Ethan Del Mastro

Big strong defenseman who gets up and down the sheet easily. Outmuscles the opposing players for pucks, and won't be moved from his anchor when in front of his crease. Don't try and take advantage of his teammates with cheapie, because he erupts into a Hulk-like mean streak. Is effect with the puck, quickly advancing it and finding passing lanes in transition, quickly hitting his outlets. uses his long stick and reach to snag loose pucks out of traffic. Places hard shots on net from the blue line. Pinches to sustain pressure. Must work on his lateral agility, but he is a hockey player. Was a member of the Canada’s 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship team.
- wiz1901

Victor Stjernborg
Swedish Centre-wing with good size, good speed, decent hands and shot. Creative playmaker who passes the puck well and displays nice puck handling skills and and anticipation of his linemate's next moves. HIs understanding of his required defense responsibilities might even be ahead of where is offensive game is. He is not an offensive impact player, but is shifty and prefers to be the one carrying the bread (sometimes a bit longer than he should). likes to play at a high-tempo pace and that is how he creates opportunities. Can finish plays with good surprise shots. Hustles to get back in his end and is accomplished without the puck back there. His skating rates as above-average but everything else is average. Projects as a shutdown defensive NHL forward if he puts the work into his development.

--Bill Plazcek--

Honestly I don’t like trading 1st round picks especially when you are not a true contender for a championship. I really wish the cap hit was around 8 million instead but a lot of National writers and commentators think that Chicago didn’t give up enough.
Chicago fans always think they give up too much.
I think if Dale Tallon made the same exact trade all the Bowman haters would think that this would be the greatest trade ever.
Time will tell but the Hawks got the best player in the trade.A number 1 defenseman that’s not a bad thing.
- ger68

I would love to see the links of these national writers basically saying the Hawks fleeced The Jackets on this trade. LOL.

Moreover, did we get the better guy? The underlying metrics over the past couple seasons don't paint quite as a definitive picture. Though yes I'll submit here on July 24th Jones is better than Adam.

Where are the top line prospects?
- Elbows15

Dach & Reichel...and to a lesser extent Borgstrom.

Still trying to figure out your math for 22-23

no idea what the hell happened there. I just logged back in and it was sitting here.
- BINGO!

You can save this post again for next year, when you still will not have a goalie.

Silver lining: Seth Jones is still under his previous contract for one more year and that contract only holds a M-NTC. But the hawks will never get the same value back which they gave up.
- Diamondhands

That reminds me of Carter and Richards being moved before their new deals kicked in.

Dach & Reichel...and to a lesser extent Borgstrom.

Still trying to figure out your math for 22-23
- NamedSources

NExt year they they have 43m spent on 8 player season almost 50 million when you add in sea brook to fill out the roster with 8 rfa looking for raises plus oh yeah no goalies under contract either

I don't get all the negativity of this trade. The fact that you keep 19 and 88 is proof that they are not rebuilding from scratch, but attempting to turn around and retool as quickly as possible.

A cornerstone defenseman is the biggest key for this team to do so. They obviously believe Seth is that man, and has paid him and paid for him, accordingly. If they are correct, this ship is turned around. If not, it won't look pretty.

But this is a move the Hawks had to make. We don't need Boqvist when there are three guys with similar potential in the minors who need playing time. We need the team we have to rise to its potential because the window for 19 and 88 won't stay open for long.

Bowman must know he is being canned and this is (frank) you out the door.

A massive reach at 32.

Trades a 3rd to draft a guy no one has on their board.

Somehow they took Dach by mistake
- Elbows15

The interns on the board have reported back to Bowman and finally answered the Board's (BOD's) prayers for more redass.

NExt year they they have 43m spent on 8 player season almost 50 million when you add in sea brook to fill out the roster with 8 rfa looking for raises plus oh yeah no goalies under contract either
- Abadseed

Yes, if you count Seabrook but he will be on LTIR so that's a non issue.

Connolly won't be on this team and neither will be Carpenter.

So you are around forty million which is about 6.7 per player from the six which is completely manageable. Again...not in cap hell.

Bowman must know he is being canned and this is (frank) you out the door.

A massive reach at 32.

Trades a 3rd to draft a guy no one has on their board.

Somehow they took Dach by mistake
- Elbows15

Imo i do think knows he at least on the hot seat. And whether he gone before the season starts due to interal investigation outcome and what is actually reveal that he possibly had hand in keeping it quiet and covering it up if that is the case. Wait all fact and due process before determining if he had wrong dueing the matter. Or if hawks fail again to make the playoffs and are in bottom of the league again he made a desperate move in acquiring jones and then double down with the 32 pick for player projected in the 4th round. So he knows his days are numbered just my look on things. One more did it seemed odd that the all women standing behind bowman looked displeased to be there as almost puppets because from my view they look happy to be there. And were there as a pr stunt. Maybe i m wrong and it was nothing.

Imo i do think knows he at least on the hot seat. And whether he gone before the season starts due to interal investigation outcome and what is actually reveal that he possibly had hand in keeping it quiet and covering it up if that is the case. Wait all fact and due process before determining if he had wrong dueing the matter. Or if hawks fail again to make the playoffs and are in bottom of the league again he made a desperate move in acquiring jones and then double down with the 32 pick for player projected in the 4th round. So he knows his days are numbered just my look on things. One more did it seemed odd that the all women standing behind bowman looked displeased to be there as almost puppets because from my view they look happy to be there. And were there as a pr stunt. Maybe i m wrong and it was nothing.
- Scott1977

Do you think Bowman has authority to spend $76 mil. Of Wirtz’s money without approval?

Del Mastro was rated 89, got him at 105 so that breaks the pattern..................

Sure looks like they are drafting big strong Dman that can clear the crease and block shots.

I don't know any of them, so I can't really comment, but no female doging about Euro Smurfs today
- vabeachbear

Well, Nylander still sucks, so there you go.

Yes, if you count Seabrook but he will be on LTIR so that's a non issue.

Connolly won't be on this team and neither will be Carpenter.

So you are around forty million which is about 6.7 per player from the six which is completely manageable. Again...not in cap hell.
- NamedSources

Don't believe they are either.

Other than Suter and Z nobody's in line for anything north of $2M this season as far as RFA's or UFA's go.

Shaw comes off the books next year, along with deHaan, Carpenter and Maata's money. That's around $11M.

For that season, Murphy and Lankinen are the only UFA's of note and as far as RFA's it will be Dach, Kubalik, Kalynuk and Kurashev.

Hopefully they've all progressed and played themselves into raises but other than Kubalik they should all be bridge deals.

But that wasn't the full trade, so you have to recalibrate your statistical analysis. That is, the hawks lost about 20 spots in this years 1st round as well as losing Boqvist, while only getting a 6th rounder back.

One could make the argument this would push your 225 game calculation to over 400, perhaps over 500 games (as Boqvist alone should have at least 2 very good years somewhere in the future, probably more).

Thus, the 'breakeven' could be more like needing S.Jones to having 6-7 excellent years. Possible, but now pushing the envelope more vs. your original, more cheery analysis.
- DontKnowNutin

Fair critique. In my defense, the Hawks got a late round lottery ticket from Columbus in the deal.

Additionally, it is my contention that Boqvist is an offensive defenseman and not a solid 2 way guy. I think offensive defensemen end up being irrelevant as the season goes on. Any team can trade for Gustafson for a playoff run.

I wish there was more offense from Jones and I wish there was a bit more snarl in his game. I think it is undeniable that he is one of the top 30 defensemen in the league and he is better than anyone else on the Hawks roster. Jones-Murphy. DeHaan-Zadorov is a big and solid top 4 that can hang around the playoffs.

Yes, if you count Seabrook but he will be on LTIR so that's a non issue.

Connolly won't be on this team and neither will be Carpenter.

So you are around forty million which is about 6.7 per player from the six which is completely manageable. Again...not in cap hell.
- NamedSources

You know a line up is 21 so you have 40 to spend on the other 13 and kublik is already at 3.7.

Do you think Bowman has authority to spend $76 mil. Of Wirtz’s money without approval?
- LAHawk

Yes. If he doesn’t, he should quit. There’s a salary cap. Rocky knows what his max payroll obligations are. If he doesn’t give his GM free reign (more or less) on how to best budget those known expenditures, then he should get a new GM.

Taige Harding

Humongous second year eligible defender who has taken the next step in developing with improving puck and recognition skills. At six foot seven, his wingspan lets him cover multiple assignments and ability at his size to pivot in protection, and displays shut down ability worthy of a mid-round selection. Not close to the player that didn't hear his name called last year. This is the next Colton Parayko in development.

(The Blackhawks traded a 2022 3rd rounder to Carolina)
- wiz1901

Or Viktor Svedberg

Yes. If he doesn’t, he should quit. There’s a salary cap. Rocky knows what his max payroll obligations are. If he doesn’t give his GM free reign (more or less) on how to best budget those known expenditures, then he should get a new GM.
- Ogilthorpe2

That's kind of unrealistic IMO. The GM does the formal work, but no way do they make big moves in a bubble without discussing it.

Don't believe they are either.

Other than Suter and Z nobody's in line for anything north of $2M this season as far as RFA's or UFA's go.

Shaw comes off the books next year, along with deHaan, Carpenter and Maata's money. That's around $11M.

For that season, Murphy and Lankinen are the only UFA's of note and as far as RFA's it will be Dach, Kubalik, Kalynuk and Kurashev.

Hopefully they've all progressed and played themselves into raises but other than Kubalik they should all be bridge deals.
- HawkintheD

If anyone thinks the Hawks are in cap hell and have all these bad contracts...please go to cap friendly and look at the San Jose Sharks

That's kind of unrealistic IMO. The GM does the formal work, but no way do they make big moves in a bubble without discussing it.
- breadbag

He gets paid to spend Wirtz’s money. That’s his job. He has a budget, he better not need to run to his boss to spend within that budget. That would be organizational dysfunction.

If anyone thinks the Hawks are in cap hell and have all these bad contracts...please go to cap friendly and look at the San Jose Sharks
- NamedSources

The cap implications of this trade are the least of my concerns.

He gets paid to spend Wirtz’s money. That’s his job.
- Ogilthorpe2

I'm sure that's in his job description...

Do you think Bowman has authority to spend $76 mil. Of Wirtz’s money without approval?
- LAHawk

Very true maybe the wirtz's wanted to accelerate the rebuild.

I'm sure that's in his job description...
- breadbag

It literally is. Maybe not in those words, but it is.

Again, this is a move that wreaks of a GM that doesn't know what he is doing. The more I think about it the more I hate it.

Number 1-Is Jones good? Yes, I think he is. Does he make the Hawks better? Yes, I think he does. Would any team be happy to have him? yes.

This a "final touches" move. This is the type of move you make to GO FOR THE CUP. You trade a poopload of high picks and overpay for a guy when you believe THAT guy is the final piece. If you are winning Cups those picks don't matter as much.

But alas, this team may still have another year or two of rebuilding "progress" and part of struggling is having access to higher picks, which Bowman has now given away.

It's also not about grabbing another first. Who gives a poop if he works out a deal with Tampa Bay to get a first. We want OUR firsts because the ONE piece of candy for having a bad season is you get to grab a blue chip prospect. I had no problem giving away this years #1 and even AB. But another 2 and another first? That is tracking to potentially giving away 3 top 10 level picks for Jones, who he then overpaid.

I get it Jones is a pending UFA next year he holds some cards, but that also means he doesn't have QUITE THE value as he would if there was more control over him. The package the Hawks gave up would make sense if Jones was in his 3rd year of a 7 year deal at 7.5. But of course Bowman doesn't see that. The same man who traded assets for Weise and Fleishman and handed TWO number 2s out for a Civil War soldier is alive and well in Chicago.
- kwolf68

Absolutely Correct !!