2019 Free Agency/Trade Edition

[Bigfoot]

Post any Free Agency news on Hawks or just in general.

I will start with this nugget to wet your whistles.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1143241776129597442

 

[Bigfoot]

Boys we have a TRADE

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1143300524399321088

DeHann and Saarela for Forsberg and Forsling

 

[ZOMBIE@CTESPN]

Nice move if you ask me

 

[Bigfoot]

Nice move if you ask me

Yep. Dehann will add depth to the Defence. Saarla had 30 goals in AHL last year. Looks like a possible top 9 guy on an ELC.

Have to think a D-man is heading out. Gus, Murphy, or do I say Seabrookzival

 

[ruprecht]

Nice

 

[Spunky Porkstacker]

Nice move if you ask me

So you're saying @StanBowman won a trade?

 

[TL1961]

Drafted a Saarela and then traded for his brother.

 

[MassHavoc]

I have no idea what just happened with the trade. Financials equal?

Twitter seems to love this but the are about as reliable as ripping farts on a first date.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

With the additions of Maatta and de Haan to go along with Murphy - the defensive d-man quotient just went up quite a bit. Their 5v5 defense and PK should be much improved which was Priority #1 this off season. Now improve the forward depth and the Hawks should be in the hunt for a playoff spot next season.

 

[MassHavoc]

NHL Trade Grades: What the Calvin de Haan swap means for the Blackhawks and Hurricanes

Why did the Hurricanes trade a valuable part of their defense? What is Chicago getting? Craig Custance dives in.

theathletic.com

Just a taste for those reluctant to buy. Also get the app and several articles are free.


By Craig Custance 1h ago

The trade

Chicago Blackhawks receive defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Aleksi Saarela

Carolina Hurricanes receive goalie Anton Forsberg and defenseman Gustav Forsling

Blackhawks: B

This is a fairly economical way for the Blackhawks to strengthen the bottom half of their defense, especially when you consider what some of the veteran free agent defensemen are going to get when the market opens on July 1. The reality here is that they’re probably not losing anything of note in this trade aside from cap space, which isn’t an insignificant asset.

One source who really likes de Haan suggested that the Hurricanes might not have made the playoffs without him – he was that important to the Carolina defense this past season. But he wasn’t so important that they didn’t feel like they couldn’t trade him for depth players.

“He’s steady. He kills penalties,” said an executive on Monday. “He plays 18 minutes a night and you don’t notice him but in a good way. He’ll play 18 solid minutes and he’s solid defensively. And teammates like him. I thought he was good for Carolina last year.”

The issue for de Haan is that there are still three more years on a contract that pays him $4.55 million per season. That’s a bit steep if he’s in your bottom pair, which is where it was headed in Carolina. His salary is just fine for this coming season but his shoulder injury may keep him out until November, so it’s a potentially shortened season. If injuries slow him down as he gets closer to his 30s, which is a possibility with his history, that contract is one to watch.

Saarela has now been traded twice in his young career, first as part of the Eric Staal trade that sent Staal to the New York Rangers. He has scored 55 goals total in the past two seasons for the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), but there’s doubt that he can translate that success to the NHL.

The Athletic’s prospect analyst Corey Pronman on Saarela: “Saarela had a strong second season in the AHL, as a top scorer for the top team in the league. Saarela is a talented player with speed and skill, but what makes him deadly is his shot. He’s got a 70 if not an 80 grade wrist shot that he can absolutely rip to the top corner from any spot in the offensive zone. His above-average speed and skill allow him to create space to make the most of that shot. My issues with Saarela are, while he’s skilled, it’s not high-end skill; he’s small and he leans on his shot too much, refusing to play between the dots. He may not have enough dimensions for the NHL but the talent is there and the production, so I think he could make it.”

Hurricanes: C

As with most deals right now, this was driven by money. The Hurricanes have some contracts to sign – most notably for a starting goalie and talented restricted free agent Sebastian Aho. This trade helps the depth in goal, which is necessary because the expectation now is that backup Curtis McElhinney will move on. According to an NHL source, conversations between Petr Mrazek and the Hurricanes are still ongoing.

In 2017, Forsberg was a key piece in the trade that sent Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets (I mean, not as key as Brandon Saad, but Chicago was definitely happy to get him). He hasn’t panned out at the NHL level, where he has a .901 save percentage in 45 games. That said, he’s still just 26 years old and crazier things have happened than a guy figuring it out as a goalie later in his career.

The most likely scenario is that the Hurricanes either sign Mrazek or a free agent to start in goal and Forsberg battles Alex Nedeljkovic for the backup job.

Forsling, like nearly everyone in this deal, was traded previously in his career. He was sent to the Blackhawks from Vancouver in the trade that sent Adam Clendening to the Canucks. Forsling is a downgrade from de Haan in the short term and his best attribute is that he’s significantly cheaper. He’s a third-pair defenseman with a bit of offensive upside if he can get his once-promising career back on track with the Hurricanes.

“He’s got a chance to get better,” said one talent evaluator. “But he’s an NHL defenseman.”

 

[bamainatlanta]

Been reading that Bowman was trying to dump Seabrook and the 3rd pick to Vancouver for the 10th pick

 

[KBIB]

This makes the Hawks a Cup contender.

Defense went from horrid to good in a week. Hawks can score goals, that was never the issue.

DeHann being out at the jump gives Joker a nice long look I think.

Now, Sign Perry with a bulldozer third line of Saad, Dach (who I think makes the team) and Perry.

I gotta give it to Stan, he's had a great, sneaky offseason

 

[TL1961]

I have no idea what just happened with the trade. Financials equal?

Twitter seems to love this but the are about as reliable as ripping farts on a first date.

Who is Twitter? Who are “they”?

 

[TL1961]

This makes the Hawks a Cup contender.

Defense went from horrid to good in a week. Hawks can score goals, that was never the issue.

DeHann being out at the jump gives Joker a nice long look I think.

Now, Sign Perry with a bulldozer third line of Saad, Dach (who I think makes the team) and Perry.

I gotta give it to Stan, he's had a great, sneaky offseason

From missing the playoffs to cup contender by getting deHaan and Maata?

 

[Raskolnikov]

From missing the playoffs to cup contender by getting deHaan and Maata?

and the continued development of Kampf, El Gato, Sikura, Joker, Bovquist, Baudin, Mitchell, Fortin, Glass, Martini

and additions of Dach, Kubilic, Maata, DeHaan


and potential health of Crawford. With real goalies developing behind him.

The team has improved...yes. The central is still a nasty prison fight.

 

[KBIB]

From missing the playoffs to cup contender by getting deHaan and Maata?

The west is wide open.

Stan fixed the defense with two defensive Dmen who can also move the puck. DeHann is a warrior back there when he's healthy.

The Hawks have so many puck movers on the back end pairing them with these two put us back into contention for a Cup and keep Keith and Seabs as a pairing for those playoff tough minutes.

Keith, Mattaa, DH, Gus, and Murphy are all top four, middle pairing guys with Keith, Mattaa and Seabs having resumes of stepping it up in the playoffs when, for Seabs case, the games get slower paced.

JC wants size and toughness. I like this approach. The games been hanging itself with its own tampon string and I'm happy the Hawks are attempting to go against the grain a bit.

If they sign Perry, and I honestly hope they do, this is going to be a fun team to watch again.

 

[bears5150]

The west is wide open.

Stan fixed the defense with two defensive Dmen who can also move the puck. DeHann is a warrior back there when he's healthy.

The Hawks have so many puck movers on the back end pairing them with these two put us back into contention for a Cup and keep Keith and Seabs as a pairing for those playoff tough minutes.

Keith, Mattaa, DH, Gus, and Murphy are all top four, middle pairing guys with Keith, Mattaa and Seabs having resumes of stepping it up in the playoffs when, for Seabs case, the games get slower paced.

JC wants size and toughness. I like this approach. The games been hanging itself with its own tampon string and I'm happy the Hawks are attempting to go against the grain a bit.

If they sign Perry, and I honestly hope they do, this is going to be a fun team to watch again.

Um not sure if you have been watching the Hawks of late we do not have a #1 D-man we have a second in Keith but barely.

 

[anotheridiot]

Been reading that Bowman was trying to dump Seabrook and the 3rd pick to Vancouver for the 10th pick

I have been reading that too, but there are only 6 spots, and unless he sees moving Seabrook or Keith as a real possibility, this just further points to not having any confidence in your draft picks becoming anything. Does Bovquist have a shot at being our number 1?

Sad part of this, is I still think he would have done this trade if he drafted Byram.

Keith, seabrook, murphy, maata, dehann leaves one of Gus, Joker, Bovquist, Dahlstrom as getting real minutes.

Can he just trade Joker and Bovquist already so we dont have to watch?

 

[KBIB]

Um not sure if you have been watching the Hawks of late we do not have a #1 D-man we have a second in Keith but barely.

You don't need a number one dman any more. You need depth. I'll take six (including Seabrook) second pairing guys over one workhorse every day and twice on Sunday.

Throw in Jokers potential to be a top four guy, and Dahlstrom who is ridiculously under rated, I like the name up of the blue line now then two weeks ago.

Would it have been nice to get Byram? Of course. But since Stan obviously had ideas set in motion, this team is shaping up and it makes the Dach pick look even better.

 

[anotheridiot]

You don't need a number one dman any more. You need depth. I'll take six (including Seabrook) second pairing guys over one workhorse every day and twice on Sunday.

Throw in Jokers potential to be a top four guy, and Dahlstrom who is ridiculously under rated, I like the name up of the blue line now then two weeks ago.

Would it have been nice to get Byram? Of course. But since Stan obviously had ideas set in motion, this team is shaping up and it makes the Dach pick look even better.

Does not look like Joker or Dahlstrom will be here when the season starts unless they can deal Murphy or Keith, or possibly one of the new guys.