Off Season Wish List

[Pez68]

There is a difference between puck movers and being able to drive the puck into the zone without losing it. Campbell is the only D-man I've seen who can consistently cross the blue line in the puck. And for as much as everyone complains about dumb and run, it's invaluable. He is by far the best at bringing the puck up the ice. Keith would be next, but he relies on long passes all the time, and then a dump.





dump.

He's also a big reason that the Hawks are completely incapable of getting the puck out of their zone for extended periods of time. His complete inability to win board battles kills us. He refuses to body anyone off the puck in our zone, so the other team just continues to cycle at will when he's out there. I'm sorry, but you can get two really, really good players for what we're paying Campbell. The team will adjust to not having his "elite puck moving ability". As I said, Leddy, Keith, and Campoli all have the ability to do what Campbell does. Campoli was constantly skating the puck up and gaining the zone. Keith, when he's playing like he's capable of playing, can gain the opposing blue line at will. Leddy has shown a lot of this early on, and he will only get better. Hell, even Seabrook is capable of rushing the puck and gaining their blue line... The Hawks probably don't win a cup without Campbell, but his importance to this team with what has transpired with the defense over the last season, has steadily declined. Just like his offensive production.



At his cap hit, he's the most expendable player on this team. There's really no other way around it.

 

[Larmer83]

Absolutely. If not next season, then the following season when Leddy has had another season to mature and improve. Doubly so if we end up bringing Campoli back. Campbell is just completely redundant at this point. Keith, Campbell, Leddy, Campoli.... All puck movers. If you can somehow trade Campbell, you bring in a big, physical, stay at home defenseman for a few mil, and you spend the savings on upgrading the forwards. Might even land that #2 centerman with the cap space from moving Campbell...

I'm with you on the redundant part as far as Keith, Campbell, Leddy, and Campoli. But the bolded part suggests the Hawks can deal Campbell for a stay at home Dman for a couple million and then use the extra money elsewhere. That requires at least 1 really stupid GM out of 30. Possible, but the expectation should be another bad contract coming back to the Hawks.

 

[Larmer83]

Some post-season articles...

Sassone

More toughness? Hawks wouldn’t mind

“I think there’s something to that,” Quenneville said. “Whether it’s team toughness or across the board tougher to play against is something, whether we address as personnel or as a team, that’s an area we want to make sure that we definitely are harder to play against.”



Jahns

Signing Corey Crawford should be first on list for Hawks

“He’s earned the right to be a No. 1 goalie for us, and our team loves playing in front of him,” Bowman said Thursday at the United Center. “He loves to be in Chicago. He’s said that many times, and he’s clearly a priority for us.”



Crawford has arbitration rights like Antti Niemi did a year ago. But Bowman doesn’t feel it will reach that point with Crawford.



“He wants to sign more than just a one-year contract,” Bowman said. “We’re in the same boat. There’s still negotiating to be done, but I’m very optimistic that’s going to work itself out.”



Kuc

Linky Linky-Mostly Video

 

[Larmer83]

Tim Sassone article 5/3/2011

Roster decisions ahead for Hawks’ Bowman



This part from Sassone I don't get...

•Viktor Stalberg — A keeper? You bet, as he doesn’t want too much more than this season’s cap hit of $850,000.



You can’t teach fast, which is Stalberg’s strength. You can teach a guy with decent skill to be an energy role player, which is what Stalberg has the potential to be. The fact that he also is versatile enough to play on the top lines works in his favor to come back.



There's no doubt in my mind that Bowman wants him back. For what role, I don't know. Stalberg does not kill penalties, not a strong forechecker, weak on the wall, and when on a line with Kane and Toews was marginal at best.

 

[Pez68]

I don't get that AT ALL. Stalberg should be gone.

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

Stalberg is a clear getthefuckoutofhere.



Well with the Caps season over can we start throwing offers towards Brooks Laich? He'd fit in VERY well.

 

[winos5]

Not impressed by Stahlberg this year. Hope he's gone.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

Stalberg is a clear getthefuckoutofhere.



Well with the Caps season over can we start throwing offers towards Brooks Laich? He'd fit in VERY well.

I agree, Brooks would look good in the IndianHead, as wella sfit in to the Hawks style of play.....lets see what Bowman, Q and the staff decide.

 

[LordKOTL]

Color me unimpressed with Stalberg too. He's basically a carbon copy of Skille without the physical game.

 

[roshinaya]

Just got to share the brilliant post by HF50 from the o-boards. There are no words to describe it.

Lets see--HAMMER finished +17 (87 GP total reg season +playoffs) to KANE's +6 in 80 GP (reg season and playoffs)---meaning that in ES situations HAMMER was nearly 3 times more POSITIVE CONTRIBUTOR than wass KANe who earns

1.8 times more money than Hammer....



NOW to compare the PP effectiveness-yOU CANNOT because i) HAMMER doesn't play the PP,KANE is on the #1PP unit, and ii) even PP D-men do not put up the total points PP top forwards do for their overall production (PP+other situations) ...



SO comparing HAMMER's valueat $3.5 million to KANE's at $6.3 million and merely looking at kane's total points to Hammer's total points is the wromg mesure of value ...







MAYBE KANE should be shuffled off to Buffalo?:



- frees up a lot more cap room!



- could spend on a true 2nd line centre AND fill in the RW with a cheaper but perhaps equal point getter with maybe even a better goal scoring to assists ratio aND better defensiive committment...

(ie, draft NIKITA KUCHEROV -but we won't because h's a RW and we have 2 top two line RW's already in Kane and Hossa-so you willnot draft a top gun RW for 3rd line duty projection).





My point is we could restructure for the cap money better if we shuffled off KANE than by taking a +17 d-man out of the picture...





Now if Kane is willing to commit to being a marty St. Louis in all 3 zone play--tHEN we won't have to do anything --because simply doing that he would help make our "best" be trurly effective and not the mere prop of a hype machine.





The point is--NO---Hammer does not "HAVE TO GO" --there are alternatives if it comes to that ... you could easily find more worthy culprits to go..Has KANE shown any improvement in offensive production to at least offset his defnsive regression over the prior season's "committment" to the ONE GOAL idyll? NO--he seemed very "comfortable" with his one point a game pace -as if this were ENOUGH ...so he has not gotten any better

offensively and he regresed defensively this year --and YET we paid KANE about 2 times more? For no improvement?

Tsk,Tsk...





So who really has to go? Maybe the "superstar" who has flatlined already?

 

[Pez68]

.....

 

[Tater]

Just got to share the brilliant post by HF50 from the o-boards. There are no words to describe it.

I now feel like drinking a whole can of turpentine.

 

[roshinaya]

I actually felt my brain cells committing mass suicide as I read it.

 

[the canadian dream]

no team is giving up a top 6 forward (esp a 2nd line center) and a stay at home blueliner for Brians contract. no team can afford that and certainly no team in the west is going to be lending that sort of favor to the hawks. you guys fail to realize that something will have to come back in return for Brians contract...which would probably be another high end contract and possibly a player or 2 none of us would have on our top 10 list...there just aren`t enough teams out there with the cap space and not many for the need of Brians service at that price.



half the trading partners are gone knowing that there will be little willingness to help from other western teams. out of the teams in the East...well there are not many with the cap space the budget nor the need for Brians services. Bowman has to try though...just not going to sit here thinking its going to happen. If it does happen i suspect he will be packaged in with a high draft pick or a combo of picks. going to need to give the other team a little more incentive to take on that contract. It handcuffs us...why is it forgotten that it would handcuff the other team who takes it on.



does he have a no trade clause.



im going to nerd it up and go over every team in the league and go through theories as to why or why not they would take on that contract...or even if they could...although my ability to relate cap numbers to reality is skewed at best.



PS I am not saying Brian isn`t a serviceable blueliner. On many teams if not all he is still a top 4 guy. His style is best suited for the East and always has been to be honest. His offensive numbers have been down since wearing a Hawks jersey because he has not been used as an offensive weapon as much as he probably should be and you can see how it has changed his game. Once a powerplay quarter back now a second unit powerplay guy who hasn`t been given the chance to utilize that hard shot he has and his play making abilities...which are still there. With a coach who sends him more confidence Brian could still be top 10 in blueline scoring...yah i said it.

 

[JOVE23]

I now feel like drinking a whole can of turpentine.

I want to set myself on fire.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

no team is giving up a top 6 forward (esp a 2nd line center) and a stay at home blueliner for Brians contract. no team can afford that and certainly no team in the west is going to be lending that sort of favor to the hawks. you guys fail to realize that something will have to come back in return for Brians contract...which would probably be another high end contract and possibly a player or 2 none of us would have on our top 10 list...there just aren`t enough teams out there with the cap space and not many for the need of Brians service at that price.



half the trading partners are gone knowing that there will be little willingness to help from other western teams. out of the teams in the East...well there are not many with the cap space the budget nor the need for Brians services. Bowman has to try though...just not going to sit here thinking its going to happen. If it does happen i suspect he will be packaged in with a high draft pick or a combo of picks. going to need to give the other team a little more incentive to take on that contract. It handcuffs us...why is it forgotten that it would handcuff the other team who takes it on.



does he have a no trade clause.



im going to nerd it up and go over every team in the league and go through theories as to why or why not they would take on that contract...or even if they could...although my ability to relate cap numbers to reality is skewed at best.

Why bother putting yourself through that misery??

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

Why bother putting yourself through that misery??

Yea, TCD, Brooks Laich is a UFA, just toss him some dough, remember we don't have any bullshit awards counting towards the cap, and supposedly its going up $1 million, possibly more.

 

[LordKOTL]

Thing is TCD, he has 8 teams he will accept a trade to, and the 'hawks have 45 days to trade him to one of those teams.



Now, if Campbell was going to be a bastard, he could just signify 8 teams out east that would NEVER be able to afford him or his services, or clear cap to do so.

 

[LordKOTL]

Something I noticed form capgeek; of our non-roster players, the following are RFA this year:



Alex Salak

Alec Richards

Brian Connelly

Ivan Vishnevskiy

Mathis Olimb

Nathan Davis

Evan Brophey

Rob Klinkhammer



And UFA's

Garnet Exelby

Jassen Cullimore

Jeff Taffe

Hannu Toivenen



The Salak, Richards, & Toivenen is interesting, because, assuming they don't sign, our goalie depth is either signing Carruth and Simpson, and of course Huet, which, given his IIHF performance...I doubt he ever wears the Indianhead again. In simpler terms, all of our prospect signed goalies are RFA/UFA.



Thus, getting Crawford signed is even more of a big deal IMHO, and then we have to make sure we have a backup inked. Center depth I think is paramount after Crawford, but still, I think Goalie depth is definitly more dire at this point than big body bangers.

 

[CLWolf81]

Color me unimpressed with Stalberg too. He's basically a carbon copy of Skille without the physical game.

In other words, a Ryan Shannon. All speed, nothing more... I made the first mistake in believing there could be improvement, but no. I'm not falling for another Shannon-type again.



Get Stalberg out of here.