2024-25 Roster…too soon?

[BHawk21]

absolutely not. I am done with wrong side of 30 players who no longer have the juice. Brock Nelson is 33

Where we getting centers that can play a lot of minutes? Give him 2 years super high cap. Bennett Nelson Tavares Giroux Granlund are the only UFAs that can play bigger minutes.

Trade candidates? Cozens Zacha Duchene (All C/W) Coyle? Raty? Haula? Chytil? Greig?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Anderson is an AHL talent that shouldn't be on NHL roster to begin with

Him on 1st line opposite Bedard is f***ing joke

A guy can nominally be on the "ES1" without being a "first liner". Tomas Kopecky at times for instance.

Brock Nelson seems like a priority.

If John Tavares is around, I think a 3-year deal for him could work for both ends. He gets 1st powerplay minutes, can make good AAV, Hawks have a bit of a stopgap with a productive player and not a longterm commitment.

 

[Crow]

A guy can nominally be on the "ES1" without being a "first liner". Tomas Kopecky at times for instance.


If John Tavares is around, I think a 3-year deal for him could work for both ends. He gets 1st powerplay minutes, can make good AAV, Hawks have a bit of a stopgap with a productive player and not a longterm commitment.

Wouldn’t be the worst idea but I think it’s far more likely he goes cup chasing and signs with a contender. Still could even be in Toronto to do that at a heavily reduced price, though to me they aren’t much of a contender.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Brock Nelson seems like a priority.

Bedard-Nelson-Kurashev
Tuevo-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Dickison-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Donato-Anderson
Reichel

Misa Frondell Martone Hagens

33 yr old C who is UFA after 2025 season

If Isles want some mid picks/prospects sure, But there is no reason for Hawks to give up anything of real value for him

 

[BHFAN92]

Where we getting centers that can play a lot of minutes? Give him 2 years super high cap. Bennett Nelson Tavares Giroux Granlund are the only UFAs that can play bigger minutes.

Trade candidates? Cozens Zacha Duchene (All C/W) Coyle? Raty? Haula? Chytil? Greig?

Make a trade then. Its time to stop slapping bandaids onto an issue when were talking about development of the face of the franchise. Pairing Dylan Cozens with Bedsy would be something to greenlight

 

[BHawk21]

33 yr old C who is UFA after 2025 season

If Isles want some mid picks/prospects sure, But there is no reason for Hawks to give up anything of real value for him

I mean get him as a UFA not trade for him.

 

[BHawk21]

Make a trade then. Its time to stop slapping bandaids onto an issue when were talking about development of the face of the franchise. Pairing Dylan Cozens with Bedsy would be something to greenlight

I get that but Brock Nelson is still a good player and can still skate even at his age. This would help the development of Bedard. The draft is where your really gunna have to get your top 6 center.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I mean get him as a UFA not trade for him.

He would debut as a Hawk at age 35,, No thanks

 

[BHawk21]

He would debut as a Hawk at age 35,, No thanks

No he wouldnt he turned 33 3 weeks ago but ok. whats the solution at center?

 

[TheFridge]

I'm sorry to say it, but at this point anyway, Bedard and Crosby should not be spoken of in the same sentence. Even if Bedard does eventually reach his potential, the two players are entirely different in style of play.

No one's claiming Bedard is as good as Crosby or McDavid. The point was faceoffs and Crosby and McDavid were both bad at the dot when they entered the league.

 

[TLEH]

I don't think faceoffs is a significant reason. Crosby never started with the puck early in his career, neither did McDavid. The Hawks aren't playing him with their most talented players and the Hawks also can't break the puck out 5 on 5. The inability to transition the puck has been a problem for years here, from Colliton now to Richardson. If our D can't get the pucks to the forwards with time and space to make plays in transition, they aren't going to create offense.

Faceoffs aren't the reason but what I was eluding to is that the team in general doesn't do a great job of getting pucks back when they don't have it. So if you go 0-8 at the dot like he did in VAN, it doesn't help the situation.

I'm not saying "Bedard is sucking because he can't win a draw" But what I am saying that starting him on the wing with a guy and his linemate that do a better job on faceoffs and also do a better job on puck retrieval, makes sense to me.

 

[TLEH]

No one's claiming Bedard is as good as Crosby or McDavid. The point was faceoffs and Crosby and McDavid were both bad at the dot when they entered the league.

McDavid was 41% at the dot his rookie year and 46% year two. Crosby was 45% and 49%. Connor is 38% and 29%

 

[giza]

I can see Bedard setting up like Brett Hull used to in his preferred shooting spots with an top center finding him often. I think Nazar could be that center, but you would need that skilled PF type to play on the other wing.......ahh, one can always dream of the future.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

No he wouldnt he turned 33 3 weeks ago but ok. whats the solution at center?

He was born October 15th, 1991

He is signed thru next year (He turns 34 next October)

I mean get him as a UFA not trade for him.

If Hawks sign him as UFA in summer of 2026, he would be 35 at start of year essentially (Maybe a game or two before is actual B-day)

No thanks on 35 yr old Nelson as FA

 

[u2wojo]

I say pass on Brock Nelson and if we are going the addition from outside of the organization, it should be a big swing or nothing at this point. We have no shortage of middling players, we are lacking impact/high end players. If you can sign a Marner, Rantanen, or maybe Ehlers, or work a trade for a similar impactful top of the lineup player, then keep sucking and try finding that type of player with a high '26 first round pick and take a run at whichever of McDavid, Eichel, Kaprizov, Conner, or Necas make it to free agency.

If we could convince one of Rantanen, Marner, or Ehlers to sign and we end up with one of Hagens, Martone, or Misa out of the draft there is light at the end of the tunnel. Adding Nelson without an elite forward is still likely a non playoff team for '25-'26 (even if Nazar and a few other prospects have perfect develop this year), but one likely picking out of the top 10 instead of again with in.