If there is an injury. The team has ZERO needs right now. They rotate and sit many players that would play regular shifts on most other teams.

The irony, is there are teams that would trade them some assets to add Callahan for a playoff push.
- TrueGrit

They'd be foolish not to increase their talent level. Nothing is guaranteed

There’s a huge difference between just being up against the cap and being up against the cap with awful contracts. Tampa Bay literally has one awful contract that’s isn’t expiring and it’s Ryan Callahan. If you think that this one player with a modified NMC next year is going to derail the entire roster then that’s foolish. I also never said they were going to win the trade, I just said it’s not going to be as bad as people think. For next season alone they may only need to liquidate Callahan and they may need to move a player like Miller to do so. They’re essentially moving out a 2nd liner (they’re using Miller as a 3rd liner because he’s a luxury they can afford until next season) and a 4th liner (Callahan is on pace for 24 points) and in return I’m sure they could pull back a solid yet cost effective 3rd liner

Let’s also not forget that if Tampa simply buys him out, they still save over $3.1MM and can trade Miller for full value. This would still clear up over $8MM which is plenty for them to re-tool. If the cap goes up to $83MM which it’s predicted to, and they buy him out they still have over $13MM for Paquette, Erne, Point, and a couple of depth defenders

For those of you who didn’t read it all. I started delving into these past trades / future options because of Blackhawk fans who think there’s going to be a ton of feasting going on with teams like WPG, Tampa, and Toronto
- WSCTeton17

Oh okay you just made it sound like they were going to dictate terms is all. Also a buy out would be dumbest thing they could do but that's just my opinion

Some guy wanted an example of when a team getting rid of cap won the trade: 6/30/13 the Hawks sent Bolland to Toronto for a 2nd and two 4ths. Bolland is obviously done now. Same day you sent Frolik to WPG for a 3rd and a 5th, that 3rd was John Hayden which someone was raving about earlier. Sure, Frolik has had some decent seasons but he’s done nothing in the playoffs since he’s left and he’s in the doghouse in Calgary rn.

I also mentioned earlier that you shipped the rights to Brouwer to the Caps and selected Danault. It’s not my fault you later traded Danault, who’s on pace for over 40 points once again. The Versteeg trade wasn’t a total bust. The Andrew Ladd trade looked fine. You traded the pick after you won the cup - that pick ended up being Brock Nelson. You drafted Kevin Hayes from the Byfuglien trade, again not my fault you traded him later.

The Hawks acquired a lot of picks and young, somewhat highly touted prospects from dealing their players. It just so happened that Stan Bowman and Co. had a hand in picking those players and so many of them didn’t pan out. That has nothing to do with these other teams and other GMs

They'd be foolish not to increase their talent level. Nothing is guaranteed
- BetweenTheDots

That’s not necessarily true. They don’t have any holes is what this other guy is saying and frankly, I pretty much agree. Sometimes when you try to upgrade, you screw up the teams chemistry and you go backwards. Every year there are players that get moved at the deadline and they don’t pan out. James Neal for example really wasn’t a good fit when he initially came over to Pitt. Fortunately they had more time and he potted 40 on Geno’s wing the next season. Obviously that won’t happen every time. I honestly don’t think that Tampa does much until after the season is done

Some guy wanted an example of when a team getting rid of cap won the trade: 6/30/13 the Hawks sent Bolland to Toronto for a 2nd and two 4ths. Bolland is obviously done now. Same day you sent Frolik to WPG for a 3rd and a 5th, that 3rd was John Hayden which someone was raving about earlier. Sure, Frolik has had some decent seasons but he’s done nothing in the playoffs since he’s left and he’s in the doghouse in Calgary rn.

I also mentioned earlier that you shipped the rights to Brouwer to the Caps and selected Danault. It’s not my fault you later traded Danault, who’s on pace for over 40 points once again. The Versteeg trade wasn’t a total bust. The Andrew Ladd trade looked fine. You traded the pick after you won the cup - that pick ended up being Brock Nelson. You drafted Kevin Hayes from the Byfuglien trade, again not my fault you traded him later.

The Hawks acquired a lot of picks and young, somewhat highly touted prospects from dealing their players. It just so happened that Stan Bowman and Co. had a hand in picking those players and so many of them didn’t pan out. That has nothing to do with these other teams and other GMs
- WSCTeton17

Sure it does because these other teams are aquiring draft picks for salary dumps so it pretty much is the same just later and to be clear highly touted prospect is not the same as an NHL player
[/img]

Oh okay you just made it sound like they were going to dictate terms is all. Also a buy out would be dumbest thing they could do but that's just my opinion
- BetweenTheDots

I would agree, I’m just saying it is an option. A couple Hawk fans many pages ago were making it seem like teams were going to completely take advantage of WPG, TO, and TBL because of their cap situations and I was trying to show them why that isn’t likely. Honestly it’s been interesting back and forth. I’ve learned a few things by reading up online. Really though, I talk about this stuff all the time. Some of my clients are scouts, current players, retired players, GMs, execs. It’s stressful sometimes. One of my guys just came in and said he intends on announcing his retirement in the near future

From a Jan 7 Athletic Piece about 20 most likely trade targets:

5. Dougie Hamilton, Hurricanes: Multiple sources confirmed that the Hurricanes are open to trading Hamilton, not necessarily because they’ve soured on him but because they’re trying to get the best possible offer for a defenseman not named Jaccob Slavin. It would be surprising if the Hurricanes don’t trade either Hamilton, Justin Faulk or Brett Pesce at some point, although the best deal might not be until the draft.

Carolina wants to add scoring and also create a path for Adam Fox – the Harvard defenseman still needs to sign.

Hamilton is the bigger name and puts up more offense, but teams seem to like Pesce as much or more, in part because of questions about Hamilton’s compete level on a consistent basis.

“I like Pesce,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “I think he’s a really good player. I bet him, Slavin, (Sebastian) Aho and (Andrei) Svechnikov are the guys they’re trying to hold on to.”

That’s not necessarily true. They don’t have any holes is what this other guy is saying and frankly, I pretty much agree. Sometimes when you try to upgrade, you screw up the teams chemistry and you go backwards. Every year there are players that get moved at the deadline and they don’t pan out. James Neal for example really wasn’t a good fit when he initially came over to Pitt. Fortunately they had more time and he potted 40 on Geno’s wing the next season. Obviously that won’t happen every time. I honestly don’t think that Tampa does much until after the season is done
- WSCTeton17

Problem is then other teams trade for that player and they end up hurting you in the playoffs, Stasny was a pain n in the ass to the Preds and that Pred team was solid, what most people don't get is you add talent to your team you keep talent away from every other team you will be competing against. But hey they've done a great job of cap management

That’s not necessarily true. They don’t have any holes is what this other guy is saying and frankly, I pretty much agree. Sometimes when you try to upgrade, you screw up the teams chemistry and you go backwards. Every year there are players that get moved at the deadline and they don’t pan out. James Neal for example really wasn’t a good fit when he initially came over to Pitt. Fortunately they had more time and he potted 40 on Geno’s wing the next season. Obviously that won’t happen every time. I honestly don’t think that Tampa does much until after the season is done
- WSCTeton17

On the opposite side of things: the Islanders have a ton of space to add if they want but they’re rolling so well, do they want to add minor pieces? Probably not. They probably want to do a trade and extend is my guess. The targets would be probably Stone or Panarin. They could add Panarin AND Karlsson and one of the top goalies if they wanted this offseason. So much potential for change. Should be a good time

From a Jan 7 Athletic Piece about 20 most likely trade targets:

5. Dougie Hamilton, Hurricanes: Multiple sources confirmed that the Hurricanes are open to trading Hamilton, not necessarily because they’ve soured on him but because they’re trying to get the best possible offer for a defenseman not named Jaccob Slavin. It would be surprising if the Hurricanes don’t trade either Hamilton, Justin Faulk or Brett Pesce at some point, although the best deal might not be until the draft.

Carolina wants to add scoring and also create a path for Adam Fox – the Harvard defenseman still needs to sign.

Hamilton is the bigger name and puts up more offense, but teams seem to like Pesce as much or more, in part because of questions about Hamilton’s compete level on a consistent basis.

“I like Pesce,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “I think he’s a really good player. I bet him, Slavin, (Sebastian) Aho and (Andrei) Svechnikov are the guys they’re trying to hold on to.”
- Mr Ricochet

NHL analysts ranked Dougie as the 18th best D man prior to the start of the season. He’s a top pairing D man with crazy underlying stats and whoever gets him is getting one hell of a player

Sure it does because these other teams are aquiring draft picks for salary dumps so it pretty much is the same just later and to be clear highly touted prospect is not the same as an NHL player

- BetweenTheDots[/img]

You can’t say that for sure yet because it hasn’t happened... if TBL sends JT Miller our with Callahan, it’s not just a salary dump anymore. At that point it becomes a hockey trade. Miller is a 55 point 2C being played as a 3rd liner as a luxury. He’s locked in to a good cap hit and he’s only 25. Those are facts. The value of Miller EXTREMELY outweighs the dead weight of a player like Callahan especially when you consider the number of teams that have the space and that are willing to add. And now that I think about it, something like Joel Armia and a 2nd for JT Miller and Callahan makes a lot of sense for Montreal this offseason

Sure it does because these other teams are aquiring draft picks for salary dumps so it pretty much is the same just later and to be clear highly touted prospect is not the same as an NHL player

- BetweenTheDots[/img]

Furthermore, the salary cap for next season represents a 40%+ increase from back then but salaries have only gone up about 25%. There’s a gap and these teams aren’t pushed nearly that right to the cap as the Hawks were back then UNLESS one of these teams wins the cup and gets a Conn Smyth winner which adds a bonus and puts a small wrinkle in things

I would also like to add that everyone had the Caps in this same position not all that long ago and they just won the cup this last year. Then everyone thought they were going to have huge problems and they found a way. They basically just gave up their backup goalie and a 2nd if I remember correctly

Problem is then other teams trade for that player and they end up hurting you in the playoffs, Stasny was a pain n in the ass to the Preds and that Pred team was solid, what most people don't get is you add talent to your team you keep talent away from every other team you will be competing against. But hey they've done a great job of cap management
- BetweenTheDots

Don’t I know it. This was the fear with Shattenkirk a couple years ago. Pitt wanted him and a big part of that was they didn’t want Washington having him. Well, he was good in the regular season and.. wasn’t so good in the playoffs and the Pens won. He then went to the Rags as a UFA in the offseason

You can’t say that for sure yet because it hasn’t happened... if TBL sends JT Miller our with Callahan, it’s not just a salary dump anymore. At that point it becomes a hockey trade. Miller is a 55 point 2C being played as a 3rd liner as a luxury. He’s locked in to a good cap hit and he’s only 25. Those are facts. The value of Miller EXTREMELY outweighs the dead weight of a player like Callahan especially when you consider the number of teams that have the space and that are willing to add. And now that I think about it, something like Joel Armia and a 2nd for JT Miller and Callahan makes a lot of sense for Montreal this offseason
- WSCTeton17

Well i put my money on history, it informs me on how the future will work out, right now i believe there will be 2 compliance buy outs the year the new cba will be negotiated and a fellow blogger says no way. In fact i have more proof how things will work out then you do for now. So really your guessing more than i am because there's no proof to your argument

Don’t I know it. This was the fear with Shattenkirk a couple years ago. Pitt wanted him and a big part of that was they didn’t want Washington having him. Well, he was good in the regular season and.. wasn’t so good in the playoffs and the Pens won. He then went to the Rags as a UFA in the offseason
- WSCTeton17

Who knew it would take Kempny to put the Caps over the top, hahaha

Well i put my money on history, it informs me on how the future will work out, right now i believe there will be 2 compliance buy outs the year the new cba will be negotiated and a fellow blogger says no way. In fact i have more proof how things will work out then you do for now. So really your guessing more than i am because there's no proof to your argument
- BetweenTheDots

Except that sports evolve. Something happening in the past is not indicative at all of how things may happen in the future. Forever we didn’t have term limits on contracts and now we do. Until not all that incredibly long ago there were no compliance buyouts and then as you said, there were. Things change and evolve. I have not heard or read from any analysts from NHL, NBCSN, TSN, Sportsnet, or anywhere else about more compliance buyouts in the future. I’ve only ever read it on speculation sites such as this

Who knew it would take Kempny to put the Caps over the top, hahaha
- BetweenTheDots

He was a solid addition but really, Kuznetsov was so much better than he had been in the past. He was my MVP, hands down. I would’ve put Holtby at 2nd and Ovie at 3rd but Kuz (who I don’t like, I hate the bird celebration) was so good for the entire run. Vegas was up 1-0. That save by Holtby changed EVERYTHING imo

I hear ya. You should contribute your ideas about possible Hawk trades. Just don't mention Q. Haha.
- boilermaker100

I here ya .Not much of a speculator . Like are prospects Mitchell Boqvist Soderlund Wise Entwistle Beaudin Kurashev . Stay the course Stan .

Yandle in the all star game? What a joke
- BetweenTheDots

The entire ASG is a assault on the senses ,got sick of it after about 5 min .Switched over to the fights ,and they were great . Thurman welterweight Champ got a stern test ,and that Heavyweight Adam Baby face Kownacki is something ..

IMO in the next cba talks should be talks of more emphasis on keeping your players that have been drafted and develop and if you drafted by a team you have to play for that team refering to the college and CHL players. Some lee way in the cap rules still have a hard cap but maybe a luxery tax type rule with a predetermined limit.
- Scott1977

Then it wouldn't be a hard cap

I here ya .Not much of a speculator . Like are prospects Mitchell Boqvist Soderlund Wise Entwistle Beaudin Kurashev . Stay the course Stan .
- oldduffman

The entire ASG is a assault on the senses ,got sick of it after about 5 min .Switched over to the fights ,and they were great . Thurman welterweight Champ got a stern test ,and that Heavyweight Adam Baby face Kownacki is something ..
- oldduffman

Thought the Bader/Fedor fight would go a bit longer than 20 seconds

HAWKS should offer sheet Lanie , revenge for them taking the Golden Jet !!!
- oldduffman

Well it is a dish best served cold. . .

Then it wouldn't be a hard cap
- tvetter

Just like to see the hard cap loosen up tiny bit keep a hard cap parody for the league is good but the nhl needs to do better job at advertising the marketing the league and its players to get more exposure.

Just like to see the hard cap loosen up tiny bit keep a hard cap parody for the league is good but the nhl needs to do better job at advertising the marketing the league and its players to get more exposure.
- Scott1977

I agree with that, but you can't have a luxury tax and a hard cap at the same time.