On the heels of my breakdown of what the Hawks need to do this offseason, and how I think they might do it, I've received a lot of interesting feedback and scenarios.
In truth, there are any number of ways Stan Bowman can get the Blackhawks under the cap for 2010-11. The challenge lies in making the right subtractions and additions to optimally position the team for success during the season, and less cap trouble going forward.
Personally, I like to think bigger and more creatively. Then, I temper that with the fact that Bowman seems conservative by nature, and as the Hawks just won a Cup, most GMs would be loathe to "tinker with success."
And that's how you end up with a prescription like the one I outlined yesterday: fairly conservative.
But if you broaden the possibilities to include trades involving larger pieces— even some of the "core" players— you end up with some very interesting possibilities.
Say, for example, if the Hawks sent Kris Versteeg, Cristobal Huet and a piece like Brent Seabrook to Atlanta for Rich Peverley, Ondrej Pavelec and a #1 pick. Is it a good deal? I don't know. It would give the Hawks a ton of cap relief and bring in some low-priced, yet somewhat proven NHL players who could fill key roles on the Hawks. Sure, Seabrook is a huge price to pay. But you also have the continued emergence of Niklas Hjalmarsson to possibly offset his loss in the top pairing. Again, I'm not saying this is a good trade. Just an example of the kind of deals that might be out there.
There was some discussion here and elsewhere yesterday of the feasibility of a deal sending Brian Campbell and one of the Hawk forwards to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle. Interesting.
Apparently the Hawks have officially signed Swedish center/wing Niklas Persson out of the KHL. The 31 year old Persson projects as a 3rd line center or wing with superior defensive qualities and outstanding hands. If he is as good as advertised, this could free the Hawks up, perhaps, to make some bigger deals.
So let's open it up. Either post your scenarios on the board or PM me with them. I'll put the best 2-3 in a blog tomorrow (with your member name or actual name if you prefer).
Your job is to subtract $13 million from the Hawks' cap commitment next year. Assume Nik Hjalmarsson, Antti Niemi, and Andrew Ladd are signed.
How do you do it? Why are you doing what you suggest?
Remember, Campbell has a limited no-trade clause.
Bear in mind, there will be a fair amount of quality free agent veterans on the market: one such veteran could be Oilers forward (and former Hawk) Ethan Moreau, who is believed to be a near-term buyout candidate. Would a guy like Moreau (who would be great in the Hawks' bottom 6), return to Chicago and a shot at the Cup, for $600K next year?
I am also hearing that at least 4 GMs are "hot" for Chicago players. And I agree with Bob McKenzie that chief among those will likely be Dale Tallon in Florida. For the same reasons, add Rick Dudley in Atlanta. The Leafs are heavily in the market for forwards and are said to covet Patrick Sharp. The Senators or Hurricanes might be possibilities. What could the Hawks send to those teams and get back that alleviates cap issues, fills roster holes and has some upside?
I will evaluate the proposals based on the Hawks' cap needs, the practicality of the proposals in terms of contracts and CBA rules, other teams' needs and cap situations.
I await your thoughts. Have fun!
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»