You list 22 players. 13 forwards, 8 dmen, 1 goalie. I put it on a spreadsheet. Using your assumptions with 110% qualifying offer to Strome, Kubalik, Lankinen, Highmore, and K4 (since Caggiula is making over $1 mil they do not have to offer him any increase) the total would be $76,209,878. If the cap is $83 mil (again using your assumptions) the Hawks will have $6,790,122. My guess is they move Maatta and sign Mitchell to an entry level contract. That frees up another $3 mil+. So now the total is about $10 mil. With that you need to sign a #1 goalie and pay bonuses. You resign Crow for $4 mil. There will still be plenty of excess to sign Strome and Kubalik to larger more realistic contracts. Maybe $2.5 mil to $4 mil each for Kubalik and Strome. We can debate who gets how much. Also you can start the year with a 20 man roster to minimize the cap hit on day one. You can begin utilizing LTIR on day 2 in the likely event that one or more of Shaw, Seabs, deHaan is not ready to go (or may never be ready to go) or someone else gets injured in camp. This is one way it could work. There are probably 100 other scenarios.
- -Doh-

YOu can also do what Toronto did and put Shaw Seabs or DaHaan if necessary on LTIR before the season, you just get no LTIR salary relief for them during the year.

Can someone explain why Gustafsson is on PP1, and Boqvist is on PP2?

Gus is likely not here next year, how about getting the rookie some PP1 reps?

Only reason would be to showcase dumb @ss as a PPQB before the trade deadline?
- scottak

Gus and Kane also have pretty good chemistry - that could be another reason.

Gus is not what these teams are looking for, they are looking for big strong defensive defensman as depth. Obviously Scandella is a Bowmeister replacement.

I think Seabs even in his current condition would fetch more than Gus
- LAHawk

Gus' main reason for value is his low cap hit. This is a plus for cap strapped teams looking for depth on defense and a few of those teams have encountered injuries to their D.

Gus is not what these teams are looking for, they are looking for big strong defensive defensman as depth. Obviously Scandella is a Bowmeister replacement.

I think Seabs even in his current condition would fetch more than Gus
- LAHawk

Yes, all three trades today involved defensive defensemen with no term. Stan doesn't have the proper assets to trade away.

Nice GM'ing. Wish our guy could pull off stuff like that.
- 67hawks

In Free Agency - do you think players look at a team/GM and weigh if he is willing to trade players often or keep players for the life (or close to the life) of the contract? I understand in the business world (which hockey is) players are assets, but sometimes it is nice to know you are wanted.

Make Blackhawks a playoff team
Fire Colliton and sign Laviolette. And there ya have it folks. No giant trades, no giant shakeups with goalies or the power play or or or. Just one nice simple dump. Just watch this defensive system that Colliton is running, er, that he is TRYING to run. Boq or Gus or 4K latch onto someone and follow them, and BINGO, there is a nice giant space for our opponent and our goalie must stop a quality shot. Happens all the time. I have never seen anything like this. It is truly mind boggling. Now, if beer league coach stays, trades need to be made. If Ottawa can get a 3rd rounder for DeMelo, then Gus is a STEAL for a 1st rounder. But realistically, a 2nd rounder should be easy to get. We see that Colorado had VERY high hopes of winning the West, and now have MASSIVE injuries all over the place. We want Bowen Byram, Alex Newhook, a 1st round pick. So, WHAT assets do we have to give up ?? Is Bowman gonna shock us all ?? If we are gonna do a GIANT trade, the Av's look like the partner.
- MadHatter

Is this serious? Or an attempt at comedy?

https://www.nhl.com/canad...d-to-st-louis/c-315221740

Will someone please wake up Stanley. Pretty soon there will be no place left for Gus to go to.
- Rota's Rooter

You think he can just make a team want that idiot?

You list 22 players. 13 forwards, 8 dmen, 1 goalie. I put it on a spreadsheet. Using your assumptions with 110% qualifying offer to Strome, Kubalik, Lankinen, Highmore, and K4 (since Caggiula is making over $1 mil they do not have to offer him any increase) the total would be $76,209,878. If the cap is $83 mil (again using your assumptions) the Hawks will have $6,790,122. My guess is they move Maatta and sign Mitchell to an entry level contract. That frees up another $3 mil+. So now the total is about $10 mil. With that you need to sign a #1 goalie and pay bonuses. You resign Crow for $4 mil. There will still be plenty of excess to sign Strome and Kubalik to larger more realistic contracts. Maybe $2.5 mil to $4 mil each for Kubalik and Strome. We can debate who gets how much. Also you can start the year with a 20 man roster to minimize the cap hit on day one. You can begin utilizing LTIR on day 2 in the likely event that one or more of Shaw, Seabs, deHaan is not ready to go (or may never be ready to go) or someone else gets injured in camp. This is one way it could work. There are probably 100 other scenarios.
- -Doh-

All true, but you reinforce my general point that ANY new cap space can ONLY come from moving higher contract players in exchange for less cap in return.

Maatta for Mitchell - makes a lot of sense if you have a taker for him with two years left. Honestly, Maatta has played decent this year.

Maatta having two more years on his deal hurts his value.
- Elbows15

3 dmen moved today. All UFA's.

Maatta has 4G and 12 A and is a plus 9 (if you put any stock in the +/- stat) playing 18 minutes per game.

You can look at this in one of two ways.
A) Two more years at $4.083 mil hurts his trade value
B) Having a 2nd/3rd pairing defender that is 25 years old and cost controlled for 2 more years helps his trade value

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. A team may want him to fill in a short term weakness for this year and the playoffs and can hope to deal him in the offseason.

Maatta having two more years on his deal hurts his value.
- Elbows15

Maatta will have value next year at this time for a team that has to expose a D in the expansion draft.

https://www.nhl.com/canad...d-to-st-louis/c-315221740

Will someone please wake up Stanley. Pretty soon there will be no place left for Gus to go to.
- Rota's Rooter

Or teams still looking for a defensemen will have fewer choices, panic, and overpay.

Maatta will have value next year at this time for a team that has to expose a D in the expansion draft.
- boilermaker100

Excellent point!

All true, but you reinforce my general point that ANY new cap space can ONLY come from moving higher contract players in exchange for less cap in return.

Maatta for Mitchell - makes a lot of sense if you have a taker for him with two years left. Honestly, Maatta has played decent this year.
- Return of the Roar

Yes. I think we would all agree that replacing higher contract players with lower contract players increases cap space.

In the NFL, they have those yellow lines on the TV screen to show where a 1st down would be. Well, the channels who broadcast Hawks games with Colliton defense, should put big yellow smiley face, in the space where Hawk Dmen vacate. Pat and Eddie can have something to talk about besides home made cookies.

In the NFL, they have those yellow lines on the TV screen to show where a 1st down would be. Well, the channels who broadcast Hawks games with Colliton defense, should put big yellow smiley face, in the space where Hawk Dmen vacate. Pat and Eddie can have something to talk about besides home made cookies.
- MadHatter

And soft serve!

Wonder how the discussions that Tyler alluded to between Lehner and the Hawks are progressing? Does Lehner get the next two starts to showcase him? Has Stan had any discussions with other teams regarding Lehner? Has Stan asked Crow about his 10 team no trade list?

So many questions, so few answers.

Wonder how the discussions that Tyler alluded to between Lehner and the Hawks are progressing? Does Lehner get the next two starts to showcase him? Has Stan had any discussions with other teams regarding Lehner? Has Stan asked Crow about his 10 team no trade list?

So many questions, so few answers.
- boilermaker100

I don't know about the starts. do you think Lehner needs any more showcasing? If anything I would think he would not play to avoid injury.

3 dmen moved today. All UFA's.

Maatta has 4G and 12 A and is a plus 9 (if you put any stock in the +/- stat) playing 18 minutes per game.

You can look at this in one of two ways.
A) Two more years at $4.083 mil hurts his trade value
B) Having a 2nd/3rd pairing defender that is 25 years old and cost controlled for 2 more years helps his trade value

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. A team may want him to fill in a short term weakness for this year and the playoffs and can hope to deal him in the offseason.
- -Doh-

His two years hurts his trade value at the TDL. Teams are looking for rental depth. His lack of mobility isn't going to help, either. The league is getting faster every season. Bowman needs to move him as sonn as he can. May have wait intil the off-season to move him.

The Hawks need to get more mobile on their back end. Murphy is RH, cheaper and better. Maatta would be fine if at least 4 of the other defenders are mobile. They aren't.

Gus and Kane also have pretty good chemistry - that could be another reason.
- pdx2ord

Which has resulted in 2 PP goals and 6 PP assists for Gus - and 3 Kane assists on Gus goals and two Gus assists on Kane goals all strengths.

Is it still today?

When does tomorrow start?

Who are the Hawks of tomorrow?

Who are the Hawks of tomorrow?
- EbonyRaptor

Probably the same as yesteryear

Alec Martinez being held out of the line-up tonight. Looks like he will go to the GoldenKnights for 2 2nd rounders

Yes. I think we would all agree that replacing higher contract players with lower contract players increases cap space.
- -Doh-

Instead of being snarky, you could read what I said - the ONLY new space they can get is from unloading larger contracts. Meaning releases/non-re-ups/trades.