NHL PAUSE UPDATES / HAWKS OUTLOOK

[GRADEN]

It certainly seems like they want to resume the season in the summer, but I’m not sure I see an end to all this anytime soon. The Hawks have a huge list of big decisions to make too:

1. How much to pay RFAs Strome, Kubalik, and Caggulia

A; I assume all 3 come back. I think Strome is in that bridge scenario with an uneven year. Prediction is 2/8.5 and it’s no coincidence that his 2 years line up with Dachs final 2 year entry deal.

I think Kubalik is super interesting bc he is going into his 25th year and this may be his opportunity at a deal with term. If I were him I’d take a little less for 1 extra year. Say 3/11 and become a UFA at 27-28 in his prime.

Caggulia is a tremendous teammate and energy guy and think he comes back 1/1.5

2. How to unload unwanted deals: Matta, Seabrook, and Shaw?

A; Seabrooks deal isn’t being moved, we tried when he was healthy and failed. Bowman tried to move #3 and Seabs to Vancouver for #10 and they said no.

Shaw is injury prone, likely won’t be moved.

Matta is the chance... because he is still young / his number isn’t outrageous / and he is an average player. You’d have to include a decent sweetener to move him, but I’d do it: Alex Regula / Chad Krys / Sikura perhaps as inclusion pieces.

3. Who is 2020-2021 goalie? Crawford. Just sign him to a 2 / 10 and call it a day. Have Lankanen and Delia battle for backup time and ride Crow for 50-55 starts. I’d break up crows deal to be 6 year 1 and 4 year 2 with an obtainable bonus of 1m (make playoffs and over 41 starts)

Draft: let’s just assume we draft 9th with no season ever being played: that’s this list of guys:

D Jake Sanderson
C Anton Lundell
G Yaroslav Askarov
C Connor Zary

I think those 4 would be on SB / MK short list. I personally would love any of them. Zary to me is just so undervalued right now... he has an attitude about the game that is similar to Toews... he just wants to destroy his opponent.

I don’t know, it’s depressing dreaming about when it will all come back.

Thoughts?

[GRADEN]

My perfect offseason if I were GM:

Let’s assume the cap goes up a little / but not that 86-87m it may have been before the pandemic. Let’s say 83m.

1. Resign RFAs:

Strome 2/8.5
Kubalik 3/11
Caggulia 1/1.5

And resign UFA

Crawford 2/10 (Y1 - 6m Y2 - 4m with incentive of 1m). I’d make a year 2 buyout of 500k

2. Trade Olli Maatta and include Chad Krys and Dylan Sikura as sweeteners to a team looking for depth 3rd pairing Dman and take back an expiring deal. Immediately buyout the expiring player we got back at 75-80% of that deal - let’s say 2.5-3m.

3. Sign Ian Mitchell to his ELD.

4. Trade Shaw back to Montreal (2 / 7.8 left) along with Alec Regula and our 3rd for D Jeff Petry and a 5th and 7th.

Petry is an outstanding veteran D man and has 1 year remaining. Shaw played well in MTL and fits them. I don’t think Montreal’s outlook is anything big for next year so picking up some assets that retain past 1 season would be ideal. For the Hawks they get a true top 4 D man for 1 year.

5. Buyout Zach Smith. He wasn’t terrible but a buyout would save us around 3m and he doesn’t have much IT available to him.

6. Pit Delia against Lankanen when both healthy... winner gets backup job.


Also want to sign Erik Haula 3/9.5

7. Draft Connor Zary at #9. He is a center / is almost a year older than most draftees and is very close to being on an NHL roster. Draft

55. Draft RW Jacob Perrault - there will be someone whom has slid down 15 or so spots here. Also, I think Stan loves how Sarnia prepares wings. He is smaller but has a compact heavy shot and is tough.

71. Draft G Drew Commesso. Super under-rated and this is more of a projection than anything. I think most see him drafted 100-150 but I think he is a legit top 4-5 goalie in this draft.

78. Draft C Daniel Ljungman of Linkoping Jrs - small and skinny center but if he fills in projects to be a nice prospect.

102. C Jaromir Pytlik - good sized center, but most likely end up at RW.

133. D Tyler Kelven - huge d prospect very raw but worth an investment in

162. D Anton Johansson - one of the smallest D prospects ever but worth the risk due to today’s evolving move the puck mentality

That’s a good draft imo.

I think heading into the season I’d like this:

Saad - Toews - Kubalik
DeBrincat - Strome - Kane
Haula - Dach - Nylander
Hagel - Carpenter - Kampf
(Highmore / Kurashev / Entwistle)

Keith - Boqvist
Petry - Murphy
De Haan - Mitchell
(Beaudin - Koekkoek - Seeler)