Official Chicago Blackhawks Thread: Bedard Era

peek Q right there

 

I would say 99% they do. If not South Shore will open up a couple trains I would bet.

 

Crawford on IR

want to see Panik and Debrincat swap lines for a bit

 

5 game streak has helped get out of hole, but now need to find way to sustain the consistency.

 

A five-game winning streak, like the one currently enjoyed by the Chicago Blackhawks, is going to put a shine on many aspects of the team.

And there are plenty segments of the team worthy of praise. Corey Crawford is still the Best Goalie in the Western Conference™ and should generate Vezina consideration by the season’s end. Patrick Kane is still scoring with the league’s best, and his pairing with Nick Schmaltzproduces highlights on a nightly basis.

But one recently thriving part of this team has been quietly improving his play after a slow start to the season. And his name going unmentioned on broadcasts usually means he’s doing his job quite well.

Connor Murphy continues to excel on the Blackhawks blue line.
First off, the eye test for Murphy continues to produce passing results. There’s no hesitation in his game anymore, no false steps that leave him out of position or a misplaced stick that leaves a passing lane open. After a few healthy scratches earlier in the season, Murphy has been a mainstay on the Blackhawks blue line (it’s almost like a new player in a new system needed time to develop. Whoda thunk it?!). And he’s shown versatility in the last week. When injuries to Jan Rutta and Cody Franson forced a lineup shuffle, Murphy flipped back to the right side without it affecting his play.

Pick your possession metric, and the numbers look good for Murphy. In the last 20 games, Murphy has posted a CF% over 50 percent 17 times. His season-long CF% (56.84) is 5.65% above the team rate. Among Blackhawks defensemen, his expected goals-for percentage is 9.01% above the team rate, according to Corsica.

For a visual representation of Murphy’s rank on the team, look at the chart below from the always-excellent charts compiled by Sean Tierney:


And just for fun: take a look at this chart again, and find the player that Murphy was traded for in the offseason. Hint: it’s in the “bad” quadrant.


This is not a shot at Niklas Hjalmarsson, whose contributions to three Stanley Cup victories were vital. But the miles Hjalmarsson’s tires were especially brutal, and he was showing signs of regression. While this stark contrast in possession numbers is affected, in part, by the overall fortunes of the two teams involved, it also highlights the shrewdness of the trade made by general manager Stan Bowman in the offseason. He was able to identify a depreciating asset and flip it for a younger asset with the potential for future development and the added bonus of cost certainty for a cap-strapped Chicago team. Those are the kinds of trades that extend championship windows. Bowman isn’t flawless, but the early returns on this deal are all positive

 

Seabrook was benched last game, what a disaster of a contract

entering a crucial home stand coming off a few wins

 

Scott Darling

Current team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)

Everyone knew the transition from backup with the Blackhawks to starter in Carolina might come with some bumps, but it’s been surprising how much Darling has struggled in his first season since leaving the Blackhawks. He’s posted a disastrous .893 save percentage in 26 appearances and is a big part of why the Hurricanes are a disappointing 19-15-8 despite having very good underlying metrics.

There are 32 NHL goalies who have played 800 minutes of 5-on-5 action and 33 goalies who have played 1,000-plus minutes overall this season. Here’s where Darling ranks among them in various save statistics, via Corsica.

Save percentage: 32nd (.893)

5-on-5 save percentage: 29th (.909)

Low-danger save percentage: 29th (.965)

High-danger save percentage: 30th (.754)

5-on-5 Goals Saved Above Average: 29th (-5.79)

Goals Saved Above Average: 31st (-8.44)

No matter how you slice it, Darling has been one of the worst starting goalies in the league this season. It’s gotten bad enough that Cam Ward has started eight of the team’s last nine games. Only the New York Islanders’ Thomas Greiss has been less effective than Darling in such a large role this season.

It’s a bit surprising given how good Darling was as the backup with the Blackhawks, but it’s a reminder of how much more demanding being the full-time guy can be. Things aren’t trending in the right direction, either: Over Darling’s last eight appearances, he’s posted a .868 save percentage as the Hurricanes have gone 1-6-1.

Andrew Desjardins

Current team: Adler Mannheim (Germany)

Desjardins has been playing in Germany’s top league after failing to make the New York Rangers on a professional tryout contract during training camp. He’s been a bit more active there offensively with 10 points in 19 games, which is worlds better than the 16 points in 136 games he posted with the Blackhawks. Maybe the most notable part of his season is that, despite playing overseas, he got zero interest from Canada as a possible option for the 2018 Winter Olympics. At this point, his career in North America may be over.



It's been a rough season for Niklas Hjalmarsson with the Arizona Coyotes. (James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports)
Niklas Hjalmarsson

Current team: Arizona Coyotes (NHL)

Did the Blackhawks actually win this trade? While it’s a bit too premature to say definitively in any direction, Hjalmarsson’s struggles with the Coyotes make the swap for Connor Murphy seem pretty smart in retrospect. Obviously you have to account for Hjalmarsson moving from a good Blackhawks team to a total mess in Arizona, but he did little to right the ship there before going on injured reserve in late November.

The decline that Hjalmarsson was showing before he left the Blackhawks seems to have accelerated in that challenging environment. He’s set to post career-worst numbers in practically every category imaginable, and while his quality of teammates has dropped by a few percent, that doesn’t necessarily account for his across-the-board decline in effectiveness.

It’s possible that he was nursing an injury during those struggles, and that could account for some of it, but it’s also possible this is simply a player with a ton of mileage on his body showing signs of aging. The Blackhawks might’ve been smart to sell high when they did.

Marcus Kruger

Current team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)

Kruger is giving the Hurricanes what he always gave the Blackhawks: a fourth-line center who can win faceoffs and drive possession in unfavorable conditions, but remains utterly unable to produce offensively. He has just 27 shots on goal in 37 games, and is currently on pace for 11 points over an 82-game span.

The Hurricanes don’t use him in quite as extreme a way as Joel Quenneville did — his 5-on-5 zone start ratio, which removes neutral zone starts from the equation, has gone from 29.8 (ridiculously low) to 42.7 (still very low but more traditional for a fourth-line center) — but he’s filling a similar role with a similar kind of effectiveness to what we saw in the past.

If anything, Carolina could still benefit from giving Kruger even more difficult assignments to free up its scorers to do more at the top of the lineup.

Tyler Motte

Current team: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)

Motte, the throw-in piece to the Saad-Panarin trade, broke into the Blue Jackets’ lineup the day before Halloween and hasn’t given up his spot in the lineup. It’s not hard to see why he got it in the first place, scoring goals in his first two games with Columbus. However, he’s recorded just two points in 25 games since then.

Motte felt like a bit of a tweener with the Blackhawks, so it wasn’t too surprising when he was moved. At this point, it’s hard to see how he would’ve beat guys like Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza and David Kampf for playing time.

Since the start of December, Motte has zero points, 13 shots on goal, a minus-6 rating and just 8:52 average ice time in 13 games. With results like that, it’s fair to wonder when he’ll find himself back in the AHL.

Johnny Oduya

Current team: Ottawa Senators (NHL)

It’s fairly remarkable the Senators watched Oduya at the end of last season and not only signed him to a one-year deal, but decided to pair him up with Erik Karlsson. Oduya looked like a shell of himself after re-joining the Blackhawks in a midseason trade, and there was little reason to believe he could still be a top-four NHL defenseman.

Now midway through the season, that’s largely proven to be true. Oduya hasn’t been a total disaster for the Senators, but he’s done little to keep them in contention. When he’s with Karlsson, they have a good Corsi (52.2 percent) but they’re still minus-2 in goal differential, per Natural Stat Trick. When he’s not with Karlsson, he has a bad Corsi (45.5 percent) and a minus-1 goal differential.

Maybe that Karlsson pairing could be better with time, but “serviceable next to Erik Karlsson” isn’t exactly a strong endorsement of one’s ability.



Artemi Panarin is leading the Columbus Blue Jackets in points. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
Artemi Panarin

Current team: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)

There’s no doubt at this point that Panarin is one of the best wingers in the league, regardless of his linemates. Brandon Saad has come on of late after a disappointing start to the season, but it’s fair to say that trade hasn’t worked according to plan yet.

The forward has 36 points in 44 games spending most of the year skating with Josh Anderson and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois. He’s had the benefit of a lot of minutes in front of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL, but that line is still putting up ridiculous possession numbers and a lot of points.

The Blue Jackets’ 5-on-5 Corsi is 10.1 percent higher with Panarin on the ice, the highest figure for any player in the league. He trails only Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Vladimir Tarasenko in terms of 5-on-5 Game Score. And while he has favorable usage this season, his zone start rating suggests he’s actually had more difficult distribution than Kane has had with the Blackhawks this season. (That’s partly because the Blackhawks are a better possession team, but you can’t argue Panarin has been treated with kid gloves but Kane has not.)

So … giving up Panarin might’ve been a mistake. The bright side is that, given the way he’s playing, there’s basically no way the Blackhawks would’ve been able to re-sign him in 2019. Instead, they have Saad at his reasonable cap hit through 2021.

Dennis Rasmussen

Current team: San Diego Gulls (AHL)

Rasmussen couldn’t stick with the Anaheim Ducks all season. He lost his spot in the lineup in mid-December, then cleared waivers a couple weeks later. Now he’s playing for the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego, his first extended stint at that level since the 2015-16 season.

It’s not really surprising that Rasmussen was sent down once Anaheim’s forward depth came back together. The team was decimated by injuries earlier this season, so there was ample room for a player like Rasmussen to step in. However, with the return of Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, plus the acquisition of Adam Henrique from the New Jersey Devils, there was no longer as much room on the backend for a depth guy like Rasmussen. He cleared waivers, too, so the other 30 teams also passed on adding him.

Trevor van Riemsdyk

Current team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)

Van Riemsdyk has settled in on the third pairing of a very good Hurricanes defense. He’s in a pretty favorable situation, not only in terms of his primary partner, 2015 top-five pick Noah Hanifin, but also receiving very easy assignments from the coaching staff.

Only two defensemen in the NHL with more than 500 minutes played have received more favorable 5-on-5 zone start distribution: Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev, a 19-year-old rookie, and Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, a soon-to-be 37-year-old whose career is winding down on a non-contender.

The Hurricanes also have a very strong top pairing in Jacob Slavin and Brett Pesce that eats the toughest assignments, freeing up Hanifin, van Riemsdyk, and rookie Haydn Fleury to receive the easier matchups.

TvR is performing extremely well in his role with a 55 percent 5-on-5 Corsi and 55.5 percent 5-on-5 goals for percentage, but he’s also playing limited minutes with a talented partner in favorable conditions.

 

terrible news

 

beyond time to pack it in

 

Ville Pokka traded

rip the Nick Leddy trade

 

rofl - just say you dont want to trade him

 

With chemo behind him, Eddie Olczyk talks cancer fight, future: 'I’m way tougher than I ever thought I was’

Scott Powers 13 hours ago
Eddie Olczyk came to know what to expect every week he underwent chemotherapy.

The beginning of the week was hell and he’d gradually feel better as the week progressed. It helped he could count down the days and know when he’d start feeling like himself again. By the end of the week, he could resume his life.

That process worked for the number of chemo rounds, too. He was scheduled for 12 rounds after he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery to remove a tumor last summer. The number of sessions and length of time were overwhelming early on, but as they dwindled, it was easier to remain upbeat. He could often be overheard in the United Center telling someone “four left,” “two left.” There was an excitement in his voice as he neared the end of his treatments.

There’s a new tone now. This past week Olczyk completed his final round of chemo. He has to wait until April for another body scan, but he’s hopeful there won’t be a trace of cancer. Until then, he’s getting on with his life. He’ll be joining the Blackhawks on his first road trip of the season to call a series of games later this week.

The past six months have tested the 51-year-old in ways he’d never been tested before. He learned a lot about himself and others through it. After his final treatment last week, he discussed what his journey over the past six months has been like.

Scott Powers: What’s it like to have your last round of chemotherapy completed?

Eddie Olczyk: It's pretty emotional, just psychologically and physically. It's like you know you think about where I was on Sept. 11, my first treatment, and thinking about how am I going to get through six months, you know, 180 days and the whole nine yards? I just think it was really helpful I set goals for myself over the course of my treatments. Whether it was getting back and doing games, you know the Breeders Cup and then my daughter graduating from Alabama and then Christmas and then Super Bowl and the next thing you know we're in the home stretch so…

I think psychologically more than anything else it's just kind of like a load off your mind knowing that you completed the 12 and then hopefully get a good scan in April and then never have to go through this again. So, I just think probably more so than the physical part which has been brutal at times, but like this last one here it's like one of those, it's more of a psychological part than the physical.

SP: What's the next step then?

Olczyk: Next step is just completely cleanse myself of all the medicine and then in April I'll have a scan and blood test to see exactly what the chemo did and hopefully get a thumbs-up, you know, get on with everything. That’s kind of the schedule as far as medically what we got to look forward to until April 2.

SP: You've been very public and open about this whole process and getting through this. Why did you choose to go about it that way?

Olczyk: I think I felt it was an opportunity to try to keep one person away from going through what I've had to go through, and you know like I said, if I can help one person deal with it or avoid this, then it was worth the openness of everything we've been through as a family, and just as an individual. I think at the start it was go and hide under a rock and you feel like you let everybody down and you feel weak and you’re sick and you don't want to burden people with it. And you know you're one of sadly millions of people that have to deal with it.

And it's like, OK, well, how can I help somebody? How can inform or how can I keep somebody from having to go through what I've gone through? Like I said, that's what it became, it almost became like a mission where I wanted to tell the story and not be overbearing. Because look, at the end of the day, and it's very important to me, look, I know and have known going through this is, look, I know there are a lot of people out there who are in a way bigger battle than I am and I understand that. I have respect for those people and feel for them.

But like I said, I just happened to one weekend get sick and then all of a sudden, you know, I’m on my back 72 hours later having a surgery removing a tumor that's been in there for 10 years. It's like everything just kind of comes to a screeching halt. I just kind of felt that it being in the public eye and having a voice as to, you know, maybe help somebody stay away from it or help somebody deal with it just the way that I've been able to cope with it and help somebody out there because, you know, I have that platform. If I could help one person, then it was worth the communication or the opening up about what we've gone through. Originally, I wanted to hide under a rock and just kind of deal with it and not burden everybody. But the more I thought about it, the more sense of what's really going on, and it was like, OK, well, maybe I can help some 45- or 46-year-old avoid what I'm going through at 50 or 51. Maybe they get a colonoscopy a little bit earlier or if they're not feeling well they say something instead of just sitting there going, ‘You know I'm OK.’ I think that was probably the biggest reason why I decided to become kind of, I don’t want to say spokesperson, but certainly somebody who was willing to share their story and let people know.

SP: Have you learned anything about yourself through all of this?

Olczyk: It's a great question. I've had enough quiet time to last me a lifetime over the course of the last seven months. I'm way tougher than I ever thought I was physically and mentally. Anybody that goes through this you think you're weak because of your illness, but when you take the medication and you go through this battle, psychologically and physically, it's the opposite. And I respect so much the people that have to take this medicine. You're not weak. You're as tough as it gets. And that to me is kind of what I’ve proven to myself. Me, personally, I’m way tougher than I ever thought I was.

And I think too is you really know who your friends are, you really know who cares about you. Like I said, the support I've had, and I've always tried to go out of my way to let people know. Just obviously, my family, my friends, the Blackhawks and NBC and you know so many hockey people and hockey teams and all the fans for their well wishes and mass cards and texts and emails and notes and cards sent to the [United Center], social media, obviously which I'm not on, but I hear. I couldn’t do it by myself. That's the one thing I know. My wife has been there every step of the way, and my kids and my folks and my brothers have checked up on me all the time. I couldn't do it by myself because there were times where you question your mortality, you question 'am I going to be able to get through this?' I think for me I'm way tougher than I ever thought I was and I couldn’t do it by myself, and that's kind of been the silver lining or blessing to know a lot of people have taken an interest and it's helped out a lot and I'm very thankful.

SP: Did you have to face any fears or thoughts of death throughout all of this?

Olczyk: Oh yeah, for sure. I mean the hardest part at the start was like, OK, well, you hear the word cancer, you automatically think of death. That’s just what it was. Like I said, I've had enough quiet time to last me a lifetime and I've been to places that I've never been before. That's where you need to have that mental toughness and 'I am going to beat this, I am going to win.' Once I got over that, I'm fighting for everybody around me more so than myself. I think that's where you know the hunger came and the belief came is OK, yeah, I'm taking the hit and I feel awful, I put on all this weight, and the medicine, I don't know what it's going to do to me today, tomorrow or five years from now, but the medicine kills cancer.

But, yeah, for sure you think about death, you think about the people that are around you. It's a stop-you-in-your-tracks moment in your life. It's scary. Look, I'm still scared. I've been scared, and I'm still scared. I know I'm through my treatments and I'm happier than anything now that I'm done with it, but what is my scan going to show in April? And my doctors and we all feel very confident that when they removed the tumor, they got all the cancer, but they don't know if there is something festering somewhere and that's why they recommended the chemo. The belief is I'm going to get a great positive scan on April 2 and I'm going to be done with this and kind of get on with the rest of my life. But it’s pretty taxing and it’s scary. It’s not only scary for me or the individual that's going through. But again, I go back, how does this weigh on your kids? How does it weigh on your wife? How does it weigh on your folks? How does it weigh on your brothers? How does it weigh on your partners, the guys I work with, [broadcasters] Pat [Foley] and Doc [Emerick]? How does it affect the people that I work with or my friends? All that stuff plays into it, and sometimes people don't understand the psychological battles that people go through not only on a daily basis, but I'm talking about on an hourly basis where when you're by yourself your mind seems to wander into oblivion and you start thinking about all those things.

 

Interested to see the return for a young 3rd/2nd line winger, going into his RFA year.

Just saw no way that a 1st and top Prospect could be the netter return....if it is, makes sense to me if there were contract concerns about another team offer sheeting him this offseason (and having better compensation thru this deal than what that would provide)

 

Sounds good

 

I like the deal...

 

way today's Market is unfolding...

got comparable return for Hartman that Stastny and Evander Kane got

 

its obvious but i'm glad we didn't attempt some lame last ditch effort and started acquiring talent.

Do you guys think we see some major shakeups with this core in the offseason?

 

By Scott Powers 13 hours ago

The trade deadline was a bad sort of different for the Blackhawks.

Now get ready for potentially a good sort of different. For the first time in years, they’ll have money to spend in free agency.

If the Blackhawks can figure out how to maximize Marian Hossa’s long-term injured reserve status effectively and the cap increases to the expected $80 million, they could have about $16 million in cap space to spend in July, and they’d only need to fill a handful of spots with that money.

So how could they spend it? We’ll get into that shortly. Let’s first dive into the math.

The Blackhawks were a cap-ceiling team this season again for many reasons. They kept Hossa’s $5.275 million cap hit on the books, and they had a $3.558 million cap overage from last season. They paid $1 million each for Cody Franson and Lance Bouma and also gave Patrick Sharp $1 million, including bonuses. They carried 23 players for much of the season. Add that all up and the Blackhawks hit — and with performances bonuses, exceeded — the $75 million cap ceiling once again.

The Blackhawks have been hit hard by cap overages due to performance bonuses in recent years — Artemi Panarin was particularly costly — but that isn't expected to be the case after this season as they'll likely end up only $1.02 million over the cap due to bonuses. In addition, Bouma, Franson and Sharp aren’t expected to return.

The Blackhawks also don’t have to negotiate any major contracts with any current players heading into next season. While there’s plenty of debate whether the Blackhawks should have dealt Ryan Hartman, he was probably due the most of any of their upcoming restricted free agents, a list that includes Vinnie Hinostroza, Anthony Duclair and John Hayden. It’s estimated those three players will combine for about $3.75 million in cap hits on their new deals. The Blackhawks are also hopeful to sign Dylan Sikura this season, and his entry-level deal will come with a $925,000 cap hit.

Outside of that, the Blackhawks’ contracts are set. They could always move one or more current players this summer. Artem Anisimov has been a name mentioned as a possibility as his contract goes from having a full no-movement clause to a modified no-trade clause, which will allow him to submit a list of 10 teams to which he would accept a trade.

The biggest question is what the Blackhawks will do with Hossa's contract. They opted to use in-season LTIR this past season, and it didn't do much for them. They signed Franson, kept 23 players on the roster and freely moved players to and from the IceHogs. In the end, it wasn't the best use of Hossa's cap hit.


With more time to plan this season, the Blackhawks should be able to figure out a better way to utilize Hossa's substantial cap hit. There are three routes the Blackhawks are most likely to go with Hossa's contract, each of which will be explained with the assumption the cap ceiling is $80 million next season.

One, the Blackhawks could trade Hossa and his contract. The Blackhawks would have to locate a team willing to take on Hossa's cap hit. In the past, teams like the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes have been willing to absorb contracts like Hossa's to help them reach the cap floor, and the deal usually comes with a draft pick and/or prospect. Hossa is owed only $1 million in salary in each of the last three years of his contract, so it's not a major burden financially.

Hossa would have to waive his no-movement clause for the Blackhawks to trade him. His agent, Ritch Winter, recently declined to answer whether Hossa would do that, but it would be out of character for Hossa to punish the Blackhawks and be unwilling to allow a trade. It's extremely unlikely Hossa will play again, so it's not as if he'll actually be joining a new team.

This first scenario is the one that would allow them to free up the most money for the offseason. They'd have about $16 million in cap space if they traded Hossa's contract.

The second way for the Blackhawks to go would be to use offseason LTIR. They could build an offseason roster that takes them up to but not over $85.275 million. They would then place Hossa on LTIR on the last day of training camp in order to cover the amount they're over the cap ceiling and be cap compliant for the first day of the regular season.

This scenario would give them the most usable amount of cap space, but it would leave them with $0 in cap space on Day 1 of the season. Any move made thereafter would have to be dollar in, dollar out.

The third route would be to once again use the in-season LTIR. They would build a roster with Hossa included to get as close to $80 million as possible. They would then place Hossa on LTIR on the first day of the season and have an additional $5.275 million to use during the season.

In this scenario, the cap space they have on the first day of the season wouldn't gain value as the season wore on because they'd be under LTIR, meaning the $5.275 million would be the same at the trade deadline as it would be on the first day of the season.




Here’s how the Blackhawks' lineup could look next season, with each player's cap hit included.

Forwards

Brandon Saad ($6m) – Jonathan Toews ($10.5m) – Vinnie Hinostroza ($1.35m)

Anthony Duclair ($1.5m) – Nick Schmaltz ($925k) – Patrick Kane ($10.5)

Alex DeBrincat ($778,533) – Artem Anisimov ($4.55m) – Dylan Sikura ($925k)

Player X (?) – David Kampf ($925k) – John Hayden ($900k)

Depth forward (?)

Defensemen

Duncan Keith ($5,538,462) – Jordan Oesterle ($650k)

Connor Murphy ($3.85m) – Brent Seabrook ($6.875m)

Gustav Forsling ($750k) – Player Y (?)

Depth defenseman (?)

Goalies

Corey Crawford ($6m)

Anton Forsberg (750k)




There are 18 players listed, and they have a combined cap hit of $63,389,295. Toss in the estimated cap overage, and they’re at $64,409,295.

The projected roster needs another bottom-6 forward, probably a top-4 defenseman and 2-3 depth players. Those depth players could come from players already in the organization. Carl Dahlstrom, Erik Gustafsson, Tomas Jurco and Tanner Kero, among others, could push for those spots. Newly acquired prospect Victor Ejdsell could also be intriguing next season. The Blackhawks also have to decide whether to re-sign Jan Rutta. However the Blackhawks want to fill up those depth spots, it won’t cost them much.

It’s also worth mentioning 2017 first-round pick Henri Jokiharju could get a look on defense at training camp. He’ll come with a $925,000 cap hit whenever he signs. He won't be 19 until June, so he may not be ready for the jump to the NHL. There’s also the possibility the Blackhawks move up enough in the draft — either via trade or lottery luck — to select a player who can immediately step into an NHL lineup. They're currently slotted in the No. 9 spot.

So, let’s say the Blackhawks have $13 million to play with in July after they fill a few depth positions. Their greatest need still appears to be defense. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, it doesn’t look like a great UFA defenseman class. Capitals defenseman John Carlson, who is 28, would be by far the most attractive of the group. Among the upcoming UFA forwards, the most notable names are John Tavares, James van Riemsdyk, Evander Kane, Michael Grabner, James Neal and Rick Nash.

The Blackhawks could also acquire a top defenseman via trade. Erik Karlsson is the obvious name out there. Many insiders believe the Ottawa Senators will move Karlsson this offseason. The 27-year-old will carry a $6.5 million cap hit next season, but he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 and will likely be asking for more than $10 million. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun also mentioned the possibility of 26-year-old defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has a $5.5 million cap hit, informing the Coyotes he isn't looking to re-sign after the 2018-19 season, which could prompt a trade this offseason. Of course, trading for Ekman-Larsson, Karlsson or any top player will likely cost a combination of draft picks, prospects and NHL players. The Blackhawks did acquire a second 2018 first-round pick in the Hartman trade, so that could come in handy.

The Blackhawks also have to be mindful of contracts down the road. Schmaltz, Kampf and Forsling will be restricted free agents after the 2019-20 season. If Sikura signs with the Blackhawks, he’d also be an RFA after the 2019-20 season. Alex DeBrincat will be an RFA after the 2020-21 season.

Looking just at next season, though, the Blackhawks will certainly enter free agency with the means to make a splash or two. If general manager Stan Bowman makes the right splashes, the Blackhawks may be able to restore their seat near the head of the NHL table.

All contract information via CapFriendly

 

Some of Powers Notes

https://theathletic.com/265661/2018...stafsson-knows-defensive-play-has-to-improve/

1. Re-signing Gustafsson made sense for the Blackhawks. He was the Rockford IceHogs' best defenseman this season. He can contribute offensively in the NHL and will have a lot of NHL games under his belt come next season. He can probably be an effective third pairing defenseman on a winning team.

What some people around the league were confused by, though, was the amount the Blackhawks gave Gustafsson. He will have a $1.2 million cap hit over the next two seasons.

I talked to three league sources over the last few days, and their reactions were similar. None of them could believe the Blackhawks gave Gustafsson that much money after having a $650,000 cap hit this past season and not having played more than 41 games in an NHL season yet. Gustafsson was going to be a restricted free agent after the season. One source even thought the $1.2 million figure was the total payment over two years.

“Where was he going to go?” another source said.

All three sources thought the Blackhawks would have been better paying Gustafsson around $900,000. While it's only a $300,000 difference and most of it can be buried if the Blackhawks needed to send him to the AHL, the Blackhawks are often a cap team and a few hundred thousand dollars can come in handy.

Matt Cane, who projects salaries heading into the offseason, had Gustafsson with a $775,670 cap hit on a one-year deal and a $871,914 over two years.



10. Blackhawks prospect Max Shalunov has been one of the hottest players in the KHL. He went without a goal in CSKA’s playoff game Wednesday, but he had scored in the previous six games and had nine goals during that streak.

Shalunov recorded his first 20-goal KHL season and finished seventh overall in the league. His 0.87 points per game also tied him for 11th in the league. He has three goals and 14 shots on net in three playoff wins so far.

There’s little doubt Shalunov could step into the Blackhawks’ lineup now and help them. And knowing how flimsy KHL contracts can be – a KHL league source told me this week Shalunov could get out of his deal if he wanted – I asked Shalunov’s agent if there was any chance he’d join the Blackhawks next season.

“No chance,” Shumi Babaev texted me from Russia. “We not gonna do it. I don’t know if they’re [sic] want him.”

Bowman has said he envisions Shalunov in the Blackhawks’ lineup when his KHL contract expires after the 2019-20 season. It just seems like a bit of a waste for the Blackhawks to wait two seasons for a player who is ready for the NHL and could probably help them now.


12. I'll have a longer piece on Blackhawks defenseman prospect Blake Hillman later this week, but wanted to share something his University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery said about him.

Montgomery was asked whether Hillman, a junior, was ready to turn pro.

“I think Blake is extremely close to being ready,” Montgomery said. “We'll sit down at the end of the year and I'll tell him like things I think he needs to be aware of if he wants to sign. I think he's ready. If he comes back, the only things that will dramatically improve might be that decision-making and decisiveness, but I don’t see him being a power play guy at the NHL level one day, so he may well get in the system.”

You don't hear that kind of honesty from a lot of college coaches. Most coaches I've talked in recent years are pushing to keep their kids for as long as possible.

 

This thread re: KHL is insane; hopefully Shalunov has done well versus SKA!

 

this is unconscionable

 

I know Stan isn't going to come out and say our minors are trash but he seemed pretty optimistic that some guys are close to being a factor on the NHL level. I've also heard that Villa Polka was going to be a monster so grain of salt and such.