Options, options, options.

Team: 2018-19 Chicago Blackhawks

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 10, 2018

Published: Jun. 10, 2018

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

This summer Stan Bowman is going to have a lot of flexibility, so anything is possible when it comes to Stan, however I think the roster I put together is pretty solid - it has all the pieces one would need to contend - especially if Saad & Toews start "clicking again"..... The 2nd line also has a lot of potential..... If Wahlstrom falls to #8 I would take him because he did some serious damage playing with Jack Hughes, and Jack Hughes is very similar to Patrick Kane so I think they would excellent chemistry right off the bat and have the potential with Schmaltz centering them to do so damage, but even then that top 6 has so much talent (the whole team actually) that Q could come up with some seriously dangerous lines..

As for the trades, I think they're pretty fair - of course there will always be a poster that's like "no way" but that's inevitable.....

One thing you have to remember with Hossa is that he's not a "cap dump" - he doesn't affect the Hawks cap situation at all - the Hawks can use his LTIR space in the summer when the 10% overage cushion is in effect, so a team taking him is not doing the Hawks a favor..... I know Carolina is one of those teams that's on a budget and tries to stay as close to the salary cap floor as possible so I figured they may want him - if not I'm sure he could be substituted for another player that makes sense... But a 2019 first round pick, Hossa and Forsberg for Faulk and the opportunity to dump Darling where he belongs seems fair to me. Also if this deal went down Carolina would be sending a lot of cap space the Hawks way and Hossa could kinda offset that...

I thought about the Islanders deal because if Tavares doesn't re-sign the Islanders will need a 2nd/3rd line center and Anisimov fits the bill there, the Islanders also get the 27th overall pick & Anthony Duclair for the 12th overall pick and I think that is more than reasonable.... It's actually a very good trade for the Islanders because they will still have the 11th overall pick but will get assets for the 12th that can play immediately and have an immediate impact at the NHL level - and they still walk away with the 27th overall pick.

As far as my signings:

Maroon - a big guy that can play a two way game and can score at times, his size would really help the Hawks.

Bozak - an excellent two way player that can win draws, score and do what needs to be done on the ice. A perfect 3rd line center for the Hawks.

Wingels - another bottom 6 guy - a veteran defensive forward that knows what he needs to do and can get it done.

Vermette - like the rest - solid veteran two-way forward that can score timely goals, but primarily can get it done on the defensive side of the puck, but he's excellent at the dot which is something the Hawks lacked all last season - and it really hurt them not having veteran guys like Vermette (and the other UFA signings) that can get the job done and win draws..... Sure he's aging but I would expect he would be used as specialist to kill penalties and perhaps win a draw when needed.

John Moore - He's a dependable NHL vet - not quite a top 4 - he's more suited as a #5, but he's responsible and has enough games under his belt where you don't have to worry... You can have confidence with him on the ice.... A very underrated player -- Also a Chicago guy like Tommy Wingels..

As far as goaltending, who knows what the future holds for Crawford (hope to find out soon) however Darling was excellent when he was here in Chicago, and I would expect the same if he was brought back to Chicago to backup Crow... Maybe Darlings struggles were all mental? he just didn't feel right playing in Carolina? another Chicago guy BTW...

Well there you have it - another of many different rosters Bowman could assemble for the 2018-2019 season....

Flame away.....

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