Future with Kane and Toews

Team: 2022-23 Chicago Blackhawks

Initial Creation Date: Jan. 21, 2021

Published: Jan. 22, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

So long as Colliton is the coach (which is two more ****ing years after this!!) we’ll be in the basement. So don’t be surprised to see a hawks team next year with Dach, Toews, and Nylander back along with older prospects, a high pick from this year, and potentially whichever goalie ends up being a no. 1, end up being in the basement again cause Colliton can’t manage ice time and his system doesn’t work. So at least it allows us to get another high pick next year that hopefully is made by a different GM and coached by someone not named Jeremy Colliton.

That being said, I think that these next two years (presumably) set us up really well for the future while potentially allowing Kane and Toews (probably not Keith or Seabs since one will be 40 and one will be/is surgically stitched together) to get another few runs at another cup before they retire. We’d have a lot of middle of the lineup players with a few (potentially) elite players in Dach, Lambert, and Power (and maybe Kane who could produce at an elite level for the next few years) giving us a lineup with great depth and top end talent that we need to win a cup (we just need a goalie and Commesso won’t be ready until at least 2025)

And here’s my version of Dom Luszczyszyn of the athletic’s cup checklist (for the future) with zero research or actual thought put in:
Elite 1C - Dach
Elite 1W - Lambert
Elite 1D - Power
Elite G - ?
Top line C - ?
2 Top line W - Kane/DeBrincat/Kubalik
No. 1 D - Mitchell
2 Top 6 F - Toews/Kurashev/Reichel/Strome/Suter
Top pair D - Boqvist
Top 4 D - Kalynuk/Beaudin

So there’s a giant hole in net and a potential need at 2C depending on how Strome develops and Toews regresses but besides that it isn’t terrible with a number of pieces that could be packaged for a Starter and/or (1C level) 2C (which could also both be signed in FA) (maybe sign one of Kuemper/Korpi/Elvis this year and Monahan the next to fill both those holes — just an idea of what could be)