Yes, Rocky guided the team to 3 cups and gave Bowman reigns to do whatever he desired.
We flash forward 7 seasons, and the hawks are an empty, lifeless team with nothing to play for except Connor Bedard. Probably 5 years overdue on this rebuild. I've been asking myself: Why is Davidson making the decisions he's making?
I think I'm getting a better understanding... follow me here.
Rocky lowered ticket prices to "Be more affordable to a younger audience". Months later, the young talent on the roster (DeBrincat, Dach, Hagel) is traded away. Buyouts are made to help the team reach the floor with dead cap (a big difference than actually paying a players full contract out). Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, are RFAs turned free, with no QO extended, another $7.6M in savings. KD/Wirtz either gave up on them, or didn't want to spend the money in hopes of them turning it around. It almost makes me wonder if Owners have a "Manual" or list of how much they're willing to spend in salary (Pay Strome) to trade it away for draft capital. My guess is, less than the QOs of Strome/Kubalik.
Let's tie it all together. Kane, Toews, Murphy, and anyone else who may want to leave, are welcome to leaving. Ultimately, I think those 3 specifically are gone, whether it's trade or buyout. It's clear that Wirtz lowered season ticket costs knowing damn well he was going to cut costs and put an awful product on the ice. Cost management 101. This was the plan all along.
Obviously, KD gave some lip service saying it "Would be great to have Toews and Kane around as mentors" to save face, but let's be honest, he's driving them out of Chicago on purpose with these moves, at the direction of Wirtz's pocketbook. You wouldn't lower season ticket prices with Toews and Kane still on the team. Even if by some miracle they finish their current contracts with Chicago, there's no intention from Chicago to sign them, it's pretty blatant in my opinion.
Value isn't close in the trades, just made them to show what this team could very well look like in my opinion. Buying out Toews saves $966K in real money. Small considering what's tossed around on a usual basis, but for a team penny pinching, it adds up.
Murphy is RD, no? Isles have Pulock-Dobson-Mayfield down that side and don't like to play anyone on their off handedness. Don't think we are a fit. We would top that offer for Kane though IMO
The Kane trade is rental value and reasonable, are you sure you're a Blackhawk fan? Why wouldn't you want to trade Kane to a team that can sign him to a new deal and will give up a better return for him?
The Kane trade is rental value and reasonable, are you sure you're a Blackhawk fan? Why wouldn't you want to trade Kane to a team that can sign him to a new deal and will give up a better return for him?
Considering the deals Davidson has been making, I don't know how good of a return he can get. The DeBrincat trade was underwhelming, and nobody bit on any of the RFAs turned UFA, so my hopes aren't very high. Kane should get a better return, but it depends on Davidson.
Quoting: joshelkin
Murphy is RD, no? Isles have Pulock-Dobson-Mayfield down that side and don't like to play anyone on their off handedness. Don't think we are a fit. We would top that offer for Kane though IMO
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