In pro sports it’s not uncommon for general managers to constantly want shinier pennies. Sometimes it’s to upgrade at positions of weakness and sometimes it’s to nab players who have been on the wishlist.
Yet, sometimes it’s because there’s a great talent available even though bringing them on could cause roster issues -- whether financially or for other reasons -- if not carefully managed.
For better or worse, Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has been dubbed in baseball circles as the unofficial winner of every MLB offseason even before it begins.
Hahn doesn’t sit back in the offseason as he swings for the fences with trades and free agent signings. On the one hand, that aggressiveness is nice to see as it shows pursuit of the best.
On the other hand, transactions today can be problematic down the road especially if there’s lack of patience and foresight. There is nothing worse than outbidding yourself, for example.
In the 2019 offseason, the Sox signed top free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal to the team’s biggest contract ever at $18.3M AAV for 4 years (prior high was Jose Abreu’s $11.3M for 6 years).
However, the Sox had a pretty good catcher already in James McCann who was poised to graduate from a backup role after a breakout offensive season.
As to be expected, McCann wasn’t happy about the new acquisition and how it bumped him down a peg on the depth chart. He wasn’t shy to let that be known in the media.
Of course, McCann was still diplomatic in his words but the statement and desire -- feeling that he was next in line to be the starting catcher -- were still there.
Grandal was an upgrade, though, not just as a more established big bat but also as a catcher coveted for his elite ability to frame pitches. In contrast, McCann wasn’t as good at framing.
Earlier this week McCann took his talents to Queens and signed a contract with the New York Mets. The former Sox (and Tigers) draft pick will now be the Mets starting catcher.
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Star Luminosity
Up the 90 to 290 then from Damen to Madison, we land in Blackhawks territory where Kirby Dach was selected 3rd overall in the NHL draft two summers ago.
Rewinding to the early part of the 2018-19 season, the Hawks traded a former 1st rounder in Nick Schmaltz for two former Coyotes 1st rounders in Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini.
Despite apprehension about whether he was worth the hype of also being a 3rd overall pick, Strome didn’t disappoint cashing in with 51 points in 58 games with Chicago.
Strome seemed to be on the rise as the 2nd line center who the Hawks have lacked ever since Jonathan Toews started his tenure as the team’s top pivot.
The pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season was a tale of two trajectories for Dach and Strome. Dach wasn’t expected to progress so quickly from bottom 6 to top 6 during his rookie year.
While he had his growing pains, Dach proved he belongs in the NHL and ended up being the best first-year NHLer from the 2019 draft’s top 3 ahead of Jack Hughes and Kappo Kaako.
Then in the Edmonton bubble, the play-in series against the Oilers and first-round series against the Golden Knights was the stage where Dach leveled up after immense growth during the hiatus.
Dach’s star was shining brighter each night but Strome’s was dimming. In 58 games last season, Strome dropped to 38 points versus 51 in the same number of games the year before.
The postseason wasn’t any better as Strome was invisible most of the time. While he scored the Hawks first goal in the opening game in the bubble, Strome was otherwise a non-factor.
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Edged Out
So, what’s the common denominator between this pair of dyad stories?
Although the arcs are different, each story has one character supplanting another. Also, the character who became second fiddle may get edged out of the system.
Or, in the case of McCann, this has already happened. Strome may not be far behind as his role with the Hawks has been questioned given Dach’s rise and Toews’ resurgence.
It’s definitely a good thing that the Hawks have two young top 6 centers with great to elite potential in Dach and Strome. However, the math doesn’t work: the team has three top 6 centers.
Toews and Dach are essentially locks as the 1st and 2nd line centers. According to the rules of musical chairs, Strome is left without a chair -- at least one that best matches his skillset.
There are chairs up for grabs in the bottom 6 but Strome may not have the requisite traits to thrive there. His skating and defensive deficiencies stand out the most.
What about Strome’s high-end vision and playmaking? Offensive prowess means little if you’re hemmed in your own end or struggling to sustain pressure the opposite way.
Strome’s lot in life could be better if he can either improve upon his deficiencies, mask them with his strengths, and/or have linemates who can compensate for and complement him.
Taking a look at the linemate factor, are there combinations that would make that plausible?
Suter - Toews - Kubalik
Nylander - Dach - Kane
DeBrincat - Strome - Shaw
Janmark - Wallmark - Kampf
Scratches: Carpenter, Highmore, Smith
The 1st and 4th lines have high defensive capabilities -- and obviously more firepower with the Toews line -- but the 2nd and 3rd lines have a lot left to be desired defensively.
Andrew Shaw’s health is also a wild card. If he’s injured, swapping in Ryan Carpenter or Matthew Highmore isn’t much of an upgrade to line up with Strome and Alex DeBrincat.
There are, of course, other line combinations that may play out especially as the forward ranks shake out in training camp and get finalized for opening night.
An alternate solution is having two 2nd lines rather than distinctive 2nd and 3rd lines with Dach and Strome each centering one. A critical precondition is each line having a defensive conscience.
In other words, aim to have offensive weapons on both lines while also balancing in defensive awareness and commitment. Additionally, the lines should have equitable deployment.
Another alternate solution for the Hawks is to cut bait with Strome, gain valuable assets, and entrust others to vie for 3C instead. Lucas Wallmark is the lead candidate which keeps David Kampf at 4C.
What about a rookie? Relying on a newbie to center the 3rd line may not be viable as a future possibility in Philipp Kurashev would be better off gaining another year of experience in the AHL.
The other pivot prospects are either 4Cs at best (i.e. MacKenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson, Mikael Hakkarainen) and/or still a few years away (i.e. Evan Barratt, Jake Wise, Antti Saarela).
Regardless of what happens, one could say that general manager Stan Bowman exchanged Schmaltz for a shinier penny in Strome. The change in scenery seems to be favorable for both of them.
But then, an even shinier penny in Dach was found -- drafted in this case -- as he leapfrogged Strome in short order. That’s not a bad thing unless -- as just described -- Strome doesn’t fit anymore.
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Recurring Theme
Where have we seen this before where there wasn’t enough room in this town for more than one cowboy?
Two summers ago the Hawks traded Dominik Kahun to the Penguins for Olli Maatta in an attempt to upgrade the blueline with a veteran who was defensively wired.
However, a week later, Calvin de Haan unexpectedly became available as the Hurricanes had other plans for its D corps. The Hawks were now up two new rearguards each earning north of $4M.
This $8.5M was too high of a cap hit when taking into account the $16.2M already invested in Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Connor Murphy -- especially now in a youth movement.
Maatta waved bye after one season as he was traded to the Kings for career minor leaguer Brad Morrison. So, the player who signed second (de Haan) stayed over the first (Maatta).
Moreover, perhaps landing Mattias Janmark then Lucas Wallmark days later could have a similar storyline by the trade deadline or next offseason.
If a choice had to be made today to retain only one of them, I would hands down keep Wallmark over Janmark due to greater offensive upside, positional versatility, and intelligence.
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Platoon to Lampoon
The Maatta-de Haan and Janmark-Wallmark scenarios are noteworthy but there is none bigger than inking Robin Lehner to a one-year deal last summer to play with Corey Crawford.
Like de Haan, Lehner suddenly went on the market when the Islanders decided not to re-sign him. As a result, the Hawks instantly created a 1A and 1B goalie situation.
The thing is, though, the Hawks hadn’t planned on having a goalie platoon for 2019-20. With Lehner now on board, those plans changed rather swiftly.
As the story goes, the Hawks traded Lehner supposedly giving the nod to Crawford as the #1 for the foreseeable future. Today, the Hawks have neither of them.
Maybe the team would have gotten to this point anyway as they formally announced a youth movement not just for the entire team but particularly in net.
Bowman and head coach Jeremy Colliton claim that the youth movement has been going on for longer than they officially stated in interviews during the early fall.
If that was the case, then what was the point of signing Lehner? He’s not young as he was 28 when he signed his one-year contract with the Hawks.
Then there’s the concern of why the Hawks just let Crawford walk into free agency and didn’t trade him instead to recoup draft picks and/or prospects.
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Alternate Universe
Going back to Dach and Strome, an out-there lineup strategy to keep in the back pocket is doing what Team Canada has been doing with Dach as they prepare for the WJC: play him at wing.
As many may recollect, Strome was also tried at wing last season with less than optimal results but that doesn’t mean the coaches wouldn’t try this again.
While it may be preferred that they both play center, it may be beneficial to have that positional flexibility. It shouldn’t be the default lineup strategy, though.
The exception would be if the coaching staff is intent on Toews, Wallmark, and Kampf down the middle given their faceoff superiority. This would mean Dach or Strome is 2C with the other at wing.
Or again, Strome gets dealt for futures granting Dach full reign.
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Readers Q&A Mailbag
Calling all readers! If you have any questions you want to ask about the Blackhawks or IceHogs, please send me a private message or email me at
[email protected].
All questions will be answered and featured in next week’s mailbag blog to close out a whirlwind 2020. Thank you to those who have submitted questions already!
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See you on the boards!
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