NHL Free Agency: Central Division Recap
Friday was a busy day around the NHL.
NHL signings since Noon ET
129 players, $616.2 Million committed in salaries (sets single-day record)
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) July 2, 2016
A lot of money was spent, but not much of it came from the Central Division.
Let’s look around the division and see how the Blackhawks’ rivals spent on the first day of free agency.
- Dallas Stars
Dan Hamhuis, D – 2 years, $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV)
Patrick Eaves, F – 1 year, $1 million
Maxime Legace, G – 1 year
Andrew Bodnarchuk, D – 2 years
Dustin Stevenson, D – 1 year
Adam Cracknell, F – 1 year
Players Lost: Jason Demers (Florida), Vernon Fiddler (New Jersey), Colton Sceviour (Florida)
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Jamie Oleksiak, Matej Stransky
Group 3 UFAs: Travis Moen, Kris Russell
Group 6 UFAs: None
UFAs: Emil Molin, Taylor Peters, Troy Vance
- St. Louis Blues
David Perron, F – 2 years, $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV)
Carter Hutton, G – 2 years, $2.25 million ($1.125M AAV)
Players Lost: Troy Brouwer (Calgary), David Backes (Boston), Steve Ott (Detroit)
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Jordan Binnington, Pheonix Copley, Anders Nilsson, Magnus Paajarvi, Ty Rattie, Jaden Schwartz
Group 3 UFAs: Andre Benoit, Chris Butler, Patrick Cannone, Peter Harrold, Jeremy Welsh
Group 6 UFAs: Danny Kristo
UFAs: Cody Beach, Richard Nedomlel, Zack Phillips, Ryan Tesink, Yannick Veilleux.
- Nashville Predators
Yannick Weber, D – 1 year, $575,000
Matt Irwin, D – 1 year, $575,000
Trevor Smith, D – 2 year, two-way contract
Harry Zolnierczyk, F – 1 year, two-way contract
Players Lost: Carter Hutton (St. Louis)
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Taylor Aronson, Stefan Elliott, Petter Granberg, Calle Jarnkrok
Group 3 UFAs: Paul Gaustad, Joonas Jarvinen, Simon Moser, Patrick Mullen, Corey Potter
Group 6 UFAs: Jamie Devane
UFAs: Johan Alm, Gabriel Bourque, Cody Hodgson, Kristian Nakyva, Garrett Noonan, Max Reinhart.
- Minnesota Wild
Eric Staal, C – 3 years, $10.5 million ($3.5M AAV)
Chris Stewart, F – 2 years, $2.3 million ($1.15M AAV)
Victor Bartley, D – 1 year, two-way contract
Alex Stalock, G – 1 year, two-way contract
Pat Cannone, F – 1 year, two-way contract
Players Lost: none yet
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Matt Dumba, Darcy Kuemper, Zach Palmquist, Jordan Schroeder
Group 3 UFAs: Jonathon Blum, Ryan Carter, Ruslan Fedotenko, Justin Fontaine, David Jones, Chris Porter, Jarret Stoll, Tyson Strachan
Group 6 UFAs: Conor Allen
UFAs: Brett Bulmer, Raphael Bussieres, Brody Hoffman, Jared Knight, Scott Sabourin
- Colorado Avalanche
Joe Colborne, F – 2 years, $5 million ($2.5M AAV)
Patrick Wiercioch, D – 1 year, $800,000
Fedor Tyutin, D – 1 year, $2 million
Trent Vogelhuber, F – 2 years
Reid Petryk, F – 2 years
Ryan Stanton, D – 1 year, $600,000
Jeremy Smith, G – 1 year
Turner Elson, F – 1 year, $575,000
Jim O’Brien, F – 1 year, $600,000
Mike Sislo, F – 1 year
Joe Whitney, F – 1 year
Players Lost: Mikkel Boedker (San Jose), Shawn Matthias (Winnipeg), Zach Redmond (Montreal), Borna Rendulic (Vancouver), Nate Guenin (Anaheim), Ben Street (Detroit), Andrew Bodnarchuk (Dallas)
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Tyson Barrie, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nathan MacKinnon, Calvin Pickard, Duncan Siemens
Group 3 UFAs: Patrick Bordeleau, Maxim Noreau, Jack Skille, Jesse Winchester
Group 6 UFAs: Andrew Agozzino
UFAs: Sami Aittokallio, Gabriel Beaupre, Taylor Beck, Trevor Cheek, Dennis Everberg, Brandon Gormley, Joey Hishon, Garrett Meurs, Borna Rendulic, Roman Will.
- Winnipeg Jets
Shawn Matthias, C – 2 years, $4.25 million ($2.125M AAV)
Quinton Howden, F – 1 year, two-way contract
Brian Strait, D – 1 year, two-way contract
Julian Melchiori, D – 2 years, two-way contract
Jamie Phillips, G – 2 year entry-level contract
Players Lost: Andrew MacWilliam (New Jersey)
Remaining Free Agents:
Group 2 FAs: Joel Armia, Brenden Kichton, J.C. Lipon, Adam Lowry, Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba
Group 3 UFAs: Grant Clitsome, Matt Halischuk, Arturs Kulda, Thomas Raffl
Group 6 UFAs: Patrice Cormier
UFAs: Austen Brassard
No likey the Staal deal.
The Perron deal I do like.
Hamhuis- nope.
I’m interested to see what, if anything Colorado does with Grigorenko.
Congrats to Ryan Stanton, always liked him. Kind of a weird contract.
Reminds me of summer of ’12 where the other top teams made trades to make trades. We gained on Defense/got back to where we were.
In what universe can we resign Panarin next season? At this very moment we have 15m in space and 11 players signed. Factor in his, and other players bonuses and then what? Trading Kruger would barely be a drop in the bucket. Crow or Seabs would have to go; Stan trading them with a gun to his head.
I wager Panarin gets traded at the draft next year for a nice package and premium pick. Make a real show of it. It’s not every year you get to host the NHL draft.
Anyway, until someone can sort me out I think it would be completely irresponsible capwise to extend him.
Resign philip reneault at cap fruendly salary if he works out move krueger and 5% increase in cap next year and panarin should be doable
Yoda ,the force isn’t with u on this one.Bowman wont wait signing Panarin like he did with Saad. I said 2 months into last years season to lock up Panarin but some of you said relax hes got a 2 year deal in place well now you got another Saad loss again . He will get a new contract on projected Cap increase plus scuderi off books 1.125 & they wont resign Rosie or Mashinter that’s 1.75 = 2 mil and pokka / Rammussen/gustafsson RFA
Not so convincing arguments so far. Work with these numbers in upcoming examples:
2017/18
Roster players: 11
Projected cap space: 15m
That’s an average of just over 1 million dollars per player and does not yet include any bonuses that Panarin or others will receive. Campbell will easily attain his 750k bonus.
It’s all too obvious that without a major bump in the salary cap Panarin and Seabrook or Crawford are mutually exclusive. I don’t think this can really even be argued.
So then the question becomes, who do you keep?
Panarin brings back the best package in a trade… unless you’re Peter Chiarelli.
Seabrook might be the hardest to move
Crow and goalies in general are hard to predict. Goalie market I’d always changing. Either way, trades next offseason will be made with a gun to Stans head.
Yoda- is right – if 72 is signed… it really means Crow or Seabs has to go!!!
Or cap goes up $2M… and Hawks sign 10 prospects/Hogs for $10M and Panarin gets his $6-$8M… that works too!!!
But that is one weak ass line-up!!!
Let’s really hope/pray for one of two things this year…
1.) Hawks are great-
when 2 of Motte/Schmaltz/D-Cat (or Vesey- if Hawks lucky enough to sign (which is highly doubtful))… turn into the second coming of Saad/Shaw
or
2.) Hawks are terrible… (injuries or just weak)
And there is a big trade/big demand at the TDL… and Bowman can get biggest return for — Crow or Seabs or ??? to make room for 72… or 72 is moved!!!
Yoda & wall making me laugh on a Saturday. Thanks guys.
How about throwing your hay in the ring Tab? I’m not advocating a Panarin trade. Just looking at numbers and seeing possible futures. Are the numbers I cited incorrect?
Thanks for making me shake my head on a Saturday.
Did I miss something? Are we not playing the 2016/2017 season?
Coyotes signed Blackhawk farm hand Garrett Ross .
I had always heard that he would be the second coming of Andrew Shaw – tough to play against, lots of energy, fearless, makes his linemates better… Always wondered why he was never given a shot. Obviously, last year’s video posting, investigation, and suspension pretty much sealed his departure.
If for whatever reason we don’t sign Panarin the depth chart at LW next year will look something like this:
Motte
Desjardins (UFA)
A wee bit thin (I didn’t even want to contemplate another year of Mashinter).
Great read by Adam Proteau on the crazy spending yesterday and how GMs just can’t control themselves. Huge long term deals. Paying guys for past performances instead of what they are going to bring to their new team. For example, Milan Lucic has only scored 30 goals once in his career. Louie Ericson has not put up 70 points in the last three seasons. David Backes has a ton of hard miles on him, got a 5 year deal.
It reminds me of the late 1990s when ,on a Friday morning, the Hawks signed Doug Gilmour, 3 years, 18 million dollars and thought they were getting the elite center that he WAS in Toronto.
Tab… great reply
What’s so funny about my/Yoda s
Scenarios….
Trades will be made to sign 72…
Or 72 will be traded
Or hawks sign 72… and skate about 10 guys making $1M or less… and are probably a non cup team (unless 2 “prospects ” stand TALL!!!!
Not really funny… just logical
Yoda & Wall, I also agree with you. I proposed trading Seabrook a week ago. Got pretty much the same reaction as you guys.
Trading Seabrook could get a solid young forward in return, a little more cap space this year and the ability to sign Panarin next year.
The downside is having to go one more year hoping TVR, Kempny or Pokka can play a #4 D spot. A gamble for sure.
One key point in my opinion is that Panarin will probably get huge bonuses again next year. Any cap increase may be taken by those overages.
Can we please play the 2016-17 season first?
what’s funny about wall & Yoda pissing on the Cheerios is that we’re 12 long months away from Panarin needing his new deal. I’ve only mentioned it about a dozen times here, but there are a LOT of variables between now and the start of 2017 free agency. A rebound for he Canadian dollar thanks to the US election, league revenues increasing, the Hawks losing a player to the expansion draft all coming into play.
But yeah, let’s losee our minds about Panarin now…
We don’t have a choice Dave.
That isn’t the point though. If you find it tedious to look ahead by all means focus on the here and now. I and others like to have an understanding of our team’s salary cap situation. Therefore we are often keeping an eye on the horizon. If you don’t want to engage constructively in that, by all means…. It should at the very least be edifying.
Losing my mind? Stick to writing exposition of Hawks new Tab because your contribution to the dialog here is wanting….
Stick to overreacting, Yoda. you’ll never be a moderator or even be sought out for analysis.
Perhaps if SB looked a few years ahead he wouldn’t have signed Seabrook to a stupid 6.8m longterm contract. Compare that stupid contract to Tampa”s signing of Hedman.
I guess we can agree to disagree. Some of us think you have to plan ahead. Some of us think that everything falls into place on its own.
I’m not concerned with either of those things incidentally. So you’ll have to work a little harder to offend me.
#howtoderailathread
But, since Yoda wants to dance, we’ll go ahead and start the music…
Let’s assume the Blackhawks roster in 2017-18 includes Motte, Schmaltz, Hinostroza & Hartman – all of whom are signed thru that season already. Let’s also assume the Hawks give Panarin a reasonable cap number… let’s say $6.5M per (not an insane projection given some of the money handed out yesterday).
Taking the cap hits across the roster today, and including those four prospects & Panarin at $6.5M, the Blackhawks could have 10 forwards, 4 defensemen & Crawford signed at roughly $67.2M.
Using a modest increase to the cap, let’s use $75M as a marker for the ceiling. The Hawks would have almost $8M to sign two defensemen, two bottom line forwards and a backup goaltender. If we consider guys like Forsling ($872k), Baun ($675k) or Luke Johnson ($717k) could be in play, the Hawks have some flexibility. If Kempny works out and stays as a 4-5 defenseman for a modest dollar amount ($2-3M per) that helps as well.
Oh, and we haven’t taken a player like Kruger (and his $3M cap hit) off the roster yet because of the expansion draft.
All of this being said, it ain’t broke. The Hawks have options internally coming.
But, as Bowman said yesterday, it takes two sides to negotiate. If Panarin wants $7.5M like Tarasenko got, that certainly complicates things.
You’re right, Yoda. Clearly you aren’t concerned with analysis.
The Hawks still have a 2016-17 season to play. So while crying about the future works for Yoda and Sarah Connor, let’s focus on the roster in play for the season that happens between now and next summer…
Perhaps Yoda and Wall should start up their own web discussion group titled “How to save Panarin” along with “Trade Seabrook and Crawford now” because we are going to have to endure theses tropes endlessly over the next year. Like we didn’t get it the first 739 times.
Endlessly. Sigh.
I agree 6.5 is a reasonable number. I cited Forsberg getting 6×6 as a comparable previously.
10 forwards 4 defensemen 1 goalie and Campbell/Panarin bonuses = about 70m can we agree on that? Assumes Artemi has another nice season. Soupy will hit his 750k.
8 players to sign with 5m (conceding to a 75m dollar cap).
??? Toews Hossa
Panarin Anisimov Kane
Motte Kruger Schmaltz
??? Hino Hartman
Keith Hammer
??? Seabrook
??? TVR
Crow
???
It’s true that the lower line players and backup goalie need not cost very much. This helps. If Kempny performs well or not I believe that if Soupy still has something desirable left in his game he would sign another similar contract. So you would end up with a 2-3 million dollar 4D. Other potentially key free agents would be Panik and Gus. These dollar amounts would almost certainly come in at or under 2m.
In this scenario I can concede that Seabs or Crow and Artemi need not be mutually exclusive. Would make giving raises to key RFAs difficult going forward. But in essence it works.
Obviously, with the cap every team is going to have a few holes. You just can’t have 20 solid proven players anymore.
The Hawks are no different. Their hole has moved from D last year to forwards this year.
The hope is that some cheap UFA”s, Motte, Schmaltz, Hinostroza, Hartman and later DeBrincat (spelling?) can fill.
So does Q move back to a shutdown D first team? Count on your top 2 lines for goals and rely on your bottom 6 to stay out of the sin bin and play even hockey.
If that is the case, faceoffs, the PP and PK will need to improve big time. 5 and 6 D will need to be solid.
Hawks are still in better shape than the majority of teams. Dallas scares me the most. Seem a bit better on D and still have depth upfront.
it’s nice to see that actually digging into the roster and numbers – rather than just making knee jerk driven comments – leads to a place that doesn’t involve OMG THEY’RE DEAD.
Yoda still didn’t remove a contract for the expansion draft, however.
Tab as long as we are discussing 2 years down the road what about the 23-24 season? Kane, Toews, and Panarin will command 25 million each and the Hawks will have to pay everyone else $1 per year to fill out the team!
BLS
I agree the Hawks are far better off than a vast majority of teams. Because, while I question the team’s cap concerns going forward I do believe we have key positions (1-3D, 5 top 6 forwards, if you include a Panarin extension, number 1 goalie) signed long term; paired with a strong crop of prospects to fill the remaining depth positions. I am big on Hinostroza, Johnson, Motte, Schmaltz and Hartman. Still haven’t lost hope on McNeil *shy face*
It could be Pokka, or TVR as easily as Kruger in the expansion draft. Either way, Kruger could (hopefully) be traded to make Artemi’s money work.
Also ignores the team’s overall cap structure going forward. Not ideal but at that point you pray for the Canadian dollar to rebound.
Keith…butt kisser!
Good thing Yoda and/or Wall aren’t GM’s. They’re also forgetting about the NMC’s.
Tab- your 2018 roster… basically one of the Few scenarios I presented…
all I added is… they will be a pretty bad/average team… if the 8-10 “cheap prospects @ a Million or less ” equal Dez/Rasmussen type guys…
BUT IF- 2/3 of Prospects– turn into Saad/Shaw/Fabbri type players… the Hawks will be Cup contenders again…
That is the New Cap reality. imo
appreciate that, wall, but couldn’t disagree more on the bad/average team component. The Hawks had a bad roster in 2010-11 (read: not as good as the 17-18 I projected) & took the eventual Western Conference Champs to 7 games in spite of 19 playing thru concussion issues and Sharp having a bad wheel.
A lot depends on who goes in the expansion draft, but a lot also depends on how they play their pieces between now and then. I firmly believe one of Svedberg/Gustafsson is traded at some point. we’re a long way away from making a statement about the quality of next year’s Hawks team.
Tab’s last statement in his “dance” post says it all. It takes two sides to negotiate, and what Panarin will demand will play a big role in what happens. There will be a whole season to evaluate his sophomore session with the Blackhawks. Of course we all expect him to play very, very well. But there is the factor of how he plays, what else happens during the season and at the trading deadline, the expansion draft, the development of certain players, etc. that already make it too hard to predict.
If Panarin likes it in Chicago and they can agree on something that helps the team in the short and long term, then they’ll work something out. If he asks for what the Blackhawks consider outrageous money then he might have to go. Either way, it will be the same as always ….. some players stay and some players go. Doesn’t mean dire straits are inevitable.
GO BLACKHAWKS!!!!
Radulov – Montreal
You guys are forgetting about the possibility of the Hawks being sellers at the trade deadline and solving the salary cap problem that way. I have to believe that SB is going to make Panarin an absolute priority and I think he should. Hawks have their #1 pick next year. Hopefully its a strong draft class.
Very likely we have Panarin for one more season and then he is gone next summer. It is what it is.
Why the hell are we so concerned with the 17/18 roster? Way to many variables that are completely unknown. Can we enjoy the unfortunately long summer? Hope nobody gets accused of something they didn’t do. That nobody here has to worry about losing their home to fires and we all make through the summer with our organs inside us.
Lol…I wondered when Ernie would chime in.
Ernie, what can we do this summer to get a good forward to play with Toews? You’ll probably agree that we can’t do a fricking thing to solve that problem now.
The point being that if you don’t plan ahead you limit your options when decision time does arrive. Some of us think the Hawks should be proactive this summer in preparation for the following off season. In short, we don’t want to see Panarin go the way of Shaw and a few others.
If being proactive this off season can help for this upcoming year too then all the better.
No, this isn’t life or death. It’s for fun. Now, come down off that high horse. It”s not so bad down here with us no minds.
Ernie- Very nice that you mentioned all those things and remembered some of the problems encountered by others here last summer.
Ok…it was nice. Plus, we’re not no minds. We could be Canuck fans. Now there are the real no minds.
Jimmy Vesey.
My point is, if the Canadian dollar gets back half of what it lost…if you don’t have 3 California teams in the playoffs…if you dont have 2 Florida teams in the playoffs.. If you have a Boston,Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal in the playoffs…if the world cup does well…if the recapture doesn’t follow players in expansion…if Kruger is left unprotected…if Panarin doesn’t achieve those bonuses…if you don’t have a Scuderi type deal hanging on you..if the players invoke their escalator clause.
10 independent variables as to why either the cap would go up, or the Hawks would have more space. And we’re not talking chump change either. That’s potentially 15 million dollars you didn’t have and you only subtracted 2 bottom 6 type forwards in such a scenario.
Jimmy Vesey has said he’ll listen to the Sabres, but he’s still going to be unrestricted August 15. Look at his suitors. He’s a Boston kid. Boston has Marchand, Beleskey, Backes on the left side.
Buffalo has Evander Kane,Matt Moulson, Marcus Foligno.
Toronto has Lupul,JVR,Michalek and just signed Matt Martin.
Vesey wrote an article in the players tribune about last year when the Preds wanted to sign him. He said he could have been playing across from Patrick Kane. In another piece he spoke of Toews. He wants to play now. He’s 23. Hed fit perfectly on a line with Toews and Kane.
Way to many ” What if” scenarios going on today. Lets let the Hawks top brass worry about down the road and the rest of us just enjoy the best team in the greatest game there is. Someone said players come and players go but the team remains. Go Hawks and can’t wait to here Chelsea Dagger playing loud at the UC.
Well Four Feathers, that would make a great blog.
Posting 1…I love Q.
Posting 2…I love SB.
Posting 3 ..I love everyone.
Posting 4…Can’t wait to see what Santa brings us this year.
Posting 5 ..me too!
Frick!
Here ya go BLS.
I don’t understand the Rundblad buyout. Buying him out adds dollars to the cap this year as well as next as opposed to just burying him.
Also, Seidenberg has been bought out. Any takers? Youd have to get rid of a couple of your d-men. Svedberg(please) and put Gustafsson in Rockford. TVR with Seidenberg on a cheap deal and Rozsival in case of emergency break glass.
@ Ernie – the Blackhawks placed Rundblad on waivers. it is believed they will release him, NOT buy him out. if he wants out, they can rip up the paper and let him go free. so they aren’t going the wrong direction with that buyout
Now it makes sense Tab. It was reported that he was placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout. The buyout window had closed which led me to believe maybe it wasn’t reported soon enough? Similar situation with Seidenberg. I see generalfanager tweeted this out a few hours ago.
It still is one of the weirdest things I have seen as a Hawks fan. Rundblad get waived in October, goes unclaimed, goes to Zurich, their season ends in a first round loss, returns to Rockford, gets called up to the Hawks and plays more minutes than Gustafsson in games 6 and 7 against St. Louis in elimination games.
And this was classic. Stan Bowman is quoted as saying yesterday that Rundblad “has a bright future”, that he needs to find a team that will allow him to play lots of minutes and Stan is sure we will see back in the NHL in a couple of years.
I love how some posters say “don’t talk about the past, the players are gone nothing can be done about it and get over it” and then others(or the same person) also says stop worrying about the future and enjoy the summer. So what is the point of this Blog then? We can only talk about what is happening right now? If people want to talk about the past or future I say go ahead. Pretending to be GM is fun and that is what being a fan is all about.
Pete- No one complaining about good analysis….it’s when “Trade Crawford” comes up for the 7,000th time over several years now that it gets tedious and ridiculous. People enjoy the lineup presentations and such.
I’m with you on the TT thing. I actually hope the “others” are right and he is a “marshmallow” or whatever because if he develops into a big deal we will be very very sorry. His cap hit was peanuts but we had to clear off Bicks and make room for the Breadman. Expansion draft maneuvering also coming into play. Think you see Kruger go then, or traded before.
Now I’m going out on the lake and enjoy the summer some more.
Here is something else to consider for the sake of conversation. I keep seeing these projected lineups in which Schmaltz makes the team and is penciled in as a winger.
Nick Schmaltz is a Center. I have watched plenty of NoDak games, some in person, over the past two years and Schmaltz played center. The assumption that he is going to show up at camp and be told “hey kid you are playing wing” seems far fetched to me.
With Toews, Anisimov and Kruger occupying the top 3 center spots (and being paid accordingly), where does Schmaltz fit ? as a 4 th line limited role grinder playing 8 minutes a night ? I doubt it. That’s what Lundberg, Rasmussen and now Carrick are around for.
Or another scenario, Schmaltz and Hinostroza are the top 2 centers at Rockford to start the season playing big minutes, waiting for an injury call up opportunity.
Go ahead and harp on losing Teuvo Pete. It becomes annoying and is just as pointless.
Projecting a year from now is fun. But when it becomes we have to trade half the damn team now to keep one player is just silly. Way too many unknowns. If a previous post of mine ever comes out of moderation you’ll see I’ve listed 10 different variables that are completely unknown now. Believe it or not, the Hawks could have 15 million more dollars in play next year and only lose 2 players. All hope is not lost. The sky isn’t falling. And the Hawks could be a cup contender in 16/17…and 17/18.
Craig, my biggest problem with Schmaltz as a center is faceoffs. Advanced metric guys, depending on who you ask sometimes dismiss the draw but I’m not one of them. I can live with high 40s. But, when you make the jump certainly competition at the dot increases. That 45% is now 40. No bueno. Perhaps he improves. Fact is nobody knows what he’ll be.
I agree he probably starts the year in Rockford. After Christmas we may see him. Ditto for Motte. The great thing about him being a center is he can move to wing. Maybe he ends up being a 2c? Nobody knows. But the Hawks need a top 6 and he has the talent to be there. That’s why you see him there. Maybe he splits draws with Anisimov. Anisimov left shot. Schmaltz right.
Heading down to Rochelle first week in August and then over to the Illinois Railway Museum. Probably stay away from the big city but you never know..I’m close. I’m guessing like most big cities Chicago has less traffic in the summer with the schools out and lots of people away …so maybe.
Mining Man — my opinion (based on my experience), Chicago never has less traffic.
imo- one of the youngins… Motte/Schmaltz/D-Cat… needs to make the team…
or the Hawks will be PO bubble team… 1st round exit team…
If 2 of them play up more than 50% of season… this bodes well for the Hawks…(assuming they are up on merit… and NOT replacing an injured 19/72/88)
I always felt it had more traffic in the summer…I have a family reunion at my compound August 6. I’m like the halfway point for everyone so I’ll have 3 or 4 campers and 4 or 5 tents. Otherwise I’d join you out in Union.
No way Debrincat makes team. Good chance Motte does out of camp. And give Schmaltz at least a bit in Rockford to see how he adjusts before he’s brought up.
Great..thanks for the info.
Trading Panarin isn’t an option, not is letting him walk an option. He has the possibility to be just a good as Kane. Bowman is no idiot. He will do what he needs to do in order to win.
Purely hypothetical question : Who would you like to see as the Head Coach this fall if Quennville was not it. Who could lead these superstars and work with Bowman , in your opinion. As GM who would you be shopping for, what kind of coach?
Mike Keenan of course!
Just knew someone would come up with Keenan…not so sure the “core players” would get along or respond that well. I could be wrong about that.
Mining Man—I’ve been to that park in Rochelle! Fantastic!
I have one name re Kennan not getting along with: Denis Savard.
OK…here is a bit more tongue in cheek. How about Scotty? I’m sure Stan would love to fire him one day.
Let”s stick with Q! Damn good coach.
I will say Sullivan does need to get a lot of credit for Pittsburgh”s season. He kept the stars happy, got a ton out of a no name defense and got the best out of his AHL players. We’ll see if he can do it for a full year there.
Darryl Sutter — “Purely hypothetical”
BLS- Wow…What a thought…Stan fires the legendary greatest coach …his dad, Now that is timeless, the stuff of Greek plays and Shakespeare.
Dave- Really looking forward to the Rochelle park, I’ll let you guys know the time and day and I’ll wave to the webcam, in my Blackhawk jersey of course.
Ted Dent?
Dineen would be the obvious choice. Thumbs down on Orval Tessier though.
Keenan, no. He seems to wear out his welcome fast. I thought the same thing about the Sutters but Daryl said he has mellowed out and got 2 cups since. But the obvious choice is none other than …. Ditka. We’re talkin’ minimum 8peat.
Mudturtle says Ditka! Put that guy on Jeopardy!
Who is da Coach!?!?
Mining Man, I wondered if they still had the cam!