Trying to think of landing spots for Murphy and Gus and what their return would be.
Murphy
Detroit – only have 5D signed for the upcoming year and only 1 of them is signed beyond this year. They are also thinking about signing 38 year old Nik Kronwall. Murphy is signed for 3 more years. Would Tyler Bertuzzi be available?
Ottawa – only 5D signed plus a RFA to be signed. Their most expensive Dman makes only 1.2M. Murphy’s salary would help make the cap floor. There’s not much I see on their roster. Maybe Center Chris Tierney and a pick.
Gus
Toronto - He could be a one year version of Gardiner and at 1.2M will fit into the Leafs cap structure. Do I dare mention Nazem Kadri in return? Leafs gain 3.3M in cap space.
Tampa Bay – Another team with cap problems that could use a defenseman since they have 3 veteran UFA’s and won’t be able to extend all of them. I’ll take Ryan Callahan’s 1 year contract at 5.8M back if they throw in prospect Taylor Raddysh or Boris Katchouk. TB gets 4.6M in cap relief that can go toward extending Brayden Point.

Seriously. Even if the Hawks add 2 more NHL d men that doesnt mean anything about the #3 pick this season. Not one damn thing.
Byram is not playing in the NHL more than the 9 game feeler at the beginning of the season.
- mrpaulish

Thank you, growing tired of saying it. At #3 you draft the best player available period!

Trying to think of landing spots for Murphy and Gus and what their return would be.
Murphy
Detroit – only have 5D signed for the upcoming year and only 1 of them is signed beyond this year. They are also thinking about signing 38 year old Nik Kronwall. Murphy is signed for 3 more years. Would Tyler Bertuzzi be available?houk. TB gets 4.6M in cap relief that can go toward extending Brayden Point.
- boilermaker100

Assuming Kronwall comes back for one more year the Wings will have 8 defenseman on their roster.

Green
DeKeyser
Ericsson
Daley
Bowey
Kronwall
Hronek
Cholowski

There's no way they make a move for Murphy, especially if it included Bertuzzi.

Thank you, growing tired of saying it. At #3 you draft the best player available period!
- walleyeb1

some people are going to eat crow when Byram is not ready this year. He may or may not become a descent first or second pair - in how many years. You want to look past what wiz has said about him, eh. So even if he becomes a descent second pair and you love certain things about his game, you think this kid can learn and play on the fly and have no confidance issues. I see where he is a cocky confidant kud and i think he might beat some of the odds but not an NHL rookie next season. Don't be carried away in your love for his attributes and overlook or pretend he can jump so far ahead. I'll eat crow if i am wrong. Wiz too.

Great write-up! How do you think this acquisition affects the upcoming draft. With them thinking Bovquist may be ready to take the next step, this may have them leaning against Byrum? And if Byrum is not their guy, who may want him and would be likely to trade up. It's gonna be a great next two plus weeks.
- ksilvy58

Oilers FLA Habs could all use Byram.
Hawks might go for a C, my pick is Turcotte. Trading down could still net Newhook or a good winger Krebs or RHD in Soderstrom or Seider.

Thank you, growing tired of saying it. At #3 you draft the best player available period!
- walleyeb1

According to who’s list? Not a fan of BPA it’s an empty term.

The thing about Maata, he is only 24 (25 in a couple months) but has been playing NHL hockey since age 19, has more than 400 games regular + playoff and 2 cups. Dmen tend to peak in their mid-late 20s and the Hawks could get 10 years of good hockey out of this guy. If he stays healthy that is.

Personally, I really hope Murphy isn't the one they move unless they get a really good deal. One of the only Hawks dmen who held their own against tough competition with a lot of dzone time. Under-rated guy IMO.

San Jose Sharks' Joonas Donskoi intends to see what opportunities might be available to him on the free-agent market, when the interview period opens on June 23.

Hope Stan talks to him, he’s at least worth talking to, seeing how we’re not Finnished.

some people are going to eat crow when Byram is not ready this year. He may or may not become a descent first or second pair - in how many years. You want to look past what wiz has said about him, eh. So even if he becomes a descent second pair and you love certain things about his game, you think this kid can learn and play on the fly and have no confidance issues. I see where he is a cocky confidant kud and i think he might beat some of the odds but not an NHL rookie next season. Don't be carried away in your love for his attributes and overlook or pretend he can jump so far ahead. I'll eat crow if i am wrong. Wiz too.
- jhawk59

We that’s a long winded post lol.
You track him at all or a pessimist?
He is at most 1yr away from playing.

How so? Doubt Byram is ready for NHL minutes. Did you see him at the combine? He is kinda puny. If he is the pick, let him build himself up playing in juniors another season. No reason to rush him.
- Elbows15

I didn't say Byram would be playing in the NHL next season, in fact sure hope he doesn't. Let him play another season of junior.

But by my count the Hawks have 16 Dmen under contract for 2019/20 and Mitchell is in school unsigned. I guess that total quantity keeps Bowman comfortable but he is going to have to prune the tree soon and replace the never gonna make it boys with guys they think have more NHL potential. So if Forsling leaves to go home and Dahlstrom gets traded somewhere I think Bowman will replace by drafting the #1 rate Dman in the draft.

But that's just my thinking, he may figure he is so shy of talent up front that they have to take a center.

Maatta was pushed to the 3rd pairing and became essentially one of the better trade chips that the pens had. I’d love to keep him over Jack Johnson or Gudbransson, but the pens would probably have to send a high pick to get rid of those bums. He’s really solid on the PP and making those breakout passes. The one enormous problem was how he’d get beat on the dump and chase or players would literally walk around him.

No one said Kahun was irreplaceable. Hell, Maatta career to this point is the very definition of replaceable.

What fans said about Kahun was they liked some aspects of his game. He put up 35EV points as rookie playing on NA ice for the first time in years. He gave an honest effort every night. On a team with poop for forwards with any defensive acumen, he was decent.

Is he going to be a 50-60 point guy? Probably not but he could be a 40-50 guy with more PP time.

Just stop with the hyperbole if someone likes a player they automatically think he is going to be a star.
- Elbows15

Hey Elbows... if this was directed at me, I said was joking in the blog using the word "irreplaceable" as I stated below.

The initial reaction is that Maatta is terrible and Kahun is irreplaceable. Not really, but it's really not a trade to get overly worked up about in my opinion.

San Jose Sharks' Joonas Donskoi intends to see what opportunities might be available to him on the free-agent market, when the interview period opens on June 23.

Hope Stan talks to him, he’s at least worth talking to, seeing how we’re not Finnished.
- walleyeb1

Only if he gets a haitcut. What a terrible salad.

10. Vancouver Canucks – There’s definitely a belief outside of Vancouver that this pick is very much in play and that GM Jim Benning is willing to deal. “There are players they would move the 10th pick for,” said one NHL executive. Vancouver is a team to watch on the draft floor.


14. Arizona Coyotes – It’s been made clear to many NHL teams that the Coyotes are willing to move this pick in return for a front line offensive player. The Coyotes are another team of interest leading up to the draft.

Hey Elbows... if this was directed at me, I said was joking in the blog using the word "irreplaceable" as I stated below.

The initial reaction is that Maatta is terrible and Kahun is irreplaceable. Not really, but it's really not a trade to get overly worked up about in my opinion.

- Tyler Cameron

Not at you but in general. Its a totally M'eh trade to me. We will see. The issue with Maatta is he really isn't a shutdown guy in a true sense. In fact, he didn't do very well in that role last season. He also isn't a guy who can carry a pairing. And whomever plays with him is going to have to skate their ass off to make up for his lack of mobility.

It still leaves the Hawks without a shutdown type of pairing which they need. So its a trade that doesn't help solve one of their biggest issues.

As I have mentioned, its not a trade that makes them better but at the same time it doesn't make them worse.

10. Vancouver Canucks – There’s definitely a belief outside of Vancouver that this pick is very much in play and that GM Jim Benning is willing to deal. “There are players they would move the 10th pick for,” said one NHL executive. Vancouver is a team to watch on the draft floor.


14. Arizona Coyotes – It’s been made clear to many NHL teams that the Coyotes are willing to move this pick in return for a front line offensive player. The Coyotes are another team of interest leading up to the draft.
- walleyeb1

Gus for 14. Do it Stan.

Draft:

Expected: Turcotte
My Choice: Cozens
Best Value: Byram
Dark Horse: Kakko

If we took Byram at #3, Gus & Boqvist are expendable. That could net us significant draft capital and/or prospects/players. While I lean towards Cozens, the Byram move is best for the team.

Gus for 14. Do it Stan.
- Elbows15

Ok Gus worth the 14th? If a conditional trade but two questions to answer if you make that deal.
1). Whom replaces Gus offense next season. How does making playoffs look without Gus is a concern Stan cannot ignore
2). Whom are you hoping to draft.....three names please because the drafting is a crapshoot to predict. Podz gone; Broberg and Boldy gone. Draft a goaltender via Gus trade, eh

Why not do Keith/Jok and Maatta/Gus?

The look of things to come may be strongly linked to our protected list for the expansion draft. How many players do we fear loosing - ok that is a set # cannot be more than two i believe. But just whom is going to be a loss when you have to protect NM clause Seabrook? Maybe Stan plans a two for one quality veterans type trade. Maybe he sign Panarin but trades Murphy and AA. Is there a young dman he can acquire for Murphy whom would not need to be protected - no that doesn't make sense so Murohy goes in another two for one? What does Stan have rolled up his sleeve? Vs what moves he pulls off. Stan studied economics but he is not a trained magician.

This was certainly one of your better posts imo. The one thing I disagree with is that just because one defender is slow that his partner can’t also be slow. Parayko spent a fair amount of time with J Bo in the playoffs - neither of those guys are speedsters but they’re smart hockey players.

Maatta is a smart hockey player. A big problem in Pittsburgh was the high forward not being back and the weak side defender not coming out into the neutral zone when Maatta would pinch so often times when Maatta got beat and couldn’t recover it would result in 2 on 1s, 3 on 1s, or partial breakaways. As long as the coaches have his partner play NORMAL hockey lol then you’re fine

Interested to see if the Hawks can/will create a bidding war for Byram at 3. Hard to get a pulse on how much other teams covet the kid but my gut tells me the Hawks want a center. If the Avs, Kings or Wings want that 3 spot bad enough that still leaves Dach, Turcotte or Cozens. If they're blown away by the offer, you just never know.

Draft:

Expected: Turcotte
My Choice: Cozens
Best Value: Byram
Dark Horse: Kakko

If we took Byram at #3, Gus & Boqvist are expendable. That could net us significant draft capital and/or prospects/players. While I lean towards Cozens, the Byram move is best for the team.
- gifman

He hung his hat on drafting Boqvist. Do you think the roundtable organizational pow wow endorsed a future defense with both Boqvist and Byram? I have doubt there was a consensus reached to eventually trust the defense with both of them (in a couple of years anyway).

Bet they endorsed taking a play angry Cozens or a Turcotte type would be a fit

Draft:

Expected: Turcotte
My Choice: Cozens
Best Value: Byram
Dark Horse: Kakko

If we took Byram at #3, Gus & Boqvist are expendable. That could net us significant draft capital and/or prospects/players. While I lean towards Cozens, the Byram move is best for the team.
- gifman

Why ? If Byram is all that why not just stockpile studs on D? Why sell off other ones?

Interested to see if the Hawks can/will create a bidding war for Byram at 3. Hard to get a pulse on how much other teams covet the kid but my gut tells me the Hawks want a center. If the Avs, Kings or Wings want that 3 spot bad enough that still leaves Dach, Turcotte or Cozens. If they're blown away by the offer, you just never know.
- walter34

So yeah i agree and therefore how far down and for what renumeration do we receive? I'm done guessing whether they move from #3 and whom the other team/players might be. But welcome any well thought out ideas. How bad do they want or like each of the prospects you listed? We don't know