Joined: Jun. 2015
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Thanks for the responses so far. Prior to this armchair team, several others proposed the Bruins signing UFA Franson. However, he does not seem to be a prototypical top 4 defenseman.
Knowing the Hawks are already very close to the cap ceiling as well as Seabrook needing a new deal for next year, this summer is the time to consider the future as far as all parties are concerned. Can the Hawks re-sign him? At what term and yearly cost? The longer they wait, the less likely full value will come in return. Boston desires a RH shot with all of the said qualities Seabrook brings. He would be a great fit on their blue line. However, would he be a one and done guy or could the B's extend him?
Concerning other components, Marchant is an upgrade to Shaw albeit at a higher cap hit. Bickell is, well, Bickell. Freeing up his $4M would be well worth it but he has to be part of a package at this point. I think his size would be a good fit for the Bruins. He does have potential but has never quite justified his big raise. Perhaps a change of scenery would be the ticket. Panarin is a wildcard. He could be great but the Hawks already have Kane and Teravainen who play similar games from the wing. Between him and Bickell, at least one of them should be able to help shore up the LW for Boston. Recently re-signed, the big bodied RH McQuaid comes at less than half the cost of Seabrook, and could play well with Daley on the Hawks third pair. (I also meant to include Boston's 2nd pick in '16 or '17 as well.)
I absolutely agree that Seabrook is great Chicago Blackhawk. Losing him would be huge. So it is imperative Bowman has a plan as well as a backup while he considers the future. The bottom line is the hard cap. It has become apparent the Hawks seem to "lose" whenever a noteworthy trade is made recently. Other GMs know the Hawks situation and can get away with low balling a deal. An exception may be the Saad/Columbus trade although losing Paliotta (and subsequently Johns to Dallas) has thinned out that type of dman considerably. This is one reason why I suggest trading Seabs because I simply do not think he can be re-signed.
Making a substantial trade includes a very small window of opportunity in many cases. It should work for both teams. It may not make sense or be popular at the time but sometimes a trade like this just needs to be completed, like it or not.