you can't just send Seabs to LTIR if he's not hurt

Hawks are heading to rebuild city, So tell me why either Krug or Holtby would sign there?

Read the title dude...

Yeah just wait for him to blow his knees out in preseason or run him over.

Read the tittle, My point still stands neither would be heading to a rebuild team period.

Are you an idiot?

Obviously you're, Thinking that heading to a rebuild 3 years ago would make you any better today. Rebuilds can take up to 10 years just ask Edmonton.

If you weren't an idiot, you'd know that Edmonton failed at rebuilding even with countless 1st overall picks. Bad drafting, bad player development, and bad trades.

Kings are an example on how a good rebuild is done. Good drafting, good player development, and good trades.

Does this team I've made look like a rebuilding team?

My point is, the Blackhawks have already gotten a lot of really good young players. Dach, Kubalik, DeBrincat, Strome, Boqvist, and Mitchell. With a couple FA signings and trades they could have been a contender again. A rebuild now makes no sense to me.

Let’s examine a rebuild three years ago. I assume you are suggesting the rebuild occur in the 2017-18 season (Hawks had a 33-39-10 record) The previous season the Hawks had home ice advantage in the Western Conference. They were swept by the Predators. Clearly from that series, team speed (especially defense) was an issue.

I recall reading that Bowman and Quenneville were very outspoken about the sweep, but with a 1st place finish in the west, were the Blackhawks broken? I think most people would say no. It was in the off season that Panarin & Hjalmarsson we’re moved. Reviewing those trades, there was no cap savings. It is clear that resigning both players was not going to get done, so movement was the alternative.

There is a majority of Hawk fans on this site who vehemently detest both trades, and could be viewed as the beginning of the end. Hindsight always makes for better GM’s.
At the time, I understood the rationale for making the trades. Murphy for Hjalmarsson has been a good trade for Chicago. Panarin for Saad, well, mmmmm .... maybe not.

The first round exit was still a deep wound. Chicago was hosting the draft. It is my opinion, Bowman reacted emotionally to the playoff defeat and made these moves. This not criticism here. Again hindsight is king. If Chicago were “thinking” rebuilt ( and why would they be ... that season) then optimally trading Panarin would come at the TDL a year later, when his contract was expiring to maximize assets returning to the club.

The 2017-18 was the year Crawford missed the second half of the season with his concussion issues. Prior to the injury, Crawford was rock steady in net, 16-9-2, .929 save percentage and a respectable 2.27 G.A.A. The Hawks crashed when they lost him.

I think clearly the organization’s commitment to a rebuild was not pressed due to what could be considered two freak circumstances. #1. A first seed team is swept in the playoffs by an eight seed team. Not pleasant, but playoff fluke happens. The team bounces back the following season. No need for alarm. It can be compounded as Nashville had their run that year and were a Stanley Cup finalist. The view at the season end .. The Hawks lose to a good club.

#2. Our starting goaltender is injured long term and we don’t have the depth to be competitive.

Here was the evidence that the Hawks were no longer a contender, and theopportunity to focus on a rebuild. The following year Cam Ward was signed as stop gap should Crawford’s injury persists. Last year, the Blackhawks committed $11 M of their cap to goaltending, and although Crawford & Lehner were stellar, it did not bring the team
any close to being competitive.

Resolve. The team needs an infusion of younger, hungrier players. The core remains to provided the leadership ... “to past the mantle so to speak”.