Still missing a LD and goalie tandem. I believe in Lank and I think he is serviceable but our defence this year hasn't been great and Dougie's addition doesn't change that.

May aswell let the kids develop before dealing the the Cap problems a Dougie contract would give us down the track.

The hawks don’t need a top pairing LD if they have a top pairing RD and a bunch of serviceable guys on the left. I think this roster makes the playoffs.

Borgstron and Nylander are not 4th liners . They are not defensive or checking line players . This would be a total disaster of a 4th line . Also by putting seabrook and shaw on IR instead of LTIR there cap hit counts against the cap . If you put them on LTIR the hawks would have 11.5 million in cap space there is no way stanbo leaves that much cap space unused he would be crucified by the fans . The D needs another top 4 veteran for the hawks to be a playoff team . Short term older guys like MUZZIN , HJARMLSSON , HAMONIC , VATANEN or a trade for a younger long term proven top 4 dman is needed . Hawks have many young dman coming up so i would go the short term route myself . I think BEAUDIN AND MITCHELL need another half or whole season in Rockford to develope properly . STILLMAN IS NOT A TOP 4 DMAN AND NEVER WILL BE . Kalynuk and Boqvist look like the real deal . STROME is not a third line center he can not effectively take faceoffs does not backcheck and is not a PK specialist

Hawks don't need a defenseman that doesn't play defense well which is what Hamilton is. He's great offensively (which is not our problem) but not very good defensively. Whether this roster here makes the playoffs will be predicated on the Hawks being able to play better defense and as such Hamilton won't be the reason. Further, even if we make the playoffs we get smoked as defense and goaltending is everything.

IMO we have to find a solidified top line defender, Kalynuk is not it yet and Stillman is not a 2nd liner yet, and then we move mountains to get him.

Top 2 lines are great assuming JT is back to form . Your 3rd line needs a true 3rd line center and your 4th line is a disaster of a 4th . I agree with the poster above that said you need another top 4 LD

The idea of "what a fourth line should do" is silly. If they can play hockey well it's fine.

Suters contract seems a little light. If a w only seems plausible. But as a c I think he gets abother $400-500k annually

There is not one single team that does not do this . Offensive players will never develop properly playing 8 to 12 minutes a game on a checking line this is realty and how every single hockey team is built . Any experienced coach would throw out there top line vs this 4th line at every opportunity . Hockey is game of matchups , thats called coaching and is what makes a great coach a great coach

What about Spezza and Thornton on the fourth line sounds like this to you? I ask as a Leafs fan

The use of the fourth as a sheltered scoring line makes sense

In regards to your comment about a fourth line vs first line a coach will always throw their first line out against the opposing fourth line and have a huge advantage

SPEZZA and Thornton backcheck and are 200 foot players . Nylander is like a KESSEL anything that happens inside his own blueline is an afterthought to him . Borgstrom is a complete unknown . This is why i said this line is a recipe for disaster