The Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks

[mooneyes]

Congrats to the Hawks!

So I was thinking, aside from being bored, what would I or you do if you were the G.M. this summer?

Toews and Kane will take 38% of the available Cap! If you think of them plus Kieth and Seabrook as the big four, which would you trade? Most likely Seabrook I guess, but I would trade Kane and his huge cap room that would create, plus he maybe the easiest of the 4 to replace.
You would also get some great young/cheaper talent in return.

Sharp is gone for sure it seems, plus who else? I wouldn't want to part with Hossa for any deal, than again he is getting old...

Who would you jettison to meet the cap and still be a great team?

[canucksfan007]

Kane is the most clutch person the Hawks have in any deciding game and on the biggest stage.

If Toews did not have the C on his jersey, I would think it could be a toss IF you had to get rid of one or the other.

Will people take slight pay cuts to stay / come to Chicago .... for the next few years I think so.

Hossa / Sharp will be long gone before Toews / kane / Keith / Seabrook

[RGM81]

Sharp's a guy that is (unfortunately) starting to show signs of being a declining asset. Still a great player but he's at the point now where he'd be better used as tradebait.

Saad will probably receive an offer sheet or two this summer if he's not re-signed by July 1.

[10-4 collector]

I do not agree with Kane beeing easy to replace, top 10 player in the league. If he is easy to replace, I'll take him in Montreal!

[mooneyes]

I do not agree with Kane beeing easy to replace, top 10 player in the league. If he is easy to replace, I'll take him in Montreal!

No not easy! lol...comparatively, EASIEST of the 4 players I mentioned, very hard choice but maybe they have to, don't know? He is very Clutch for sure!
Didn't realize Saad was up, tough one to part with, he will get I guess 5 mil/per offers...so long Crawford...j/k

[10-4 collector]

Saad will probably be traded, maybe Terravainen will take over, they always seem to find good young players that take over for the ones traded. I would trade Seabrook before Kane.

[icefields]

hadnt seen much of the blackhawks before this years playoffs so my conjectures may be skewerd a little. but seabrook didnt impress me at all. as a matter of fact beside Keith and Hjarmalsson (spelling) i thought the hawks D resembled the Leafs D at times. so many giveaways, poor passes that turned into icing, just getting rid of the puck to center. no toughness, i will agree they played well in front of Crawford, that tight little circle everybody plays now. makes for BORING hockey mind you it is effective but so is exlax.
i would keep half a dozen players - Toews, Keith, Hjarlmasson, Kane altho he did NOTHING against TBay Teravainen (young plus no cap problems) Shaw, and Darling. the rest are just fillers like every team has.

[kuzniar42]

I would think Bickel is gone for sure if the hawks can find a team to deal him to so that would be 4 mil in cap space. Sharp is 5.9 mil in cap space I would hate to see him go. Hossa Will stay for sure just because he's my favorite player and his contract makes him almost unmoveable since the hawks already used both of there buyouts. Crawford might be interesting 6 mil in cap space and he's basically at the top of his game and the Hawks do have Darling. The big question is do you really want to get rid of crow and hope darling can replace him similar to what happened with Nemi. So basically if you get rid of those three that gives 15.9 mil in cap space plus 4.9 they already have. So you would have around 20.8 mil if my math is right to sign 12 roster spots.

[geschrocks33]

hadnt seen much of the blackhawks before this years playoffs so my conjectures may be skewerd a little. but seabrook didnt impress me at all. as a matter of fact beside Keith and Hjarmalsson (spelling) i thought the hawks D resembled the Leafs D at times. so many giveaways, poor passes that turned into icing, just getting rid of the puck to center. no toughness, i will agree they played well in front of Crawford, that tight little circle everybody plays now. makes for BORING hockey mind you it is effective but so is exlax.
i would keep half a dozen players - Toews, Keith, Hjarlmasson, Kane altho he did NOTHING against TBay Teravainen (young plus no cap problems) Shaw, and Darling. the rest are just fillers like every team has.

Did you watch Game 6? Did you see how many scoring chances he had, and the cycle/puck possession Him/Richards/Saad had? I suppose 1G + 1A and a +2 when the Cup is on the line at home is doing nothing - he is clutch and always comes up big in big games. Oh yeah, he assisted on the Cup winning goal, and scored the one that essentially clinched it.

In a 6 Game Series, he had 1G, 2A, +1, 14 Shots, with an ATOI of almost 20 minutes. Far from nothing I'd say. Just because he isn't producing a point per game doesn't mean he did nothing. Too many people look at the scoresheet and determine that a player did nothing. The Hawks get their wins off of a team game for 60 minutes. Their players give 110% on the ice, from Top to bottom. Watch Hossa/Toews play together, and every time you will see them with their heads buried, power skating back into the play. It isn't all about the scoresheet.



As for their cap problems - they have already proved (twice) that they can ditch half their team and still compete the next year.

People that need to stay: Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, Teravainen, probably Shaw

If you can keep Kruger/Desjardins for cheap (which you probably can) I'd say go for it, as they made for a pretty good 4th line and PK. Saad would be nice to keep, but I can almost guarantee he gets some offer sheets as a RFA, and I think you can plug another LW with Toews/Hossa and they will immediately thrive from the leadership and example of hockey that Hossa & Toews demonstrate.

Sharp is old, declining, and making too much money, so I envision him a goner. Unless Richards wants to stay for cheap money, he can go. Vermette did his job, and will be on his way. Versteeg (despite playing pretty decent in the Cup Final) can go.

They already proved that they only like to use Keith/Seabrook/Hjalmarsson/Oduya, and I think Oduya can be replaced, the rest of their D just needs to step in and develop a little more

I don't think Kane/Toews/Keith ever go anywhere. Hawks will do what it takes to keep them together, and I would bet that those 3 might take a small pay cut if it means more Stanley Cups. Kane loves Chicago - he tells it to his friends and family all the time, and his dad talks about it frequently. Kaner wants to stay in that city, in a Blackhawks uni for his career.

[CBDB36]

hadnt seen much of the blackhawks before this years playoffs so my conjectures may be skewerd a little. but seabrook didnt impress me at all. as a matter of fact beside Keith and Hjarmalsson (spelling) i thought the hawks D resembled the Leafs D at times. so many giveaways, poor passes that turned into icing, just getting rid of the puck to center. no toughness, i will agree they played well in front of Crawford, that tight little circle everybody plays now. makes for BORING hockey mind you it is effective but so is exlax.
i would keep half a dozen players - Toews, Keith, Hjarlmasson, Kane altho he did NOTHING against TBay Teravainen (young plus no cap problems) Shaw, and Darling. the rest are just fillers like every team has.

Wow!! Add this guy to the list of posters on this site that should just stick to talking about cardboard cutouts of hockey players and not commenting about the actual game of hockey being played. If this is your actual belief about the Hawks and not just some trolling, then I would suggest to watch alot ( I mean alot) more NHL games the next few years. Again I hope this is just some attempt at trolling because if not, this could actually be the worst analysis of a hockey team I have ever seen in my life.