So, GM Steve....you're in the middle of a Cup run and your best player is a UFA at 28. He demands an 8 year contract for big money. Do you tell him to pound sand and close the window, or pay him and contend for a few years?
- mohel

That;s a loaded question......

What is my cap space? Do I have more then just 1 super star? Do I have a young replacement on the roster or in the system? Are their cheaper replacements via UFA? DO I have assets to trade for a cheaper guy signed for multiple years with close to the same skill set?

IF you are asking do I blame them for reupping Kane and toews? NO. No, I don't. DO i blame them for signing Keith and giving out a life time deal? NO

Woudl I have signed Seabrook? NO.....NO I wouldn't have......I would have offered him 2-3 years a the same price......but he wasn't a shock at how bad that deal was. That was bad the minute the pen hit the paper.

Nobody could see 19 hitting a wall.....but....now that he is hitting the wall, what is the move...…

Proactive vs reactive.....that's the way I operate.

So, GM Steve....you're in the middle of a Cup run and your best player is a UFA at 28. He demands an 8 year contract for big money. Do you tell him to pound sand and close the window, or pay him and contend for a few years?
- mohel

Oh and btw.....Im not giving out NMCs to everyone and their brother.....and term.....and AAV...

Superstars get all 3
stars get maybe 2
everyone else may get 1 but not 2....and most likely zero

You need flexibility in a cap world....something also bowman pigeon holed himself on.

You said Karlsson was a great offensive player and never would be the overall defender Keith was.

I don't disagree....I pointed out Keith wasn't the best defender on his own team, and you take your ball and go home?

ANd curious.....how long does the "cap casualty" excuse work? I mean they have 9+ million in space now and need 2 goalies, and possibly Strome......so when does the cap casualty spin stop and we acknowledge Bowman has no damn clue how to manage a cap? I know Dale didn't.....but apparently he gave Stan quite the crash course as well.
- SteveRain

I wouldn't call it an excuse but trying to provide context where many provide none and simply call it horrible without considering any other circumstances...no?

It doesn't seem too radical to suggest that the team's executives must identify a better path before torching the front office.

Posters here love to dwell in all Stan's mistakes, bit seem wholly unable to realize that many of their idealized other GMs they are pining for have plenty of screw ups, too. Guys like Doug Wilson.
- mohel

Spot on, if you’re going to blow things up you do it at the end of the the season. When you’ll have more options, and not forced to make bad decisions due to limited options.

In spurts....but like many I get old of the same rhetoric by the same people just as some get tired of me.

I take mental vacations and maybe skim through when I have a second......when Im not traveling I post more...….

Lucky for you all, this was that week...…...
- SteveRain

Glad to debate with you - you haven't called me an a-hole yet! The reason I ask is that it is St. Dale here to some. I think there's good and bad to all GMs; except Stan, he's perfect.

Nice puff piece on young Joki on the Sabres' site:

https://www.nhl.com/sabre...s-ristolainen/c-312550238

They seem pretty happy with him there... JC didn't like him though, apparently he's no Eric Gustafsson. Joki has one fewer point than Alex Nylander, you know, the "top 6" forward Stan got in return, the one that couldn't average .5ppg in over 100 AHL games.

That;s a loaded question......

What is my cap space? Do I have more then just 1 super star? Do I have a young replacement on the roster or in the system? Are their cheaper replacements via UFA? DO I have assets to trade for a cheaper guy signed for multiple years with close to the same skill set?

IF you are asking do I blame them for reupping Kane and toews? NO. No, I don't. DO i blame them for signing Keith and giving out a life time deal? NO

Woudl I have signed Seabrook? NO.....NO I wouldn't have......I would have offered him 2-3 years a the same price......but he wasn't a shock at how bad that deal was. That was bad the minute the pen hit the paper.

Nobody could see 19 hitting a wall.....but....now that he is hitting the wall, what is the move...…

Proactive vs reactive.....that's the way I operate.
- SteveRain

I agree on all those. Not sure on the move for 19. He's hitting the wall sooner than could reasonably be expected.

The Hawks have some bad contracts that are remnants of the Cup run. It's the way it goes in this era, imo, and that run was worth this suckage to me.

Now, let's try to start another run. We're on the same page there. I think you don't believe Stan's the guy to do it. I don't know if he is, but I'm wary because looking around the league shows it ain't easy and all GMs screw up. We're not too far apart, I don't think.

its a business....very rarely in a cap world does 1 guy start and end with the same team.

Id rather win then hang on to an aging player from past glory. Doesn't mean I don't like them, but on some of these guys the window to trade them is getting tight and if not....the cap problems aren't going away as you can't have over 33 million committed to 4 guys, with only 1 producing at a plus ROI.
- SteveRain

bang on Rain

Dylan Strome is going to get $5.5M on a new deal? Tyler, you must have been up very late last night and started dreaming at the keyboard. Unless he goes on some historic Mario Lemieux type scoring run in the next 50 games there isn't a chance in hell that he pulls that kind of money out of Chicago. He will take a $4M bridge deal and pretend to like it. Very disappointing season so far for Strome. I can see why Tocchet launched him.
- RickJ

I don’t know a 21pts in 28 games puts him on pace for 60+ points. Which is better than what Toews put up three out of the last four seasons.

Nice puff piece on young Joki on the Sabres' site:

https://www.nhl.com/sabre...s-ristolainen/c-312550238

They seem pretty happy with him there... JC didn't like him though, apparently he's no Eric Gustafsson. Joki has one fewer point than Alex Nylander, you know, the "top 6" forward Stan got in return, the one that couldn't average .5ppg in over 100 AHL games.
- Davewn

Bowman is a clown.

Bowman is a clown.
- EnzoD

Lol.

Bowman is a clown.
- EnzoD

There you have it! Thanks Edzo the tatt boy.

Kane has been pretty much MIA the past three games. 1 assist and only 3 total SOG in that time in addition to that lazy defensive effort against Schmaltz last night.

So what's his problem? Has he had enough of JC? Has he had enough of linemates 12 and 17? Just a minor slump or minor injury?

Lol.
- mohel

I make you laugh? How the heck am i so funny

Kane has been pretty much MIA the past three games. 1 assist and only 3 total SOG in that time in addition to that lazy defensive effort against Schmaltz last night.

So what's his problem? Has he had enough of JC? Has he had enough of linemates 12 and 17? Just a minor slump or minor injury?
- boilermaker100

He looks pretty much pissed off

Put me n the camp that states the Blackhawks honored their pledge to take care of their people.
Bringing Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito back was a huge and wonderful 1st Statement.
Inking the core to long term NMC's was the right move that reflected the above.
It certainly did not pan out the way they anticipated, but NOBODY can any longer say they do not take care of their own.
I'm good with all this. I ride the contracts out and work to increment their way back to the top along the way.
Even if any of the core asks out, I only move them if their entire contract moves with them. And the contracts coming back better be damn good.

Also, I do believe Keith signed his contract at the time where there is a recapture penalty if he retires early, so I do not move him, even if he asks.
And Seabrook earned every single penny the Blackhawks have ever paid him.
If I were local to Chicago and had the means, the season tickets I bought would be for life.

No bailing out just because things got tough. Period.

I make you laugh? How the heck am i so funny
- glennjpawlak22

Are you Enzo, too?

Put me n the camp that states the Blackhawks honored their pledge to take care of their people.
Bringing Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito back was a huge and wonderful 1st Statement.
Inking the core to long term NMC's was the right move that reflected the above.
It certainly did not pan out the way they anticipated, but NOBODY can any longer say they do not take care of their own.
I'm good with all this. I ride the contracts out and work to increment their way back to the top along the way.
Even if any of the core asks out, I only move them if their entire contract moves with them. And the contracts coming back better be damn good.

Also, I do believe Keith signed his contract at the time where there is a recapture penalty if he retires early, so I do not move him, even if he asks.
And Seabrook earned every single penny the Blackhawks have ever paid him.
If I were local to Chicago and had the means, the season tickets I bought would be for life.

No bailing out just because things got tough. Period.
- 35Tony0

Cool perspective, 35, thanks for sharing it.

Definitely agree that the Hawks should simplify their game on both ends but for whatever reason that is easier said than done for this squad. It's being debated ad nauseum whether this dilemma is on the players, the coaches, the GM, all of the above, etc.

As a few other posters have commented on already, I would like to see how this roster performs with an experienced NHL coach and assistants who have track records of systems that work.
- AEL_Fox

Yeah it’d be nice, but I’m not sure there’s many of those waiting around to be scooped up.

Maybe someone can figure out how the patriots do it year after year: yes tom brady but he doesn't run, block or play defense...patriots and belechick seem to have an "eternal" pipeline of players where the average playing career is 5 years...

just look what they have done over the last 18 years...that's 3 rebuild for most teams...

I said nothing about Keith, but even back then I was saying that was too much $ for 19 and 88, and too long of term for Seabs.

So you tell me then why does our roster suck? Why are we so slow and lacking in high end skill? The GM has nothing to do with it?
- SimpleJack

He's an absolute moron when it come's to judging talent

https://www.pantagraph.co...89-9221-453be72d19ff.html

Beyond immediate help from three free agents signed earlier this month — goalie Cam Ward, defenseman Brandon Manning forward Chris Kunitz — Bowman expects young prospects to blossom and lift his team this season.

Bowman projects more output from speedy 22-year-old center Nick Schmaltz and 20-year-old winger Alex DeBrincat, both of whom the GM said just scratched surface in 2017-18. Schmaltz had 21 goals and 31 assists in his second NHL season. DeBrincat had 28 goals and 52 points as rookie.

Bowman told fans he expects three Swedes who spent parts of the 2017-18 season in Chicago to make bigger contributions. Defensemen Gustav Forsling, 22, and Carl Dahlstrom, 23, should compete for regular jobs. He called out Victor Ejdsell, a 6-foot-5 center, as "someone to look out for" because of his great scoring touch.

Bowman also predicted 23-year old center Luke Johnson, who spent the last two seasons at Rockford of the AHL, would play in Chicago at some point.

Q was fired because they realized they were entering a rebuild, and, yes, that's not Q's thing at this stage of his career. If they think Stan can't do the rebuild, they'll find a builder and fire Stan. I think if they were going to do that Stan would have left with Q.

You find a fresh face to get better results than the old face. Not some make believe new face - an actual new face, with a name.
- mohel

You are right i see bowman as a gm that can add those pieces to a cup contender that puts them over the top but not as a builder in a tear down and rebuild. Not every gm is perfect they all make mistakes but bowman has made to many imo needs to be replaced and J.C. i think is over his head but the roster is not built right so its an uphill battle for him.

He's an absolute moron when it come's to judging talent

https://www.pantagraph.co...89-9221-453be72d19ff.html

Beyond immediate help from three free agents signed earlier this month — goalie Cam Ward, defenseman Brandon Manning forward Chris Kunitz — Bowman expects young prospects to blossom and lift his team this season.

Bowman projects more output from speedy 22-year-old center Nick Schmaltz and 20-year-old winger Alex DeBrincat, both of whom the GM said just scratched surface in 2017-18. Schmaltz had 21 goals and 31 assists in his second NHL season. DeBrincat had 28 goals and 52 points as rookie.

Bowman told fans he expects three Swedes who spent parts of the 2017-18 season in Chicago to make bigger contributions. Defensemen Gustav Forsling, 22, and Carl Dahlstrom, 23, should compete for regular jobs. He called out Victor Ejdsell, a 6-foot-5 center, as "someone to look out for" because of his great scoring touch.

Bowman also predicted 23-year old center Luke Johnson, who spent the last two seasons at Rockford of the AHL, would play in Chicago at some point.
- gazza53

Who isn't?

im pointing to Bowman rewarding for past success......thats' my point on Crawford.

You want a bad deal? They sign him for any longer then 2-3 tops above 6 million and Seabrook's will look like a bargain.
- SteveRain

Love Lerhner, but why would he want to resign with this team of an aging core and no direction. He can have his choice of teams coming up, what is the motivation for him to stay ? Get ready for an aging Crawford to carry the load next season unless big changes come and a miracle on ice happens.

Too many excuses. I agree no way he keeps all those pieces but to lose all of them is unacceptable. And for the record Oesterle is doing fine as a cog on the Yotes 3rd Dpair. Adds lot of mobility on the back end.
- SimpleJack

Its not the fact of losing those players its what what the hawks got in return is what so depressing.