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2025 26 Roster…too Soon

Donato now playing hard to get despite "wanting to stay here", just not at the cost of cashing in on his UFA value clearly. They'll probably have to pay a similar amount that Frank Vatrano got from Anaheim and perhaps without deferred salary? OOF. Still don't understand why you didn't just take the highest bid, whatever the heck it was.
 
BobbyJet said:
Hawks should offer sheet RFA Mathew Knies. Leafs have big bucks tied up in their big 4 and may not be able to match. IMO, he is the perfect big body to play alongside Bedard.
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He would a great get. But it's the same problem as with Cuylle (who I think is even a better fit). The teams theyre on, have the cap space now.

Leafs have 27.5M cap space for Marner, Tavares, Knies and 3 other forwards.

Those 3 others will likely be 925K players or ELC, so that's -3M cap space. D is set with 7 contracts, goalies too.

24.5M for Marner (12M). 12M is left for Tavares and Knies.

We would have to go beyond the 4.9M threshold with the offersheet, otherwise easy match. If we do we put the 26 own pick on the table, which I'm actually fine with, but I think I'll be alone with that.

Even if we offer sheet Knies for say 8M per, Leafs will just let Tavares go, or trade out Domi (3.75M) Kampf (2.4M) or Jarnkrok (2.1M). Easily doable.

I agree that we should try with the offersheet just to see, and try to get creative with the GMs but unfortunately it's not realistic.

Knies, Cuylle, Vilardi. All prime OS targets, but all three teams have ample means to keep them.
 
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BobbyJet said:
Hawks should offer sheet RFA Mathew Knies. Leafs have big bucks tied up in their big 4 and may not be able to match. IMO, he is the perfect big body to play alongside Bedard.
Click to expand...
While it'd be nice to get him, the compensation for him would likely cost us our 1st in 2026. We'd need him to stay at or under $4,580,917 to only give up a 2nd rounder for him and that seems awfully low for what he brings. He probably deserves something closer to $6m per given where the cap is at.
 
Bad Summer to think offersheeting is the answer to actually acquiring a useful player. Rising cap will give virtually every team the ability to match a 5 million offer (what should end up the neighborhood of the threshold with the new cap above which compensation will go from a 2nd to 1st, 2nd, & 3rd). Every team can match a 5 million sheet and the Hawks are not giving up a '26 1st that will be likely top 5. About the only thing with RFA's the Hawks should do is monitor the landscape in case an interesting player reaches a contract impass with their current team to maybe have a conversation about a trade.
 
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Was reading an article today Bleacher Nation Blackhawks that was interesting about the goalie situation. You have Knight signed for one more year at $4.5M who can sign an extension, you have Brossoit signed at $2.3M for next season and can be bought out at $1.5M. Soderblom is going to be a RFA who is making $963K. Commesso has one more year of ELC and can be extended. Question is what does management do? Do they extend Knight? Do they let Soda go? Do they bring back Brossoit? Do they promote Commesso? Do they sign Soda and buyout Brossoit? Trade Commesso? Should be very interesting.
 
OldScool said:
Was reading an article today Bleacher Nation Blackhawks that was interesting about the goalie situation. You have Knight signed for one more year at $4.5M who can sign an extension, you have Brossoit signed at $2.3M for next season and can be bought out at $1.5M. Soderblom is going to be a RFA who is making $963K. Commesso has one more year of ELC and can be extended. Question is what does management do? Do they extend Knight? Do they let Soda go? Do they bring back Brossoit? Do they promote Commesso? Do they sign Soda and buyout Brossoit? Trade Commesso? Should be very interesting.
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Easy, re-sign Soda in the off-season, he's the future backup.

LB gets waived. If he's picked up great, if not, he shares the net in Rockford With Commesso, who still needs another year or two down there.

Don't know why BN would have a hard time figuring that out.
 
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Soda is expendable. His “huge successful” year this year was to be 42nd in the league this year by SV%. Don’t come at me that’s a cherrpicked stat I didn’t filter out small sample sizes. But anyway…

It just serves to show that his season has been super impressive this year relative to his atrocity last year. But the guy is just an average goalie. He isn’t on Knights or Brossoit’s level and my goodness Commesso has been incredible lately.

Tired: sell Donatos career year
Wired: sell Soderblons career year.
 
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CallMeShaft said:
Easy, re-sign Soda in the off-season, he's the future backup.

LB gets waived. If he's picked up great, if not, he shares the net in Rockford With Commesso, who still needs another year or two down there.

Don't know why BN would have a hard time figuring that out.
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I am not so sure Commesso needs another year down at Rockford. He looks pretty ready to me an will be 23 next season with 2 full AHL seasons under his belt.

Soda is a real tough call....extend or let go....looked great then looked real rough. Still young though.

Knight has been mightily overpaid as a backup for his first 3 years. You don't see backups that young getting $4.5 mil a year x 3. Knight doesn't have enough of a proven track record for a long term deal at this point either.

Zero chance Brossoit goes to Rockford. Zero.

So your looking at $4.5M for Knight, Buyout of Brossoit at $1.5M and your options are:
Commesso at $950K to backup Knight or Soda at new contract (guessing $2M or so)...
 
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Taze em said:
Soda is expendable. His “huge successful” year this year was to be 42nd in the league this year by SV%. Don’t come at me that’s a cherrpicked stat I didn’t filter out small sample sizes. But anyway…

It just serves to show that his season has been super impressive this year relative to his atrocity last year. But the guy is just an average goalie. He isn’t on Knights or Brossoit’s level and my goodness Commesso has been incredible lately.

Tired: sell Donatos career year
Wired: sell Soderblons career year.
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LB hasn't played a game all year.

And Soda is 34th league wide in save percentage for goalies with at least 10 games played.

This team has a lot more to gain by keeping Soda here for the next few seasons rather than going with a goalie signed for only one year, in his 30s, and who missed an entire year due to injury.
 
I am good with Brossoit and/or Soda being tradebait. Package one with whichever of the LHD out of Allan/Kaiser/EDM our pro scouts see as the worst long term and see if you can get a 21-22 forward with 2nd line upside.
 
OldScool said:
I am not so sure Commesso needs another year down at Rockford. He looks pretty ready to me an will be 23 next season with 2 full AHL seasons under his belt.

Soda is a real tough call....extend or let go....looked great then looked real rough. Still young though.

Knight has been mightily overpaid as a backup for his first 3 years. You don't see backups that young getting $4.5 mil a year x 3. Knight doesn't have enough of a proven track record for a long term deal at this point either.

Zero chance Brossoit goes to Rockford. Zero.

So your looking at $4.5M for Knight, Buyout of Brossoit at $1.5M and your options are:
Commesso at $950K to backup Knight or Soda at new contract (guessing $2M or so)...
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And why is there zero chance LB would go to Rockford? Maybe zero chance he'd go considering he'd get picked up if he were to go on waivers, which is a very realistic possibility at this point. There is little reason to buy him out.

Drew Commesso is only 22 and is currently 24th in save percentage in the A (minimum 10 games). He could absolutely use more time in Rockford. Him playing steady hockey for half of a season down there doesn't mean he's ready to move to the NHL.

Soda has looked fine this season outside of one very ugly game. He's still 34th league wide (minimum 10 games played), which is solid backup territory, especially on a team that gives up this many high danger chances per game.
 
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CallMeShaft said:
While it'd be nice to get him, the compensation for him would likely cost us our 1st in 2026. We'd need him to stay at or under $4,580,917 to only give up a 2nd rounder for him and that seems awfully low for what he brings. He probably deserves something closer to $6m per given where the cap is at.
Click to expand...

If the Hawks win the lottery this year, it makes it easier in my book to do it considering they can't win McKenna. And yes, I know 2026 is a strong draft after McKenna but none of those other kids are on his level.
 
Kevin Musto said:
Yeah, he's unproven right now
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One thing I have learned when it comes to predicting how players will fare going forward is that goalies are a different breed and very unpredictable. Knight is the real thing but who knows about the others? That said, the tandem of Knight/Soder looks like a winning combo going forward.... but I'm sure Soder is on the radar for some teams. KD may need to make a decision whether or not to cut him loose this summer.
 
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BobbyJet said:
One thing I have learned when it comes to predicting how players will fare going forward is that goalies are a different breed and very unpredictable. Knight is the real thing but who knows about the others? That said, the tandem of Knight/Soder looks like a winning combo going forward.... but I'm sure Soder is on the radar for some teams. KD may need to make a decision whether or not to cut him loose this summer.
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I have no problem with moving Soda, but historically goalies don't hold much value. Especially backups, which is what Soda is.
 
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clydesdale line said:
If the Hawks win the lottery this year, it makes it easier in my book to do it considering they can't win McKenna. And yes, I know 2026 is a strong draft after McKenna but none of those other kids are on his level.
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I have a feeling that 2026 first is going to be available regardless of a lottery win this year. Not for a Kyrou or Barzal though. Think a massive name. Think David Pastrnak.
 
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Taze em said:
Soda is expendable. His “huge successful” year this year was to be 42nd in the league this year by SV%. Don’t come at me that’s a cherrpicked stat I didn’t filter out small sample sizes. But anyway…

It just serves to show that his season has been super impressive this year relative to his atrocity last year. But the guy is just an average goalie. He isn’t on Knights or Brossoit’s level and my goodness Commesso has been incredible lately.

Tired: sell Donatos career year
Wired: sell Soderblons career year.
Click to expand...
He was somewhere in the teens like a week ago lol. One dogshit game tanked it. Him and Knight were actually like .01% off in that stat.
 
clydesdale line said:
If the Hawks win the lottery this year, it makes it easier in my book to do it considering they can't win McKenna. And yes, I know 2026 is a strong draft after McKenna but none of those other kids are on his level.
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No doubt about that. If the 2021 draft was redone today after what we have seen, Knies would be in the top five, if not first overall .... and certainly nowhere close to 57th. So much for some folk's theory that a 2nd round draft pick isn't worth much.
Kevin Musto said:
I have no problem with moving Soda, but historically goalies don't hold much value. Especially backups, which is what Soda is.
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Soda has made a giant leap from his previous season. I'd bet that some team would gamble that Soda could be their starter.
 
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