This puts McJesus closer to a Cup than his current position...
- 35Tony0

Ha. Lost in the playoffs the last two years to the eventual champions.

I think his team has been getting a lot closer since they traded for Ekholm and along with maturity of Bouchard on D.
Jay Woodcroft had Edmonton trying new systems to start the year and it was awful, but they are 26-6-0 under Kris Knoblauch. Only lost 4 games in the last 28.

I think it will be a while before the Hawks are in this neighborhood.

Ha. Lost in the playoffs the last two years to the eventual champions.

I think his team has been getting a lot closer since they traded for Ekholm and along with maturity of Bouchard on D.
Jay Woodcroft had Edmonton trying new systems to start the year and it was awful, but they are 26-6-0 under Kris Knoblauch. Only lost 4 games in the last 28.

I think it will be a while before the Hawks are in this neighborhood.
- breadbag

I like Ekholm, i don't like the Oilers forward depth. I remember when Blackhawks 3rd and 4th lines would pin the opponent in their end for over a minute sometimes 2 minutes. That's why i appreciate how KD is doing the rebuild and amassing as many top 100 picks. Not only do we need top 6 forwards, we need talented players who can work as a group to keep the puck in the opponents end. Might not be able to score like top 6 players but be very effective defensively and possession wise.

I think a player like Misiak is one i believe will be a forward like this. Hopefully. Ludwinski may be another

Norris has all that salary and term, though. Ultimately, it depends on what the Hawks have to give up for any available Sen. And it would help to know which players, if any, want out of there. I'm guessing that if someone like me can highlight Batherson, every front office in the NHL is fully aware of what a bargain he would be at that cap hit.

I don't see the Hawks doing a big splash either in free agency or by trade, for a max contract. Not yet. They have to know what they have in their system, and what needs to be filled from outside. But if they did, they have to know that they hold all the cards. Many teams need cap space, and the Hawks have a ton of it. We all remember how the Hawks had to walk the plank when they were in cap hell. I'd say cap space has an even greater premium attached to it today.
- 333inthe3rd

Ottawa may not want to do business with us the way Dinky turned out for them.

Ottawa may not want to do business with us the way Dinky turned out for them.
- rpeters01

Eh, that GM is gone and it's not the Hawks fault that ADB didn't want to stay there.

I like Ekholm, i don't like the Oilers forward depth. I remember when Blackhawks 3rd and 4th lines would pin the opponent in their end for over a minute sometimes 2 minutes. That's why i appreciate how KD is doing the rebuild and amassing as many top 100 picks. Not only do we need top 6 forwards, we need talented players who can work as a group to keep the puck in the opponents end. Might not be able to score like top 6 players but be very effective defensively and possession wise.

I think a player like Misiak is one i believe will be a forward like this. Hopefully. Ludwinski may be another
- BetweenTheDots

KD can get five million draft picks and collect six forwards to play in the top lines but if he doesn’t have a plan to avoid tying 50-70% of the teams cap space in five to seven players he too won’t be able to afford much depth or have the financial room to make anything but ‘dumpster dive’ moves. For all of the great moves KD has made the hardest part is in front of him. He knows this will become a big problem, I’m curious what plan he has for that?

I like Ekholm, i don't like the Oilers forward depth. I remember when Blackhawks 3rd and 4th lines would pin the opponent in their end for over a minute sometimes 2 minutes. That's why i appreciate how KD is doing the rebuild and amassing as many top 100 picks. Not only do we need top 6 forwards, we need talented players who can work as a group to keep the puck in the opponents end. Might not be able to score like top 6 players but be very effective defensively and possession wise.

I think a player like Misiak is one i believe will be a forward like this. Hopefully. Ludwinski may be another
- BetweenTheDots

Edmonton had some poor choices (like Jack Campbell) made by their GMs, they had to pay their stars top dollars (and overpaid Nurse) and it really did handcuff them on the depth. It doesn't help that Edmonton isn't a free agent destination, they do typically have to outbid to entice a player to be here. I grew up in the icy lands far North West of Edmonton, and I know this climate isn't for everyone.

That said, they have had some okay runs into the playoffs and I think they might get there one of these times. It's tough to really say because teams based in Canada don't win the cup anymore.

You KNOW Zach is going to add a new blog as the Blackhawks start to play their next game against the Wild, so this nice long blog we had is going to end.

It was nice that we were able to extend various topics as folks game in at different points and were able to "jump in late."

It was fun, all the opinions together...

2-1-3-2-2

I might be flipping back to taking Cayden Lindstrom, after a scout said he is like watching a football running back playing hockey that he is continually moving at traffic through players and inside to the paint.

Lots of time before the lottery balls to solidify our mock thoughts, all
- wiz1901

I would go with the russian demidov

KD can get five million draft picks and collect six forwards to play in the top lines but if he doesn’t have a plan to avoid tying 50-70% of the teams cap space in five to seven players he too won’t be able to afford much depth or have the financial room to make anything but ‘dumpster dive’ moves. For all of the great moves KD has made the hardest part is in front of him. He knows this will become a big problem, I’m curious what plan he has for that?
- paulr

Every good team has that kind of money tied up in their top players. Colorado, Vegas, Boston, Florida, NYR. Dallas is kind of an exception but on paper are still top heavy.

The teams that have decent talent but no 10 or 12 million dollar forwards - Ottawa, Buffalo, Carolina, NYI, Nashville, Seattle, Philly, Calgary, Montreal is pretty much there now - are all in hockey purgatory and not good enough to compete with the better teams and not poopty enough to get an influx of high end talent.

You have to get guys that score and you have to pay them and HOPE you can get lucky filling out the roster with a roving door of bottom 6 guys.

To think that the Hawks won't get top heavy as the team matures and their better younger players start to rack up points is very very very unrealistic.

KD can get five million draft picks and collect six forwards to play in the top lines but if he doesn’t have a plan to avoid tying 50-70% of the teams cap space in five to seven players he too won’t be able to afford much depth or have the financial room to make anything but ‘dumpster dive’ moves. For all of the great moves KD has made the hardest part is in front of him. He knows this will become a big problem, I’m curious what plan he has for that?
- paulr

A good team is going to have a few high AAV contracts, how KD assembles that core will determine if they can win a cup. Look at Toronto, four centers/forwards and one offensive defenseman take up about $54M in cap space. Not sure what the right mix is, but I would have two centers, two high end defensemen, and one forward as my top five in AAV. That’s my take.
1-3-3-1-3

Ottawa may not want to do business with us the way Dinky turned out for them.
- rpeters01

You cannot blame our GM on a trade Ottawa's old GM made...

Every good team has that kind of money tied up in their top players. Colorado, Vegas, Boston, Florida, NYR. Dallas is kind of an exception but on paper are still top heavy.

The teams that have decent talent but no 10 or 12 million dollar forwards - Ottawa, Buffalo, Carolina, NYI, Nashville, Seattle, Philly, Calgary, Montreal is pretty much there now - are all in hockey purgatory and not good enough to compete with the better teams and not poopty enough to get an influx of high end talent.

You have to get guys that score and you have to pay them and HOPE you can get lucky filling out the roster with a roving door of bottom 6 guys.

To think that the Hawks won't get top heavy as the team matures and their better younger players start to rack up points is very very very unrealistic.
- fattybeef

I’m guessing you think it’s unrealistic?

I think KD has to try to convey that teams with little depth is partially a result of the top players getting salaries that exhaust the cap leaving little to sign solid depth and to make moves to bolster the roster. Obviously KD can’t make the same bad signings as Edmonton did with Campbell and Nurse. But Davidson is already saddled with a player who isn’t worth his cap hit.

If Bedard, Nazar, Moore, Korchinski, Vlasic and Celebrini, if the Hawks get him, want to win then they will all have to consider their financial needs against that. If they do it gives KD more flexibility to build not only a winner but the chance to build a sustainable winner. If the player’s financial needs are more important to them than helping KD build a winner then it makes it that much harder and it certainly makes a sustainable championship team less likely. If KD can convince Bedard to take a bridge deal in two years I’m hoping other players fall in line to help.

I’m guessing you think it’s unrealistic?

I think KD has to try to convey that teams with little depth is partially a result of the top players getting salaries that exhaust the cap leaving little to sign solid depth and to make moves to bolster the roster. Obviously KD can’t make the same bad signings as Edmonton did with Campbell and Nurse. But Davidson is already saddled with a player who isn’t worth his cap hit.

If Bedard, Nazar, Moore, Korchinski, Vlasic and Celebrini, if the Hawks get him, want to win then they will all have to consider their financial needs against that. If they do it gives KD more flexibility to build not only a winner but the chance to build a sustainable winner. If the player’s financial needs are more important to them than helping KD build a winner then it makes it that much harder and it certainly makes a sustainable championship team less likely. If KD can convince Bedard to take a bridge deal in two years I’m hoping other players fall in line to help.
- paulr

On the flip side if he does draft well and can't afford to sign guys we are witnessing teams giving picks and players up to trade for an up and coming hockey player. Sakic got a really nice deal for Newhook, Winnipeg got a real nice deal from LA.