I do too. And several ways you could conduct the remaining draft order. Worst record then selects #2 or who knows.

You could do away with the whole lottery thing.

And we would see trade stipulations of "pick 17 protected" in the future.
- Rota's Rooter

Always liked the idea of doing something besides a lottery. Could assign picks (or ranges) in advance. One year, a division's teams get picks 1-8, next year 9-16, then 17-24, then 25-32 then back to the top.

Each team would at least get a pick in the top 8 every 4 years.

And I'd label Maddux the thinking man's pitcher. I think he had better stuff than Buehrle but also wasn't a flamethrower. He had so much movement on his pitches and was just fun to watch him work hitters.
- HawkintheD

Truth

If Davidson is true to form he will likely trade Kurashev at the deadline. He's low priced and under control after next season which makes him attractive to teams that need a forward but can't afford anyone of substance. Any first rounder or a high second would be acceptable for a guy who played almost all season on Bedard's line and the powerplay but only has 8 goals. Probably dreaming about a first rounder for him.

Tanev traded from Calgary to Dallas for a 2nd, a LD prospect and conditional 3rd if Stars reach the finals. NJ acts as middleman and retains 25% and gets a 4th.

Tanev traded from Calgary to Dallas for a 2nd, a LD prospect and conditional 3rd if Stars reach the finals. NJ acts as middleman and retains 25% and gets a 4th.
- boilermaker100

Too bad Murphy is hurt.

Too bad Murphy is hurt.
- bhawks2241

Sadly he is injured
And that is of course making it hard to trade him this year
Next year trade him but not expecting much of a valuable asset for his service

There is not likely a Murphy trade this deadline

Yet I could rationalize a scenario and why not

After Tanez went cheap I shrugged and reflected, he is 34 but he is sort of good and could have cost more in a contenders looking to add him in a seller’s market. But the key apparently for Calgary is that they didn’t need him. Nope they are going to rebuild to some extent, bring in new players and Tanev went for really not even good draft choices as the tier level drops in round two this year

So do the Blackhawks need Murphy? They are going to loose a lot and Murphy always gets injured. As a veteran some team would take him cheap ..,,correct!

Well if KD is willing to take on a bad contract he could drop Murphy to create even more room.

There is not likely a Murphy trade this deadline

Yet I could rationalize a scenario and why not

After Tanez went cheap I shrugged and reflected, he is 34 but he is sort of good and could have cost more in a contenders looking to add him in a seller’s market. But the key apparently for Calgary is that they didn’t need him. Nope they are going to rebuild to some extent, bring in new players and Tanev went for really not even good draft choices as the tier level drops in round two this year

So do the Blackhawks need Murphy? They are going to loose a lot and Murphy always gets injured. As a veteran some team would take him cheap ..,,correct!

Well if KD is willing to take on a bad contract he could drop Murphy to create even more room.
- jhawk59

Big difference, Tanev is set as a UFA, Calgary tried to sign him, he refused, so Calgary took best available deal rather than losr him for nothing. For Dallas, Tanev is a pure rental no commitment past this year

Murphy has 2 more years at $ 4 mil. There are plenty other RD depth defenseman on the market eith more favorable contracts. KD might have to add a sweetener to get rid of Murphy, he isn’t going anywhere.

Big difference, Tanev is set as a UFA, Calgary tried to sign him, he refused, so Calgary took best available deal rather than losr him for nothing. For Dallas, Tanev is a pure rental no commitment past this year

Murphy has 2 more years at $ 4 mil. There are plenty other RD depth defenseman on the market eith more favorable contracts. KD might have to add a sweetener to get rid of Murphy, he isn’t going anywhere.
- LAHawk

Hey thanks for the information input. Your view is correct based on the information I had not researched

One point though stands true: we do not need Murphy

So bye and bye can you say whether Clarke has improved defensively and if so, he still has a long way to go? His performance seems to be to not be a liability in a really bad way and it is his offensive capability where he hopes to provide a difference.

Big difference, Tanev is set as a UFA, Calgary tried to sign him, he refused, so Calgary took best available deal rather than losr him for nothing. For Dallas, Tanev is a pure rental no commitment past this year

Murphy has 2 more years at $ 4 mil. There are plenty other RD depth defenseman on the market eith more favorable contracts. KD might have to add a sweetener to get rid of Murphy, he isn’t going anywhere.
- LAHawk

Really seems like no one will ever re-sign in Calgary..........................

If Davidson is true to form he will likely trade Kurashev at the deadline. He's low priced and under control after next season which makes him attractive to teams that need a forward but can't afford anyone of substance. Any first rounder or a high second would be acceptable for a guy who played almost all season on Bedard's line and the powerplay but only has 8 goals. Probably dreaming about a first rounder for him.
- stevefrmglencoe

I doubt you can get a 1st for him, but you gotta do it if you can.

There is not likely a Murphy trade this deadline

Yet I could rationalize a scenario and why not

After Tanez went cheap I shrugged and reflected, he is 34 but he is sort of good and could have cost more in a contenders looking to add him in a seller’s market. But the key apparently for Calgary is that they didn’t need him. Nope they are going to rebuild to some extent, bring in new players and Tanev went for really not even good draft choices as the tier level drops in round two this year

So do the Blackhawks need Murphy? They are going to loose a lot and Murphy always gets injured. As a veteran some team would take him cheap ..,,correct!

Well if KD is willing to take on a bad contract he could drop Murphy to create even more room.
- jhawk59

Korchinski looked better with Murphy in the line up fwiw - though it looks like he's adjusted better recently. Probably nice for a rookie to know it isn't going to be a poop show on the other side of the ice.

Similar to Jones - Murphy isn't blocking anyone at the moment and it's fine to just let his contract run out. He'll probably have to place hold next year anyway OR maybe he starts seeing more 3rd pairing time. Either way he is still useful.

He has an ambiguous middle body injury (probably back based on his history) and that kind of kills his value anyway. It's not like anyone else played tremendously well and while I'm all for trial by fire to some extent its a little unreasonable to break that many young defenders in at one time.

There's definitely value to having veterans around to take some lumps and eat minutes especially on a younger team.

If Davidson is true to form he will likely trade Kurashev at the deadline. He's low priced and under control after next season which makes him attractive to teams that need a forward but can't afford anyone of substance. Any first rounder or a high second would be acceptable for a guy who played almost all season on Bedard's line and the powerplay but only has 8 goals. Probably dreaming about a first rounder for him.
- stevefrmglencoe

I don't think a GM or scout who actually watched a game would recommend giving up a first for him.

He is bad in his own zone. Very very bad. I don't think he moves off the puck well and his work in the corners is meh and I don't see him as a play driver. His scoring without Bedard is completely non existent.

Bully for him being the only person willing to rip open shots on the net when half the team goes to Bedard but other than that - he doesn't bring any value.

Korchinski looked better with Murphy in the line up fwiw - though it looks like he's adjusted better recently. Probably nice for a rookie to know it isn't going to be a poop show on the other side of the ice.

Similar to Jones - Murphy isn't blocking anyone at the moment and it's fine to just let his contract run out. He'll probably have to place hold next year anyway OR maybe he starts seeing more 3rd pairing time. Either way he is still useful.

He has an ambiguous middle body injury (probably back based on his history) and that kind of kills his value anyway. It's not like anyone else played tremendously well and while I'm all for trial by fire to some extent its a little unreasonable to break that many young defenders in at one time.

There's definitely value to having veterans around to take some lumps and eat minutes especially on a younger team.
- fattybeef

I read a quote from Richardson saying it was a "core, soft-tissue injury".

I've actually been surprised reading various blogs and watching the CapFriendly trade simulator how many times Leafs fans proposed trades for Murphy (before his injury). I've seen a few with him going to Edmonton, and Buffalo as well. It seems that he's held in higher regard outside the Hawks. Maybe since McCabe has played out pretty well for them?

Big difference, Tanev is set as a UFA, Calgary tried to sign him, he refused, so Calgary took best available deal rather than losr him for nothing. For Dallas, Tanev is a pure rental no commitment past this year

Murphy has 2 more years at $ 4 mil. There are plenty other RD depth defenseman on the market eith more favorable contracts. KD might have to add a sweetener to get rid of Murphy, he isn’t going anywhere.
- LAHawk

Agree Murphy isn't going anywhere soon. Gosh, I hope KD doesn't extend him. Maybe he'll be moved next TDL, or definitely the TDL of his walk year. IF he's having a decent season, maybe a Tanev type return (2nd and B prospect) is in the cards. Anyway, he's filling a position (when he's healthy) for another season or so.

By the way anyone ever hear about Murphy complaining about he's tired of losing? McCabe made noises about that last year about his years here and in Buffalo prior. Now, Jones is making those rumblings. But never a word out of Murphy's mouth. Seems like a guy just willing to collect a paycheck and not having to play in pressure situations.

I read a quote from Richardson saying it was a "core, soft-tissue injury".

I've actually been surprised reading various blogs and watching the CapFriendly trade simulator how many times Leafs fans proposed trades for Murphy (before his injury). I've seen a few with him going to Edmonton, and Buffalo as well. It seems that he's held in higher regard outside the Hawks. Maybe since McCabe has played out pretty well for them?
- Chunk

Sports hernia? Blackwell had one about this time last year that extended a few months into this season.

There's an article in puckpedia about the value of cap relief going to a team that acts as a 3rd party in a trade or takes on a cap dump player.

There's a table that shows the average draft pick return for various amounts of cap hit taken on. For example the return for a 2.5M cap hit is a 2nd round pick.

https://puckpedia.com/PerriCapRelief

Agree Murphy isn't going anywhere soon. Gosh, I hope KD doesn't extend him. Maybe he'll be moved next TDL, or definitely the TDL of his walk year. IF he's having a decent season, maybe a Tanev type return (2nd and B prospect) is in the cards. Anyway, he's filling a position (when he's healthy) for another season or so.

By the way anyone ever hear about Murphy complaining about he's tired of losing? McCabe made noises about that last year about his years here and in Buffalo prior. Now, Jones is making those rumblings. But never a word out of Murphy's mouth. Seems like a guy just willing to collect a paycheck and not having to play in pressure situations.
- boilermaker100

There were a couple times toward the end of last year that Murphy mentioned that losing weighed on him (I think it was after Kane left) during post-game interviews. It was his normal stock answers. I think that's more of a personality thing than being a competitive vs complacent person. Some guys just don't want to rock the boat and silently do what they can to improve the situation. Others make more noise.

You can't get to, or stay in, the NHL without being competitive. It's not possible. There are plenty of highly skilled players who couldn't make it in the NHL because they didn't have the drive. Yakupov and Daigle immediately come to mind.

I doubt you can get a 1st for him, but you gotta do it if you can.
- mohel

I don't think Kurashev is going anywhere. KFC signed him to a two year deal when he was only required to sign him for a year.

If Davidson is true to form he will likely trade Kurashev at the deadline. He's low priced and under control after next season which makes him attractive to teams that need a forward but can't afford anyone of substance. Any first rounder or a high second would be acceptable for a guy who played almost all season on Bedard's line and the powerplay but only has 8 goals. Probably dreaming about a first rounder for him.
- stevefrmglencoe

I just don't see him moving Kurashev. He's taken another step this year, at some point you have to keep the assets you develop. He would have to get a Hagel type of deal to move him otherwise he stays here and hopefully continues to develop into a guy who can contribute up and down the line up.

There were a couple times toward the end of last year that Murphy mentioned that losing weighed on him (I think it was after Kane left) during post-game interviews. It was his normal stock answers. I think that's more of a personality thing than being a competitive vs complacent person. Some guys just don't want to rock the boat and silently do what they can to improve the situation. Others make more noise.

You can't get to, or stay in, the NHL without being competitive. It's not possible. There are plenty of highly skilled players who couldn't make it in the NHL because they didn't have the drive. Yakupov and Daigle immediately come to mind.
- Chunk

Good points Chunk.

Wheeler's # 2 has dropped
Sh*t Wings in at 2..

Edvinson(LHD) and Sandin Pellikka(RHD) in tier 1
Kasper(C/LW),Danielson(C),Cossa(G)and Trey Augustine(G) in tier 2
Mazur,Wallinder and Buchelnikov in tier 3

Sabres coming in at #1

My favorite part of the trade deadline is all the incorrect speculation on the players/ teams involved.
I used to like it, but now my head is too filled with reality to play I wonder.

Responding to Steve from the last blog:

Agree on Dean having an impact. Kinda like when Trent Yawney was here and all those guys came up. There needs to be a base level of talent but having the right coach is really important as well.

Reichel is an enigma. You'd think he should be a fast confident attacker who slashes into the middle and creates chances. The technical ability is there. There are some nice passes he makes and there are a few goals he had pulled off the line.

But - I think there are issues with his decision making as well as his positional awareness. I don't think that he knows where to be on the ice or he just has a propensity to drift and hasn't overcome that mentally. Those two things should have been sorted out in the AHL.

Another interesting thing is if you start looking at the top AHL scorers since 2008 his name pops up twice. There are a few players that seem to be developing into decent NHL players but not many. Rossi, for example. (this is drafted prospects filtered)

https://www.eliteprospect...08-2009&prospects=drafted

You don't even see a 35 point player like some of his peers who make it are showing.

I think at this stage you keep him in the AHL for the rest of the year - hope he finds some kind of scoring touch - give him a qualifying offer or even a 2 way deal for like 1.2 million per would be fine - and just see what happens. He either earns a spot and realizes potential or doesn't.
- fattybeef

In terms of Reichel you know he has high level skill, and for the most part he competes hard when he is out there. I don't see it as a lack of effort. That leads me to two conclusions. 1) His confidence is blown and he's pressing, which for the Hawks would be the best case scenario. Send him to Rockford and let him regain his confidence. -OR- 2) He's "hockey dumb", is he a skilled player with low Hockey IQ?, thats a little tougher to solve. You can hope to surround him with high IQ players and just let him do his thing, think Versteeg, but you wait too long and maybe you ruin his confidence forever.

Sign him to a couple of year deal, let him work his way back into the lineup, re-enforce to him that with Bedard, the return of Hall and a few other additions, he doesn't have to be "the one".

Wheeler's # 2 has dropped
Sh*t Wings in at 2..

Edvinson(LHD) and Sandin Pellikka(RHD) in tier 1
Kasper(C/LW),Danielson(C),Cossa(G)and Trey Augustine(G) in tier 2
Mazur,Wallinder and Buchelnikov in tier 3

Sabres coming in at #1
- captainserious

Without having a top 3 draft pick.