Great insight LBR.

This last part is bang on.

I don't nind the deal however the C position did just get a little weaker.

The Hawks must have a plan for their 3C.
- Tyler Cameron

There has to be another move to shore up the 3c position. Just wait another 7-10 days when Stan makes another move none of us will be ready for let alone anyone seeing that move coming. Unless the plan all along was to promote from within the organization.

Factually incorrect. Smith had more PK TOI/gm than Anisimov had. He also played a shutdown role.
- EbonyRaptor

Also, this narrative that he is just a fringe 4th line guy is pretty much false. His ice time put him right in typical 3rd line territory. He was 6th in average ice time for forwards in Ottawa and 5th for even strength. He was part of the forward group that faced the defensive assignments for Ottawa and many of his metrics were close to his team in relative terms. We picked up a guy who can be a defensive specialist and play the in bottom 6, while dumping some salary moving a guy who lost his bread and butter role on the PP when Strome came in.

I'm sure the Hawks would have liked to moved AA for picks but it wasn't in the cards.

They were having a hell of a time finding a trade partner.

I agree it's not the most ideal but they didn't have to add a sweetener to move his contract so I'm ok with it.

It will be interesting to see who fills that 3C.
- Tyler Cameron

Plus the Smith contract expires after this season? Kind of the same deal we got when we traded Panik for Duclair

Plus the Smith contract expires after this season? Kind of the same deal we got when we traded Panik for Duclair
- glennjpawlak22

No he’s got one more season just like AA did.

Plus the Smith contract expires after this season? Kind of the same deal we got when we traded Panik for Duclair
- glennjpawlak22

He is under contract next year too, so it is a salary dump for this season and next.

Still waiting for the part where I claimed there is zero difference between them.
This "gaping" hole is probably going to be pretty small in the grand scheme considering the number of guys who can play wing and centre. Like I pointed out, we won a lot of hockey when a large number of fans claimed he had some huge hole at C.
- breadbag

A summary of your original post would read like this, “don’t worry that we lost a third line center because we have plenty of guys who can take face-offs.”

You say that’s not what you meant, but that’s how it reads, and I’m not a mind reader.

I'm sure the Hawks would have liked to moved AA for picks but it wasn't in the cards.

They were having a hell of a time finding a trade partner.

I agree it's not the most ideal but they didn't have to add a sweetener to move his contract so I'm ok with it.

It will be interesting to see who fills that 3C.
- Tyler Cameron

Should’ve added the sweetener, or kept him. They are a weaker team today.

Idk about that, my friend.
- I Am The Breadman

Philadelphia took first round #8 pick Sean Couturier, big scorer in the QJHL, and played him (rookie year at 19y.o.) as a 3rd line center for 7 years (never scoring more than 40 points), before putting him in the top 6 and averaging almost a point per game.

Smith is for certain, and Dach hasn’t done poop yet.
- Ogilthorpe2

I dont want Dach on the team this season outside a 9gm trial. IF he proves he belongs then, great. If not, I want to see him in Jrs again.

As for Smith, that is just inaccurate. I assume you havent seen much of him, but he is quicker, more physical, and as good, if not slightly better defensively.
If you want to say AA is more offensive...meh, AA playing 3c and and very lil to zero PP time, would not have garnered many pts this season.

I liked AA. He was fine. He was by far the slowest F on the team but he was fine as 3c. To think hes much better than smith though is just wrong.

Should’ve added the sweetener, or kept him. They are a weaker team today.
- Ogilthorpe2

Dude i hope they win the cup just to shut you up.

Should’ve added the sweetener, or kept him. They are a weaker team today.
- Ogilthorpe2

Agreed. The Hawks are thin at center and just got thinner. What hole does Smith fill exactly? By all accounts ZS and AA have similar defensive numbers. In that case I’d take the center every time. Guys that can play center are more rare. With similar numbers the 1mm is worth it to keep the center unless you’re deep at the position. They needed more cap space or a pick to make this swap worth it.

Dude i hope they win the cup just to shut you up.
- SaskHawkFan

lmao

Somehow I missed this:

Stan Bowman on clearing $1.3 million in cap space by trading Anisimov: “That was a part of the deal as well. We do save a little bit on the cap. We still have a little bit of work to do there, but we’re looking better now than we were yesterday.”

Bowman’s not done yet!

Should’ve added the sweetener, or kept him. They are a weaker team today.
- Ogilthorpe2

That’s my biggest problem with it...it didn’t gain enough cap space for it to be worth it.
- Ogilthorpe2

All cap space is....

A summary of your original post would read like this, “don’t worry that we lost a third line center because we have plenty of guys who can take face-offs.”

You say that’s not what you meant, but that’s how it reads, and I’m not a mind reader.
- Ogilthorpe2

Right, so again, I obviously didn't claim that face offs are the only difference. I've been pointing out that we have options. The team has actively been trying to add players that are versatile enough to slot in at C as they have publicly stated. AA isn't some great C who leaves some huge hole to fill. You can read into my comments and pretend it means something other than what I've explained multiple times, but I'm not responding about it anymore.

He stood up for them. Ask Crawford about that.
- 6628

Smith also wore the "A" last year for Orrawa. Sounds like a good leader and club house guy. If he can contribute as a 4th line grinder that's ok as long as we can improve the a 3C position.

Sounds like they'll give Dach a shot at that position for at least 9 games, but there's 73 to go after that if the Hawks send him back to juniors.

They're pretty similar there, honestly. Anisimov was better in transition because he's just a better passer and Anisimov has slightly better shot suppression numbers in the DZ (overall and in the slot) while facing similar quality of competition but Smith did start more in the DZ and did more heavy lifting in that regard on the Sens. They don't defend in the same way, though.

For the record, I don't mind Smith as a defensive specialist who can contribute a bit from the 4th line - I actually like him better than Carpenter in that regard. The issue for me is that they hurt their natural center position a bit - like do you really want Smith playing with Cat or Kane if Toews or Strome are hurt? I know Shaw can play center but his improvement in play came with his switch to wing and I'd love for Dach to be the answer but that's a lot to put on a kid.

So anyway, I just hope they have a plan for 3C because I don't want it to be Kampf, Smith, or Carpenter (esp since the latter two have historically played better at wing).
- L_B_R

Thanks for the feedback!

Roar, IMO Smith is a better bottom 6 player, AA a better top 6 player. Hawks need to address the bottom 6, they ranked 8th in GF and 30th in GA.

Smith Ozone starts last 5 yrs starting with last yr. 41%, 45, 49, 42, 44.
AA Ozone starts last 5 yrs. 54%, 53, 65, 67 (all as a Hawk) 45 (CLB).

Smith pts per game 5 yrs with the above zone starts. .40, .28, .43, .48, .08.
AA pts per game last 5 yrs, heavy Ozone starts as a Hawk. .47, .43, .70, .55, .52

Last 3 yrs fancy comparison between the two: http://www.naturalstattri...&td=&tgp=410&lines=single

Plenty of more fancies out there but to me the above speaks to usage. Smith has been used as a shutdown and AA a top 6 scoring line. ........ And from what I remember of Smith, don't watch too much OTT except for fantasy, is more fleet of foot, more dynamic, definitely more physical.

They had to address the bottom 6 and did this with Carpenter and Smith. They had to replace AA with a center and did so although it seems some don't think so on the internets. They had to improve at the dot and give Toews less Dzone draws, did that. Had to reduce the high danger chances and looks as though they did. Added another experienced body that can take a draw for a horrid PK.

Addressed needs as best they could without killing the cap and what they do with the mil and a half space has to be factored in.
- Mr Ricochet

I agree with this.

Anisimov has become redundant in all factors of the game with the acquisition of Shaw... Not only that but the point of hockey is to score more goals than you give up, and last season the Hawks couldn't keep the puck out of the net, the Hawks could score like it was the 80's, unfortunately the Hawks gave up goals like it was the 80's.... It was very clear from last season that the Hawks really needed to address not only goaltending - but the defensive side of the game as a whole - including revamping the bottom 6 and they've done a good job in addressing that issue by bringing in defensive forward specialists - guys that specialize, excel and made a career out of playing in the bottom 6.... It's funny, some fans think bottom 6 players are top 6 "rejects" or something when they're anything but... Playing bottom 6, grinding, killing penalties and winning faceoffs is a skill - those guys are just as important as your top 6, your top 6 or top 2 lines are your scoring lines, they put the puck in the net, your bottom 6 guys or bottom 2 lines help to keep the puck out of the net.... Hockey is a team sport and every role is important, and if you have specialists in those roles that do their job and do it good - you're going to have one heck of a hockey team..... Those guys that grind are a big part of the team, because they're the ones that put wear and tear on other teams top lines and wear them down - and there are players that specialize in doing just that.... Smith (rough heavy grinder) is one, Carpenter (defensive forward/FO specialist) is another and Shaw (master agitator with a chip on his shoulder) can play that role too...

I think this trade makes the Hawks a better team, tho I really do feel Bowman could have gotten a bit more for Smith, but you know what? perhaps Bowman was targeting Smith, perhaps Bowman was like "Smith's the guy we need" and Ottawa refused to add anything more to the deal because they really weren't shopping Smith and any deal for smith would require overpayment..

It really seems that Stan knows exactly which players he wants - as in he is targeting individual players and is not making trades out of opportunity, or making trades just because a player happens to be on the block...

It appears Stan's approach this summer has been: "Here are our problems from last season, and we need these exact players to fix these problems"..

It's almost like Stan has been a plastic surgeon this summer performing a face lift.

True. Dach or smith certainly a HUGE downgrade to AA.
- Bhawks35

We don't know what role Dach will have yet and I think most would agree that at least one season in the minors would be best. And Smith is a downgrade from AA. Blackhawks shouldn't be looking to downgrade even if it isnt drastic. Especially for only 1 mil in cap space.

See you on Twitter saying Smith is not a C anymore. You going by eye, word of mouth or is there a stat you're reading, Tyler?

Few times I see OTT Smith always played C.
- Mr Ricochet

I have watched him white a bit over the years. Being in Ontario I catch the odd Sens game.

I think he's best suited for a winger position at this point.

Then I just aaw Smith confirm himself he prefers playing wing.

He's a solid option in a pinch or for a few games. However, I'm more comfortable with him playing wing and taking draws on his strong side when needed.

Right, so again, I obviously didn't claim that face offs are the only difference. I've been pointing out that we have options. The team has actively been trying to add players that are versatile enough to slot in at C as they have publicly stated. AA isn't some great C who leaves some huge hole to fill. You can read into my comments and pretend it means something other than what I've explained multiple times, but I'm not responding about it anymore.
- breadbag

Whatever. You’re contradicting yourself but whatever.

We don't know what role Dach will have yet and I think most would agree that at least one season in the minors would be best. And Smith is a downgrade from AA. Blackhawks shouldn't be looking to downgrade even if it isnt drastic. Especially for only 1 mil in cap space.
- BMoreHawks

I agree on Dach. Although hes too young for minors, its Hawks or back to Jrs. I want to see him in Jrs one more year and absolutely dominate, then take a spot next season. Hopefully he's lights out in camp though and proves me wrong.

Disagree on Smith. I dont think its a downgrade to AA. The only thing people can point to is AAs offensive numbers being better than Smith. AA as a 3c and minimal PP time would not have put up a lot of pts this season on hawks.
I will gladly take the speed, physicality, and PK ability of Smith over AA. As well as the cap savings.

The benefit I see in Stan’s moves this far (and I’m not happy about all of them) is that while addressing blatant needs for this team (defense and PK) he has acquired a number of assets that are very desirable around the TDL and offseason. This allows for much more flexibility and ideally better returns on the moves going forward. It doesn’t sound like he is done either, so it will be fun to see what the team looks like going into training camp.

Dude i hope they win the cup just to shut you up.
- SaskHawkFan

If they win a cup with Zack (frank)ing Smith contributing anything other than moral support from the pressbox, I will shut up.