Tyler Cameron: Ranking the Best Blackhawks Moves this Summer There shouldn't be a Hawks fan out there that should be wishing Stan Bowman did "more" this summer. Because the reality is Chicago was one of the most active teams this offseason – if not the busiest – as the Hawks will look a lot different this year vs. last season.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I wanted to take the time to rank the top 5 moves that Stan and the Blackhawks made this summer.

First ever First i believe

This may be true of all teams, but the health of the new players is critical to the Hawks. DeHaan, Maatta, Shaw, Lehner each have had health issues. If they are healthy all year and Dach makes the team and excels this summer would be considered a very good summer for Bowman.

Last summer, I was screaming from a mountaintop, "SIGN DE HAAN!!!" in hopes that Stan Bowman would hear me. He did not. Or what he heard was "BRANDON MANNING IS GOOD".

When you're screaming from the mountain tops, I find you really need to annunciate. Words can get real murky real quickly.

Congrats VA! Way be be Jonny on the spot!

My list goes Lehner, Dach, de Haan, Shaw, Maatta. Kubalik wasn’t a summer move (acquired midseason). Most frown on Maatta but this defense sorely needed stay at home d-men and Stan went out and got two plus Lehner. JC getting all he needs to compete but no excuses now. Hawks in win-now mode, let’s go boys!

Carryover from the previous blog.

“Puljujarvi would come much cheaper than Nylander.”

Perlini for Puljujarvi, is a lot cheaper than Jokiharju for Nylander!

Carryover from the previous blog.

“Puljujarvi would come much cheaper than Nylander.”

Perlini for Puljujarvi, is a lot cheaper than Jokiharju for Nylander!
- walleyeb1

Sure is! Would’ve loved to see Jok go to TB with a couple other pieces for Point rather than Nylander.

Thanks for the early am blog and no need for apologies. After all the moves in June and July there was bound to be a period of inactivity from the Hawks and August is historically slow around these parts.

I don’t have the numbers but I bet lbr does. Kidding, not looking to create more work for you Lady B.

Should be a fun season highlighted by the moves the team made and seeing how all these guys mesh after a full camp.

Obviously if Dach can stick and show he belongs up, that would be a big addition to the top 9. I still like the idea of him with Saad and Shaw.

Sure is! Would’ve loved to see Jok go to TB with a couple other pieces for Point rather than Nylander.
- Assman22

That might have been great for this year but I don’t really think has an eye on the future...maybe/maybe not, but it likely forces them to trade a good player for pennies on the dollar next season in order to sign new deals for 12 and 17.

Great blog Tyler, my only complaint is you considering a guy that’s 28 an older guy, because that would make me a very old guy!

Must admit not a fan of Lehner signing. I think it actually reduces your cap by 5 million . I mean let face it every night there is going to be a player who is getting paid 5-6 million dollar guy sitting on your bench. Another 5-6 million dollar defence men maY LOOK AT LOT BETTER.

Tyler, Drinking a beer already this morning (if so good for you) or did you write this last night and publish it this a.m.?

Tyler, Drinking a beer already this morning (if so good for you) or did you write this last night and publish it this a.m.?
- boilermaker100

Beer around the clock at the cottage. Ha.

I wrote last night ans published this morning.

Congrats VA! Way be be Jonny on the spot!

My list goes Lehner, Dach, de Haan, Shaw, Maatta. Kubalik wasn’t a summer move (acquired midseason). Most frown on Maatta but this defense sorely needed stay at home d-men and Stan went out and got two plus Lehner. JC getting all he needs to compete but no excuses now. Hawks in win-now mode, let’s go boys!
- Assman22

Correct, Kubalik was a spring trade but he was signed this summer. He wasn't a for sure thing to sign with Chicago so Bowman still had work to do after he traded for his rights.

Cheers Ty--enjoy

I like the list and those would be my 5 best moves too. Add Smith, Maatta, Carpenter, Nylander and almost half the team is different from the end of the season. Add Strome, Perlini, Caggiula and more than half of the team is different than the start of last season. I don't think anyone can accuse Stan of being asleep at the wheel lately.

Must admit not a fan of Lehner signing. I think it actually reduces your cap by 5 million . I mean let face it every night there is going to be a player who is getting paid 5-6 million dollar guy sitting on your bench. Another 5-6 million dollar defence men maY LOOK AT LOT BETTER.
- Ging72

You are right that $5-6M on the bench every night is not ideal, but look at what not having a solid backup has done the past two years. The beauty of the Lehner signing is that he got it done for only one year. Depending on how the year plays out, there could be a number of good options in net to follow and there is flexibility with the cap.

Out of curiosity, which $5-6M defenseman would you like to see on the Hawks?

Must admit not a fan of Lehner signing. I think it actually reduces your cap by 5 million . I mean let face it every night there is going to be a player who is getting paid 5-6 million dollar guy sitting on your bench. Another 5-6 million dollar defence men maY LOOK AT LOT BETTER.
- Ging72

disagree...signing lehner to a 1 year deal was the best strategic move that stanbow has made in years...

#50 has been the hawks best player for the last 6 years when not injured...now with parts of two seasons missed with injuries and head trauma plus an expiring contract at age 36...

just a outstanding signing...a wise move of cap space for the medium to long term
and let me be clear i am not craw is DONE guy...never count him out...

disagree...signing lehner to a 1 year deal was the best strategic move that stanbow has made in years...

#50 has been the hawks best player for the last 6 years when not injured...now with parts of two seasons missed with injuries and head trauma plus an expiring contract at age 36...

just a outstanding signing...a wise move of cap space for the medium to long term
and let me be clear i am not craw is DONE guy...never count him out...
- bogiedoc

All it takes is one injury for Crawford and/or one cold streak in the playoffs and Bowman looks like a genius. I'm a huge Crawford fan, but the reality is that both of these situations are possible. The reality is that Crawford will be 35 at the end of the season and he has a history with concussions. The Hawks need to start thinking about the long-term situation in-between the pipes and they don't have any prospects ready to make the jump.

All it takes is one injury for Crawford and/or one cold streak in the playoffs and Bowman looks like a genius. I'm a huge Crawford fan, but the reality is that both of these situations are possible. The reality is that Crawford will be 35 at the end of the season and he has a history with concussions. The Hawks need to start thinking about the long-term situation in-between the pipes and they don't have any prospects ready to make the jump.
- DarthKane

Let's also remember that Binnington and Niemi are not the norm. Everyone likes to see the prospects succeed, but you cannot run your team on hope. If the prospect shows they are ready, fine. At this point in time, Lankinen and Delia are really nice prospects. Delia showed he's got some talent, but needs a lot of work on consistency. Lankinen showed in 19 games last year that he can hold his own in the AHL. I'm not banking on any of that for my NHL backup.

Hawks made some great moves to improve the team. I really like everything you highlighted in the blog TC.

The other thing I think we can't overlook are the coaching changes. I like that they have taken time to really build the staff they want and show they are all on the same page. The roster moves are key, but I think the biggest place I want to see improvement is in the overall team commitment to defense when needed. Nobody on the ice should be cheating or mailing it in defensively. I hope the coaches can give the team a solid plan and that they players buy in 100%. I think the Hawks have enough talent to hang with anyone if they improve the team game.

Let's also remember that Binnington and Niemi are not the norm. Everyone likes to see the prospects succeed, but you cannot run your team on hope. If the prospect shows they are ready, fine. At this point in time, Lankinen and Delia are really nice prospects. Delia showed he's got some talent, but needs a lot of work on consistency. Lankinen showed in 19 games last year that he can hold his own in the AHL. I'm not banking on any of that for my NHL backup.
- Chunk

I'm not ready to write-off Delia but I don't have faith he'll be an NHL goalie anytime soon. Lankinen made a huge jump at the Worlds, if he can have a great season in Rockford he might be ready for NHL back-up duty the following season.

You can spin 2-5 any way you want because at the end of the day the team made improvements in sorely needed areas, but to me, the #1 acquisition made by Stan this offseason is without a doubt Dach.

I said it then when he was drafted and I’ll say it now, but it’s only a matter of time before 19 passes the torch to this kid, and that thought gave me goosebumps.

Not only do I think Dach will pan out, but I think he’s going to be the face of the franchise for years to come. Everything I’ve seen from this kid - from his skill set, to how he carries himself, to his leadership abilities displayed - indicates to me that he’s going to succeed, and the Hawks truly did luck out here.

We can talk about how much of an impact Lehner, de Haan, Shaw, etc. will have on the organization, but I don’t think any of them will end up transcending it as much as Dach will, which is why to me he’s the clear-cut #1 “move” made by Stan.

You can spin 2-5 any way you want because at the end of the day the team made improvements in sorely needed areas, but to me, the #1 acquisition made by Stan this offseason is without a doubt Dach.

I said it then when he was drafted and I’ll say it now, but it’s only a matter of time before 19 passes the torch to this kid, and that thought gave me goosebumps.

Not only do I think Dach will pan out, but I think he’s going to be the face of the franchise for years to come. Everything I’ve seen from this kid - from his skill set, to how he carries himself, to his leadership abilities displayed - indicates to me that he’s going to succeed, and the Hawks truly did luck out here.

We can talk about how much of an impact Lehner, de Haan, Shaw, etc. will have on the organization, but I don’t think any of them will end up transcending it as much as Dach will, which is why to me he’s the clear-cut #1 “move” made by Stan.
- TommyHawk

Good post, Tommy. I tend to agree on Dach, but it is pretty early in the process with him. I would pump the brakes until camp is underway, but I do share the enthusiasm for him.

Just watched the final ‘On the Clock’ video that the Blackhawks put out, and there was an interesting nugget in there at the draft between Kelley/Stan where Stan tells Kelley that he didn’t receive a single offer from anyone to trade up to 3. Those picks are truly premium picks, so it wouldn’t make any sense for any team to even bother making proposals without offering the house.