossa is declining. They wouldn't have scoring depth without adding a guy as a UFA whose probably 7 million as a free agent.

Yes its a loophole everyone can exploit, but at the end of the day they got very lucky Panarin liked their franchise the best.

If you subtract Panarin from the hawks and add him to the Penguins I'd have to think the Penguins are then the far superior team.

Holy crap, I never thought I'd see the day when trading Sutter was regretted!
- Topshelf Mountain

It's only regretted because it hasn't turned them into Cup favorites. Had Sutter been kept, they'd probably be in even worse shape and everyone would be female doging about not trading him this past summer.

No time table for Bonino. Gotta imagine Sundqvist gets brought up now. This is a situation where I think it's appropriate to give Sunds a taste of the NHL

Blackhawks would be in trouble with Panarin. Hossa is declining. They wouldn't have scoring depth without adding a guy as a UFA whose probably 7 million as a free agent.

Yes its a loophole everyone can exploit, but at the end of the day they got very lucky Panarin liked their franchise the best.

If you subtract Panarin from the hawks and add him to the Penguins I'd have to think the Penguins are then the far superior team.
- sditulli

Or he'd be worse than Plotnikov because that's the way things go around here and Marco Dano would be an all star.

Chicago took a chance on an undrafted guy and it paid off. Every other team had the opportunity to get him and did not. Not sure where the "loophole" is.
- jmatchett383

I'm not saying there was a loophole. There were multiple teams in on him, but he chose to go to the champs. I'm not giving the Hawks management credit for a star player falling into their lap. I'd say nearly every other team in the league would have taken that low risk. We've seen it here first hand, Panarin is a star. He's contributing big time for them.

It's only regretted because it hasn't turned them into Cup favorites. Had Sutter been kept, they'd probably be in even worse shape and everyone would be female doging about not trading him this past summer.
- jmatchett383

Exactly. I don't mind arguing the Pens should rebuild, but keep it consistent then. Competing and rebuilding are mutually exclusive.

I'm not saying there was a loophole. There were multiple teams in on him, but he chose to go to the champs. I'm not giving the Hawks management credit for a star player falling into their lap. I'd say nearly every other team in the league would have taken that low risk. We've seen it here first hand, Panarin is a star. He's contributing big time for them.
- madmike71

So why didn't the Penguins draft him when he was 18, 19, or 20? Why didn't the sign him as a FA when he was 21, 22, 23, or 24 when no one else had interest?

It's only regretted because it hasn't turned them into Cup favorites. Had Sutter been kept, they'd probably be in even worse shape and everyone would be female doging about not trading him this past summer.
- jmatchett383

No joke! And this is not aimed at the original poster, this Pens team has the potential to make a long run. The system has changed for the better and adapting to it will take a bit. Its a really good team.

So why didn't the Penguins draft him when he was 18, 19, or 20? Why didn't the sign him as a FA when he was 21, 22, 23, or 24 when no one else had interest?
- jmatchett383

Well, first of all, I would never count on Ray Shero drafting any impact players.

Beyond that, Why didn't the Hawks draft him or sign him until this year?

You wouldn't know if they got Malkin for Bonino straight up the way he's bragging. It's trolling at it's finest...and I took the bait. Brandon Sutter is not going to make that big of a difference to any team. At 4.4 mill a year they can have him and of course his stats are going to go up if he's playing on the top two lines, especially with ageing ginger sisters.
- MattStrat

The Sedins are really good at hockey... dunno why you would call them sisters..

Exactly. I don't mind arguing the Pens should rebuild, but keep it consistent then. Competing and rebuilding are mutually exclusive.
- jfkst1

Are they?

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/...olina-hurricanes-1.422833

Are they?

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/...olina-hurricanes-1.422833
- BINGO!

Just out of curiosity, you said you've never been to Carolina, if i remember correctly.. how on earth did ya become a Canes fan?

No time table for Bonino. Gotta imagine Sundqvist gets brought up now. This is a situation where I think it's appropriate to give Sunds a taste of the NHL
- Victoro311

Why? Let's just call up Rust, Sheary or Wilson again.