2020 Rumor Mill

[Diehardfan]

I'm fairly certain that Crow is going to be looked upon as damaged goods. Not sure that anyone confirmed it but it sure
sounded like Post-Concussion Syndrome that keeps laying him up for weeks on end. His potential for missing time will be a problem.....I'm sure he wants to keep playing and if he was completely healthy, I'd love him to stay but I just don't see it happening anymore. He should start thinking more about his future after hockey. The guy's got a family and will always live with a possible CTE problem hanging over him.

 

[anotheridiot]

Not a rumor, Quenville back to Rockford. No timetable set for Saad yet, so its not him to top line again.

I am guessing it will be a load up of Kubalik, Toews and Kane for a while. Still have no clue why there were writing Kane in on the third line. I thought it was the asshat that did the article, but it must be the same asshat that does the games too because he was also on third on the broadcast. I definitely thought Quenville was playing better hockey than Nylander.

Rumor is the Hawks are having no luck at moving Maata that they might have to buy him out.

Lets not let Stan make any more moves other than his desk the hell out of the building.

 

[ZOMBIE@CTESPN]

Just as mentioned in the offseason this roster is a disaster after all bowman trades. They allowed him to stay make all those moves and make what could be a franchise saving number three over all pick. He should have been let go half way through last season.

I don’t see how we get anything back in substance for with any of these trade rumors

 

[Granada]

Bowman is an utter clown. How many D-men has he signed, only to immediately trade them? He did the same exact thing with Davidson and Manning last year -- now it's Maatta, who signed through 2022; and Daley, Scuderi, Ehrhoff, the list goes on, before that. All Bowman does is throw shit at the wall and hopes something sticks. He's a joke.

 

[Diehardfan]

Bowman is an utter clown. How many D-men has he signed, only to immediately trade them? He did the same exact thing with Davidson and Manning last year -- now it's Maatta, who signed through 2022; and Daley, Scuderi, Ehrhoff, the list goes on, before that. All Bowman does is throw shit at the wall and hopes something sticks. He's a joke.

Yep. All because of the big, dumb contracts he gave out. Dug himself a hole that he can't escape from....a long line of garbage players that he wedges in under the cap hoping for a miraculous turn around from them. The thing is, he's fucked up everything so badly that the only resolution is time.....time he certainly doesn't have as a GM.

 

[Raskolnikov]

No, I dont see it as looking elsewhere, he expects to be paid as a great one, and that rate now is 10 million, or basically what we are paying both now.

I thought this would be a one year deal and Nalimov was coming hard. Now it seems all the prospects are thought of as our in house D men replacements who might have nice AHL careers.

I hope they do the smart thing and pay Lehner to stay. Lehner can make your team viable another 3-5 years. He deserves at least 8 for 5, and probably more as you allude.

Crow can help somebody chase a cup and would be smart to allow the Hawks to work something out.

There is alot to like with Delia/Glass/Lahtonen/Nalimov, and the Hawks have great spots behind Lehner for a first back-up and a first up in rockford which almost always gets called up.

I feel great about those 4 fighting for those 2 spots plus maybe some trade fodder, but think it would be incredibly risky to let them fight out for 3 spots including your top 2 starters. It could easily be the nail in all coffins and be a decision dumb enough to get Kane traded from a sinking ship.

If you don't sign Lehner probably just trade Kane, Toews and everyone else. Lehner was a gift and I hope he feels appreciated when they bring their offer.

 

[Raskolnikov]

God...we all looked up with raised eyebrows when he traded for a defeneman slower than Seabs. Then they tried to pair them together. I guess they thought he was a fit for their stupid **** zombie penalty kill.

Judging by recent comments at least Stan is annoyed with Nylander and realizes how bad the joker trade was now, and is pissing himself in misery, sitting in a pool of his own filth praying for salvation, looking high and low for a fwd to cover the Nylander mistake and a defenseman to hold place for Beudin/Mitchell/Bovqist.

 

[Mr. Jones]

Goalies don't generally get much of a return on trades....Blackhawks should pray for an injury

Robin Lehner is going to test the FA market and the Hawks will have to pay him a big amount if they want to keep him..Best to keep Crawford happy and have a back up plan to acquire another goalie to be a backup in case Lehner bolts..

 

[anotheridiot]

Robin Lehner is going to test the FA market and the Hawks will have to pay him a big amount if they want to keep him..Best to keep Crawford happy and have a back up plan to acquire another goalie to be a backup in case Lehner bolts..

he never said he wants to test the market, he said he has taken discounts his entire career. If they make him feel wanted with a fair offer, I doubt he tests. The fair offer is just going to be 7.5 or 8.

If he does not take that, just let the kids run with it. Nalimov is supposed to be real good, upset he was still left over there, asked to be traded to get more playing time so he could put up better numbers on a better team. He needs to at least have that shot to play here, either rockford or chicago or he is going to demand to be moved. If crow wants to stay for 3 with a kid under his wing, I would take that too. I just dont expect Crow to play 82 games anymore, and the quicker he accepts that, the better off he will be. Would not be a bad idea on his part to ride off into the sunset for his own future health.

 

[Granada]

I think Lehner's going to want the most he can get. I really can't fathom he'd sign here for 7-8. Bobravsky pretty much set the bar at 10 million last year as a UFA, and I'd bet that's what Lehner will be after (i.e. 9-10 range) -- especially if he's going to a shittier team, which the Hawks will be, if this season so far is any indication.

Lehner will not want to stick around here next year, especially for a lesser amount.

 

[anotheridiot]

I think Lenher knows he is not Bob. Just like the bar was set with the Rinne deal, there was always that really good guy that gets paid fair. Not to mention, they needed to kick up the offer to Bob to get him away from the only team he played for. If the money were the same he probably would have stayed in Columbus, maybe.

I think everyone knows Price, Bobrowski, Fleurry and Lundquist are above and beyond goaltenders, and Lundquist only gets 7. I dont think even Lenhar thinks he is worth Price dollars, gotta even argue if he thinks he is worth the other 3..

 

[Granada]

I think Lenher knows he is not Bob. Just like the bar was set with the Rinne deal, there was always that really good guy that gets paid fair. Not to mention, they needed to kick up the offer to Bob to get him away from the only team he played for. If the money were the same he probably would have stayed in Columbus, maybe.

I think everyone knows Price, Bobrowski, Fleurry and Lundquist are above and beyond goaltenders, and Lundquist only gets 7. I dont think even Lenhar thinks he is worth Price dollars, gotta even argue if he thinks he is worth the other 3..

Couple things here:

Bob was dying to get out of Columbus, so Florida didn't need to "kick up the offer" to get him out of there.

Second, Lehner will by far be the best UFA goalie to hit the open market this summer. Why would he think he isn't as good as Bob? Lehner is just beginning to hit his prime and is 3 years younger. Their career save percentages are practically identical, and Lehner's save percentage is well above Bob's this year, even though Lehner is obviously on a worse team.

Lastly, if you want to draw a distinction between goalies, Price and Ludqvist are "top-tier" as far as goalies are concerned -- which is ironic, because neither has ever won a Cup. Bob and Lehner, to me, are definitely in the same ball park.

Bottom line is, Lehner is going to want to get paid, and some team out there will be more than willing to do so.

 

[Granada]

Forgot to mention--Lundqvist gets 8.5, and he signed that a while ago (2014). You always have to factor inflation when you think about UFA signings, in relation to the salary cap.

 

[Mr. Jones]

Just imagine if the Blackhawks actually had a defense, Lehners numbers would be pumped to the point that he would have no problem getting 10 mil..

 

[blackpep72]

Couple things here:

Bob was dying to get out of Columbus, so Florida didn't need to "kick up the offer" to get him out of there.

Second, Lehner will by far be the best UFA goalie to hit the open market this summer. Why would he think he isn't as good as Bob? Lehner is just beginning to hit his prime and is 3 years younger. Their career save percentages are practically identical, and Lehner's save percentage is well above Bob's this year, even though Lehner is obviously on a worse team.

Lastly, if you want to draw a distinction between goalies, Price and Ludqvist are "top-tier" as far as goalies are concerned -- which is ironic, because neither has ever won a Cup. Bob and Lehner, to me, are definitely in the same ball park.

Bottom line is, Lehner is going to want to get paid, and some team out there will be more than willing to do so.

I think he will get around 10 per year.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Trade Crow to Montreal for peanuts and offer Lehner 8.5. Take some looks at Delia and Lahtonen this year so you can make a decision with Nalimov on trading him or bringing him over.

If Lehner will take 8.5(this is what we should do with our LTIR money is lock up the future)...at the very least we can push some of that money to this year so that it looks like 10 but counts 8.5 or 7.5 against the cap going forward for the Hawks.

If Shaw ain't coming back, they are one wing short or two if they can trade Saad. But maybe they shouldn't trade one of their winning players...keep Saad. Keep Shaw. Lose Nylander/Sikura/KooKoo/Crow/Smith. Stop over thinking it. Just handle the low hanging fruit, or keep Nylander. Maybe there is value in their investment.

 

[anotheridiot]

Couple things here:

Bob was dying to get out of Columbus, so Florida didn't need to "kick up the offer" to get him out of there.

Second, Lehner will by far be the best UFA goalie to hit the open market this summer. Why would he think he isn't as good as Bob? Lehner is just beginning to hit his prime and is 3 years younger. Their career save percentages are practically identical, and Lehner's save percentage is well above Bob's this year, even though Lehner is obviously on a worse team.

Lastly, if you want to draw a distinction between goalies, Price and Ludqvist are "top-tier" as far as goalies are concerned -- which is ironic, because neither has ever won a Cup. Bob and Lehner, to me, are definitely in the same ball park.

Bottom line is, Lehner is going to want to get paid, and some team out there will be more than willing to do so.

well, history I guess. Lehnar was never in the place to be the top guy or was shown enough faith to be that guy until buffalo while bob has been the man and known as the man every year he played. 54, 58,51,63,65,62 his high game totals and should be around 60 this year. In Buffalo, Lehnar got 59 and 53.

You say Lenhar is hitting his prime, funny, they have both been in the league 10 years. Oh, and Bob is 187 soaking wet and Lehnar is 240 on a light day. Does not bode well for long term health and stamina.

Oh, dont forget the fact he gets beat like a rug in shoot outs.

Look what Darling got for a good backup year, so yes, it happens, but someone gives Lehnar 10, I sure hope its not the hawks.

 

[Granada]

well, history I guess. Lehnar was never in the place to be the top guy or was shown enough faith to be that guy until buffalo while bob has been the man and known as the man every year he played. 54, 58,51,63,65,62 his high game totals and should be around 60 this year. In Buffalo, Lehnar got 59 and 53.

You say Lenhar is hitting his prime, funny, they have both been in the league 10 years. Oh, and Bob is 187 soaking wet and Lehnar is 240 on a light day. Does not bode well for long term health and stamina.

Oh, dont forget the fact he gets beat like a rug in shoot outs.

Look what Darling got for a good backup year, so yes, it happens, but someone gives Lehnar 10, I sure hope its not the hawks.

Games played will not be as important as supply and demand, in addition to the fact that Lehner has been a stud the last few seasons now.

Shoot outs are irrelevant for a team with Cup dreams. There are no shootouts in the playoffs, and on Cup teams, they are deep enough to not have to live and die by shootouts in the regular season.

Lehner is hitting his prime. It's called being a late bloomer. Crawford was a late bloomer himself. Didn't win his first Cup until he was 29; got beat out by Niemi for the backup role in 2010. Lehner is 28. Again, Lehner is 3 years younger than Bob; so the fact they've been in the league for the same amount of time is a bit of a moot point.

Don't really see how size has to do with anything. Size is no indication as to how often a player will get injured in the future, and if anything, it is only a strength for a goalie, especially in a league where big goalies are coveted over smaller ones.

If you can name me one goalie who will be better than Lehner to hit the open market next off-season, you'd have a point -- but you can't. He'll get top-dollar, if he wants it.

 

[anotheridiot]

Games played will not be as important as supply and demand, in addition to the fact that Lehner has been a stud the last few seasons now.

Shoot outs are irrelevant for a team with Cup dreams. There are no shootouts in the playoffs, and on Cup teams, they are deep enough to not have to live and die by shootouts in the regular season.

Lehner is hitting his prime. It's called being a late bloomer. Crawford was a late bloomer himself. Didn't win his first Cup until he was 29; got beat out by Niemi for the backup role in 2010. Lehner is 28. Again, Lehner is 3 years younger than Bob; so the fact they've been in the league for the same amount of time is a bit of a moot point.

Don't really see how size has to do with anything. Size is no indication as to how often a player will get injured in the future, and if anything, it is only a strength for a goalie, especially in a league where big goalies are coveted over smaller ones.

If you can name me one goalie who will be better than Lehner to hit the open market next off-season, you'd have a point -- but you can't. He'll get top-dollar, if he wants it.

He might get it, just saying he will not be worth it. I think we see more trades of goalies this offseason since the well is so dry. Dont forget he finally started to come around AFTER his Bi Polar condition started to be treated properly in 2018, but we all know those meds constantly get adjusted like blood pressure meds.

Size, well, put two guys in similar situations, one 50 pounds heavier and I think we all know who will last longer.

Rinne is one that might come to mind of being moved. The big money for the non cup winners are getting to the end of their careers. I am thinking someone will be happy with Lehnar for 2 or 3 years, then wish he was gone the last 2 or 3 of his deal. The Bipolar stuff is gonna keep some teams away from really letting this get out of hand.

I guess my argument in this is we seemed to make some nice moves for replacing Crow after his 36 mil contract went off the books, just like it seemed like we had some nice D men lined up. Just wondering if we are ever going to see them get a shot or not.

 

[Diehardfan]

Games played will not be as important as supply and demand, in addition to the fact that Lehner has been a stud the last few seasons now.

Shoot outs are irrelevant for a team with Cup dreams. There are no shootouts in the playoffs, and on Cup teams, they are deep enough to not have to live and die by shootouts in the regular season.

Lehner is hitting his prime. It's called being a late bloomer. Crawford was a late bloomer himself. Didn't win his first Cup until he was 29; got beat out by Niemi for the backup role in 2010. Lehner is 28. Again, Lehner is 3 years younger than Bob; so the fact they've been in the league for the same amount of time is a bit of a moot point.

Don't really see how size has to do with anything. Size is no indication as to how often a player will get injured in the future, and if anything, it is only a strength for a goalie, especially in a league where big goalies are coveted over smaller ones.

If you can name me one goalie who will be better than Lehner to hit the open market next off-season, you'd have a point -- but you can't. He'll get top-dollar, if he wants it.

There's been talk for awhile now about ash canning the shoot out altogether which I'd be highly in favor of. While the addition of 3 on 3 has been fun, exciting and creative.....the shoot out gets more and more stale by the the year. You are correct. Can't believe that any GM would consider that a bargaining chip.