2011 NHL Draft/Hawks Offseason Thread

[The Benjamin]

What positions do the Hawks need? What do their three lines currently look like?

I think we need to improve on the defensive side of the ice, and help limit the shots on goal.

[dabears54]

good points on that but why would they guarantee Salak contract if they dont mean to have him as the number 2?

Its too bad we couldnt have traded Cambell last year we could have kept some of the guys we were forced to dump. Any ideas on who is probably to take Cambell spot on defense?

If looking F?a i'd look into james wisneski from montreal( 3 mill last year), or brewer from tampa( 4 mill last year, but a little old on tooth) or even erhoff from knuckleheads( 3 mill)

[vmx12]

I have mixed feelings on the Cambell trade. One side he was waaaaaaaaay over paid but on the other the Hawks struggled last year when he was out. All in all it was probably a good thing, but we'll see.
Now that we some cap space I'd love to see the Hawks bring Eager and Sopel back. We'll need tough guy out there now that Brower is gone and Sopel while not being the best defenseman in the league plays his ass off and loves the Hawks. we'll see.

[lklrlolnlilklsox]

If looking F?a i'd look into james wisneski from montreal( 3 mill last year), or brewer from tampa( 4 mill last year, but a little old on tooth) or even erhoff from knuckleheads( 3 mill)

Wiz was my favorite Hawk during his time in the Indianhead and I still like him even after the cheap shot on Seabs. However, after the season he just had, he is going to cost more than he is worth and his history of knee injuries is an automatic no-go on a big contract. As for the other two, they are going to make a lot more than they are worth as average #4 dmen, and we don't need any more big contracts on our blueline.

As for your doubts about Salak, well, he was the best goalie in what some consider the second most talented league in the world (because they play a lot less like pussies than the KHL ruskies). Outside of one bad game (his first start) in the NHL he's been a darn good goalie in every league he's played in and was one of the more highly rated 20 year olds just a few years ago.

To answer Benji. We need at least one physical bottom 6er and a PF and C for our top 6, or at least one of them. If we get a PF like Eric Cole, I wouldn't mind Sharpie sliding back to C on the second line at all. He's my #1 target for our top six because I believe he won't cost much and would be exactly the type of winger we need in our top 6. Leino would be a distant second.

If we go C, there really isn't a great option for us in FA. Richards is going to be looking for quite a bit on his final big money contract, and considering "retirement" deals have been outlawed, it would be another albatross after a handful of years. I'm not a Laich fan at all because I think his linemate inflated stats and age will get him a ton more than he is truly worth. If Tim Connolly wants to take a discount, he's not a horrible option to center the second line.

On the blueline, we NEED a physical stay-at-home dman. If Montador comes cheap, I would love him on our bottom pairing to play Catfish's PK role. Pardy and Eminger are distant afterthoughts/consolation prizes. However, what I think needs to be done is to drop an offer sheet on Smid or finally dip into our stash of 3 PMDs in our minors right now who are all very close to contributing (Vish, Connelly, Lalonde), for a guy who can be that physical guy in our own end that we are sorely lacking outside of Seabs.


Campoli and Leddy will pick up the slack on athletic puck-moving, so I'm not worried about losing that at all with Soup gone. Especially considering Soup was barely playing a passable second line PP QB role and struggling on whatever end he wasn't concentrating on at any given time. Over the past couple seasons, this is Soup's story: Get injured, come back and spend a few weeks playing good D , then get all confident and push things offensively and suck in his own end.

[Dagan81]

I need to start paying attention to hockey, as this stuff is going way over my head. Goes to show you what happens with Southerners when it comes to talking about hockey...lol.

[lklrlolnlilklsox]

And we just acquired the exclusive negotiating right to the guy I wanted for our blueline in Montador! Hopefully Stan gets the deal done tomorrow.

[4th and 26]

Blackhawks acquire defenseman Steve Montador


Wednesday, 06.29.2011 / 10:44 PM / News
By Chicago Blackhawks
Steve MontadorThe Chicago Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Steve Montador (MAWN-tuh-dor) from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a seventh round draft pick in either the 2012 or 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Montador, 31, registered a career-high 21 assists and 26 points (5G, 21A) and paced the Sabres with a career-best +16 plus/minus rating in 73 regular-season games during the 2010-11 campaign. The blueliner led Buffalo with 136 blocked shots and paced team defensemen with 86 penalty minutes while collecting one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoffs contests.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Montador has recorded 28 goals, 89 assists and 762 penalty minutes in 519 regular-season tilts over parts of nine NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames (2001-06), Florida Panthers (2005-08), Anaheim Ducks (2008-09), Boston Bruins (2009) and Sabres (2009-11). He has tallied eight points, a +11 rating and 36 penalty minutes in 43 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, including a run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final with Calgary.

The seventh round draft pick dealt to Buffalo, in either the 2012 or 2013 NHL Entry Draft, was previously acquired from the Florida Panthers on June 27.

[soulman]

Blackhawks acquire defenseman Steve Montador


Wednesday, 06.29.2011 / 10:44 PM / News
By Chicago Blackhawks
Steve MontadorThe Chicago Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Steve Montador (MAWN-tuh-dor) from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a seventh round draft pick in either the 2012 or 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Montador, 31, registered a career-high 21 assists and 26 points (5G, 21A) and paced the Sabres with a career-best +16 plus/minus rating in 73 regular-season games during the 2010-11 campaign. The blueliner led Buffalo with 136 blocked shots and paced team defensemen with 86 penalty minutes while collecting one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoffs contests.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Montador has recorded 28 goals, 89 assists and 762 penalty minutes in 519 regular-season tilts over parts of nine NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames (2001-06), Florida Panthers (2005-08), Anaheim Ducks (2008-09), Boston Bruins (2009) and Sabres (2009-11). He has tallied eight points, a +11 rating and 36 penalty minutes in 43 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, including a run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final with Calgary.

The seventh round draft pick dealt to Buffalo, in either the 2012 or 2013 NHL Entry Draft, was previously acquired from the Florida Panthers on June 27.

That was the 7th we got for Kopecky wasn't it? So basically we get rid of Kopecky and pick up Montador with the same pick we received.

[lklrlolnlilklsox]

And we signed him for 4 years at 2.75 per. The annual cap hit I'm good with, the four years for a soon to be 32 year old 5/6 dman ... not so much. Whatever, it's not immovable and he's the physical SAH PK dman we desperately needed last year.

[lklrlolnlilklsox]

Hawks move quickly on the veteran role player market by signing Sean O'Donnell and Jamal Mayers. Both low cap hit moves that make a lot of sense for this team. Sean is another physical SAH dman for our bottom pairing and Mayers is a good addition to our checking/energy line.