Half of this trade is so awesome it's worth five stars even though I'd veto the other half:
Crawford sat out twice as long as expected with a head injury. The last thing Chicago wants to do is rush him back and raise the risk that he never returns. Grubauer was 7th in GAA and 12th in spct (min 10 starts) in the regular season. He pushed Bobrovsky to overtime in back to back playoff starts, and, I believe, will get his name on the Cup for that contribution. Definitely a worthy fill-in for the Hawks, and easy to trade for a good return if/when Crow is all better.
Chicago also could really use some tougheness and positioning on defense to go with all their puck moving and offensive skills back there. Seabrook and Keith can teach a lot about rushing the puck, but the Hawks' young defensemen need someone who can show them how to hit. Orpik's playofs this spring were his third entry in the top 20 all time for playoff hits, along with the second Stanely Cup that's been won on his shoulders. He's the ideal defensive teacher for whatever three young defensemen Chicago starts the season with, and while he doesn't play 20 minutes on most nights anymore, he did in the finals to help the Caps hold onto leads and win one goal games.
That is totally enough to get the Hawks to trade back their draft pick to a late first rounder, if they're confident that Toews, Kane, and Keith just had a collective off year, and can put it all back together.
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The Caps have really good luck with guys born in Sweden. Why trade one for an older, equally productive guy, born in Pittsburgh, who grew up idolizing Lemieux, Crosby, and Malkin (
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-brandon-saad-blackhawks-haugh-spt-0612-20150611-column.html)? I think that means he'd be less likely to stay in Washington when he hits UFA, if those three guys get on the phone and invite him over to play, and by then he'll be over thirty, maybe just a checking winger, and Burakovsky will still be under 27, still improving every year.
I'd trade Burakovsky to get younger, tougher, and more talented, but not to get older. I'm fine to swap him for Austin Watson. Fine to swap him for a top ten pick and a waiver exempt prospect. Just as fine to keep him around and let him keep improving, if he isn't already better than Saad....
ESPN says Saad, who played a lot with Toews, got a point every 41 minutes this year:
http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2563065/brandon-saad
Burakovsky, who bounced around the Caps' bottom nine, got a point every 31 mintues in the regular season, and one every 23 minutes in the playoffs:
http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3042044/andre-burakovsky
So, yeah, not trading him for Brandon Saad. If the Hawks want to swap Saad straight up for Orpik.... still pass. But that's closer.
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