We need to sign a 1st line Center and move Toews to the 3rd line. He's not a viable 1st liner anymore but his ability to shut down players top line is still pretty good.

There's going to be an awful lot of teams interested in De Haan. Somebody is going to have to overpay for him.

Martinsen was just re-signed a couple of weeks ago.
- Elbows15

My mistake, don't know why I thought he went to Europe.

Congrats to Kempny's 4yr. $10M deal. Another misused defensemen by Joel that ends up winning a ring.

Happy Birthday Justin...

still looking overall at a lot of moves to make.

Backup Goalie - Ward

2 vet dmen - cole? De Haan, Faulk?

depth center - Beagle?

Power Forward - JVR? Simmonds? Lucic? Other?

Where's the money coming from...Hossa's cap hit is still there and teams aren't exactly falling over themselves to help the Hawks out on this one. The squeeze is on. What are the Hawks willing to give up to move that cap hit? And if you move AA - who's going to go to the net and plant themselves there - he's the only guy on the team that does it.

Should be an interesting weekend.
- DK002

Exactly DK

They will need to send a pick or player to get somebody to take Hossa's entire cap hit.

They will need to out bid other teams for a JVR or Neal. What assets could possibly land Simmonds?


Just way too many questions to logically think this is an easy fix for this management group. Instead I'd almost rather then see bank the money or sign guys on a 1 yr deal and start evaluating younger talent so the day they move one of their larger "star chips" they know what assets they need back to improve organizational depth.

Justin is Antoine Roussell in that mix at all?

I wonder if Stan is gonna get anyone on a sweetheart deal this time around.

Last year Sharp for cheap - didn't really work out
Year before Campbell for cheap - meh
Summer 2015 - kind of a mess.
Summer 2014 - Brad Richards on a cheap deal.

Makes me wonder if Stan is going to try to slide in a cheap vet (maybe Cam Ward is that guy this year already).

Exactly DK

They will need to send a pick or player to get somebody to take Hossa's entire cap hit.

They will need to out bid other teams for a JVR or Neal. What assets could possibly land Simmonds?


Just way too many questions to logically think this is an easy fix for this management group. Instead I'd almost rather then see bank the money or sign guys on a 1 yr deal and start evaluating younger talent so the day they move one of their larger "star chips" they know what assets they need back to improve organizational depth.
- SteveRain

I keep trying to come up with a deal that makes sense for Carolina where you guys end up with Faulk and I just can't seem to find one.

Thanks for the blog Justin! That lineup will get the Hawks another lottery pick. That defense group, even adding DeHaan, may be the worst in the NHL.
- EnzoD

I love Jack Hughes... so this may work out well.

Justin is Antoine Roussell in that mix at all?
- wonthecup10

Haven't heard his name. Possibly tho.

I liked what I saw from Martinsen last year and believe he'll challenge for a 4th line role. Also believe Hayden will earn a bottom-6 spot. Add a Wingels and I think we have decent grit and size. However, trading AA removes any type of net-front presence we have in the top 6, something sorely needed on the power play...

My guess is the 3 year term is what's giving teams a problem.


- Lido_Shuffle

I don't see the Hawks finding a taker for Hossa's contract

. There just isn't any teams that really need it.

If Hossa is truly retired, I'm assuming the league just penalizes teams in this situation by not letting them move him to LTIR until day one of the season and in this case get his 5MIL in cap space back? That seems kind of ridiculous if everyone knows he truly won't play in the NHL again....but at the end of the day Bettman is Bettman

I liked what I saw from Martinsen last year and believe he'll challenge for a 4th line role. Also believe Hayden will earn a bottom-6 spot. Add a Wingels and I think we have decent grit and size. However, trading AA removes any type of net-front presence we have in the top 6, something sorely needed on the power play...
- Popsghostly

I dunno, I remember seeing a fair amount of goals happen with Saad/Toews creating some traffic in front and even Hayden was a screen on a couple I remember after he was called up late in the year. AA is a good net front presence, but he isn't the only person that creates traffic in front of the net. Maybe they even hope Ejdsell will possibly find a spot on the team with some time going to the net to create a screen.

if that's our lineup I dont expect the playoffs again. Very soft team definitely pass on grant and the d looks weak.

Saad - Toews - Hino
Debrincat - AA or if they trade AA then FA or from the trade - Kane
Schmaltz - FA or trade C - Hayden
young guy - FA or young guys - young guy

I do not want to list Sikura, Highmore, Kampf, Ejdsell, and other young forwards on the opening roster. They need to earn a spot by standing out in camp.

Keith-Murhy/Rutta
de Haan- Seabrook/Rutta
Forsling/Gustafsson-Seabrook/Rutta

But do not rule out a young guy earning a spot.

Crawford
Ward

Can Forsberg go back to Sweden and still have Hawks own his rights?
Anyone hearing anything about Wingels.

A lot of moves are predicated on what happens with Tavares and Karlsson.

Once Tavares is done, teams will know whether they have to shift focus to Stastny, Bozak, and the other consolation prizes. It will also tell you what team suddenly needs to shed some cap, Tavares is likely getting a $10MM+ deal, which complicates almost every team's cap situation.

Karlsson's trade won't happen until at least Tavares signs. I hate to mention 'dominoes' on Hockeybuzz, but the two of them are contingent upon each other. Karlsson wants to go anywhere but Ottawa. His significant wrinkle is that he has one year left on his deal, and Ottawa can't get as much value for EK if the receiving team might not have him beyond this year.

Ottawa is desperately trying to get a high-first rounder back for EK, because they have their 1st next year going to Colorado. And Sakic isn't letting go of that pick for anything, because Ottawa looks primed for an awful year next season (lost Hoffman, Anderson requested a trade, Karlsson requested trade, Duchene is UFA after this year, Ryan has 4 more years at $7MM, Gaborik has 3 more years at $4.875MM, Stone is RFA, the fans hate the owner).

If you're Pierre Dorion you have to weigh the first round pick you're getting back with 'how bad can the team possibly be if I'm trading them Erik Karlsson?'

He could look at NYR, who have two first rounders next year and are in a self-declared rebuild. Or he could look at Detroit, who are in an undeclared rebuild.

Ok, Karlsson aside... a lot of details won't be fleshed out until Tavares and Karlsson happen. Once those two are out it's an overspend party for the likes of JVR, Neal, Stastny, Green, Nash, Jack Johnson, Perron, de Haan.

If I'm Stan I'm looking at the youngest of these players (27,28,29) and trying to convince them to come shore things up in Chicago and make a cup run. Paying a JVR or Neal a 5x$6MM deal is the wrong move. He could also look to finally be on the opposite side of a cap shed (looking at you Winnipeg, Pittsburgh, Washington, whoever signs JT).

Haven't heard his name. Possibly tho.
- Justin Lowe

Saad-Hughes-Kane

I wonder how much Stan has kicked the tires with the Jets on what they are doing. The rumor is they are wanting to keep Stastny, but they likely have to make some changes.

I wonder if the Jets are gonna move someone RFA or look to trade an existing contract. Is Adam Lowry gonna be the odd man out? If the Hawks move AA, he would maybe be a good add.

Chip Alexander: Waddell added that it’s likely that Cam Ward, Derek Ryan and Lee Stempniak will become free agents on July 1st.

Chip Alexander: Waddell on the Jeff Skinner situation: “It’s ongoing. We’ve got a lot of people talking to us. We’ve had decent to good (trade) offers but we haven’t gotten comfortable yet.”

Saad-Hughes-Kane
- EnzoD

Quinn Hughes spotted on Vancouver bridge, threatening to end it all.

‘One more pick. I needed to fall one more pick.’

Projected by previuous poster- Added Anisimov

JVR/Neal-Toews-Debrincat
Saad-Schmaltz-Kane
Grabner-Beagle-Hino
AA-Sikura-Hayden

Keith-Rutta
de Haan-Murphy
Forsling/Gustafsson-Seabrook

Crawford
Ward

a lot of focus on De Haan. What about Hickey?

Congrats to Kempny's 4yr. $10M deal. Another misused defensemen by Joel that ends up winning a ring.
- hawks1186

So the hawks start slow, push comes to shove, and Q gets launched. Meanwhile the Caps start slow which would not be unusual for a team that participated in the finals. And all of a sudden the Caps sign Q as a scout, just like the hawks did, and the writing is on the wall for whoever is coaching the Caps. And here's Kempney with a 4 year sentence waiting to happen.

I keep trying to come up with a deal that makes sense for Carolina where you guys end up with Faulk and I just can't seem to find one.
- BINGO!

Agreed and Hawks don't 'have a whole lotta depth to make it work. That's whY I just don't see it happening. At the draft, maybe....but not now.

happy birthday Justin! Thanks for all you do!