There is a glimmer of hope as someone pointed out last night that losing Scuderi, Rundblad and whatever is potentially on the horizon for cap growth could get things close to what they need for Panarin.

Lets hope for a stronger Canadian dollar over the next twelve months, and at least one Canadian team making a deep playoff run.
- Return of the Roar

More than one way to skin a cat. Indeed there are other options to clear space besides moving Crow.

No choice but to trust the scouts, StanBow's ability to make the numbers work and hope for some luck.

Haven't let myself think about Crow not being the Hawk goalie but it still scares the hell out of me just the same.

Am I correct that both AA and Krug became NMC today? Or at least, they went to much more restricted?
- Cmonalready

Doesn't Kruger's start next season? Thought I read that somewhere...

One hour until the madness..!

The question on Panarin was his size. Pictures started coming about him working out like a beast in the off-season that gave most people an idea he could be tough enough at least. His size was the only question and for what he was signed for a risk WELL worth the move. Shipachyov is also not overly big, but DOES have a reputation of avoiding contact at every chance. His numbers in the KHL ARE very impressive, but I see him more as fools gold as opposed to the Gold that Panarin is. But I get it...because you draw water from the well, may as well take the bucket back and get some more. Panarin is also 5 or 6 years younger.
- kwolf68

Great points Kwolf. I am just dreaming that the chemistry that Panarin and Shipachyov would transfer to the NHL. Likely a pipe line dream

Campbell resigned.

Am I correct that both AA and Krug became NMC today? Or at least, they went to much more restricted?
- Cmonalready

Yup. Anisimov I think has a full NTC now and Kruger has a modified one (he names 7 teams he CAN'T be traded to). So Hawks have even LESS flexibility going forward. They literally do not have a single guy on this roster they can move to open up cap space for 72 unless that player approves it.

One hour until the madness..!
- Hank3Henshaw

62 Minutes to go playa

One hour until the madness..!
- Hank3Henshaw

AA NMC, Kruger NTC next season
- Return of the Roar

They better keep Krugs

Campbell resigned.
- Hank3Henshaw

This is very good news, but tempered by the rumors TVR may be shipped off (can't wait to see the return on him...wonder if we'll add in a sweetener to get rid of him). Having Soupy playing third pair and then slotting up for PowerPlays or in other game situations would give the Hawks the deepest and potentially strongest D core we've ever had. Hell,even better than 2010 when we rolled out Brent Sopel, Jordyn Hendry and Nick Boynton on the third pair.

Doesn't Kruger's start next season? Thought I read that somewhere...
- Rupe89

Yep, thought I remembered reading this. Kruger's modified doesn't start until next year.

http://www.generalfanager.com/players/500

Q would disagree as his jamming Dano and TT in at LW showed great results....... Agree, most guys aren't flexible enough to be effective being moved out of position.
- Mr Ricochet

And how did that work out? But I take your point.

They better keep Krugs
- Assman22

Agree. I have no interest in trading Kruger. I think in a different role he could score more. Solid 200 foot game, winner, warrior, wins draws, sacrifices for the team, PK specialist. Yea, he's a tad overpaid, but what's a few hundred thousand among friends?

They better keep Krugs
- Assman22

Hawks will have three more forwards they can add to their protected list for the draft.

Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger · 19s20 seconds ago

Again strong likelihood Ladd goes to the Islanders. Okposo to the Sabres and Eriksson to the Canucks. Confirmation will come after paperwork

What? Thought he was going back to the KHL.
- Hank3Henshaw

Just wait he will go back

Campbell resigned.
- Hank3Henshaw

Yep, sounds like 2 million with potential bonus's that, if matched, get put on next years cap. So that said...if we are going with a 22 man roster the last spot could go to someone for anywhere between 2-2.5 million...depending on who the fourth liners will be.

Why is everyone over the moon over this guy? He wreaks of a guy who will do very well on bigger ice, but get swallowed up when the game gets heavy on NA ice.
- kwolf68

He has outstanding vision, and is a very good skater. I think he has so much skill that making the transition to the NHL wouldn't be very difficult.

Just wait he will go back


- jhawk159

Yeah he will.

Hawks will have three more forwards they can add to their protected list for the draft.
- Return of the Roar

Is there a limit to the number of NMC's or NTC's a team can have? What if going into the expansion draft a team has more NMC's than the expansion rules allow?

Well, I won't pretend to know as much about the relative abilities of goaltenders as some,, but . . .

Darling was good enough in 2015. Without him delivering hugely, the Hawks bounced in Round 1. Pretty much fact.
- John Jaeckel

um.....you might say he was actually spectacular in that first round......

Yup. Anisimov I think has a full NTC now and Kruger has a modified one (he names 7 teams he CAN'T be traded to). So Hawks have even LESS flexibility going forward. They literally do not have a single guy on this roster they can move to open up cap space for 72 unless that player approves it.
- kwolf68

Man, I wonder how much StanBo knew about expansion and an expansion draft over the past couple years. It seems these NMCs that he gave away like candy at the 4th of July parade are going to haunt him.

If next year we did have a Crawford or AA or Krug, or even, tough as this sounds, Seabs, grabbed by Vegas, we could at least look to the cap room that bad event creates. But with the NMCs, we'll lose a younger, lower cost player, stay in cap hell, etc.

Or maybe Stan knew exactly about this, and wanted to give these NMCs exactly to protect them from the expansion draft (I think this is unlikely, because he could have simply protected them).

so Yakupov is a left handed shot, which I would assume means RW is the best spot for him, but maybe him playing on LW would be good in terms of puck possession? easier to collect passes alongside the boards? any good examples of wingers playing the same side as their shot?
- arps714

In the same way that the right-handed Ovie likes to step up from the left side circle and let the laser bomb go, Yakupov has been much of a one trick pony pro doing the same from the off handed right side.

I was about to fall asleep last night and was trying to search my feeble memories of when both lined up on the same line on the Sarnia Sting...I know Alex Galchenyuk is now am exclusive centre for the Habs but I was trying to think was Yakupov placed in the centre position when the moved Galchenyuk to wing...
wasn't Saad there too (when his injured groin wasn't a concern)...somehow my feeble mind recalls yakupov was moved to LW at times while Saad was on the RW...

...or at very least yakupov was solely used as Galchenyuk RW, that sometimes he did play the LW.

I have no ide where those sarnia DVD's are...my wife hopes I don't start looking and I throw more out...

Should be quite the interesting bunch up there... Weber, Gallagher, Shaw, possibly Weise, Radulov. They did get a lot more snarl I'll give Bergy that.
- 93Joe

Don't know how this will work out for MTL but think they are gonna be fun to watch. Hopefully Price will stay healthy all year. ......Gotta root for Bergevin.

He has outstanding vision, and is a very good skater. I think he has so much skill that making the transition to the NHL wouldn't be very difficult.
- Dabearshawks

In the NHL you gotta be able to handle physical play. TONS of great skaters out there who get swallowed up when the checking starts. The guy is soft. We don't have the money anyway and not even sure if he's available so I am not worried about him.