I like the lineup, makes me wonder why we didn't draft Wahlstrom instead
of Boquist since for the first time everyone here is in agreement of the need
for a top six forward.
- gazza53

A top 4 D as well. Sure Walstrom can probably help you right away with his goal scoring while Boquist is maybe 2 years away. Let's just say assuming equal I would take a D man over a forward (although if a center might be a little different). Today's D man can flat out control the game better than a forward can ala Keith 5 years ago, Doughty and Hedman currently. Also it is harder to get an elite D compared to getting an elite F.

He's "home" - he's not coming back

(reposting from a previous thread from another contributor)

But AA + Beaudin (late 2018 1st) for Patches and a pick/B level prospect seems reasonable.

Flip Patches at the deadline for a better pick/prospect and you've essentially dumped AA's contract for free
- Slofire94

And then they have all the monies to sign the Bradman 😁😁😁!! Maybe not the right direction, but I like your thinking about possibly flipping patches.

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/scott-darling-q-and-a-interview/c-299597278

Does anyone here know if diet was an issue for Darling before? Seems like he's had to renew some focus on that.
- BINGO!

Jacques freaking Plante didn’t eat healthy. Neither did George freaking Vezina or Glenn freaking Hall!

Pizza, beer and cigarettes, the diet of champions.

Nice exploration, Justin.

Now let me throw some cold water on all this.

Crawford is 33-34 this year, and hasn't played or apparently trained meaningfully since December. Whatever the condition is, and especially if it is/was a concussion, there's probably a high likelihood of recurrence IF he plays again regularly.

Start there. So 34 year old Cam Ward who is the guy that made the'Canes go out and sign Scott Darling is arguably your best goaltender.

The defense, after a 35 year old Keith and a supposedly renewed Seabrook, is ehhhh, not very good. Although I suspect Boqvist may be playing in Chicago and contributing in 19-20. Maybe Jokiharju too. But Jokiharju especially probably has a ways to go as a defender in the pros.

Hawks are also very suspect down the middle right now—although IF Schmaltz improves this year in a couple of key areas of center play, that would help. Big IF, because those specific improvements were supposed to have happened last summer and really didn't.

I just think a lot of (unrealistic at this point) hope is being pinned on a "not too painful" transition from the core of the last several years to a new generation.

I would suggest the team needs at least a couple more players at a similar stage of their career and development as where Saad is: good, proven young talent without "holes" in their games to make that transition.

Keith, Seabrook, Toews, whatever is left of Crawford are all getting old fast.

And a lot is being assumed about prospects and draft picks. Reminds me some of the early 2000s when everyone thought Steve McCarthy, Yakubov, Vorobiev, Babchuk, et al were part of a bright future. And they weren't.



On a positive note, I don't think the Hawks included Hinostroza in the deal to AZ just to sit on the cap room the deal created. On a negative note, I heard yesterday, the front office is all tied up in knots trying to agree on what is fair return in an acquisition of a top 6 LW, and other teams are getting frustrated with it.

Personally, in spite of "we like our team," I give the Hawks enough credit to think they really don't. But they are having a hard time doing anything about it right now.
- John Jaeckel

JJ, you couldn’t be more spot on. One thing I give you credit for is no sugarcoating. Enjoyed your work here immensely.

He's "home" - he's not coming back

(reposting from a previous thread from another contributor)

But AA + Beaudin (late 2018 1st) for Patches and a pick/B level prospect seems reasonable.

Flip Patches at the deadline for a better pick/prospect and you've essentially dumped AA's contract for free
- Slofire94

Danault doesn’t have much say, he doesn’t have a NTC. If Montreal wants to make the deal they will. That being said, I don’t see Montreal making that deal.

AA, Beaudin, Forsling for Drouin. Stan then flips Drouin to Carolina for Teravainen.

Danault doesn’t have much say, he doesn’t have a NTC. If Montreal wants to make the deal they will. That being said, I don’t see Montreal making that deal.

AA, Beaudin, Forsling for Drouin. Stan then flips Drouin to Carolina for Teravainen.
- DarthKane

(Red font)

(Red font)
- EnzoD

Maybe, just a little.

Gallagher would be a nice pickup for sure.

Maybe, just a little.

Gallagher would be a nice pickup for sure.
- DarthKane

Might as well send Debrincat and Schmaltz for Weber and Price lol

Might as well send Debrincat and Schmaltz for Weber and Price lol
- EnzoD

50% retained

50% retained
- tvetter

You mean 50% of DeBrincat and Schmaltz, right? Just want to be clear.

I think JJ’s been away from HB for too long...his timing seems to be a bit off. By my calculations his yearly regurgitation of his dysfunctional front office narrative (known in some circles as the “McD the Meddler” diatribe) wasn’t due for another couple of weeks. Usually doesn’t tap into that tired topic until the first week or two in August. July was usually more about working out and puke buckets.
- Ogilthorpe2

That made me laugh out loud. The random personal training advice. I always found myself scratching my head as to how the conversation got to deadlifts and protein shakes.

You mean 50% of DeBrincat and Schmaltz, right? Just want to be clear.
- DarthKane

Of course

Question to whomever might have more info on this subject than I would, any colleage free agents worth pursuing?
- Scott1977

In late spring the Hockey News had a list of its top 5 NCAA players and top 5 European league professionals who were not drafted but may be attractive to as free agents (only going to list the description of those who are not signed by any NHL team):

Top 5 NCAA

(1) Daniel Brickley, D, Minnesota State
Signed by the Kings.

(2) Jimmy Schudt, D, St. Cloud State
Not flashy, brings high character to any team; steady, consistent, and makes a great first pass; plays physical and is strong on his skates. Already committed to play his senior year so no longer available for this season.

(3) Max Veronneau, RW, Princeton
Tremendous hands and vision; protects the puck well; questionable defensive play, cheating on assignments and soft away from the puck. Not signed and likely returning for senior year.

(4) Andrew Sturtz, RW, Penn State.
Signed by the Senators.

(5) Robby Jackson, LW, St. Cloud State
Speedy, sturdy, and takes the puck to the net; questionable about whether he is strong enough to win board battles. Not signed and likely returning for senior year.

I would have considered Schudt but he's already committed to finish out his college career at St. Cloud State. Although I would personally pass on Veronneau and Jackson, I could see Bowman being attracted them.

Top 5 European

(1) Bogdan Kiselevich, D, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Signed by the Panthers.

(2) Igor Ozhiganov, D, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Signed by the Leafs.

(3) Ville Meskanen, RW, Ilves (Finland)
Signed by the Rangers.

(4) Pavel Francouz, G, Traktor (KHL)
Signed by the Avs.

(5) Ilya Lyubushkin, D, Yaroslavl (KHL)
Signed by the Coyotes

Question to whomever might have more info on this subject than I would, any colleage free agents worth pursuing?
- Scott1977

Forgot to add that there doesn't seem to be any coveted NHL draftee who is soon to be a free agent on August 15 like Butcher last year and Vesey two summers ago. Maybe there is one but just not a lot of ballyhoo surrounding that potential free agent.

For those interested, here's a link to the convention's printed program (PDF file):

https://nhl.bamcontent.co...7600/binary-file/file.pdf

My thoughts:

I think Bowman is planning on giving the kids the opportunity to fill the 2 holes the Hawks have 2nd line left wing & #4 defenseman - and if one of the kids don't fill that role(s) I fully expect Bowman will then pursue trades, er perhaps sign Rick Nash or even guys like Scott Hartnell, Shane Prince or Willie Upshall. Or if Bowman could somehow get Monreal to take Anisimov + for Patches that would be extremely ideal considering patches is on an expiring contract, which would give the Hawks more cap space to extend Schmaltz, DeBrincat and sign Panarin (and I'm confident that Panarin is Bowmans #1 UFA target next summer and I expect he will be a Blackhawk again on July 1st, 2019.... However the key to all of this is moving Anisimov+ for Patches or Skinner, and so what if Bowman needs to toss in a Forsling or Hayden or maybe even a pick or 2 to get it done - it would be worth it, now and next summer when the Hawks have 4.5 million more in cap space.. As it stands now the Hawks will have roughly 22 million in cap space next summer, which is enough to get Schmaltz extended and sign Panarin (in 2019-20 Crawfords contract expires) so extending DeBrincat won't be difficult either, and by the time these young defenseman are ready for their bridge deals Seabrook and other contracts will have expired so they will be extended rather easily..

As far as this season, it's really up in the air - I think this team has the ability if the vets have bounce back years and the kids developed further from last year (of course they did) - and don't be shocked if a few of these kids really turn heads, because at that age kids can improve drastically over the course of a summer - so I do expect surprises, I do expect a couple of the Baby Hawks to impress and be what the Hawks need them to be.... So this season could really go either way, if the Hawks miss the playoffs then so what? at least they didn't give up pieces of their future for a one-season band aid at 2nd line LW, which is why signing Nash is the ideal thing to do if one of the younger kids cant fill that hole....

As for the future.....

This was in response to an article about Ian Mitchell, however I really elaborated on what I think about the Hawks in the system and how good this team could be in 2-3 years (which is serious contender good).

I really like Mitchell, and indeed the Hawks have a plethora of top 4 defenseman, and with the proper development they will be just that. The Hawks do a fantastic job developing young players, they give them all the time they need to develop their game at their pace, so without question I have confidence Mitchell will be a good one, because he has star potential – he just needs the time to become that star.. I mean taking earning a top pairing spot in Denver as a freshman speaks volumes about him already.. Obviously college hockey is a different animal than the NHL or even AHL, but at the same time it’s a superior league to the CHL, so Mitchell will have the opportunity to play with and against grown men that are already NHL ready (or close)… I mean that’s the upside of the college route, 18-19-year-olds have the opportunity to play against guy that are a lot older and stronger than they are, so they’re challenged, in the CHL they’re really not – by the time they’re drafted they’re already one of the oldest most developed players in the league, and IMO that last year costs NHL drafted CHL players a year of development, I mean I suppose it’s good for their ego’s dominating, however they’re not really being challenged until they make the jump to the AHL or in rare cases (like DeBrincat) the NHL. So I really think college is the right rout for Mitchell’s development…..And there is zero question in my mind he will develop into a top pairing defenseman, however as was pointed out in the article – the Hawks have a plethora of young defenseman with top 4 potential with Boqvist, Beaudin and Jokiharju in the Hawks system. And it doesn’t even end there – as was also pointed out the Hawks have Blake Hillman, Chad Krys and Lucas Carlsson in the wings too, now toss in Gustafsson, Forsling and 3-4 others that have legitimate #5-6 potential and the fact the Hawks will still have veterans in Keith, Seabrook and Murphy when these kid are ready to step into the NHL in the next 2-3 years MAX the Hawks are going to have quite the log-jam and predicament on their hands….Of course it’s a problem any team would love to have but there are only 6-7 roster spots for defenseman on the NHL roster, and there is a good chance that 6-7 of these guys will develop into top 4 defenseman.

So that leads me to what Bowman has in mind for Keith and Seabrook, I mean keeping Keith around (and Seabrook for that matter) would be excellent mentors for these young defenseman, however they will be taking up roster spots…. In an ideal situation Seabrook would retire in 2 years when he’s 35 and join the Hawks coaching staff where he will still have the ability to mentor these young defenseman but that’s not going to happen when there is still 20 million dollars on the table if Seabrook plays out his contract….Then again (and I’m not hoping this) but maybe his back gives out and he goes on LTIR…… Either way, with Sebrooks eventual decline he just wont be able to justify a roster spot – and you don’t want to scratch the guy – especially with a 6.875 cap it….

I mean ideally the Hawks defense should look like this 2-3 years from now (if Keith can continue to demonstrate he’s sill a top 4):

Keith-Boqvist
Mitchell-Jokiharju
Hillman-Beaudin (which is crazy, because like Jokiharju he has top pairing potential).
Gustafsson-Murphy
Forsling-Seabrook (assuming Sebarook remains with the Hawks)
Krys-Roope Laavainen
Carlsson-Gilbert

And that merely scratches the surface of the talent the Hawks have on the blue line, the aforementioned kids ALL have legitimate First, Second or Third paring potential, and several will pan out to be legitimate top 2 pairing first unit defeneman…. So imagine a situation where the Hawks top 4 are really top 2 (essentially running 2 top 2 parings)… It’s exciting none the less and I look forward to watching these kids develope…

And another positive aspect of having this much potential is that the Hawks aren’t going to have to put too much responsibility on one or 2 guys like we saw last season with Keith being worked to death, so responsibility can be evenly distributed which is real nice ability to have from a coaching perspective..

I honestly believe the Hawks will have hands-down the best defense in the league in 2-3 seasons… And I hope at least a couple of them can develop into Hjalmarsson type shutdown defenseman, the Hawks certainly have a few Swedes in the system and we all know what style of defense they play..

So yea, in a couple of years the Hawks NHL defense will be elite at both the NHL and AHL level..

Also, the Hawks have a ton of right shooting defenseman which is an absolute commodity in the NHL…

Of course we have our forwards too, which Bowman did a fantastic job drafting (or should I say stealing, lol) ..I mean in this past draft alone the Hawks got Nordgren (who will be a DeBrincat type player), Jake Wise (who will be an elite version of Dave Bolland, but a better comparison would be Nick Schmaltz), not only those guys but a plethora of other young talent like MacKenzie Entwistle who has very good potential to be a beast given his bulldozer frame at 6’4 200 lbs, he has an excellent shot and loves to park himself in front of the net and bang home the junk, he can also score from anywhere in the offensive zone however he’s more of a power-forward…. Then the Hawks have guys like Artur Kayumov who can play all three forward positions effectively, he’s a hardworking two-way winger that can play a shutdown defense, he tries to model his game after Johnathan Toews…. Of course the Hawks have guys like Radovan Bondra and Andrel Altybarmakyan who have lots of potential bur a long-shot but will still be given an opportunity over the next couple of years to come to North America….

I mean the future of this team is stunning with the amount of talent the Hawks have, and given how they develop players – a lot of these guys will make the NHL at some point …

Of course last but not least the Hawks own the rights to Maxim Shalunov indefinitely (as do the Hawks will all their Russian picks), and Shalunov is already a KHL star and Gargarian Cup Champion, so if he ever wanted to make the jump to the NHL (and he says he does) he will either be a Blackhawk, or if the Hawks don’t have a roster spot for him the Hawks hold his rights so I would assume the Hawks could get a pretty decent asset for an established NHL star..

So the Hawks future is looking mighty good and I think this team is going to be a beast in a few years, certainly Stanley Cup favorites..

The only area the Hawks are "weak"in is goaltending, the Hawks are really going to search for their next starter, Crow only has one year left on his contract, hopefully he will come back this October and be his old self (the game thief we know and love) and hopefully Crow has a few more seasons of elite hockey ahead of him, but as most Hawks fans, I have my concerns about his health and if he’s capable of picking up where he left off considering the guy hasn’t done much of anything over the last 9 months and it’s going to take time for him to get back into doing what he does best …. But who knows, maybe Crawford starts the season on LTIR, Ward becomes #1 proves he cant handle it, the Hawks give Delia an opportunity to start and he steals the show and proves he’s an elite goaltender that just never got the opportunity…….

At any rate, these next few years for the Hawks are going to be extremely exciting and I’m looking forward to watching these kids develop into star players – especially our defense.

If you made it to this point in my post, thank you for finding my insight interesting enough to read a pseudo-thesis on my opinions on all aspects of the "Baby Hawks"……

-HawksFan2828

Forgot to add that there doesn't seem to be any coveted NHL draftee who is soon to be a free agent on August 15 like Butcher last year and Vesey two summers ago. Maybe there is one but just not a lot of ballyhoo surrounding that potential free agent.
- AEL_Fox

Thanks for the info!!

Forgot to add that there doesn't seem to be any coveted NHL draftee who is soon to be a free agent on August 15 like Butcher last year and Vesey two summers ago. Maybe there is one but just not a lot of ballyhoo surrounding that potential free agent.
- AEL_Fox

Not a draftee but what about that Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris?

My thoughts:

I think Bowman is planning on giving the kids the opportunity to fill the 2 holes the Hawks have 2nd line left wing & #4 defenseman - and if one of the kids don't fill that role(s) I fully expect Bowman will then pursue trades, er perhaps sign Rick Nash or even guys like Scott Hartnell, Shane Prince or Willie Upshall. Or if Bowman could somehow get Monreal to take Anisimov + for Patches that would be extremely ideal considering patches is on an expiring contract, which would give the Hawks more cap space to extend Schmaltz, DeBrincat and sign Panarin (and I'm confident that Panarin is Bowmans #1 UFA target next summer and I expect he will be a Blackhawk again on July 1st, 2019.... However the key to all of this is moving Anisimov+ for Patches or Skinner, and so what if Bowman needs to toss in a Forsling or Hayden or maybe even a pick or 2 to get it done - it would be worth it, now and next summer when the Hawks have 4.5 million more in cap space.. As it stands now the Hawks will have roughly 22 million in cap space next summer, which is enough to get Schmaltz extended and sign Panarin (in 2019-20 Crawfords contract expires) so extending DeBrincat won't be difficult either, and by the time these young defenseman are ready for their bridge deals Seabrook and other contracts will have expired so they will be extended rather easily..

As far as this season, it's really up in the air - I think this team has the ability if the vets have bounce back years and the kids developed further from last year (of course they did) - and don't be shocked if a few of these kids really turn heads, because at that age kids can improve drastically over the course of a summer - so I do expect surprises, I do expect a couple of the Baby Hawks to impress and be what the Hawks need them to be.... So this season could really go either way, if the Hawks miss the playoffs then so what? at least they didn't give up pieces of their future for a one-season band aid at 2nd line LW, which is why signing Nash is the ideal thing to do if one of the younger kids cant fill that hole....

As for the future.....

This was in response to an article about Ian Mitchell, however I really elaborated on what I think about the Hawks in the system and how good this team could be in 2-3 years (which is serious contender good).

I really like Mitchell, and indeed the Hawks have a plethora of top 4 defenseman, and with the proper development they will be just that. The Hawks do a fantastic job developing young players, they give them all the time they need to develop their game at their pace, so without question I have confidence Mitchell will be a good one, because he has star potential – he just needs the time to become that star.. I mean taking earning a top pairing spot in Denver as a freshman speaks volumes about him already.. Obviously college hockey is a different animal than the NHL or even AHL, but at the same time it’s a superior league to the CHL, so Mitchell will have the opportunity to play with and against grown men that are already NHL ready (or close)… I mean that’s the upside of the college route, 18-19-year-olds have the opportunity to play against guy that are a lot older and stronger than they are, so they’re challenged, in the CHL they’re really not – by the time they’re drafted they’re already one of the oldest most developed players in the league, and IMO that last year costs NHL drafted CHL players a year of development, I mean I suppose it’s good for their ego’s dominating, however they’re not really being challenged until they make the jump to the AHL or in rare cases (like DeBrincat) the NHL. So I really think college is the right rout for Mitchell’s development…..And there is zero question in my mind he will develop into a top pairing defenseman, however as was pointed out in the article – the Hawks have a plethora of young defenseman with top 4 potential with Boqvist, Beaudin and Jokiharju in the Hawks system. And it doesn’t even end there – as was also pointed out the Hawks have Blake Hillman, Chad Krys and Lucas Carlsson in the wings too, now toss in Gustafsson, Forsling and 3-4 others that have legitimate #5-6 potential and the fact the Hawks will still have veterans in Keith, Seabrook and Murphy when these kid are ready to step into the NHL in the next 2-3 years MAX the Hawks are going to have quite the log-jam and predicament on their hands….Of course it’s a problem any team would love to have but there are only 6-7 roster spots for defenseman on the NHL roster, and there is a good chance that 6-7 of these guys will develop into top 4 defenseman.

So that leads me to what Bowman has in mind for Keith and Seabrook, I mean keeping Keith around (and Seabrook for that matter) would be excellent mentors for these young defenseman, however they will be taking up roster spots…. In an ideal situation Seabrook would retire in 2 years when he’s 35 and join the Hawks coaching staff where he will still have the ability to mentor these young defenseman but that’s not going to happen when there is still 20 million dollars on the table if Seabrook plays out his contract….Then again (and I’m not hoping this) but maybe his back gives out and he goes on LTIR…… Either way, with Sebrooks eventual decline he just wont be able to justify a roster spot – and you don’t want to scratch the guy – especially with a 6.875 cap it….

I mean ideally the Hawks defense should look like this 2-3 years from now (if Keith can continue to demonstrate he’s sill a top 4):

Keith-Boqvist
Mitchell-Jokiharju
Hillman-Beaudin (which is crazy, because like Jokiharju he has top pairing potential).
Gustafsson-Murphy
Forsling-Seabrook (assuming Sebarook remains with the Hawks)
Krys-Roope Laavainen
Carlsson-Gilbert

And that merely scratches the surface of the talent the Hawks have on the blue line, the aforementioned kids ALL have legitimate First, Second or Third paring potential, and several will pan out to be legitimate top 2 pairing first unit defeneman…. So imagine a situation where the Hawks top 4 are really top 2 (essentially running 2 top 2 parings)… It’s exciting none the less and I look forward to watching these kids develope…

And another positive aspect of having this much potential is that the Hawks aren’t going to have to put too much responsibility on one or 2 guys like we saw last season with Keith being worked to death, so responsibility can be evenly distributed which is real nice ability to have from a coaching perspective..

I honestly believe the Hawks will have hands-down the best defense in the league in 2-3 seasons… And I hope at least a couple of them can develop into Hjalmarsson type shutdown defenseman, the Hawks certainly have a few Swedes in the system and we all know what style of defense they play..

So yea, in a couple of years the Hawks NHL defense will be elite at both the NHL and AHL level..

Also, the Hawks have a ton of right shooting defenseman which is an absolute commodity in the NHL…

Of course we have our forwards too, which Bowman did a fantastic job drafting (or should I say stealing, lol) ..I mean in this past draft alone the Hawks got Nordgren (who will be a DeBrincat type player), Jake Wise (who will be an elite version of Dave Bolland, but a better comparison would be Nick Schmaltz), not only those guys but a plethora of other young talent like MacKenzie Entwistle who has very good potential to be a beast given his bulldozer frame at 6’4 200 lbs, he has an excellent shot and loves to park himself in front of the net and bang home the junk, he can also score from anywhere in the offensive zone however he’s more of a power-forward…. Then the Hawks have guys like Artur Kayumov who can play all three forward positions effectively, he’s a hardworking two-way winger that can play a shutdown defense, he tries to model his game after Johnathan Toews…. Of course the Hawks have guys like Radovan Bondra and Andrel Altybarmakyan who have lots of potential bur a long-shot but will still be given an opportunity over the next couple of years to come to North America….

I mean the future of this team is stunning with the amount of talent the Hawks have, and given how they develop players – a lot of these guys will make the NHL at some point …

Of course last but not least the Hawks own the rights to Maxim Shalunov indefinitely (as do the Hawks will all their Russian picks), and Shalunov is already a KHL star and Gargarian Cup Champion, so if he ever wanted to make the jump to the NHL (and he says he does) he will either be a Blackhawk, or if the Hawks don’t have a roster spot for him the Hawks hold his rights so I would assume the Hawks could get a pretty decent asset for an established NHL star..

So the Hawks future is looking mighty good and I think this team is going to be a beast in a few years, certainly Stanley Cup favorites..

The only area the Hawks are "weak"in is goaltending, the Hawks are really going to search for their next starter, Crow only has one year left on his contract, hopefully he will come back this October and be his old self (the game thief we know and love) and hopefully Crow has a few more seasons of elite hockey ahead of him, but as most Hawks fans, I have my concerns about his health and if he’s capable of picking up where he left off considering the guy hasn’t done much of anything over the last 9 months and it’s going to take time for him to get back into doing what he does best …. But who knows, maybe Crawford starts the season on LTIR, Ward becomes #1 proves he cant handle it, the Hawks give Delia an opportunity to start and he steals the show and proves he’s an elite goaltender that just never got the opportunity…….

At any rate, these next few years for the Hawks are going to be extremely exciting and I’m looking forward to watching these kids develop into star players – especially our defense.

If you made it to this point in my post, thank you for finding my insight interesting enough to read a pseudo-thesis on my opinions on all aspects of the "Baby Hawks"……

-HawksFan2828
- Savard2Secord

Wow. That's quite a mouthful.

I like your optimism, although I don't think I am QUITE this bullish on our young prospects.

That said, over the last 2 years we have grown our prospect group immensely, especially with the defensemen. In two years, we SHOULD be in a great position to move on from the Keith-Seabrook era and hand over the reins to Boqvist and Jokijarvu.

THAT is why I am clinging to the hope Stan deals NONE of those young "Blue Chippers" for some Skinner, or Patches deal that will:
(A) NOT get us over the hump now...
and....
(B) set us back in our re-build

I could see the Hawks making the playoffs again but its also possible they just fall short again. Hawks def need Saad to bounceback. Crawford's health is rarely in question so its safe to say he should be fine. Seabrook needs to have a better season. He started off good but his stats dipped significantly through the 2nd half of the season. The thing I notice with people is they put too much stock into player names. Its a team game, yes getting a prized new player is great and improves the team but the difference is hardly huge. Edmonton is a good example. They got one of the best players in the league and still miss the playoffs

I could see the Hawks making the playoffs again but its also possible they just fall short again. Hawks def need Saad to bounceback. Crawford's health is rarely in question so its safe to say he should be fine. Seabrook needs to have a better season. He started off good but his stats dipped significantly through the 2nd half of the season. The thing I notice with people is they put too much stock into player names. Its a team game, yes getting a prized new player is great and improves the team but the difference is hardly huge. Edmonton is a good example. They got one of the best players in the league and still miss the playoffs
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

I think Crawford's health may be the MAIN concern this year. And truly, I am not confident he gets 60 games in.

If he is sub-par, or misses half the season or more. We most definitely getting another Top 10 draft pick.

I heard that the hawks management is in talks with Montreal and probably Carolina but holding up any trades due to lack of agreement amongst themselves.

If Chicago were to make a trade with Montreal

What do you think
Chicago sends Seabrook Anisomov Gustafson and either forsling beaudin and a 2nd round pick

For patches and denault and Benn?

Chicago gets and solid 3rd line center , bottom 5 defense man and a solid top 6 winger in patches.

Chicago also positions itself for a cup run gains cap space and opens itself up cap wise for resigning schmaltz and debrincant schmaltz and debrincant and any free agents like panarin?

Would you make that trade

I heard that the hawks management is in talks with Montreal and probably Carolina but holding up any trades due to lack of agreement amongst themselves.

If Chicago were to make a trade with Montreal

What do you think
Chicago sends Seabrook Anisomov Gustafson and either forsling beaudin and a 2nd round pick

For patches and denault and Benn?

Chicago gets and solid 3rd line center , bottom 5 defense man and a solid top 6 winger in patches.

Chicago also positions itself for a cup run gains cap space and opens itself up cap wise for resigning schmaltz and debrincant schmaltz and debrincant and any free agents like panarin?

Would you make that trade
- Taylorst1

Source???

In late spring the Hockey News had a list of its top 5 NCAA players and top 5 European league professionals who were not drafted but may be attractive to as free agents (only going to list the description of those who are not signed by any NHL team):

Top 5 NCAA

(1) Daniel Brickley, D, Minnesota State
Signed by the Kings.

(2) Jimmy Schudt, D, St. Cloud State
Not flashy, brings high character to any team; steady, consistent, and makes a great first pass; plays physical and is strong on his skates. Already committed to play his senior year so no longer available for this season.

(3) Max Veronneau, RW, Princeton
Tremendous hands and vision; protects the puck well; questionable defensive play, cheating on assignments and soft away from the puck. Not signed and likely returning for senior year.

(4) Andrew Sturtz, RW, Penn State.
Signed by the Senators.

(5) Robby Jackson, LW, St. Cloud State
Speedy, sturdy, and takes the puck to the net; questionable about whether he is strong enough to win board battles. Not signed and likely returning for senior year.

I would have considered Schudt but he's already committed to finish out his college career at St. Cloud State. Although I would personally pass on Veronneau and Jackson, I could see Bowman being attracted them.

Top 5 European

(1) Bogdan Kiselevich, D, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Signed by the Panthers.

(2) Igor Ozhiganov, D, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Signed by the Leafs.

(3) Ville Meskanen, RW, Ilves (Finland)
Signed by the Rangers.

(4) Pavel Francouz, G, Traktor (KHL)
Signed by the Avs.

(5) Ilya Lyubushkin, D, Yaroslavl (KHL)
Signed by the Coyotes
- AEL_Fox

I have seen Veronneau progressed the last couple of years to be a undrafted coveted forward. He plays in a high octane Princeton offense. He is right handed and is big, fast, and skilled and can light it up!

I last saw Robbie Jackson in juniors. He is left handed and smallish but knows how to play and can score.

I heard that the hawks management is in talks with Montreal and probably Carolina but holding up any trades due to lack of agreement amongst themselves.

If Chicago were to make a trade with Montreal

What do you think
Chicago sends Seabrook Anisomov Gustafson and either forsling beaudin and a 2nd round pick

For patches and denault and Benn?

Chicago gets and solid 3rd line center , bottom 5 defense man and a solid top 6 winger in patches.

Chicago also positions itself for a cup run gains cap space and opens itself up cap wise for resigning schmaltz and debrincant schmaltz and debrincant and any free agents like panarin?

Would you make that trade
- Taylorst1

Why would MTL do that? Why would they want a anchor of a contract and declining play in Seabrook, an older more expensive center and an unproven d-man? What is the win in that deal for them?