Friedman: Hawks investigated re-acquiring Saad last year

DMelt36

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You guys read Elliote Friedman's "30 Thoughts" column, right? Usually real good stuff in there.

His lede in this week's column
is all about the NHL handling the 2018 Olympics, but there was also this nugget which I found quite interesting:

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Saad's making $6 million a year so I have no idea how this would work without moving a fairly substantial piece, nor does it seem possible.

But with about 60 hours until the next Hawks game, I'm going to spend that time dreaming about how it could happen.
 

Ares

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We would have to trade Seabrook....and then keep in mind we need to trade someone in order to pay Panarin well.

I mean if you traded Seabs and got some prospects, and then took on Saad at 6M and slotted him in at LW with Toews/Kane.... you better be 100% confident the defense can keep up and keep you in the running for the Cup this year. And be prepared to trade Crow in order to keep Panarin next year.

I am trying to think of other pieces you could trade.... Kruger and Hammer? IMO you start dropping important pieces to get Saad and you will be worse off in the long run.
 

DMelt36

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We would have to trade Seabrook....and then keep in mind we need to trade someone in order to pay Panarin well.

I mean if you traded Seabs and got some prospects, and then took on Saad at 6M and slotted him in at LW with Toews/Kane.... you better be 100% confident the defense can keep up and keep you in the running for the Cup this year. And be prepared to trade Crow in order to keep Panarin next year.

I am trying to think of other pieces you could trade.... Kruger and Hammer? IMO you start dropping important pieces to get Saad and you will be worse off in the long run.

Yeah the only way this seems remotely possible is if the Hawks were able to exploit that LTIR loophole again, but that would require and injury to one of the players making big money like Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, or Seabs. Anisimov and Hjammer are under $5 million so that probably wouldn't be enough.

It's a nice thought and all, but I just don't see a way it'd work. Moving Seabrook seems like the only way, but I don't think CBJ would want to take on Seabrook's $6.875m cap hit through 2023 if they're trying to shed salary now.
 

Ares

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Yeah the only way this seems remotely possible is if the Hawks were able to exploit that LTIR loophole again, but that would require and injury to one of the players making big money like Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, or Seabs. Anisimov and Hjammer are under $5 million so that probably wouldn't be enough.

It's a nice thought and all, but I just don't see a way it'd work. Moving Seabrook seems like the only way, but I don't think CBJ would want to take on Seabrook's $6.875m cap hit through 2023 if they're trying to shed salary now.

No I think you would need to trade Seabs elsewhere to create cap space here.... then they would need to be willing to give up Saad for cap space and maybe a prospect or something.... if he is almost a healthy scratch for them, and we are getting them cap space, im not trading Seabs straight up for that.... they can fuck off. Remember when we needed cap space and we had to give up Teuvo to get Bigfoot out of here? I mean CBJ with Saad are not in that same situation, but if you have an underperformer you want me to take at a high cap hit.... you are not getting a quality 6m dollar player for a 6m dollar player you feel is underperforming enough to be a healthy scratch.... I can't assume Saad will be worth 6M here.

Might be we could trade away some lower cap hits.... then trade CBJ some cheap contract prospects for Saad and they eat say 2M of his 6M salary.... they get some players and 4M of cap space.... we get Saad and eat 4M of his contract.... we have to give up some players to do that though to even make 4M of room... Hammer? Kruger? Desjardins?

There are ways this could work, but I think no matter how you do it if you are Stan Bowman, you likely lose more than you gain unless CBJ is willing to get trade-raped in order to unload Saad and get some mediocre cap relief.
 

DMelt36

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No I think you would need to trade Seabs elsewhere to create cap space here.... then they would need to be willing to give up Saad for cap space and maybe a prospect or something.... if he is almost a healthy scratch for them, and we are getting them cap space, im not trading Seabs straight up for that.... they can fuck off. Remember when we needed cap space and we had to give up Teuvo to get Bigfoot out of here? I mean CBJ with Saad are not in that same situation, but if you have an underperformer you want me to take at a high cap hit.... you are not getting a quality 6m dollar player for a 6m dollar player you feel is underperforming enough to be a healthy scratch.... I can't assume Saad will be worth 6M here.

Might be we could trade away some lower cap hits.... then trade CBJ some cheap contract prospects for Saad and they eat say 2M of his 6M salary.... they get some players and 4M of cap space.... we get Saad and eat 4M of his contract.... we have to give up some players to do that though to even make 4M of room... Hammer? Kruger? Desjardins?

There are ways this could work, but I think no matter how you do it if you are Stan Bowman, you likely lose more than you gain unless CBJ is willing to get trade-raped in order to unload Saad and get some mediocre cap relief.

Regarding the trading of Seabrook ... I think the other scenario where that could happen is if Kempny and Forsling evolve throughout the season so that they become the No. 4 and 5 defensemen, and then someone from the top 4 of 2/4/7/51 becomes expendable. And Seabrook seems like the obvious choice to get moved out of that group. I don't think we're there yet on either Kempny or Forsling, but I must say that I like what I've seen out of each guy. Young mistakes at times, sure, but there may be something there. Q said yesterday that Forsling reminds him of a young Hjammer, too, so there's that.
 

RacerX

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No matter the permutation of sign/trade, we are going to be left with a significant hole(s).

Cap has us by the 'nads, and there's no escape.
 

Ares

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No matter the permutation of sign/trade, we are going to be left with a significant hole(s).

Cap has us by the 'nads, and there's no escape.

Young cheap prospects have to step up and fill the voids.... it is the only way this works.

Schmaltz, Motte, Hartman, Hino, Forsling.... Panarin (right now).... young/cheap players have to fill roles or we can't keep competing.
 

Raskolnikov

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If it can be done we should do it. They would have to eat considerable salary. 2-3 million. With that, maybe we could figure out something but then how do you sign Panarin?

The guy you trade is Kruger. If they eat 2 million, and you lose Kruger because you think Rasmussen, Desjardins, and Smaltz can hold that role down, then Saad is an upgrade to the team at the same 4 million cost.

Saad-Toews-Kane
Panarin-AA-Hossa
Desjadins-Moose-Hartman
Motte-Smaltz-Panik

Not bad.

The way that opens up all four lines tells me a 1LW is way more valuable to this team right now because of Moose largley than Kruger is.

But its hard to argue the effect a healthy Kruger is having on the defense.
 

DMelt36

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If it can be done we should do it. They would have to eat considerable salary. 2-3 million. With that, maybe we could figure out something but then how do you sign Panarin?

The guy you trade is Kruger. If they eat 2 million, and you lose Kruger because you think Rasmussen, Desjardins, and Smaltz can hold that role down, then Saad is an upgrade to the team at the same 4 million cost.

Saad-Toews-Kane
Panarin-AA-Hossa
Desjadins-Moose-Hartman
Motte-Smaltz-Panik

Not bad.

The way that opens up all four lines tells me a 1LW is way more valuable to this team right now because of Moose largley than Kruger is.

But its hard to argue the effect a healthy Kruger is having on the defense.

Columbus is trying to shed salary cap space though, man. They're not going to eat any salary.
 

Raskolnikov

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Columbus is trying to shed salary cap space though, man. They're not going to eat any salary.

They have a healthy scratch eating 6 million a year for the next 5 years. I would think they might eat 2 million of that for 2-3 years or the Hawks won't do business.

And the thing is, Saad doesn't fit their coach for some reason (because Tortorella is a joke and a moron). They wouldn't be eating 2 million, they would be shedding 4 million and they won't get a better deal from anyone else.

NOBODY is going to take 6 million for Saad right now unless they eat salary, or shed prospects to pay for taking him off their hands. We should be in on those discussions because we want him as much as anybody else.

Torts can't use speed, but I would think Saad could do well with the Avs, Blackhawks, Lightning and a number of teams who open up the game.
 

Ares

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They have a healthy scratch eating 6 million a year for the next 5 years. I would think they might eat 2 million of that for 2-3 years or the Hawks won't do business.

And the thing is, Saad doesn't fit their coach for some reason (because Tortorella is a joke and a moron). They wouldn't be eating 2 million, they would be shedding 4 million and they won't get a better deal from anyone else.

NOBODY is going to take 6 million for Saad right now unless they eat salary, or shed prospects to pay for taking him off their hands. We should be in on those discussions because we want him as much as anybody else.

Torts can't use speed, but I would think Saad could do well with the Avs, Blackhawks, Lightning and a number of teams who open up the game.

I have to agree.... CBJ would need to play ball in one way or another.... im not trading you cheap/useful players for your 6M albatross so I can fuck my own cap situation and hope he plays up to the 6M pricetag... if we wanted to pay him 6M we could have done that and kept him.

We have had to eat some shit sandwiches to unload players.... CBJ may have to do that if they want to unload Saad.....
 

RacerX

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Young cheap prospects have to step up and fill the voids.... it is the only way this works.

Schmaltz, Motte, Hartman, Hino, Forsling.... Panarin (right now).... young/cheap players have to fill roles or we can't keep competing.

Got to take Panarin out of that grouping, and then on a cumulative basis i say: WELP.

Our prospects are very underwhelming, especially on D. I like Motte who projects as a solid 3rd liner, and have hope for Forsling as a #4 or $5 Dman. But Hino and Hartmann, and to a slightly lesser degree Schmaltz, all look like barely marginal NHL players and i don't see any of them getting top-9 minutes. Bunch of under-sized 4th-line grinder ceilings.

The only guy i see on the farm with top-6 potential is that shrimp Debrincat.
 

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