Overall, I think at least some of what has been done so far has been with the flat cap and the upcoming expansion draft in mind.

with the "old core" Kane and Toews aren't going anywhere, nor should they. Seabs is done, which frees up 6.8 M. if not ltir, At the very least he may be asked and may agree to waiving his NMC to allow Seattle to claim him in the expansion draft in order to get to the cap floor. Keith is overrated, even at 5.3M or so, but some teams may be interested enough in what skill set he still has to bring a decent return, if he waives his NMC. Not that I consider him truly part of the old core, it seems that Shaw may be done, too.

Dach, boqvist, Kubalik and maybe ADB represent the "young core". ADB needs to rebound next year or his 6+M contact is gonna seem not so tolerable. Nylander has one more chance to show he isn't a bust.

Will be interesting to see what the 2 new guys bring with their 1 year contracts.
Subban may be the goalie left unprotected if he doesn't step up his play. if he does then maybe delia is the one they leave unprotected.
- Nmbr1

I don't think Seabs had hip and shoulder surgery in the same time span just to be done. I think we see a better version of Seabs. Posters need to read how bad of shape he was in physically for years.

Based on what I read, I have no idea how he was able to skate or even take/lay a hit from/on another NHL caliber player.

I actually think the Hawks might be competitive next season. I think Dach will continue to progress and be a legit 2C next year. When was the last time the Hawks had a legitimate 2C?

I think Suter will come in and provide some nice depth scoring. The backend will be improved. I have to think Seabs looks better. He literally couldn't sit down without being in pain or throw a ball to his kid (b/c of his hip and shoulder).

This team did manage to take care of the Oilers and it wasn't because Crow won that series.

Biggest question mark is in goal. Can one of the younger goalies step in and provide a solid option? The Hawks have been good at finding goalies that are NHL caliber.

Janmark and Wallmark are both solid forwards. Can those two fill-in the void left by Saad as far as 2-way play? Perhaps.

I'm excited to see how Kubalik adapts his game after his first season and I expect big things from Dach. He's already shown he knows what to work on to get better.

For better or worse the Hawks need to let Nylander ride in the top 6 all season. Not going to win a cup so might as well see if he sinks or swims.
- bhawks2241

Your view on all is spot on

So the Jets got the centre they needed in Stastny not Toews at 75 % salary.

If and when Duncan Keith is ready to leave, I don't think it salary poses any problem.

The question is where all the youth movement at forward is coming from. Rockford? Pius Suter is all I see as ready, Eddie.

More trades?

Let the kids on Dee play.

Let the kid goalies playmb/c you never know what there high water marks are until you find out their NHL initial water marks are.

Maybe this means we are keeping Strome, 'cat, Nylander, and giving all of Rockford a look-see.

Maybe the announcement was to make it c lear to Seabrook they are playing kids before him, there is no open competition, and he has a decision to make.
They will gladly eat half that salary...

Seabrooks agent should get sports agent of the decade for that contract. 8 years when he was past his prime and buyout proof.
- kmw4631

Karlsson's contract will prove worse.

Karlsson's contract will prove worse.
- rpeters01

Already has - Karlsson was never as good as Seabs.

Then hold Saad until next season's trade deadline, when he will be more valuable as a final piece to a contending team
- scottak

He was worth much more the last trade deadline. Rumor is Stan tried...

Karlsson's contract will prove worse.
- rpeters01

Maybe Chicago and seattle strike a deal to take Seabrook's contract. Need to to the floor perhaps hawks retain 2 million per year strome/nylander and 4th hawks get 7th or future considerations. Cannot see Seabrook playing much this season even if he heal completely from the surgeries. Also imo keith will be traded at the deadline if not him then dehann if he makes that far.

So the Jets got the centre they needed in Stastny not Toews at 75 % salary.

If and when Duncan Keith is ready to leave, I don't think it salary poses any problem.

The question is where all the youth movement at forward is coming from. Rockford?

More trades?


Let the kids on Dee play.

Let the kid goalies playmb/c you never know what there high water marks are until you find out their NHL initial water marks are.

Maybe this means we are keeping Strome, 'cat, Nylander, and giving all of Rockford a look-see.
- wiz1901

We have three goaltenders we need to find out about. If we make the playoffs, then it comes as a surprise because Bowman was not expecting to get into the post season. Therefore Crawford was expendable. Even with Crawford we probably loose an opening round. We do not have enough cycle boards players on top two Iines. Kane is a heck of a talent but we aren't getting point production out of him at anywhere the level possible. Kane needs a skill guy and a boards guy on his line. Not Toews

DeBrincat is valuable for a second offensive line if he returns to the goal scoring former self. I don't care how much offense Strome gives; we need a #2 or #3 center (his spot) who can skate and he must not be a defensive liability. It is necessary to have someone in this spot be a boards player. Strome is nothing but a luxury. I would rather a hard driving Rockford forward than Strome. Minus Strome salary ...it is not much but I would use his salary on some replacement or some other area.

Going off on the Strome issue, I hadn't finished on the goaltender situation.

Whenever or even if Bowman were to go after another goaltender, first of all Bowman needs to clearly define what he has in these three goaltenders. If they are adequate, no sense in spending above the cost of any of those three for instead a veteran NHL goaltender

I would like to see how consistent Subban could become. I suspect Laakinen could be fine as a back up and even descent as a starter. Delia has potential but I think he has issues that need to be resolved. Weaknesses in his game although if they were ironed out, I do like his mental strong will and athleticism. Tomkins shares net in Rockford and just watch if he develops farther. The kid we drafted is not pro yet so obviously is long term consideration

So the Jets got the centre they needed in Stastny not Toews at 75 % salary.

If and when Duncan Keith is ready to leave, I don't think it salary poses any problem.

The question is where all the youth movement at forward is coming from. Rockford? Pius Suter is all I see as ready, Eddie.

More trades?

Let the kids on Dee play.

Let the kid goalies playmb/c you never know what there high water marks are until you find out their NHL initial water marks are.

Maybe this means we are keeping Strome, 'cat, Nylander, and giving all of Rockford a look-see.

Maybe the announcement was to make it c lear to Seabrook they are playing kids before him, there is no open competition, and he has a decision to make.
They will gladly eat half that salary...
- wiz1901

Not for four more years.

Subban sucks. He was only signed to be expansion fodder and serve as backup so the other two can get PT in Rockford.

Maybe Chicago and seattle strike a deal to take Seabrook's contract. Need to to the floor perhaps hawks retain 2 million per year strome/nylander and 4th hawks get 7th or future considerations. Cannot see Seabrook playing much this season even if he heal completely from the surgeries. Also imo keith will be traded at the deadline if not him then dehann if he makes that far.
- Scott1977

we cannot surrender a #1 or a top prospect which is the demand in a buyers market. We loose someone descent in expansion...so be it. Seabrook will collect paycheck whether he plays or not. Seabrook serves as the muscle half of a defense pair when you have the muscle type guys who actually hit someone out injured or traded.

We should stop putting Seabrook on the outs until we see him perform. He might be serviceable. He might be a better skating version of Rozival in his final two seasons. Seabrook is the experienced veteran whom helps young kids on defense whether on or off ice mentor, role model for preparation and dedication. You have a depth dman and maybe even a fair third pair in Seabrook....so let us wait and see how he pans out.

One less year term on Seabrook after this season. I don't know THEN if arrangement could be made for him to retire....what would he be owed....could he be given a guaranteed job as part time scout and or coach. A BIG IF Murphy or Keith is traded ANYTIME before The Expansion Draft, then the issue of how to avoid loosing Carlsson is solved. That is what the Seabrook issue us really all about. No way pay a king's ransome to rid ourselves of Seabrook. We live with that consequence of bad contract if Seabrook cannot retire.

One question that I didn't address in the blog is this one: who was the public statement for?

Diehard fans who live and breathe Blackhawks hockey and talk about it 24/7 are going to have the most visceral reactions.

However, I would venture to say that this breed of fans is in the minority where the vast majority of the fanbase runs the gamut of varying levels of understanding or even caring about the depth of topics that are dissected and argued about by the diehards.

The public statement is for that large proportion of the fanbase, too. I can't imagine most of them are terribly upset. They just want to see hockey again and isn't that the bare bones of what it should be about.
- Theo Fox

Another good point Theo. I suppose most fans care more about how well the team does in the macro than the how's and why's underneath and from that perspective the Hawks have already been a losing team for several years now, even with the abnormal 2020 playoff spin on it.

Although the core and management seem to be on the same page now after there being a disconnect, we'll see how long that lasts.

I'd definitely support all 4 of them staying on board but wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them asks out within the next year. My money is on Keith.

Seabrook next especially if he is relegated to the 6/7 spot.

Toews and Kane are likely to be lifelong Blackhawks, IMO.
- Theo Fox

If Seabrook asks to leave, you buy him out and don't look back. A buyout doesn't gain you much, but you also don't want a disgruntled player hanging around the locker room. It just ruins the vibe, no matter how much of a class act Seabrook is. Then he can go shop around for a league minimum contract and see if anyone wants him (not likely.)

we cannot surrender a #1 or a top prospect which is the demand in a buyers market. We loose someone descent in expansion...so be it. Seabrook will collect paycheck whether he plays or not. Seabrook serves as the muscle half of a defense pair when you have the muscle type guys who actually hit someone out injured or traded.

We should stop putting Seabrook on the outs until we see him perform. He might be serviceable. He might be a better skating version of Rozival in his final two seasons. Seabrook is the experienced veteran whom helps young kids on defense whether on or off ice mentor, role model for preparation and dedication. You have a depth dman and maybe even a fair third pair in Seabrook....so let us wait and see how he pans out.

One less year term on Seabrook after this season. I don't know THEN if arrangement could be made for him to retire....what would he be owed....could he be given a guaranteed job as part time scout and or coach. A BIG IF Murphy or Keith is traded ANYTIME before The Expansion Draft, then the issue of how to avoid loosing Carlsson is solved. That is what the Seabrook issue us really all about. No way pay a king's ransome to rid ourselves of Seabrook. We live with that consequence of bad contract if Seabrook cannot retire.
- jhawk59

If the hawks want to get rid of that contract most likely that is what is going to cost. My hope this year is strome and dcat have big bounce back years and nylander takes that much needed step forward. in the end seabrook goes on LTRI for the remainder of his contract.

If the hawks want to get rid of that contract most likely that is what is going to cost. My hope this year is strome and dcat have big bounce back years and nylander takes that much needed step forward. in the end seabrook goes on LTRI for the remainder of his contract.
- Scott1977

If the Hawks are rebuilding those 4 contracts really don't matter, no reason to give up assets or buy them out

The amount of dollars spent for wins is pretty efficient. In terms of getting the most production out of a lower dollar amount - pretty good results. I don't know that their expectation is to win a WS but be in the mix and see what happens.

It's also baseball so I'd imagine them being just interesting enough to have fans in the seats while having a modest payroll and collecting league TV dollars puts the owners in a pretty good spot.

It is another area where hockey and baseball aren't really comparable. Hockey doesn't have a robust developmental league where assets and cash can be traded in a meaningfully consistent way. There isn't a lot of room payroll wise for the teams to take on a big contract even if they wanted to. And they are highly dependent on fan attendance, Baseball is not so much with their TV deals.

The Sox got two of the best prospects in Baseball (Eloy and Moncada) by unloading talented pitchers. Adam Eaton (a meh WAR player) got them Giolito who is a staff ace.

There is not a post lockout baseball trade I can think of that has had highly touted prospects being swapped for stars.

At least with the normal playoff format, baseball rewards the best teams with a playoff shot while hockey is more of a free for all. Not to mention there are clear differences between the have have nots of baseball while hockey is 2 or 3 outstanding teams 2 or 3 garbage teams and 25 teams that all look about the same.

The cross sports comparisons and thought process don't work for these leagues.
- fattybeef

I get what you're saying, but I think moving forward the hawks are going to seriously avoid building cores so they are competitive year after year and make the playoffs. Although the A's never go all the way, they do get into the playoffs just about every year and they usually stock up on talent when they part with someone requiring too much money. I just see a similar model for the hawks so they can stay competitive because it's impossible to keep a team together anymore, so you develop your talent in house and through trades and overseas.

My thoughts are to forget about the 8 year deals that the Toews and Kanes get and think the team is going to continue to churn studs in and out of the lineup year after year and when they get too costly move them or let them leave. With the cap in place it is not wise to lock people down in these massive contracts anymore. So I believe the hawks are going to continue to build within and as guys get too expensive, part from them or if they want too much term, move them. I think I could see this team going to a 3-4 year term moving forward with guys now instead of the longer term deals. Unless another Kane comes through the pipeline which I highly doubt. Kane is a generational player and I think the goal is to leave a lot of flexibility in the payroll and not get into long term deals that could cost us another teravainen or a leddy because of cap crunches. I think you will see the Hawks doing something different because all the other teams are still locking people up to long term deals. The Rangers constantly sign guys to 7 year deals and that is going to hurt them. The hawks wanna avoid what the LA Kings and the Rangers are dealing with. So short term deals and recycling people out year over year will keep the team competitive. I imagine the difference being that if the hawks feel comfortable one year, going big at the deadline to get a difference maker to try for the cup. But I think they are learning from their past mistakes with the cap crunches and looking at trying to keep lots of payroll flexibility.

Just my thoughts.

I realize baseball and hockey are much different, but this model I speak of may be the only way to stay competitive in todays hockey landscape, otherwise you see the hawks go through a long stretch of good years and then rebuilds constantly. The method I speak of allows them to continue to stay in the playoff hunt YOY. And it helps them run into cap crunch issues because they have a Seabrook or whoever signed to a disaster contract that makes it difficult for the team to ice a team.

If Seabrook asks to leave, you buy him out and don't look back. A buyout doesn't gain you much, but you also don't want a disgruntled player hanging around the locker room. It just ruins the vibe, no matter how much of a class act Seabrook is. Then he can go shop around for a league minimum contract and see if anyone wants him (not likely.)
- tazer_and_diet

Their entire MO right now is cap flexibility. They are not likely to take the hit for eight more years (first four at high values, the last four at $708K). At worst, they will find some way to move him (that no one here will like).

If the hawks want to get rid of that contract most likely that is what is going to cost. My hope this year is strome and dcat have big bounce back years and nylander takes that much needed step forward. in the end seabrook goes on LTRI for the remainder of his contract.
- Scott1977

If the early returns are any indication, Seabrook will likely be cleared to play by the time camp starts. If that is the case, he's not going on LTIR unless he gets seriously injured again.

If the early returns are any indication, Seabrook will likely be cleared to play by the time camp starts. If that is the case, he's not going on LTIR unless he gets seriously injured again.
- Chunk

He may be forced into that decision if jc makes him a healthy scratch for majority of the season. First lets see how Seabrook is in training camp and go from there.

He may be forced into that decision if jc makes him a healthy scratch for majority of the season. First lets see how Seabrook is in training camp and go from there.
- Scott1977

You can't force a player to go on LTIR, it has to be signed off of by league doctors.

Do any of those prospects have two Stanley Cup rings (and played in the top 6 on those cup teams)? It is all about the sale, especially when dealing with a team that is vying for the Cup. And the guy is playing for his next contract. The chances of strong results for one year are very high. I don't doubt that the market was minimal to take on $6 million. Then Stan should have waited - would the return have been less? Or even the same? Table all of that if "money dump" was the impetus.
- jrsamu

Then Stan gets the same return or worse at the deadline and everyone says how dumb he was for not trading him sooner. Guy can't win.

You can't force a player to go on LTIR, it has to be signed off of by league doctors.
- LAHawk

People just need to accept Seabs and his contract are going to be around one way or another for 4 more seasons. His contract isn't a problem at the moment and won't be in the near future. Be nice if people would just go to CF and use the buyout calculator to see how a buyout looks.

Their entire MO right now is cap flexibility. They are not likely to take the hit for eight more years (first four at high values, the last four at $708K). At worst, they will find some way to move him (that no one here will like).
- Chunk

The buyout is for 3 years after this season, he can't be bought out anymore this year. Regardless, assuming he won't play much (likely), they will pay less to have him leave than have him around with a minimal cap hit for 3 years after that. They also won't have to get rid of any valuable assets.

Again, this is if he wants out. If he will be a good soldier and won't complain about playing time then he might be worth keeping around.

Maybe. Lehner was a pretty big chip and he didn't get them a whole lot.
- fattybeef

Lehner is hot garbage.

Lehner is hot garbage.
- Ogilthorpe2

Lmfao! Hot garbage is funny.