1 year @ $874,125 and if Strome doesn’t like it he can sit out until he accepts it.
- DarthKane

In the end, Stan will go all mushy and give Strome the same deal as he gave Soderburg, which will be far more than he is worth. But he needs the money to pay for skating lessons.

I think Strome signs for 1 year but thinking they’ll make him happy(ish) with a AAV of 2.5-3M.

I know Strome doesn’t have a ton of leverage but remember, he does has a fancy new agent that will be trying to work his magic and convince Stan to sign his client for a lot more than his QO.
- Tyler Cameron

So Cirelli signs 3 years $4.8 and Strome is going to be happy with half that? poop

I think Strome signs for 1 year but thinking they’ll make him happy(ish) with a AAV of 2.5-3M.

I know Strome doesn’t have a ton of leverage but remember, he does has a fancy new agent that will be trying to work his magic and convince Stan to sign his client for a lot more than his QO.
- Tyler Cameron

This may come as a surprise, but I was being sarcastic.

I’d still sign Strome to a 3 year deal with around a $3 million AAV. Strome’s value is much higher than he gets credit for. Having Toews, Dach and Strome down the middle for at least this season plus two more could be the best centre depth this team has had in a very long time. There are some young forwards that could be the 4C for a while but I’d like to see Wallmark stick around for a while.

Toews-Dach-Strome-Wallmark > those are centres a team can win with.

Welp i know who the new whipping boy is going to be especially once he gets his contract, hahaha

In the end, Stan will go all mushy and give Strome the same deal as he gave Soderburg, which will be far more than he is worth. But he needs the money to pay for skating lessons.
- RickJ

Money and cap hit are obviously important but how a team treats it’s players is equally important. Sometimes contracts will be the same or very similar between teams, how honest and fair a team’s track record is can be a differentiating factor.

I’d say the team should be fair with Strome, whatever that looks like.

Money and cap hit are obviously important but how a team treats it’s players is equally important. Sometimes contracts will be the same or very similar between teams, how honest and fair a team’s track record is can be a differentiating factor.

I’d say the team should be fair with Strome, whatever that looks like.
- DarthKane

I think the decision has already been made by management/coaching staff on Strome, they are not going to overpay and commit to extended term because there are too many flaws in his game, like skating and foot speed.

Money and cap hit are obviously important but how a team treats it’s players is equally important. Sometimes contracts will be the same or very similar between teams, how honest and fair a team’s track record is can be a differentiating factor.

I’d say the team should be fair with Strome, whatever that looks like.
- DarthKane

I imagine being right around the top hundred ppg scorers is worth something the past 2 years, we'll soon find out

The funny thing is the agent knows they have cap room, they know the #3 pick is out. They just signed a 35 year old center. The agent just finished his 4.8 deal for Cirelli who scored less points per game, so...

This may come as a surprise, but I was being sarcastic.

I’d still sign Strome to a 3 year deal with around a $3 million AAV. Strome’s value is much higher than he gets credit for. Having Toews, Dach and Strome down the middle for at least this season plus two more could be the best centre depth this team has had in a very long time. There are some young forwards that could be the 4C for a while but I’d like to see Wallmark stick around for a while.

Toews-Dach-Strome-Wallmark > those are centres a team can win with.
- DarthKane

Haha. I figured.

I personally wouldn’t sign Strome passed 2 years, but 3 years at $3M AAV is appealing.

I’m with you on Wallmark. Funny thing is the last couple of years I’ve been calling him Marcus Kruger 2.0 (maybe not as good defensively but definitely more offensive upside). Hope they give him a real shot.

Suter - Toews - Kubalik
DeBrincat - Wallmark - Kane
Soderberg - Strome - Shaw
Janmark - Kampf - Highmore
Carpenter
LTIR: Smith

Keith - Mitchell
De Haan - Murphy
Zadorov - Boqvist
Seabrook (will still play regularly when Mitchell and Boqvist are given a night off)

Lankinen
Subban
- DarthKane

I don't like Dinky with Kane. Against playoff teams they'll never get a shot closer than 5 feet from the boards.

I don't like Dinky with Kane. Against playoff teams they'll never get a shot closer than 5 feet from the boards.
- rpeters01

Agreed. I like DeBrincat with Toews or Strome.

The problem is Kane needs a righty on his line and CHI just lost two of them in Dach and Nylander.

Who’s left?

Shaw and Ryan Carpenter. Woof.

So, DeBrincat may end up there.

Caps sign Craig Anderson to a PTO.

Sign Strome and keep him. I know - it takes two to make a signing (three if you include the agent) - but Strome has very little leverage - even with Dach out - and still has a lot of “show me” to do as a second (or even third) line pivot.

But he’s the only young center in the system to be anywhere near that status.

Put Lankinen in Rockfish - he needs to play - Tompkins is the only other signed goalie (Capfriendly) - taxi squad him.

How long does Seabrook keep smiling through the pain of being a 6/7 (mostly 7?) blue-liner? Is there a good place for Shaw after signing the “tre kroner”?
- StLBravesFan

Tomkins as the taxi squad goalie makes sense, too. That way, Lankinen gets playing time as the Hogs starter being the higher ranked tender than Tomkins.

Nice blog Theo!

A couple things to consider:

1) Taxi squad players are subject to pass through waivers. This potentially will affect who ends up there and if a 2-way contract can go there instead of an NHL contract (ie. Smith on active roster and Hagel on taxi) then we may see that.

2) NHL is allowing teams to go with 20 players on active roster (vs. the required 22) due to the taxi squad to save on cap space and overall salary paid out to players. I think the Hawks have too many NHL contracts for this to play a big factor, but maybe a guy like Carlsson sits in the taxi squad while guys like Seeler or Lindholm end up in Rockford because he’s a 2-way contract and can come and go with ease and the other two don’t have much of a future in Chicago.

—

I believe I’m correct with these rules and stipulations. Someone correct me if I’m not but last I heard these were the rules.

Just something to think about as we look at how the Hawks may utilize their roster this year.
- Tyler Cameron

Thanks, Tyler.

I knew I was missing some stipulations on the taxi squad and do recall the 2-way contracts being a pivotal factor.

Need to give the taxi squad more thought. Back to the drawing board on this one!

Thanks, Tyler.

I knew I was missing some stipulations on the taxi squad and do recall the 2-way contracts being a pivotal factor.

Need to give the taxi squad more thought. Back to the drawing board on this one!
- Theo Fox

Seems like the Taxi Squads should be for the famous “replacement player” in the WAR calculations - the Triple-A recalls who don’t figure in the future, but are serviceable as injury fill-ins.

Any player who has any potential usefulness on a future Cup-contender should be playing regularly in the Show or in Rockfish.

Merry Xmas and all the best in 2021 Theo. Thank you for a nice write up this morning on some of the possibilities. I believe the biggest question marks will be how good is Pius Suter and is he ready for top six or ready for the nhl in general. If he is as good as projected it might be an idea to play him with Kane in particular to give him the best chance to succeed. Strome needs to show much more be be the number 2 center. For me he lacks intensity and is more suited as a pp specialist. I hope I am wrong. Ideally Toews, Dach and Strome would be 1,2,3 down the middle. I am not too broken up about the loss of Nylander who I would move on from anyway despite his skill set because he has almost zero intangibles going for him. The goaltending is going to be tested no matter who is in there but if it turns out the team is losing games due to this area something will have to give in a hurry. I think Varlamov and Fleury could be available by the end of January once Lehner proves healthy and Sorokin shows he is ready. That being said those two teams may want to keep these guys due the back to back heavy schedule. Can't wait to see what really goes down
- joegreif17

Thanks, joe.

Suter's potential slotting and productivity are definitely question marks heading into the season. I'm excited to see where he lands but have high hopes for him.

Count me in the camp of having Toews, Dach, and Strome as the top 3 centers on the team for years to come.

First step is to re-sign Strome. Next steps are then for him to step up, grow more, and hit his potential.

Dach needs to further his development, too, especially given the fear that his injury (if really that bad) could derail his output and effectiveness.

Could a move to wing be in the cards for him?

Thorough analysis Theo. About the only thing you didn't cover is the possibility of either Shaw or Smith, or both, being on LTIR to start the season. I wonder if the Hawks already know something about them and had Soderberg on their radar before the Nylander and Dach injuries. Maybe the Hawks still have another move in mind to offset the absence of 92 and 77.
- boilermaker100

Thanks, boiler.

On my Capfriendly account that I maintain and constantly update, I have Smith on LTIR and Shaw mentally with a dotted line to LTIR. Both are plausible scenarios.

Nylander is also on LTIR, of course. And as much as I don't want to accept it, I have Dach on LTIR. Hopefully has fate will be just IR so his stint on the shelf is short.

I agree. Shaw, Suter, Strome, Smith are wild cards. Colliton usually tries new EU free agents on lower lines (Kahun, Kubalik). Also Shaw and Toews have some history. So I think Suter does not start on the top line. If they sign Strome, reuniting him with ADB and Kane makes sense. But if they do not click right away you could see Soderberg center that line. The three new Swedes together makes sense and the line could have a great name. (Karl - Marx squared)(and yes I know Carl spells his name with a C and there is no X in Janmark or Wallmark). Suter, Kampf and Highmore would be an energy line. Maybe Kampf could find some offense playing with speedy wingers that have some offensive skills and are great on the forecheck.

Shaw - Toews - Kubalik
DeBrincat - Strome - Kane
Janmark – Wallmark – Soderberg
Suter - Kampf - Highmore
Carpenter/Smith
- -Doh-

I could see Suter starting on the 4th line and working his way up. And if Shaw can't stay healthy, then that's Suter's chance to take his spot higher in the lineup which then opens up Suter's spot for another rookie like Hagel.

My initial reaction to the Soderburg signing was one of betrayal and disappointment. I felt it showed Stan's proclaimed "youth movement" to be nothing more than bullsh!t. But then as the day went along and I read opinions from a few others I started to mellow and my brain re-engaged and wrestled control away from my emotions - I've come around to think it's not such a bad thing and not proof Stan was lying about the youth movement.

The main thing that swung my thinking was Soderburg being brought in to provide defensive stability which should allow the young players, especially the young d-men, to play in a more structured playing style versus a "hair on fire" chaotic scramble. That's always been the preferred formula for a youth movement - having enough veteran players in the lineup to ensure the young players grow in the right environment versus too many young players devolving into a rat hockey game.

So, the obvious negative is that the minutes Soderburg gets are minutes Hagel doesn't get - but the minutes Soderburg gets are minutes Boqvist, Mitchell and other young players get to learn how to play in a more structured system than the otherwise chaotic fire drill we saw too often last season.
- EbonyRaptor

Very sound analysis, ER. I like how you summarized at the end as that could be precisely the thinking of bringing the trio of Swedes on board not to mention Zadorov as well.

This may come as a surprise, but I was being sarcastic.

I’d still sign Strome to a 3 year deal with around a $3 million AAV. Strome’s value is much higher than he gets credit for. Having Toews, Dach and Strome down the middle for at least this season plus two more could be the best centre depth this team has had in a very long time. There are some young forwards that could be the 4C for a while but I’d like to see Wallmark stick around for a while.

Toews-Dach-Strome-Wallmark > those are centres a team can win with.
- DarthKane

I would like to see Wallmark supplant Kampf so I love that idea of having Toews, Dach, Strome, and Wallmark down the middle.

Wallmark has more offensive jam than Kampf and is more versatile and intelligent to play PP2 if needed.

Both Wallmark and Kampf will be free agents this summer.

Another option at 4C after this season is Entwistle. He should be NHL ready next year. Entwistle centering a line with Highmore and Hagel would be killer.

Hagel does have the potential to play higher, though, say 3rd line with spot duty on the 2nd.

Agreed. I like DeBrincat with Toews or Strome.

The problem is Kane needs a righty on his line and CHI just lost two of them in Dach and Nylander.

Who’s left?

Shaw and Ryan Carpenter. Woof.

So, DeBrincat may end up there.
- Tyler Cameron

I don't think Strome really fits on this team. If Dach is healthy Toews and Dach are your two top centers. Can Strome produce with 3rd line wings? Can he play a 200' game? Can he win faceoffs? Can he play special teams? Does he have a high compete level? I would rather see Wallmark/Soderberg as the 3C.

I think it is wise to sign him for a year or two at a reasonable cap hit. There is no downside. If he does develop into a 2C/3C great. If not, you move him or let him go in the expansion draft.

Agreed. I like DeBrincat with Toews or Strome.

The problem is Kane needs a righty on his line and CHI just lost two of them in Dach and Nylander.

Who’s left?

Shaw and Ryan Carpenter. Woof.

So, DeBrincat may end up there.
- Tyler Cameron

Although I doubt he is ready yet and would even get invited to training camp but Teply would be a good option to consider on Kane's opposite wing. Teply is a rightie and a volume shooter with underrated playmaking ability.

Seems like the Taxi Squads should be for the famous “replacement player” in the WAR calculations - the Triple-A recalls who don’t figure in the future, but are serviceable as injury fill-ins.

Any player who has any potential usefulness on a future Cup-contender should be playing regularly in the Show or in Rockfish.
- StLBravesFan

What you described has been my general thinking for who to consider for the taxi squad. In this shortened season, let the prospects with most potential to be impact players for the Hawks marinate in Rockford so they can play regularly.

If that's the case, you wouldn't see cups of coffee this season and instead rely on serviceable fill-ins like Pirri, Quenneville, Lindholm, and Seeler who are just placeholders and on different franchises next year.

If Strome ever becomes a Toews I will eat my hat. Toews is still at top six center and there is no way Strome will ever have a Toews pedigree imo. Toews brings far more than goals and assists and is a true leader in every sense.
- joegreif17

Strome has 3 Cups, a few international gold medals (at least 1 in the Olympics) and a Conn Smythe to catch up.

I’d be happy if Strome is ever as good as Michal Handzus.

@frank_seravalli

Today is the deadline for #NHL players to voluntarily opt-out for the 2020-21 season.

Waivers begin tomorrow for new season.

Camps for #sens, #sjsharks, #njdevils, #lakings, #nhlducks, #sabres, #redwings open on Thursday.

Camps for other 24 teams open in one week.

I think the decision has already been made by management/coaching staff on Strome, they are not going to overpay and commit to extended term because there are too many flaws in his game, like skating and foot speed.
- RickJ

Totally agree, far too many flaws.