Dear god, this whole argument of “they know what it takes to win” is the stupidest thing ever. Not just in terms of this playoff year, but in order for a team to know how to win, they have to do it when they don’t know how to win. So just because a team has been there before doesn’t mean $h¡t.

They will absolutely make the playoffs................Of course you're not interested in reading why this season went bad and why the Hawks will not only make the playoffs next season but will contend for the Cup....

Naw, it's just easier to say "blackhawks aint going to the playoffs next year".......... Yea, that's what you hope, but that's not what's going to happen.

Hawks have 20 million in cap space this summer to make the upgrades they needed to make last season, but couldn't because they had no cap space.

But haters gonna hate.

You missed the word 'not' between the words 'absolutely' and 'make'.

Well, you're wrong........ Wishful thinking on your part...

This team has all the piece it needs to make another run, the Hawks just need the supporting cast to do it and this summer they have the cap space to find those players they need to make a run...

But I know, I understand you would really really really love to see the Hawks bottom-feed...... Well, that's just not going to happen with Toews, Kane, Keith and up and coming studs Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz on the rise - along with defensive stud Henri Jokiharju on his way as soon as next season.... And of course whomever they draft at 8th overall could very well make the team (Wahlstrom)...

But yea, I heard it all before several times "the salary cap will screw the Hawks - they're done man"....

See, I'm a Hawks fan, have been for 35 years and I know my team very well, and when they're ready to toss in the towel - I will admit it - but they're not even close to throwing in the towel...... This team just has too much talent....

When Kane, Toews, Keith etc start asking for trades or if they're a lottery team next season then I will say "ok, maybe it is time to rebuild".... But it's not even close... I mean I think they had 109 points in 16-17 - the salary cap screwed them in 17-18 and now Bowman has cap space to rebuild this team back into a contender....

In 6 months you're going to feel like a fool for insisting the Hawks won't make the playoffs....

Quit using your emotions, quit "hoping" the Hawks won't make the playoffs and actually LOOK at the position the Hawks are in..... The Hawks are going to have a very good team this fall.......

But hey, you can believe what you like. I know what's up....

In a very very very very very competitive Central Division.... with Pacific teams on the rise....

Dude, the Hawks have the core players for a contender, they just need the "help" and last seasons "help" were a bunch of rookies and that's what did the Hawks in (and Crawford's injury/vertigo)..... The Hawks can go out and sign the vets they need come July 1st to make this team a contender next season.... They're not that far away from being a contender (again) - they really aren't...

Take a look at the Hawks roster last season.... Lots of rookies right?..... Yea, well those kids had no idea what the hell they were doing.... I will say this much tho, a few of them did get better as the season progressed, but for a lot of them this was their first extended taste of the NHL.... They didn't know Q's system.... They're kids..... And sure, some will make the team in the fall but there will be significant improvements made over the summer because Bowman has the cap space to go out and get the players he actually NEEDS, which is something he wasn't able to do last summer.......I don't think people realize that at all - that Bowman had almost no cap space to build a proper team last summer so he had to go with the rookies, and like I said - that isn't going to happen this summer....

When Bowman has cap space he will build a contender...

Damn, Bowman basically built 3 entirely different Stanley Cup Championship teams...... The only things those teams had in common were Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Sharp (retired) & Hossa (retired) - and Crawford, but only for 2 of the 3...... Everyone else (most) was different on those 3 teams.... Yes, the Hawks don't have Hossa or Sharp and you cant replace Hossa - but what they do have is DeBrincat and Schmaltz..

Has Bowman not proved himself already to be a wizard of a GM?

Should I have any reason to doubt that he can build a contender when he has plenty of cap space (and assets to trade) to do so?

Sorry but I trust the GM with 3 cups, coming out and saying that the Stanley Cup is the goal every year (and they've gotten pretty close even in the years they lost, except for Nashville, but WTH - sometimes nonsense happens..... Look at what happened to the Hawks in 1991)...

Dude, the Hawks have the core players for a contender, they just need the "help" and last seasons "help" were a bunch of rookies and that's what did the Hawks in (and Crawford's injury/vertigo)..... The Hawks can go out and sign the vets they need come July 1st to make this team a contender next season.... They're not that far away from being a contender (again) - they really aren't...

Take a look at the Hawks roster last season.... Lots of rookies right?..... Yea, well those kids had no idea what the hell they were doing.... I will say this much tho, a few of them did get better as the season progressed, but for a lot of them this was their first extended taste of the NHL.... They didn't know Q's system.... They're kids..... And sure, some will make the team in the fall but there will be significant improvements made over the summer because Bowman has the cap space to go out and get the players he actually NEEDS, which is something he wasn't able to do last summer.......I don't think people realize that at all - that Bowman had almost no cap space to build a proper team last summer so he had to go with the rookies, and like I said - that isn't going to happen this summer....

When Bowman has cap space he will build a contender...

Damn, Bowman basically built 3 entirely different Stanley Cup Championship teams...... The only things those teams had in common were Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Sharp (retired) & Hossa (retired) - and Crawford, but only for 2 of the 3...... Everyone else (most) was different on those 3 teams.... Yes, the Hawks don't have Hossa or Sharp and you cant replace Hossa - but what they do have is DeBrincat and Schmaltz..

Has Bowman not proved himself already to be a wizard of a GM?

Should I have any reason to doubt that he can build a contender when he has plenty of cap space (and assets to trade) to do so?

Sorry but I trust the GM with 3 cups, coming out and saying that the Stanley Cup is the goal every year (and they've gotten pretty close even in the years they lost, except for Nashville, but WTH - sometimes nonsense happens..... Look at what happened to the Hawks in 1991)...

Now the Hawks have 20 million to spend this summer

Bowman has the cap space to go out and get the players he actually NEEDS, which is something he wasn't able to do last summer

Should I have any reason to doubt that he can build a contender when he has plenty of cap space

I am 100% certain that Galchenyuk will not get traded in the offseason.

Today, i am making a list of the top 15 most likely NHL players to be traded IN THE OFFSEASON. And no, i'm not talking about what the biggest trades will be, i'm talking about which players are MORE LIKELY than others to be traded. I'll see how many points i get. If #1 gets traded, i get 15 points, 14 for #2, etc. All the way to if #15 gets moved, i get 1 point. If my math is correct, the most possible points i can get is 120 (I may be wrong about this). But i probably won't get all 15 correct. Anyway, here is the list:

15 - Matt Martin, Toronto Maple Leafs
I could see the Islanders trading for Matt Martin to bring him back. Any team though who wants him could probably get him for a pick, and he's a decent 4th liner. Mainly the Isles though i see as a team that would want him.

14 - Ben Lovejoy, New Jersey Devils
Lovejoy is a decent d-man, but isn't too important to the Devils. He could add some experience to a team looking for some, and could get the Devils a pick.

13 - Brandon Saad, Chicago Blackhawks
Saad struggled with the Blackhawks this year, but if they can get another top young player for him (maybe the Hawks will need to add a pick or prospect), that might make sense for the Blackhawks.

12 - Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets
Jenner has struggled the last few years in Columbus, but could get them a very good return. Trading him may make the most sense if they can get a 1st round pick plus.

11 - Nick Bonino, Nashvillle Predators
This depends how he does in the rest of the playoffs, but even though he played great in round 1, doesn't mean he'll continue in the rest of the playoffs. If he doesn't keep playing like this, he'll still have some value even with his 4 million dollar per year contract. They could get a pretty good return for him, and they have quite a few forwards to fit into the lineup.

10 - Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
It is time to rebuild in Chicago. Artem Anisimov is one of the players who may be on his way out, to a team looking for a 3rd line centre.

9 - Victor Rask, Carolina Hurricanes
Rask struggled this year, and as much as it's just one year, he has never put up any more than 48 points in a season. He may get a lot more on a new team, and if a team is willing to give up what he's worth, the Hurricanes should consider it.

8 - Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
This is the surprise trade in my opinion. I think Chris Kreider may get moved for future pieces, to help them for a few years from now. Kreider is one of their key guys, but they're rebuilding. He's a guy they should probably move.

7 - Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
Brock Nelson, every year, has been expected to finally have his best season of his career, but each year, he plays like a 3rd liner. He has potential, but he may need a new team.

6 - Cody Ceci, Ottawa Senators
Cody Ceci has a lot of potential, but has been kind of off-and-on in Ottawa. Trading him makes sense if they can get a good return, and they could, because he could be a very good player on the right team.

5 - Philipp Grubauer, Washington Capitals
The Capitals have a goalie for now and for the future. Holtby is their goalie now, and Samsonov is their future goalie. Trading Grubauer makes sense if the Caps can get a good return for him.

4 - Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens
Max Pacioretty struggled this season in Montreal, but his value is really high. The Habs could get a lot for him. Maybe they could get a top defenseman. He would get them a great return.

3 - Niklas Hjalmarsson, Arizona Coyotes
There are a lot of teams looking for defence, and the Coyotes have Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychrun, Jason Demers, and Alex Goligoski still. Hjalmarsson struggled this season in Arizona when he was playing. He was injured for almost half of the season, but still struggled when in the lineup.

2 - Ben Hutton, Vancouver Canucks
Ben Hutton, like Cody Ceci (mentioned earlier on the list), has a ton of potential, but he hasn't played great in Vancouver. Well, he's been a good d-man, but not as good as he could be. They could get a pretty good return for him if they move him, and they have some young d-men like Juolevi that could replace him in the lineup.

1 - Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal Canadiens
Galchenyuk has struggled in Montreal for a while now, and it seems like it's time to trade him. They could get a lot for him, and way more than he's worth to them. They need to rebuild their forwards, and get what they can for Galchenyuk, because it could give them some pieces that really help them.

There is absolutely zero way Saad is traded..... I could absolutely see Anisimov trade tho, but not Saad.

I think Anisimov is going to be traded for a top 4 defenseman ...

Either the Canadiens' asking price in return is unrealistic, or Marc Bergevin has made so many bad decisions no other general manager want to do business with him.

If the Canadiens are serious about winning, they will need to move on from Bergevin.

It’s not that GMs don’t want to trade with Bergevin, or that he’s asking too much, but that the Canadiens haven’t given up on Chucky and want to keep him. And even if they wanted to trade him, why trade him now when his value is at its lowest point.

Sorry to burst your bubble. Unless my eyesight is completely off, according to CapFriendly the Blackhawks will have $6.23M of cap space before free agency.

They do have to re-sign Hinnistroza and Duclair due to their RFA status; assuming each gets around $1.8M for a total of $3.6M. That makes the Blackhawks offseason cap space to be approximately $2M-$3M.

I’m not sure which math teacher told you 3=20, or how you even got the 20M figure, but I’d double check on the calculations if I were you

Hossa's Cap Hit will go straight onto IR to start the season, so that atleast opens up 5-6m... They will have about 13.. Not sure where he got 20

Does anyone want to make a top 15 list and see who can get more points? Me or them lol.

Sorry to burst your bubble. Unless my eyesight is completely off, according to CapFriendly the Blackhawks will have $6.23M of cap space before free agency.

They do have to re-sign Hinnistroza and Duclair due to their RFA status; assuming each gets around $1.8M for a total of $3.6M. That makes the Blackhawks offseason cap space to be approximately $2M-$3M.

I’m not sure which math teacher told you 3=20, or how you even got the 20M figure, but I’d double check on the calculations if I were you

Just one thing: don’t you think the Hawks of all teams would know that instead of signing overvalued and overpriced FAs to fill third line and third pairing roles at expensive costs, they should keep that cap space when they have to sign DeBrincat, Schmaltz, etc to big contracts?

It’s easy to spend now. But the cap always bites one day.

Meh, first draft

1. Mats Zuccarelo
2. Mike Hoffman
3. Jeff Skinner
4. Justin Faulk
5. Gustav Nyquist
6. Max Domi
7. Ryan O’Reilly
8. Alex Petrovic
9. Phillip Grubauer
10. Charlie Coyle
11. Brock Nelson
12. Chris Tanev
13. Conor Sheary
14. Chris Kreider
15. Erik Karlsson

I'll make a list, why not.

1. Jeff Skinner
2. Mike Hoffman
3. Philipp Grubauer
4. Ryan O'Reilly
5. Alex Petrovic
6. Artem Anisimov
7. Erik Karlsson
8. Justin Faulk
9. Noah Hanifin
10. Brock Nelson
11. Mats Zuccarello
12. Matt Martin
13. Josh Leivo
14. Connor Sheary
15. Steve Mason

With the whole story around Hoffman's girlfriend harassing the Karlsson's I think it'd be locker room suicide if Ottawa keeps Hoffman (if the allegations are true).

Meh, first draft

1. Mats Zuccarelo
2. Mike Hoffman
3. Jeff Skinner
4. Justin Faulk
5. Gustav Nyquist
6. Max Domi
7. Ryan O’Reilly
8. Alex Petrovic
9. Phillip Grubauer
10. Charlie Coyle
11. Brock Nelson
12. Chris Tanev
13. Conor Sheary
14. Chris Kreider
15. Erik Karlsson