This team is not as hampered capwise people seem to think going forward even with current makeup.
The only contracts of potential try to mark up more than elc or under 1 mil are Hartman and Duclair. Cause their previous 20 goal years but I doubt they get too much. There's not a lot of good middle value FAs to fill the holes.
And the year after that though is when it will be tighter. AA could be a easy moved rental trade before then. And trading a pick for Hossas deal will be possible if they need the room then.
They're not gonna be contenders at all but they aren't set up to be missing playoffs the next seasons. This one a lot of people were saying bubble team and they were that until the 8 game streak
The best few teams this year consistently are the lightning, bruins, and golden knights. Respectively missed the playoffs last year, missed last 2 years, and didn't exist.
It's the Ufas that need selling. But Hartman is a risky possibility of its a great offer I'd be good with trading.
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If you're being very liberal with "bubble", maybe. They were last a "bubble" team at the #2WC slot when Crawford went down and were in free fall since. This was well before the 8 game slide. Before the 8 game slide they were already threatening to take over Colorado's slot at the bottom of the central.
The fact of the matter still remains: Crawford was the only player keeping the 'hawks nostrils above water, and when he went down we were screwed. In spite of some bright spots amongst the rookies like El Gato, The skater core as a whole has wholly underperformed, and to make matters worse, there's really no indication they'll get better:
Seabs shows occasional flashes of Defensive IQ, but his geriatric body isn't abled.
Keith has been on a downward slide since his last hurrah in the 2015 playoffs--this year is possibly worse than his 2011 campaign.
Kane has been merely okay...what little O we have, he's driving but not even at the 2015 level where he was saddled with talent lesser than Panarin and Anisimov and yet was still on an art Ross trajectory.
Toews has been on a downward slide since 2016, and it shows no sign of ending.
Saad should not be as bad as he's been.
Even assuming a healthy Crawford and one that can produce at an extremely high level (i.e. .920), that still wouldn't be enough to keep the team up above the line--they needed him producing at a Vezina-level .929--which is unrealistic long-term.
It's plausible the team can bounce back, but I think it's going to be dependent on rookies/2nd year players playing for their RFA payday or current cheap RFA's looking to cash in on their UFA deals. Keith and Seabs are too old, we don't know why Toews and Saad have been playing like depth pieces, and Kane and Crawford can't do everything themselves. Schmaltz emerging (and learning to shoot the fucking puck), Hino, & El Gato are going to be key if the team is going to improve, and have to start stepping up into top roles.
D is still a major concern because the closest guy I can see that's anywhere close to being a top-2 guy is Jokiharju--who's a couple of years out. Granted, I see and scout him regularly live--I haven't been following Snuggerud but I hear good things. Anyhow, neither are likely to be playing with the 'hawks next year and shouldn't be rushed.
I like your optimism, but I think for this year and next we'll be on the outside looking in--especially if Q and/or Bowman stay.