Looking back at some past drafts for the Hawks....still waiting on Pavel Vorobiev. Stan should sign him, he is only 36 now. Man that 2000 draft class was something else for the Hawks. 15 picks including the 10th and 11th overall and Vorobiev had the most NHL games of all of them with 57.

Mikhail Yakubov
Pavel Vorobiev
Jonas Nordquist
Igor Radulov

What a group!
- breadbag

What a turrible draft that year was. Holy cow, looked through all 9 rounds, and could only find about 10 names I even recognize as playing.

Henrik Lunquist in the 7th but not many guys. Of course the Hawks probably traded a lot away to get 15 picks in probably the worse draft in 30 years...............Mike Smith

You missed Reto Van Arx

What a turrible draft that year was. Holy cow, looked through all 9 rounds, and could only find about 10 names I even recognize as playing.

Henrik Lunquist in the 7th but not many guys. Of course the Hawks probably traded a lot away to get 15 picks in probably the worse draft in 30 years...............Mike Smith

You missed Reto Van Arx
- vabeachbear

The Swiss miss.

I actually hope he waits a couple more years. Their yearly penalty would be much higher if he retires with 2 or 3 years left.
- tvetter

Not gonna happen.

Pronger escaped with the league’s complicity, and the rest will follow. No team will ever pay a significant recapture penalty.

1-year / 2.5M for Ward (as per @Chris Johnston)... just as I predicted. I'm not right often... but I'll be sure to point it out when I am. Ha.

1-year / 2.5M for Ward (as per @Chris Johnston)... just as I predicted. I'm not right often... but I'll be sure to point it out when I am. Ha.
- Justin Lowe

That’s a lot of money on goaltending.

1-year / 2.5M for Ward (as per @Chris Johnston)... just as I predicted. I'm not right often... but I'll be sure to point it out when I am. Ha.
- Justin Lowe

Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of Stan flushing $2.5 down the toilet.

Tick-tock

Not gonna happen.

Pronger escaped with the league’s complicity, and the rest will follow. No team will ever pay a significant recapture penalty.
- Ogilthorpe2

The difference is that Weber got traded away from the team that signed him BEFORE he was on LTIR. I think you're right, but out of all the players who signed these "illegal" contracts, Weber is the only one that I can see sticking it to his old team.

That’s a lot of money on goaltending.
- DarthKane

Price still makes more than both combined. Ha

Not gonna happen.

Pronger escaped with the league’s complicity, and the rest will follow. No team will ever pay a significant recapture penalty.
- Ogilthorpe2

In your opinion is that because of how easy it is to play the injury card or more so a case of the old boys network that the NHL is or something else Olgie.I always thought that because Weber was traded and for that matter any player in the same circumstance it made the recapture penalty more likely.

Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of Stan flushing $2.5 down the toilet.

Tick-tock
- Ogilthorpe2

Continued disgraceful decisions by this organization. Seriously 2.5 M ??? That's ridiculous.

I can't wait to hear the Bowman Babble on how lucky they are to get a Stanley Cup winning goalie. Wow.

lol you all need to step away from the ledge...let things play out.

Sign up for Hockey TV and watch 100 kids tryout for this yrs USA Ivan Hlinka team. The first look at kids who will be drafted next June........ Plenty to keep a hockey fan engaged.
- Mr Ricochet

the US and Canada always send your squads, to let them get their feet wet, it is lots of fun the Hlinka..

lol you all need to step away from the ledge...let things play out.
- SoftServe

No...the sky is falling!!!

No...the sky is falling!!!
- DarthKane

DK you're honestly my fav.

lol you all need to step away from the ledge...let things play out.
- SoftServe

Agreed.

Price still makes more than both combined. Ha
- Justin Lowe

Cam Ward was also better than Price last season.

DK you're honestly my fav.
- SoftServe

Awww.....shucks, I’m blushing.

I don’t mind the Ward signing (if true), the deal is a bit rich but not the end of the world. Let’s wait to see how the summer pans out before judging.

In your opinion is that because of how easy it is to play the injury card or more so a case of the old boys network that the NHL is or something else Olgie.I always thought that because Weber was traded and for that matter any player in the same circumstance it made the recapture penalty more likely.
- eagle50

I think they added the recapture penalties to the structure of the CBA to give the appearance of punishing teams who circumvented the cap. I also think they know that imposing punishment after the fact for contracts that the league approved (begrudgingly) at the time they were signed is bs. So as long as teams płay the game, and make sure there is a “legit” reason the player cannot finish out his contract the league will just let it go away quietly.

Cam Ward was also better than Price last season.
- breadbag

Forsberg was better than Ward

Frankly this free agent class stinks.
- BetweenTheDots

except for the guy on top, I agree.
If JvR wanted around the money he makes now, he would stay in Toronto.

I don't see them stressing on his departure.

He is goon a break the bank somewhere and still be a guy who is four notches being the little kid who went in the draft before him, Kane.

I just don't see them paying for him, and don't see him fitting with either toews or Kane.

If they had a way to trade AA and stuff for the Habs captain, I would get excited.

lol you all need to step away from the ledge...let things play out.
- SoftServe

Agreed.

I'm not getting too worked up about a 1-year / 2.5M Ward deal because A) I want to see what the other goalies sign for B) need to see what Stan's master plan is; I say after this they still bring in a top 4 D (maybe another veteran D as well), a centre and maybe a Wingels. C) the Hawks finally have a little cap space to play with. D) Maybe most importantly, to see how the Corey Crawford saga continues because the Hawks may need Ward and Forsberg full-time this year (which will be disastrous but better than Forsberg/Delia).

Cam Ward was also better than Price last season.
- breadbag

Touche. Ha.

Forsberg was better than Ward
- Ogilthorpe2

Also true. Ha.

My comment wasn't about Anisimov in a vacuum - it was in context of people wanting Lucic for potential net front presence when Anisimov already does this at a lower cap hit / with less term / and not NMC starting 7/1. If there is already competition on the wings preventing AA from being moved there, then there is no place for Lucic there either. That was my only point.
- L_B_R

Bingo!

Exactly!

I see the stuff about AA on face-off but he is the heavy out there in front, and he is reasonably priced there until we find an in house replacement,

After Ward, Hawks have $6,725,705 plus Hossa LTIR $5,275,000

About $12MM

Get affordable depth help at center. (Brodziak, Winnik), sign two true bottom pair NHL ready shut down D guys (Moore, Sustr) letting the Hogs figure it out for a year - in Rockford, try to get Roussel to give 8/88 some muscle on their line, use what is left to find a RW with balls to play with 20/19.