This is my prediction for the lineup for the rest of the season as well as my opinion and a short description on who should be coming back next season. For this post I am assuming a few things: Murphy is shut down for the season, Slags plays 5-7ish games before being sent to RFD to get acquainted for their playoffs, Nazar’s season runs long and he does not sign hit ELC this league year (he can still play for RFD on an ATO for the playoffs if applicable), the hawks end up with the 2nd best odds in the lottery.
UFA
Tyler Johnson - I lean toward don’t resign, and I think he would agree. However, if the price is right (1-2 X 2.5) he could be solid depth. For next season I predict hawks and Johnson mutually part ways.
Blackwell - Solid depth piece, played well down the stretch, I’m on board with resigning him to a one year contract in the 2AAV range. He could seek out an opportunity on a contender, and that is his right. I predict he will resign.
Sanford - Don’t resign
Zaitsev - Has been serviceable, and I would consider resigning to be our 7th D. I predict he walks though.
Tinordi - For Richardson’s sake don’t resign.
Megna - don’t resign.
As it relates to the depth AHL guys, kind of out of the scope of this post, but I would recommend keeping good quality guys in RFD to promote some of that development. Keep on eye on the AHL contracts the hawks give out this year.
RFA’s in AHL
Guttman - Resign, I liked his game and I think he could be useful as an either forward depth or best case replacement Tyler Johnson. He shouldn’t be expensive 1 year 800-1.2 million. (Projection: 1x 1100000)
Reichel - Resign, 1 year prove you aren’t the player you’ve been this season deal 1.2 million maximum. Don’t sign him for 2 years and have him, Bedard, and Korch up for deals at once. (Project 1x1.2)
Teply - Qualify, and retain his rights if he rejects and goes back overseas.
Hardman - Sign to QO or AHL contract. (I would sign him to QO, but I understand if he seeks a more guaranteed NHL look.) I project QO.
Roos - No QO, let him go back overseas or another NHL opportunity. No need to retain his reserve list rights like teply.
Philips - Sign to either play in the NHL or be traded somewhere in there. 800k - 1.2 max (Project 1x 1,100,000)
Crevier - Sign QO, he could be a good 7th D if zaitsev walks.
Staxber - Sign if there is no one to take his spot.
NHL RFA’s
Entwistle - Sign 2 yrs 1,200,000 good depth guy, room for growth still.
Reese Johnson - QO, if he takes it great he can bounce between AHL and NHL. If not, trade his rights in a cap dump move, idk to the islanders.
Anderson - No QO, a good player and a tough choice. It’s better to let him seek another opportunity, but if applicable he would be good on an AHL deal.
Raddysh - Resign- 1 year 2.5 AAV. See if he can produce with a deeper lineup.
Vlasic - Pay this man, 8 years? 12 years? Lock him up. (Project 8x6
The thing is this team only has bottom 6 players so they’re going to suck for a long time. Like except Hall Bedard Athanasiou Murphyand Kurashev, the rest are nobody’s.
There’s no base. Really started from -100.
Personally I hope 70% of these guys aren't brought back lol. Tyler Johnson will probably leave. Colin Blackwell's alright but I would much rather see him go either a better FA signing or for Guttman/Slaggert full time. I think I would take Jaycob Megna back as a 7D option if I had to choose between him and Zaitsev, but I'd let all three of Megna/Zaitsev/Tinordi walk for a quality RHD 7D like Chad Ruhwedel that can help Phillips and Kaiser when they're up with the Hawks. Colin Miller or Jalen Chatfield might work too.
Other than the built in chemistry Louis Crevier has with Kaiser, I don't think his ceiling is anything higher than a top pair AHL d man. I would be happy for him to prove me wrong but contrary to all the praise he got I think he was pretty bad in his stint with the Hawks.
I like Entwistle and would be fine with him being back, but he's had a pretty poor year, both in terms of actual ability and luck. He's a replacement level player and 24, I think it's a max one year deal, and a figure close to his $892k QO. Joey Anderson meanwhile has looked really good. He's surpassed Entwistle, R. Johnson, Hardman on the depth chart and he's been better than higher profile pending RFAs like Raddysh & Guttman this year. I'd give him a raise and bring him back on a one year deal.
For the sake of surrounding bedard with some more talent to help his game continue to develop, you're necessarily going to have to cut ties with a lot of the depth guys, at least at the NHL level. The top 4 D is pretty much set for next season, and you have 7 forwards on the books plus presumably reichel and nazar. If thats 5 starting spots left in the lineup, I hope we fill most of them with bonafide NHL players and one or two top 6 forwards. For me, of the RFAs I like entwistle guttman anderson and phillips. The rest I'd trade, let walk, or keep in the AHL.
I don't see any of the pending UFA's returning. Tyler, Blackwell, Sanford, Pitlick, Zaitsev, Tinordi, Megna are all gone. Need to at try to upgrade the roster in some spots. Pending RFA's - re-sign Raddysh, Reichel, Phillips, Crevier and Anderson. Let Reese, Entwistle, Roos, Tepley and Hardman all walk.
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Bedard,
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