Quoting: exo2769
I totally appreciate the convo and do believe you knowledgeable Hawks fan. We just disagree on things is all. I do 100% believe getting assets for free is like having extra draft picks and is huge. These guys get to choose their destination and they choose Chicago. I really do believe that it's the culture created here. CHI didn't have to play Panarin on the 82nd game and it would have saved Bowman millions in cap due to his bonuses. But they did the right thing. Players see that stuff. If you're coming to the NHL and teams are willing to hand out Max bonuses....The Hawks have proven they'll let you get it if you're good enough.
Staying on Panarin. As much as I like him... "That's business baby" ~Artemi Panarin. He was never staying in CHI. People can talk ifs and butts all they want, but if anyone thinks he was actually going to sign for millions less (per year!) than the NYR offer...they're completely delusional. Could they have traded him away for something else? Ok maybe, I'm listening. There are always other options. We will unfortunately never know. It's kinda like the rumor that went around that CAR was willing to offer the 1st and Bean for Lehner and Gus. I VERY much doubt that's true...because it would have happened if it were. But we will never know for sure.
I would have fired John McDonough instead of Q, but that's me. There's more to upper management than Bowman.
And while Toews is my favorite player because of his style of play...Crosby is a real generational player. They're not really comparable anymore.
I hate to keep going back to this, but bowman, quite simply, just hasn’t got this team back to the playoffs. He’s made a bad round of trades over three years, signed terrible contracts that doom the hawks to the will of the cap (summer 2018), and put an inexperienced fall guy behind the bench to blame any lack of success on.
Panarin could have, and definitely wanted to, stay. He constantly says that to anyone whenever the subject of Chicago is brought up to him. There’s no reason for him to lie about it. That trade is probably the worst in team history. There isn’t a single argument to be made about it anymore. Solid player vs. MVP candidate. Solid vs. MVP. Top six vs. ELITE. Cap excuses are simply that, excuses. You build your cap around panarin, you don’t fix it by trading him. Bowman had two years to figure out how to do that, but we all Bowman isn’t the caliber of GM able to pull that off. Then you throw in the nylander trade and nothing makes sense with this guy anymore. Nothing he’s done in the past three years moves the needle. Same with Dach, a 2C tops forced into future 1C time cuz Bowman was desperate. Fansided (what a joke that site is), keeps saying “Dach, boqvist, kubalik, debrincat, and strome will win a cup with the hawks, it’s just be nice if they did it soon.” Kick rocks! This group isn’t even close to a cup, especially with management run the way it is. There’s no accountability!!!! What has stan done lately? Has he gotten us to the playoffs? Has he gotten us total cap control back? No and no.
Exo, you have got to be the greatest and most blindly faithful hawks fan I’ve had the pleasure to debate with. You are through and through a fan who cares about the team no matter the state it’s in. However, I’m the kind of fan who always holds the team to a standard. They were the best of the best 2009-2015. Then, they didn’t adapt. They signed “loyalty” contracts, made **** trades because it was fun to get the band back together, and by then, it was all too late.
I’m not excited for the future of this franchise. Once toews and Kane are gone (more Kane actually), were just like Pittsburgh. At least Pittsburgh has always made the playoffs. None of the young guys on this team, even in five years, are enough to move the needle. I like boqvist, Mitchell, and cat, but come on, be realistic. As I said before though, knowing bowman, these guys won’t be here long. Trade Dach for Alex newhook Stan, then you got my attention.