Bowman Wins Me Over

I'm very skeptical about Knott. I think he needs a lot more seasoning before making the jump to the NHL. Sure, he's played better since being traded to the Spitfires, but he has Logan Brown and Jeremy Bracco on his line. It's not like he's carrying the Spitfires on is back. With that said, I'm very happy to see he's playing better. Was looking like a bust for a while there.

Also, I'm not sure you need to send that CHI 1st rounder back? How many 1st round picks turn out to be back to back top 10 scorers?

I think the pick has to go back. You really think Vegas is going to give up their first two draft picks EVER for Panarin? I highly doubt it. Also, there isn't even any certainty that Panarin can produce away from Kane so that's a huge risk for Vegas so I am certain they ask for a 1st round pick back.

I think any GM trading FOR Panarin will certainly bring that up. But he's not a prospect. A 2x top 10 scorer is real. Panarin is getting his bonuses. (Eichel isn't getting his bonus...) He was the player of the tourney at worlds...which doesn't mean a whole lot, but more than nothing. He's $6M for the next two years which is a bargain for his level of play. They won't pay for the bonuses. You do bring up a good point that they'll probably want to have a 1st rounder for the inaugural draft.

Do I at least get credit for trying to have some faith in StanBo?! Ha! Quite frankly, the Hawks NEED some size. Knott helps provide some. So would Boyle and Johns. The Hawks do not have a luxury of buying time with their younger guys it would appear. Several got their first taste of the NHL last year, more will this coming season. Whether it is a trial run or a stay, this is who Chicago is. Seasoned Cup winners playing with kids. As far as moving Panarin, that will certainly depend on the cap ceiling. I presume that will be made known prior to the draft so teams can make moves if need be at that event. Many fans thought Sharp could bring back a nice return. It did in form of poop and not anything else. Panarin should command a better return. Hopefully, Bowman has learned the art of a deal from his past failures. At this point his best option is cap space along with prospects/picks IMO. Vegas could provide that. Plus a proven scorer would greatly boost their chances in this first season.

The Panarin trade is not great. We need D help now and Foreskin (ha!), Johns and Rozi are not good answers. LW is a disaster; a bunch of kids with no experience? Boyle is a decent move.