I firmly believe the Hawks can do better, especially if they retain in this deal.

Yah, and that's if they decide to trade him, at all. I think he may be one of the vets deemed critical to keep on the roster, so he and Foligno can guide the kids in how to be NHLers. IMO, Dickinson has a lot of value to the Hawks in that way. He's 28, big, fast, plays a 200-ft game often against opponents' top lines, and now (it seems) is finding his offense. If I were KD, I'd look to lock him up for maybe three years @ ~$4mm AAV.

It may be that it'd take a big overpay to wrest him off the Hawks roster now.

I guess my only comment would be, if you're going to pay him $4M per on his next contract...you definitely trade him. Because no one's going to pay that much for Dickinson based off this 1 season. The cap may be going up, but $4M is a lot to most teams. I can't see him getting that on the open market so get an asset for him and then bring him back.

Keep in mind...VAN did send a 2nd to dump $2.65M. Now you're planning on increasing that.

Good points, exo. If I could be assured that things would go that way, I'd do as you suggest. I was thinking that usually players that are traded at the TDL rarely go back to their original teams. 'Course, the Hawks can afford to pay more for an established vet to guide the kids - at least for a while. And (for the next couple years, anyway) may need to overpay some vet FAs to reach the cap floor. Might as well be someone like Dickinson, whom they know well. Cheers

Dickinson is so meh - Leafs have few assets needed to upgrade and we shouldn’t be wasting them on thoroughly average 3rd/4th line forwards. Dude was dumped by Canucks (when they were terrible) and looks ok on hawks team (which is terrible). Never scored double digits in a season before this year (outlier), playoff stats underwhelming, his ticket is significant for his role, he’s a pending ufa. Curious why you or any fan would value a guy like that so highly 🤯

That probably gets Dickinson w/ no retention. With retention, Hawks get a 2nd from somebody.

Dickenson’s only value is his shooting % this year. Most people on here just look at goals and points without any context.

Dickinson looked pretty damn good scoring that hattrick against the Leafs earlier this season, it’s amazing that a “thoroughly average 3rd/4th line forward” could do that to the mighty Maple Leafs.

Great point; always appreciate such well thought out analysis. If Dickinson & the Hawks can do that to the mighty Leafs - they must be flying … awkward pause to check standings… 31st in a 32 team league 😕

I agree that a retained Duckinson fetches a mid to late 2nd on the market..... as I am.one that doesn't think this year is exactly an anomaly.

Dickinson in Dallas was an excellent 3rd line option who was potting 30 point campaigns and providing an above average defensive presence. He isn't there anymore because Vancouver simply overpaid him.

Where Vancouver was never a fit. An epic failure.

Chicago takes the chance on him, and here we are getting the player he was with the Stars. Sure - he is statistically inflated to a degree; but that I beleive is also a function of ice time (he is getting about a minute more as a Hawk than his career average). Keep in mind he is also running the Hawks PK1 - and doing a fine job with that role. Speed is there, as is the size and bump in his game.

All in all, I think Dickinson could be a shrewd pick up for the Leafs..... but in a 3C roll. We can talk Leafs defense until the cows come home; but Dickinson definitely improves a pedestrian PK, improves the defensive play of the 3rd line as well, where you can pretty much bank on a 30 point campaign (current sky high shooting percentage be damned). Simply has the track record and consistency (omitting Vancouver) to know exactly what you are getting.

Great post!

It is so refreshing to read posts from someone who realizes there is more to the game then just putting the puck in the net.

Agree to disagree - if someone pays Hawks a 2nd for a career 30 point 3rd liner (which he has achieved once, twice counting this year, in a 6+ yr career btw) then more power to you. There are a lot of dumb GMs in the league.
Hawks PK is worse than Leafs

Absolutely!

So many posters forget that the sum is great than the parts..... about 20 guys a night with a variety of roles.

And as a Leafs fan lol, realize the value of players outside our organization.

Dickinson is underrated imo. Hawks habe a few players like this on the roster where there value is more defensive and in the locker room..

Agree to disagree. Any season in Dallas, he plays an 82 game season, he is a 30 point guy. Because a player sepnds time on the IR doesn't mean the ability doesn't exsist.

Yes, the Hawks PK is worse - but now we are comparing apples to oranges. Hawks are in the rebuild.... of course the PK sucks lol. Is it supposed to be #1 in the league right now? Did Dallas' PK suck when Dickinson was runnkng PK1 there as well? The Leafs conversely, given the roster, I dare argue SHOULD BE having a top 10 PK, if not damn near it. Dickinson most definitely move the needle here.

I really think you need to take a more in depth look at what he is as a player.....

Don’t feel bad for us Hawks fans, we still have relatively fresh memories of three Stanley Cup victories to comfort us through these difficult seasons… how about you? What comforts you as a Leafs fan during this… awkward pause to check the archives… 57 year Stanley Cup drought? Perhaps it’s the ONE playoff round victory in the last seven seasons?

You wanna a fun fact? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

The Leafs have NEVER won 3 playoff rounds in a season in franchise history.

How does one win 3 playoff rounds?

With 3C's like Bolland, Kruger and John Madden. Ya know.... those guys that throw up a 30 point season and can play a 200 foot game?

Sounds like someone we are talking about🤣🤣🤣

The Leafs are an offensive juggernaut so our PP should be elite, but our D & goalies have been questionable so PK has suffered. Agree to disagree - Dickinson is meh imo; Leafs shouldn’t be interested but I don’t run the team

And with that comment Swinny drops the mic! Well done!

All because I don’t want Leafs to trade for your thoroughly ave player 😂.
And don’t worry too much about us Leaf fans - Stanley cup parade will be epic and while we wait…premiere franchise & most popular team in league, superstar players, 8 year playoff run, first class organization & scandal free, etc

One good game against one of the leagues worst goalies. HOF all the way. Not a leafs fan either genius.

Funny a Mitch fan would try taking "scandal" swipe given Babcock coached your franchise recently and had rookie Mitch do an effort ranking chart of his teammates.

What a weak take; anytime I read good in the locker room 🙄. What does that even mean in professional sports? Dude may be a good guy (90+% of nhlers are by most accounts) but he got dumped off a bad Canucks team and he is on a rebuilding Hawks team; hardly Jonathan Toews or Sydney Crosby resume; give me a break . Sell him to some other team

On spectrum of scandals - I’d say Hawks are in a different time zone but that’s just me

Conveniently forgets Babcock and probably too young to know the name and history of Gordon Stuckless…. Or perhaps he just chooses to ignore that part of Maple Leaf history as well.

Blaming the current Blackhawks organization for something that happened during a completely different leadership group is like blaming the Leafs for former captain Rob Ramage killing ex-Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson. It makes absolutely ZERO sense.