https://www.secondcityhoc...ghts-ohl-2019-2020-season

Is Boqvist growing? When did he reach 6 ft?

Well, no team that has a top 2 defenseman ready to break into the league (and cost controlled, too) is gonna trade him for a prospect, especially another defensive prospect.
- mohel

Bettman won't let them.

https://www.secondcityhockey.com/2019/3/5/18251656/blackhawks-adam-boqvist-talks-returning-to-london-knights-ohl-2019-2020-season

Is Boqvist growing? When did he reach 6 ft?
- hankscorpio

Oct. 14th.

For as heretical as that seems, there is a hard truth to it that deserves serious consideration. It's all a bit of a guessing game trying to assess when Boqvist and other prospects will be ready to be key pieces on a contending team or to be more specific whether they will be ready within the T&K window. I'm not knowledgeable enough nor close enough to make that assessment, but hopefully the Hawks brain trust have a good handle on it.

What complicates the decision process is the nostalgic pull of going for it one more time with T&K. There's a siren's song element to it that is hard to ignore. All this thinking about it is not what I find enjoyable but I've never been good at being able to not worry about the things I can't control ... so I worry.
- EbonyRaptor

And for that reason alone I am glad I don't have to make the hard decisions Bowman has to. The sentimental part of me hates to see the Blackhawk 'heroes' leave the team but the pragmatic side knows it may be best for the team if they do.

Also when I was a kid in Rexdale the creek behind us froze over and we played on the ice all winter. Now most winters it isn't cold enough to freeze the rivers creeks and ponds.
- paulr

Cold is good - ponds freeze and it kills bugs. And flights to Florida are cheap.

And for that reason alone I am glad I don't have to make the hard decisions Bowman has to. The sentimental part of me hates to see the Blackhawk 'heroes' leave the team but the pragmatic side knows it may be best for the team if they do.
- paulr

You only have two sides? Lucky bastage.

https://www.secondcityhockey.com/2019/3/5/18251656/blackhawks-adam-boqvist-talks-returning-to-london-knights-ohl-2019-2020-season

Is Boqvist growing? When did he reach 6 ft?
- hankscorpio

When he put on weight. The team doctors were afraid his weight at 5'10" would put him in the obese category so they added two inches to his height.

Hard when adults get involved in kids sports:

https://www.chicagotribun...wsuit-20190227-story.html
- StLBravesFan

It’s all about the money! $184k for an adult involved in youth hockey.....that’s b.s. and the type of blatant corruption ( maybe not legal but in the sense that one or more adults is making a living out of gouging the parents of of their money) I expect to see from Chicago, Illinois or federal politics.

Honest question for the board....

Is Gus worse as a defender than Karlsson (sp?) was while running wild in Ottawa? He used to get a beating for his defense, too, but how do we compare? Do the fancies tell us anything, or are we to rely on the eye test of various watchers?

Or do we just rely on Elbows as the ultimate judge?
- mohel

Yes, he is. Mainly because of his mental mistakes. Gus is maddening in a lot of ways. He will play solid defense for 99% of his shifts and then has a a total WTF moment or two. He is good enough offensively that he really doesn't need to take the risk he does to try to force his offense. If he can clean that up, and he still has less than 150 games in the NHL, he will make a lot of monies.

And for that reason alone I am glad I don't have to make the hard decisions Bowman has to. The sentimental part of me hates to see the Blackhawk 'heroes' leave the team but the pragmatic side knows it may be best for the team if they do.
- paulr

Kane will be an effective player for a few more years. He doesn't take a lot of hits. Its more agility than speed with his skating and the hands are usually the last thing to go.

Toews? Him I am not sure about.

You only have two sides? Lucky bastage.
- mohel

You can lend him one of yours

Kane will be an effective player for a few more years. He doesn't take a lot of hits. Its more agility than speed with his skating and the hands are usually the last thing to go.

Toews? Him I am not sure about.
- Elbows15

Won't matter, David Kampf is his successor. I read where the Hawks love his game.

maybe some of you have banged this around: does any Dman UFA inspire you as a hawk...i see nothing of interest at age 28 or less...

Won't matter, David Kampf is his successor. I read where the Hawks love his game.
- RickJ

You spelled Kruger wrong.

You spelled Kruger wrong.
- Elbows15

He just needs to put on 20 lbs of muscle.

He just needs to put on 20 lbs of muscle.
- paulr

One off season...no problem. He’s gonna work out with JJ.

maybe some of you have banged this around: does any Dman UFA inspire you as a hawk...i see nothing of interest at age 28 or less...
- bogiedoc

The only one that somewhat intrigues me is Ben Chiarot, but you wouldnt expect him to be a top pairing guy. However, he is young and could be a Strome like situation and he wouldnt be more than 2.5 to sign.

maybe some of you have banged this around: does any Dman UFA inspire you as a hawk...i see nothing of interest at age 28 or less...
- bogiedoc

Not really. I think their best bet would be to go after Stralman. See if he would be willing to sign for 2 years at 4 AAV.
According to Capfriendly, there are only 3 UFAs in their 20's that average over 20 minutes TOI: Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner. None of them will come cheap.

Not really. I think their best bet would be to go after Stralman. See if he would be willing to sign for 2 years at 4 AAV.
According to Capfriendly, there are only 3 UFAs in their 20's that average over 20 minutes TOI: Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner. None of them will come cheap.
- tvetter

Why do you think the Hawks should go after a 32 year old defenseman?

The only one that somewhat intrigues me is Ben Chiarot, but you wouldnt expect him to be a top pairing guy. However, he is young and could be a Strome like situation and he wouldnt be more than 2.5 to sign.
- nickmo2699

Is Marc Methot done? Do you sign him to a one year Chris Kunitz type of deal for $1 million? He was Karlsson's defensive partner in Ottawa, Make him the #6/7 defenseman and play third pairing minutes with Gus?

I am curuius about any Rockford dmen recalls this season. Conjecture on this board was that it was too early in their development. Late season perhaps was the guess.

Now with the defense in Chucago featuring Forsling AND Koekkoeck looking aoorehensive ir making dumb mistakes defensively PLUS Gus, Seabrook, Keith screw ups - not exactly a model of consistency to pair a newbie. Even Murphy has bad games lately.

I also wish i knew if Hillman is stull injured. The Icehigs are off one week then returnnto action on Friday.

I would gi as far as recall two if them and put in dufferent pairs. Play them last twoi games if season. Has to be Gilbert and Carlsson. Onky hinderance ti this olan is Icehig playiff drive means they are needed rught where they are now

And btw
.....after salivating iver the scouting reoort if some too oower forwards in wiz report.....just want one if them so bad but to give Gus just ti exchange picks is wgmhat ut may take. The top five oicks very diffucult ti pry away.
Look at thus year's sciuting report and ser this is the bug opportunity to gain a power forward. Even possibky a center. To get the #5, would you aksi include Mitchell but exoevt they toss back a later round chioice - remember Gus inclusuve.

I do not know how many good years Toews may have. Here is a power forward to replace him in lineup eventually.. I know that Toewes retires a Blackhawk but you never know if one more concussion does him in as a top player ( he remains a top player a couple more years probably then hard to say).

You only have two sides? Lucky bastage.
- mohel

Why do you think the Hawks should go after a 32 year old defenseman?
- paulr

Because he's still productive, and he may be the only potential top 4 Dman that would sign an affordable contract for less than 4 or 5 years. They can't break the bank on a long term, high dollar contract, and resign ADB and Strome next summer. Plus, in two years, we should know more about if any of our D prospects are looking like NHL players. If they are, we need to have room on our roster for them.

Now, as to whether or not he would want to sign here...that's another question.

https://www.secondcityhockey.com/2019/3/5/18251656/blackhawks-adam-boqvist-talks-returning-to-london-knights-ohl-2019-2020-season

Is Boqvist growing? When did he reach 6 ft?
- hankscorpio

I'm pretty sure he was listed at 6 ft on the OHL player profile all year.

Honest appraisal time.

The Hawks have seven legit NHL forwards - Kane. Toews, ADB, Strome, Saad, Caggiula and Kahun. Everyone else is over the hill, an AHL career guy, or way to soon to see what they have - as in at least another year or two. Most are in the first two categories. Of the seven, only one guy has any physical dimension to his play, which is Caggiula.

Ideally, they find a banger to add to each of the 19/88 and 12/17 lines, and another scorer for Saad and Caggiula on the third line. Then maybe they pair a healthy Kampf and Kahun with a veteran 4C to make a nice fourth line.

So that means they need to add FOUR new forwards. Forwards who can play NHL hockey. The best of what was in Rockford has already come and gone, which means there is nothing better there than what has been here already this year.

As for defense...

Keith is still their best guy, and if he has hope, he will play well. Seabrook is a conundrum because his lack of mobility is exposed to its greatest degree when playing man to man. Maybe if they go back to a traditional floating box zone he has more tread on his tires. Either way - that's $12.5MM of cap that will be here for the duration of their contracts.

As for Murphy...maybe still some upside, but maybe more so in a zone? Jury still out.

The rest of the D group is pretty one dimensional - all non-physical puck moving guys with holes in their games - namely they are offense first and contact averse. No Hedman, Stralman, Doughty, Keith types in the bunch, and of the prospects, we are at least two years away to see if even a guy like Boqvist is the second coming of Erik Karlsson, or Gus 2.0.

With the need to re-sign ADB and Strome likely costing between $12-15MM, and an anemic cap growth of like 3% per year, it is not in the budget for the Hawks to sign a single free agent above $4MM for the next two years unless they can lose AA, or Seabrook, or both.

Net...

Healthy CC buys the Hawks one year at best. Unhealthy CC = LTIR and an after season starts one year cap bump of $6MM. He has no market value, and once he is gone they need an equivalent talent to replace him, so that is at least a wash. Unless you think half a season of Delia has shown you enough for him to be the new #1....

No cap and no NHL ready prospects means a glacial pace of change. Rush the prospects and you risk a lot. Wait too long and its another three years of Kunitz's and Kruger's at league minimum being placeholders.

When 64% of a team's cap is tied up in seven players (at least four of which are on or in decline) and you have to roster 23 guys, at some point the rose colored glasses need to be packed away. How do they add four quality forwards and three to four quality defenseman over the next three years with $4MM?
- Return of the Roar

This is a pretty good summary except I'd like to emphasize something on the cap space...head over to cap friendly and you will see they have a projected $19.6 million in cap space for next season. Now that is with some guys dropping out but if you replace those expiring contracts with similar ones, (Dahlstrom's $750k with $1 million for example) you will end up with a full roster and still about $12 million in cap space.

For sure they would have the room to add a significant salary or two, but then the next season when they resign Dcat/Strome for roughly $12.5 million per year combined, plus extend Caguilla and Kahun for about another $5 million, they would have to shed Anisimov and Murphy or a similar salary to make that fit for example.

Not to mention that they will need to sign a number one goalie by then as Crow will be out of contract. I think the main takeaway from your post is that there are too many holes to fill and once you start filling them the money gets hard to spread around to all the holes.

They will either need some surprising and speedy developments from the kids, or we will continue to see a team full of holes play like it. They have the money to plug a hole or two and move some guys out along the way and that is what will be interesting to see is how they approach that.