*waits for some Hawks fan (cough Tony) to come and give me a run down how each player they lost can be easily replaced and in fact, the Hawks have just improved significantly.
What's the deal here Ernie? Why are you calling me out on the carpet? I think when it comes to the Hawks, I have always been pretty honest, I don't paint a rosey picture about them.
Sure, losing Hjalmarsson would hurt, no doubt about it. The loss of Buff, Versteeg, and Ladd also hurts. Burish, Eager, Fraser, and Sopel don't hurt that much although they did have the best 4th line in the league according to the media. They rolled the dice, they did a great job drafting and developing players, and they won the cup for the first time in 49 years. That was the goal and they were lucky enough to accomplish it. Now they are in a pinch and have to deal with cap issues, that's the name of the game, sucks, but nothing they can do about it. They are like almost any other team that wins the Cup, other teams come calling and offer their players more money then they would have ever been offered if they didn't win a Cup. Of all the players the Hawks lost, or could lose, Hjalmarsson is the biggest loss if in fact he does leave. Versteeg is a nice player, but has always been over rated, and if you go back to last year you can find posts where I said that over and over, especially when they gave him the new contract. Buff was a regular season dud, he's been labelled as lazy for a long time, he stepped up big in the playoffs no doubt, and they wouldn't have won without him, so he is a bigger loss then Versteeg or Ladd, but not Niklas. If the Hawks lose Nick and get the Sharks 1st and 3rd, it won't help them now but it will down the road. This is a different team with solid hockey minds running the show. The last two years they haven't drafted higher profile players because they knew they wouldn't be able to sign them right away, so they drafted projects that won't be ready for 3-4 years. Remember, Hjalmarsson was a 4th round pick, Brouwer a 7th round, Buff an 8th round. They draft smart and are quickly becoming one of the better teams in the league when it comes to developing players. Are they in trouble next year, absolutely if the expectation is to repeat as champs, but if anyone expects that they are living in a fantasy world. So they lost some players, had to make moves to get under the cap, and it may take a couple years to fully recover, but they are still a playoff caliber team and if they make the playoffs for a few years, retool, and are ready to make a serious run again in 3-4 years, I'll gladly take it as the sacrifice it takes to win the Cup. I am thrilled even with all the lost players, they finally won a Cup, they beat Philly to win it which was just the cherry on top, and I still get to watch Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Bolland, Keith, Seabrook which is a pretty nice core group of players. I hope Kopecky continues to get better, and I am excited to see what Stalberg brings to the team. He could be a very fun addition with the speed and moves he has, maybe not the best finisher but he has that wow factor that brings fans to their feet. I would like to see them use what little money they have to bring in a veteran knuckle chucker who doesn't make a ton since their star players took a lot of cheap shots last year. Yes, they brought in John Scott for a little over 500K cap hit, but I would like to see a bruising forward on the 4th line as well. Doesn't have to be as big or good a fighter as Orr or Boogard, guys that come to mind who could be had cheap are Josh Gratton, Triston Grant, Francis Lessard, Trevor Gillies, etc.
The Hawks are saying they are done making moves, the trades are done, but I don't believe it for a second. Most of the higher profile UFA defensemen have new teams, and there are teams looking for a big name d-man with power play capabilities and veteran leadership. His contract his massive, but I would not be surprised to see Campbell moved. He may be overpaid but it is obvious teams are willing to overpay for defensemen of his ilk. And as much as I hate to say it, I think Seabrook could be moved if Campbell isn't. If that happens, they have money to go after depth players, and Campbell or Seabrook would get them good talent in return. No one is talking about the defenseman they received in trade, Vishnevsky. He is no stud by any stretch, but he could be a very serviceable 5 or 6. They also have a kid ready/very close to making the team in Shawn Lalonde who they are extremely high on. Carlsson may be more ready then people think in the next year or two, and I think many forgot they received a very highly regarded 1st round player from Minnesota in the Barker deal, Nick Leddy. He could be a nice addition in the next 2-3 years. They are also very high on Connelly and Stanton, so there is no concern when it comes to the defensive depth in the pipeline for the next 4-5 years. If they have to bring someone in on defense for a year to get by, there are plenty of serviceable UFA's out there they can get fairly cheap, guys like Schubert, Cory Murphy, or even Aaron Johnson who I would love to see come back to Chicago.
As for forwards, no one is talking about the kid they received from Atlanta either, Jeremy Morin. He's only 19 but he could see time in the NHL next year and Bowman is very happy to get him, not as crafty but could be an all around better talent then Versteeg in a couple years. Probable players to see a lot of NHL time, Bickell, Dowell, and Skille. Are they as good as Ladd, Versteeg, or Buff, no way and probably never will be but they are solid players who could fit in just fine on the 3rd or 4th line. Beach may not see NHL time depending on cap issues, and personally I can't stand the guy, but there is no denying he has NHL skill. He is definetly a player a lot of teams would love to get their hands on, and he is the type of prospect teams will take on another overpaid player in the deal to get him.
A lot of Hawk fans will disagree in a big way I'm sure, but I would rather see the Hawks spend the money to keep Hjalmarsson instead of giving Niemi the big contract. They are not going to win the Cup next year, and I don't think Niemi is as great as people seem to think. He is the product of a very good defense in front of him, and a solid system. Hjalmarsson is way more important in my opinion, now and in the future. If I thought Niemi was capable of winning a playoff series by himself and was the Hawks had a serious chance of repeating with him, then sure, keep him. But I don't think he is that type of goalie, and Hjalmarsson is the type of young defenseman who could be something really special in a couple more years.
So Ernie, does that sound like me saying every player they lost is easily replaced and they actually improved and will win the Cup again next year? I don't think so, they certainly will not be as good next year, and maybe not in 2 years, but 3-4 years from now if they continue to develop players as well as they have, I think they will be back in serious contention for a Cup. Hawk fans have been through hell for a long time during the Willy Wirtz era, but it's a new era now, they won the Cup, they are still very young with a lot of even younger talent in the minors/college, and I don't think any Hawk fan who has been around and understands how the league works thinks for a second they can repeat. They accomplished what they set out to do, and now they have to recover. Hope I didn't bore you too much, or let you down by not painting the rosey picture you expected/wanted.
