Where do you think Suter slots (assuming Toews is back). 3rd line? Seems a bit crowded in the bottom 6. Has it been confirmed Borgstrom is coming over this year?
- bhawks2241

Depends on a number of factors:

* Whether Nylander is still on the team
* What happens with Hagel, Gaudette, and Hinostroza
* Where does Strome fit or is he gone
* Whether Toews is healthy

If Nylander is on the team still, I'd expect him to play top 6 at least to start:

DeBrincat - Dach - Kane
Nylander - Toews - Kubalik

But if Nylander is gone, expect Suter, Hagel, or Kurashev to take his spot on that line. Or the coaches try the Strome at wing experiment again.

Borgstrom is expected to be at camp and compete for a spot so he could be one of the centers especially if Strome is traded and/or if Toews is touch and go with his availability to play.

Suter and Kurashev can player pivot, too, but Suter is more suited on the wing while Kurashev is a natural center who also thinks and plays like one.

The center depth is something like:

Toews
Dach
Strome
Borgstrom
Kurashev
Suter
Carpenter
Entwistle

Jones for Marner! C'mon Stan, get the sleep out of your eyes and git er dun!!!
- mohel

Leaves badly need a defenseman……. 😜

@BenPopeCST

Blackhawks QOs I've confirmed so far:

Hagel - yes
Nylander - yes
Richardinson - no

Your fav, Nylander, got his QO

If Suter prices himself out, then that's fine. He had his flaws & wasn't a board battler. I hope him & a few others go for good returns, if that is the case. Since the Jones trade, we currently don't have as much spending money as people think. I expect another boring ufa day. We can use ltir after day 1 of the season, right?
- I Am The Breadman

I believe that is correct. Also, the Hawks have options to do in-season LTIR with either Seabrook or Shaw's cap hit and out-of-season LTIR with the other one.

I'm not well versed on the mechanics but do recall a late spring article in the Athletic or somewhere else talking about the Hawks exploring that as a path forward to manage the cap.

I’m like Elbows, I’m always right …… eh?
- paulr

Did you see my grammatical error above?

It appears that Stan is off Elbows' Christmas card list, no?

Did you see my grammatical error above?

It appears that Stan is off Elbows' Christmas card list, no?
- mohel

Of course I did. I actually had a reply using your (you’re) but being Canadian I was polite and didn’t want to hurt you’re feelings so I hurt Elbows feelings instead. Eh

Elbows is sour isn’t he? To be honest I usually side with Bowman, but this acquisition and signing wasn’t good. I can only hope Jones can turn his trending around or this will hurt the hawks for years.

IMO, Suter is a nice to have but not a need to have but the same could be said with most of the forwards causing the glut.

If his price is too high, ship him out like they did Kahun but try to be smarter with the return, i.e. not another Maatta situation. Suter was a hot commodity as a Euro free agent so can imagine many teams would be interested still.

Then decide between Gaudette and Hinostroza. Personally, I can't see the Hawks carrying both of them and perhaps they don't retain either of them. The popular choice amongst fans seems to be keeping Gaudette over Hinostroza but my vote is vice versa.

Kampf is pretty much a given to be re-signed.

Hagel, too, but the numbers may take a while to work out. If I were management, I make the numbers work as he's a rare breed.

For Nylander, sign him to a 1-2 year deal between $1M-$1.3M but be open to trading him if there's a taker.
- Theo Fox

Agree with Nylander you want a cheap two year deal because on a one year if he actually has a good year finally, then he gets all the benefit.

Of course I did. I actually had a reply using your (you’re) but being Canadian I was polite and didn’t want to hurt you’re feelings so I hurt Elbows feelings instead. Eh

Elbows is sour isn’t he? To be honest I usually side with Bowman, but this acquisition and signing wasn’t good. I can only hope Jones can turn his trending around or this will hurt the hawks for years.
- paulr

I was actually going to accuse you of Canadian niceness... well played.

Could be Elbows just needs a stool softener; he is getting up there.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Jones. It seems Stan believes he has no #1 potential kids. Imo, it is hard to win in the league without one, so I understand the desire. Trading for a #1 ain't cheap, and Jones may not be one. But, I'll watch anyway.

If Suter prices himself out, then that's fine. He had his flaws & wasn't a board battler. I hope him & a few others go for good returns, if that is the case. Since the Jones trade, we currently don't have as much spending money as people think. I expect another boring ufa day. We can use ltir after day 1 of the season, right?
- I Am The Breadman

We'll see, but he played some quality center with Cat and Kane, so i think he'll probably get better as a pro and is one that does many of the little things that help teams win. Another forward who can bounce up and down the line up which is a good thing and we know for sure Kampf can't be anywhere other than the 4th line.

I was actually going to accuse you of Canadian niceness... well played.

Could be Elbows just needs a stool softener; he is getting up there.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Jones. It seems Stan believes he has no #1 potential kids. Imo, it is hard to win in the league without one, so I understand the desire. Trading for a #1 ain't cheap, and Jones may not be one. But, I'll watch anyway.
- mohel

Oh I’ll watch and I’ll cheer Jones on and really hope I’m wrong about him.

Maybe Elbows needs to introduce prunes to his diet?

Oh I’ll watch and I’ll cheer Jones on and really hope I’m wrong about him.

Maybe Elbows needs to introduce prunes to his diet?
- paulr

I've read that the results can be explosive.

Compared to how he started his career, yes, Reilly had his strongest year in the NHL this past season. Is it worth signing him?

He's low on my list of free agent D-man to consider but he'd likely be one of the more affordable ones. I'd look at Benn, Cole, Hamonic, McCabe, Merrill, and Murray first.

Murray would be a good get. He's been injury prone but is solid defensively when healthy. Excellent skater, too.
- Theo Fox

I do like Murray and McCabe also, but both have had injury issues past few years. I'm fearing if we sign one of them, it's like the DeHaan injury syndrome again

IMO, Suter is a nice to have but not a need to have but the same could be said with most of the forwards causing the glut.

If his price is too high, ship him out like they did Kahun but try to be smarter with the return, i.e. not another Maatta situation. Suter was a hot commodity as a Euro free agent so can imagine many teams would be interested still.

Then decide between Gaudette and Hinostroza. Personally, I can't see the Hawks carrying both of them and perhaps they don't retain either of them. The popular choice amongst fans seems to be keeping Gaudette over Hinostroza but my vote is vice versa.

Kampf is pretty much a given to be re-signed.

Hagel, too, but the numbers may take a while to work out. If I were management, I make the numbers work as he's a rare breed.

For Nylander, sign him to a 1-2 year deal between $1M-$1.3M but be open to trading him if there's a taker.
- Theo Fox

Maatta and De Haan were low cost attempts at getting potentially top 4 defensemen. I say low cost because worst case, their buyouts were relatively inexpensive. To get an established top 4 without the injury history, that was going to cost a lot more. Maatta became Hinostroza via Brad Morrison, so it wasn't all bad.

@BenPopeCST

Blackhawks QOs I've confirmed so far:

Hagel - yes
Nylander - yes
Richardinson - no

Your fav, Nylander, got his QO
- pdx2ord

Cap Friendly shows that Suter, Gaudette, Kampf and Zadorov all have arbitration rights. Stan will jettison them all!

The market tells you what "market value" is.
- rpeters01

While the most basic of economic equations, sure seems hard to grasp at times.....

Hearing suter wants more than what hawks are willing to give him. Its seems around 3million how many years is unclear. So would it be better to sign hino and qualified gaudette for the same amount suter or less and have more depth or go to arbitration with suter one analyst stated.
- Scott1977

let him walk

Just for clarification, isn't it "Leaf's" in this case?
- rpeters01

Your right i think

I’d love to see Marner in Chicago but it would be be a huge cap hit. If Marner were available and if the Hawks had the pieces to acquire him that albatross of a contract Jones was given would make a trade next to impossible.
- paulr

give them jones

While the most basic of economic equations, sure seems hard to grasp at times.....
- vabeachbear

It sure does! Everything we talk about before a transaction is what we think the market should be. The actual transaction tell us how close we were.

It sure does! Everything we talk about before a transaction is what we think the market should be. The actual transaction tell us how close we were.
- mohel

Except if Hawks signed someone, then they were bidding against themselves

Except if Hawks signed someone, then they were bidding against themselves
- vabeachbear

You know the business...

Except if Hawks signed someone, then they were bidding against themselves
- vabeachbear

Let alone, if you look at next years defense UFA's. you have possibly Klingberg, Fox, Parayko as top FA.'s, and that's it, so it is not like Stan would be able to get one of the FA market next year either, unless you go for the Kris Letangs or PK Subbans

I’m with you, we are not winning the cup this year. Let’s see what we have with Lankinen and Subban in goal, as well as Kalynuk and Mitchell on defense, and Borgstrom and Nylander up front. The Hawks have quantity, time to figure out where the quality is and purge the excess.
- Angotti

So agree with this! We need to figure out going ahead what we have with this group and can we trade Strome, Z and De Hahn ? for some picks?

So agree with this! We need to figure out going ahead what we have with this group and can we trade Strome, Z and De Hahn ? for some picks?
- CTblackhawkfan

Exactly, teams are using the next day or two to arrange their game boards (i.e. internal moves via buyouts, qualifying offers, re-signing of own free agents) before the game actually begins with trades and free agency period.

A little boring today but still lots going on behind the scenes with sites like CapFriendly tracking those internal workings as they happen.

Cap Friendly shows that Suter, Gaudette, Kampf and Zadorov all have arbitration rights. Stan will jettison them all!
- DarthKane

What can Gaudette and Kampf win in arbitration they have about 10 points combined?