Blackhawks mailbag: Just how tight a spot is Stan Bowman in?

A year ago at this time, the Stanley Cup Final was seemingly all anybody in Chicago was talking about, as the Blackhawks wrapped up a third championship in six seasons. Now? With Pittsburgh on the verge of beating San Jose for its second Cup of the Sidney Crosby era? Uh, hey! Check out the Cubs!

It’s been a long offseason for the Hawks and for Hawks fans, and it technically hasn’t even started yet. But with the draft beginning two weeks from Friday, and free agency soon to follow, business is about to pick up again. It’s time to check in with another #HeyLaz Twitter mailbag:

Jess @jessykaclick

#heylaz What do you think of the Hawks trading away future draft picks combined with the [salary] cap? Will it hurt their future?

The Blackhawks do not have a first-round pick on June 24, having traded it away for Andrew Ladd, whose second stint in Chicago was painfully short. They don’t have a second-round pick, either, thanks to the Kimmo Timonen trade last season — a nice story, but hardly a big reason they won the 2015 Stanley Cup. The Hawks don’t have a second-rounder in 2018 because of the trade that landed Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, who combined for six healthy scratches during April’s seven-game playoff run. And the Hawks don’t have a third-rounder in 2018 because of the Ladd trade.

The Hawks also dealt away Marko Dano and Phil Danault in the Ladd and Weise/Fleischmann trades. So the return on investment was darn near catastrophic, especially given how desperately the Hawks need cheap, viable NHL players such as Dano and Danault to squeeze under the salary cap next season.

But that’s the price of going for it. After all, nobody’s lamenting the lost 2015 first-rounder that landed Antoine Vermette, who scored three game-winning goals in the last two rounds of a championship run. To mix my metaphors a bit, Stan Bowman swung for the fences and fouled the ball off his foot. It happens. Better to have a GM that goes for it and fails than one who’s afraid to pull the trigger.

A big reason why Bowman is so willing to part with picks and players is his faith in the Hawks’ scouting department. There always seems to be a Dennis Rasmussen or Erik Gustafsson to be found (and sometimes even an Artemi Panarin) to fill out the roster. The draft and NHL-level free agency aren’t the only way to flesh out rosters these days. Europe is a treasure trove of unmined talent. And the Hawks went treasure-hunting again this offseason by signing Czech defenseman Michal Kempny, who’s expected to contend for a roster spot right away. Top prospects such as defensemen Ville Pokka and Gustav Forsling, and forwards Tyler Motte, Ryan Hartman and possibly Nick Schmaltz (if he chooses to leave college and sign) are on the verge, too.

Sure, it’d be nice to have Dano and Danault right now. It’d be nice to have a bunch of early picks, too. But remember, the NHL draft is a crapshoot after the first handful of picks. Plenty of first-rounders don’t pan out (Kyle Beach, anyone?). And plenty of later picks do. The Hawks picked Brandon Saad (2011), Duncan Keith (2002) and Corey Crawford (2003) in the second round. They took Niklas Hjalmarsson (2005) in the fourth round. They got Marcus Kruger (2009) and Andrew Shaw (2011) in the fifth round. Ben Smith (2008) was a sixth-rounder. Dustin Byfuglien was an eighth-rounder — there are only seven rounds now — in 2003.

Bowman’s trades didn’t pay off. But they don’t have to kneecap the entire team. Smart drafting, savvy scouting and the willingness of free agents to take less money to play in Chicago should keep the Hawks contending for the near future, no matter how ugly their cap situation is (and it’s ugly).

Joel T. Bennett @joelben

#heylaz Thoughts on Hawks bringing back Brian Campbell. Likely or longshot? Hope you’re having a great summer!

I floated the idea of Campbell taking less money to come back to Chicago (his wife, Lauren’s, hometown) at the end of the season and still think it’s possible. Campbell made $57 million over the last eight seasons, and at age 36, might want to make one last run at the Cup. But he’d be leaving a lot of money on the table. The Hawks could pay him maybe $1 million, and he could fetch $3-4 million on the open market. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks coax him back, and he’d be a godsend in terms of alleviating their defensive depth issues while not killing the cap. But it’s hardly a sure thing.


R.T. Eisenhart @chips1

Brad Richards seemed to regret move to DET. Any interest from Hawks for reunion as low cost bottom-6 guy ($1.5-$2M)? #HeyLaz

I don’t see it happening. Richards certainly seemed happier in Chicago, especially centering Patrick Kane, than he was in Detroit, where he played a limited role. But the fact is, barring an unlikely big bump in the cap, $1.5-2 million is too much for the Hawks at the moment. Per capfriendly.com, the Hawks have about $4.4 million in cap space and only 17 players under contract (ideally, they’d have 22 or 23).

Keith_from_Illinois @KCox_10

#HeyLaz what are the chances Ladd, or Panik stick around?

Ladd’s a goner, and Weise and Fleischmann didn’t do much to earn a contract in their short stints. But I’d be shocked if the Hawks didn’t bring back Panik. He showed a lot of skill and poise as a top-liner down the stretch, and after wallowing in the minors with Toronto for most of last season, he can be had on the cheap. It’s a no-brainer to keep him.

Bob Norris @Bobjnorris

#Heylaz I am resorting to asking street vendors and ice cream truck drivers for Klondike Pucks. NO ONE had heard of them! WHERE?

Welcome to my world, welcome to my pain. They’re out there, but they’re hard to find. The evil folks at Klondike make you work for them. Trust me, though, it’s worth it.

Jake Taco @TacoSandwich22

#HeyLaz is there ANY feasible way that the Hawks can drop Bickell???

Well, yeah, in theory. But the Hawks have been trying to move his contract for nearly 18 months now. Nobody wants his contract, but there surely are teams that have the cap space to take it off the Hawks’ hands if they throw in something valuable. It’s *feasible* that the Hawks could package Teuvo Teravainen with Bickell to unload the last year of that contract. But I think that would be a huge mistake. The best move might be to simply buy out the last year of Bickell’s contract, and take the two years of cap hit — $1 million next year and $1.5-million in 2017-18 — rather than absorb the $3.05 million cap hit that comes with burying him in Rockford for another year.

Javiera Pumarino @javipumarino

Is there any chance that one of the goalies is traded this summer? #HeyLaz

When Corey Crawford signed his six-year, $36-million contract two summers ago, many fans and pundits were scratching their head at the $6-million cap hit. Doesn’t look so bad now, after watching the Dallas Stars unsuccessfully play goalie roulette with a pair of mediocre netminders — Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi — who combined for $10.4 million.

The Hawks have an enviable goalie situation — a proven, entrenched, Vezina-caliber starter in Crawford, and a solid, incredibly cheap ($587,500) backup in Scott Darling. They’re not going anywhere.


Adam Haberman @AHab2935

#HeyLaz, Do the players really want the refs to swallow their whistles in playoffs and ignore blatant fouls or is this NHL fiction?

The players are just like the fans. When they’re the ones committing the penalties, they want the refs to swallow the whistles. When they’re the ones being hooked and slashed and held and interfered with, they want everything called.


Erik Burgio @erikburgio

#HeyLaz is it still okay to put an apostrophe after a word that ends in ‘s’ or do i have to go ‘s? (Russ’ vs Russ’s)

Words that end in an “s” only need an apostrophe. Three straight “s”s looks ridiculous. And, yes, that’s how you write “s”s. Apostrophes do not pluralize!


Jeff @Sieben07

Will the coaching change in Minnesota make a difference? #HeyLaz

Bruce Boudreau will make the Minnesota Wild better. Absolutely. How much better is the question. A lot of hockey people were surprised when Boudreau picked the Wild over, say, the Ottawa Senators. The Wild roster is aging and static. Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are each 31 and signed through 2025 (!). Mikko Koivu is 33 and locked up for two more seasons at $6.75 million a year.

Boudreau had far more talent to work with in Washington and Anaheim. But you can’t argue with his spectacular regular-season results over the years. Can he make the Wild a Cup contender? I don’t see it. But he’ll certainly make an already difficult Central Division that much more brutal.


Sally Daly @DalySally

#HeyLaz. Do you plan to go to Las Vegas to cover the NHL awards on June 22 when, hopefully, both Panarin and Kane will win?

Yes, I’ll be there. Kane seems like a shoo-in for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. But the real drama will be for the Calder. To me and many others, Panarin — who was a top-10 scorer in the entire league — is the clear winner, ahead of Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. But there’s a clear groundswell of support for top pick Connor McDavid, despite the fact that he missed half the season. I’d be curious to see the Canadian-American breakdown of the PHWA voting. There’s also the possibility of voters holding Panarin’s age — he’s 24, with several years in the KHL under his belt — against him, even though the league rules deem him a rookie.

Any other year, McDavid would be a good pick. But with so many brilliant rookies playing well all season — Panarin, Gostisbehere, Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, Max Domi — I don’t see a valid argument for putting McDavid at the top of the list. He’s a fantastic talent and nobody would be the least bit surprised if he goes on to have the best career of the bunch. But he simply didn’t play enough. Injuries happen. Life goes on.

I voted Panarin first, Gostisbehere second, and McDavid third. McDavid’s shortened run was spectacular enough to put him ahead of the others, but not the top two. Not in my mind.


Michael McGuire @michaeltmcguire

*Obligatory Shaw question* #HeyLaz

Well put. There’s nothing new to report just yet. Shaw would love to stay, the Hawks would love to keep him. Until the salary-cap number is official — we’ll have it before the draft — it’s impossible to know his future. But put it this way: Even his qualifying offer — $2.5 million — would be too much for the Hawks to fit under the cap barring some big salary dump. The likeliest scenario still has Shaw’s rights being traded before the draft. Shaw brings an awful lot to the table, but is he irreplaceable? The Hawks feel Ryan Hartman can be that kind of player. We’ll have to wait and see. Shaw is a two-time champion, a proven playoff performer, and a former 20-goal scorer. He can make a lot of money elsewhere. That said, he’s seen good friends Nick Leddy and Brandon Saad get paid elsewhere, and who knows what their private conversations have been like in the time since. You have to think that Shaw knows how good he has it in Chicago. So I wouldn’t rule anything out. Not yet, at least. But the smart money is on Shaw leaving.


Chris Wassel @ChrisWasselDFS

#HeyLaz If the unthinkable occurs and the PA doesn’t approve the inflator, how much cap hell is Chicago in?

Yikes. Can you pay free agents in negative money? Can they pay for the right to play for the Hawks?

Players under long-term contracts dislike the 5 percent escalator because they can actually lose money on it, thanks to the escrow hit. Free agents need the escalator so they can cash in. But a rising tide lifts all boats. It’s hard to imagine the NHLPA passing on it.


Sarcastic Mike @Sarcastic_Mike

#heylaz more entertaining motivational speaker: Al Swearengen or Joel Quenneville?

As comical as Quenneville’s F-bombs are, nobody can match Al Swearengen’s profane poetry. The best character in the history of TV, on the best show in the history of TV. I’d like to see Al man the bench for a game, though. Never mind the peanut butter, open the bleeping canned peaches!

Also, can Doc Cochran be the head athletic trainer? And Dan Dority the team bodyguard? And E.B. Farnum the team-services coordinator? And… I’d better stop now before I get myself in trouble.

Andy Langert @AndyLangert

#HeyLaz Injury shortened postseason, but what does it say about Q that Trevor Daley couldn’t play here but a mainstay in Pitt?

Daley simply didn’t fit. It happens. Daley’s a guy who likes to handle the puck and skate it up the ice. Quenneville’s a guy who wants his defensemen making immediate breakout passes to hard-charging forwards. Daley didn’t adapt to Quenneville’s style, and Quenneville didn’t want to adapt his style to Daley’s game. Sure, watching Daley play such a big role with the Penguins on the verge of winning the Cup has to eat at Hawks fans, and questioning Quenneville’s refusal to give Daley top-four ice time is fair. But it’s easier for a player to adapt to a team than an entire team to adapt to one player. Both sides are at fault for Daley’s failed stint in Chicago.