And Then There Were...

First and foremost, the best source I've found for Hawks rumors and whatnot is Al Cimaglia of HockeyIndependent.com. A longtime hockey writer, Al's specialty seems to be getting all the inside news on possible Hawks moves and giving in-depth takes on what it all means. So right now is definitely the time to give him regular visits, as it is in the months leading up to the trade deadline.


Wow, I kinda knew Versteeg was gonna go, and I definitely knew it was BS when Bowman tried to say that the Buff deal was all that was needed to get under the cap. But I guess I still hoped somehow Versteeg would fit - maybe they'd keep him around until they knew for sure about Ladd, The Hammer, and Niemi. Maybe Niemi plays hardball, the Hawks go with some journeyman netminder, and Versteeg is saved.

Instead, Versteeg, probably my favorite Hawk, is gone. Off to Toronto, a franchise without much success of late, but certainly a great place to live and play hockey. God bless Versteeg - I hope he finds the right place to explode as a player. Remember, last year was just his second in the league. In his first he was a Calder Cup Finalist (i.e. one of the best three rookies to come into the NHL). In his second, he was a crucial piece (playing on all three units) to the Cup Winners. Here's hoping that the Leafs get it turned around and Steeg becomes a regular 30-goal, 40-assist guy who's a devil at both ends.

Even if not, Versteeg is definitely everything I wish I could be as a winger, except for the occasional retarded decision-making part. I love his tenacity, love how he plays bigger than he is, and absolutely love and appreciate his playmaking. That will be missed - having a guy with those skills on the third line is largely unheard of, and it was a huge value to the Hawks in the Cup run.

What really hurt about that deal is that it left me with the false sense that Ladd would assuredly be back and that they wouldn't have much issue with The Hammer. Well, Ladd is gone now too. Rights traded to Atlanta (or Blackhawk South, thanks to the presence of Buff, Sopel, and Eager, as well as Chelios and even a young flashy skater named Kane... Evander Kane, but still...).

Man I'm gonna miss Ladd too. The guy was a great forechecker - one of those skills that you don't really appreciate until you've watched a ton of hockey. Being able to beat your man down the ice and win a puck in the corner is crucial to everything. It gets the offense going and keeps the puck from getting rifled back into your own end. One of the reasons I wanted to keep Ladd over Buff is that Ladd was so damn good at that - probably the best on the team (outside of Hossa and Toews). Throw in that I thought Ladd would be cheaper, that I knew he showed up every night, and that he has proven himself an outstanding checking line winger, and this guy seemed tailormade to play on a Cup winning team.

While he hasn't signed his deal yet, the implication of this deal seems to be that Ladd was gonna be too pricey. Why else get rid of him?

Well, maybe there is another reason. Or reasons. Certainly this talented young puck-moving defensemen the Hawks got in return (and the 2nd rounder, which could be pretty high) was one motivation. I will say that I do like that we're loading up on young assets. We all have the same thought - last year was amazing, but it'd better be the first of many.

And for that to be the case in the Cap Era, you've got to constantly be able to replenish your cupboard. Not sure what kind of prospect pipeline the Hawks had before this off-sesaon, but it sure as hell seems to have been restocked with these deals. I'm especially excited about Stalberg and Vishnevskiy. Stalberg was the big pick-up in the Versteeg deal. He's pretty big (6-3 196) and supposedly can flat fly - maybe one of the quickest skaters in the NHL. He showed some flashes in playing half the season in the NHL last year.

Of course, speed and size without a ton accomplished yet... sounds like there are some head issues. And there are, but hopefully skating with some real playmakers and being in a lockerroom full of highly accomplished leaders will be all Stalberg needs to emerge, just as Ladd, Versteeg, Brouwer, Buff, Bolland, etc did.

Vishnevskiy has had a cup of coffee in the NHL and will probably have a shot at making the Hawks. Paired with a veteran stay-at-home type, he might be a nice asset on the 3rd pairing. Supposedly he is extremely talented as an offensive defenseman, having had a lot of success at the lower levels. Again, put on the ice with some real talent around him, maybe this kid takes off. I'm a bit leery of the criticism of his game in his own end, but hopefully that's something JQ and the staff can teach him.

But I think I'm seeing another motivation behind Bowman's moves. One that hasn't gotten a lot of play. With Burish also moving on yesterday (signed by the Stars for just over a million per), it sounds like Bowman has picked out his core guys (Toews, Sharp, and Bolland down the middle, Kane and Hossa on the wing, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and hopefully the Hammer on D) and is content to let kids fill out the rest of the roster.

Brouwer and Kopecky remain, and Reasoner was just brought on board, but they all are locked into deals at just over $1M - about as low as you'll find for anyone with more than 4th line talent. And they most likely will be gone this off-season, barring some sort of real break-out season that makes any indispensable.

Otherwise, it looks like Bowman actively wants to enter the year with four rookie wingers. Bickell certainly has a leg up, given his play last year and the fact that he was used on a top line for a handful of playoff games. Beach, the Hawks first round pick after 07-08 (i.e. their last non-playoff year) is also a favorite to see regular ice time. Dowell and Skille both saw some NHL time last season, maybe that'll play in their favor. And as I mentioned above, Stalberg probably is a safe bet to skate in the bigs. And I'm sure there are others who could get a look or two, especially with a great training camp.

So maybe these moves aren't all about cutting cap space, maybe Bowman is thinking that he's got his core and needs some guys around them (especially with, as I mentioned Brouwer, Kopecky, and Reasoner all ending their deals this season), and wants to get started on figuring it out now. I could see Bowman deciding that they've got enough pieces to compete well enough for now, so why not really find out what else they've got in the system.

Give these kids some significant ice time over long periods, then judge who's left standing. The hope being that you establish a few of them as legit role players who can take over the Brouwer/Kopecky/Reasoner roles in the coming years. Find the next generation of Ladds, Versteegs, Buffs, Burishes, and Eagers, but while you still have more than enough talent to contend for the top spot in the West.


If that is the plan, what other moves are necessary? It's possible Bowman will make one more move for his forward group, maybe bring on a good checking line winger to join Bolland on the third line. Having a legit shut-down line is crucial, and with both Versteeg and Ladd gone, two jobs are open. But we may see Brouwer get that call - Beach, Bickell, and/or Stalberg might be better fits up top, leaving the third for #22. That still leaves a spot open though, and being able to skate against the other team's top line isn't always something a rookie can handle.

Certainly Bowman needs to work on his D. As it stands, he's got only three blueliners (the recently signed goon John Scott was given the minimum and will mainly be a healthy scratch available when a bruiser or short term winger or D is needed). You gotta figure the Hammer is gonna be re-signed - Bowman pretty much said that in his press conference. It wasn't clear who he was referring to (apparently not Ladd), but the implication seemed to be The Hammer and Niemi would absolutely be back.

Even trusting that to be true (and who knows what they're ever really thinking), that leaves a pair of blue line jobs open. Last year's rotating 6th defensemen - Hendry and Boynton - were so shaky that JQ chose to skate Buff back there instead for long stretches. But either could still be back if they'll take a sub $1M deal. I wouldn't mind seeing one, maybe both, but they probably are better served as a 7th blueliner rather than the 6th.

And that still leaves wide open the 5th spot, somewhere you'd like to have another Sopel type - reliable(ish) stay-at-home guy who can be physical and skate strong minutes on the PK. The hope is that this is one of the reasons for so much of the salary culling - that Bowman wants to create room to bring in another quality blueliner. My dream is a guy with Sopel's great PK skills but a bit better skater who's more steady with the puck. Hopefully such a guy is out there, signed cheap, and on a team that likes something the Hawks have, if not simply available to be signed cheap in free agency.

I really hope that's the case. The top 4 are taxed enough as it is, especially after playing a season that featured a Cup run for all and the Olympics for two of them. The Hawks need a 5th blueliner who can chew up a ton of minutes. Because JQ plays to win every game, I can see him quickly losing confidence with the kids on the third pairing and working his Top 4 for 25+ minutes a night, 30 for Keith, all season long.

One final thing to consider - with all of these moves, the Hawks roster heading into the pre-season (which actually begins in September) doesn't have to feature everyone they're gonna need to win it all. Players break out (did you see Brouwer scoring 20 goals last year?), prospects emerge (did you see The Hammer stepping so beautifully into a #4 blueliner role two years ago), and of course, trades are made (Pahlsson and Johnsson were both crucial pieces to add... even if they didn't shake out that way).

So yeah, I'm gonna analyze their possible lines (which is retarded - they'll change all season and end up totally different come the playoffs) and pick out the Hawks' weaknesses. But the reality is that the opening night roster is just a milestone along the way, not the final exam.