2025 26 Roster…too Soon

[ClydeLee]

Say the Hawks win the lottery this year…

Then next year finish 3rd worst, but win it again.

Where do they pick?

That situation next year just means that lotto win draft is redrawn... they still pick 3rd, unless a team behind them moves up in the lottery and pushed them down to 4. (5 if two teams surpass them)

 

[Kevin Musto]

Say the Hawks win the lottery this year…

Then next year finish 3rd worst, but win it again.

Where do they pick?

They simply don't move up.

They would stay where they are, or move down if someone leapfrogs them.

 

[Naster Okan]

I don’t understand why anyone thinks Knies isn’t a possibility to be offersheeted and sign it. I wouldn’t want to at the price it will likely cost. Hjalmarsson signed an offer sheet. Aho as well. I guarantee if either were asked about it beforehand they would have reciprocated the same PR fluff. Tavares and Gaudreau both said they wanted to stay with their clubs before bolting.

 

[Drumman44]

?

A Knies offer sheet would only include 2026 picks.

And I'd only do it if the Hawks won the lotto this year and were therefore exempt from the McKenna sweepstakes.

This is actually kind of brilliant. If the Hawks win the lottery they’ll be ineligible for a while so those first rounders will be worth 3rd overall at absolute best.

And if you draft a Knies like player at third overall, he won’t be NHL ready for a season or two anyway

The tricky part would be other teams offer sheeting Bedard but not for salary cap numbers for for an RFA contract that walks him to UFA as quickly as possible.

 

[Kevin Musto]

This is actually kind of brilliant. If the Hawks win the lottery they’ll be ineligible for a while so those first rounders will be worth 3rd overall at absolute best.

And if you draft a Knies like player at third overall, he won’t be NHL ready for a season or two anyway

The tricky part would be other teams offer sheeting Bedard but not for salary cap numbers for for an RFA contract that walks him to UFA as quickly as possible.

Chicago can pay Bedard whatever he wants.

I think there's a decent chance they get an extension done in the summer anyway.

 

[Drumman44]

Chicago can pay Bedard whatever he wants.

I think there's a decent chance they get an extension done in the summer anyway.

No doubt about the amount but if a team gives him the quickest route to UFA and he signs it, that would really suck.

Example, a team offers him 4 years at 12.5 million. Chicago can match it, but he’s headed for free agency at age 24

 

[ColbyChaos]

I don’t understand why anyone thinks Knies isn’t a possibility to be offersheeted and sign it. I wouldn’t want to at the price it will likely cost. Hjalmarsson signed an offer sheet. Aho as well. I guarantee if either were asked about it beforehand they would have reciprocated the same PR fluff. Tavares and Gaudreau both said they wanted to stay with their clubs before bolting.

He has openly said he wont before the blues this past offseason there hasn’t been a lot of successful oversheets off the top of my head the last 15 years it’s been like 3 total.

Weber 2012

Aho 2021

Kotkaniemi 2022

And it’s worth considering the Kotkaniemi one was more retaliatory and fueled more by petty revenge

 

[ColbyChaos]

This is actually kind of brilliant. If the Hawks win the lottery they’ll be ineligible for a while so those first rounders will be worth 3rd overall at absolute best.

And if you draft a Knies like player at third overall, he won’t be NHL ready for a season or two anyway

The tricky part would be other teams offer sheeting Bedard but not for salary cap numbers for for an RFA contract that walks him to UFA as quickly as possible.

I would have a lot higher expectations than a Knies level of player at 3rd overall. You’d think he is Hagel putting up 90 pts with how he is talked up here. He is a lot closer to Hyman than he is a player worth giving up a top 5 pick over.

 

[Kevin Musto]

I would have a lot higher expectations than a Knies level of player at 3rd overall. You’d think he is Hagel putting up 90 pts with how he is talked up here. He is a lot closer to Hyman than he is a player worth giving up a top 5 pick over.

He's 22

 

[Taze em]

The Knies stuff reminds me of when KD was a whisker away from acquiring him as a prospect. He has made some awfully good trades (not all good) and he's been barking up the right trees a lot in his tenure. Example 1: Knies+1st for Hagel+Fleury. Example 2: Demidov for 2025 unprotected.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades though. The Jones/Knight deal and Nazar for Dach, Hagel, Debrincat, het got across the finish line.

To put it more simply: His staff and him targeting the right guys an awful lot.

 

[Naster Okan]

He has openly said he wont before the blues this past offseason there hasn’t been a lot of successful oversheets off the top of my head the last 15 years it’s been like 3 total.

Weber 2012

Aho 2021

Kotkaniemi 2022

And it’s worth considering the Kotkaniemi one was more retaliatory and fueled more by petty revenge

You’re right there haven’t been many successful ones and he did say that. My thought was just while he might have no interest in that route I don’t see why he wouldn’t sign one if they’re seeking him out. I don’t know how much priority loyalty takes in those situations. I mean Hjalmarsson signed one with San Jose after winning the cup in 2010. One of the best moves Bowman did was letting Niemi walk and matching that.

I don’t know the money to draft compensation when it comes to offersheets but I would assume to make Toronto sweat about it it would be something I wouldn’t be interested in as a hawks fan.

 

[Taze em]

You’re right there haven’t been many successful ones and he did say that. My thought was just while he might have no interest in that route I don’t see why he wouldn’t sign one if they’re seeking him out. I don’t know how much priority loyalty takes in those situations. I mean Hjalmarsson signed one with San Jose after winning the cup in 2010. One of the best moves Bowman did was letting Niemi walk and matching that.

I don’t know the money to draft compensation when it comes to offersheets but I would assume to make Toronto sweat about it it would be something I wouldn’t be interested in as a hawks fan.

2026 1st Round Pick 2026 2nd Round Pick 2026 3rd Round Pick

[td]$6,871,375 - $9,161,834 2026 1st, 2nd, 3rd round compensation.[/td]

So you could pay him 9 million, throw your top 10 2026 pick in the trash. And the Maple Leafs have 26 million in space to sign two of Marner, Knies, and Tavares. Offer sheets are pointless going into this monster cap increase. It's not really worth talking about.

 

[Naster Okan]

2026 1st Round Pick 2026 2nd Round Pick 2026 3rd Round Pick

[td]$6,871,375 - $9,161,834 2026 1st, 2nd, 3rd round compensation.[/td]

So you could pay him 9 million, throw your top 10 2026 pick in the trash. And the Maple Leafs have 26 million in space to sign two of Marner, Knies, and Tavares. Offer sheets are pointless going into this monster cap increase. It's not really worth talking about.

Yeah, probably. I’m just bored and have no friends.

 

[Northernhawk]

Was sitting around after getting rid of the flight and decided to look at some numbers…

The Hawks have four RFAs(Kurashev, Kaiser, Soderblom, Crevier) who could go either way when qualifying happens…

The Hawks have four UFAs(Donato, Maroon, Martinez and Athanasiou) of which only Donato needs to addressed…

So right now if the Hawks go with icing ONLY currently signed players they’d have the following roster…

Bedard
Teravainen
Bertuzzi
Foligno
Mikheyev
Nazar
Reichel
Dickinson
Veleno
*Dach
Slaggert
*Moore
*Greene

Vlasic
Murphy
Allan
*Del Mastro
*Levshunov
*Rinzel
Korchinski

Knight
*Commesso
Brossiot

*indicates rookie*

That’s a 23 man roster with a cap hit of $54.941 million
Add in a bought out Brodie at $3.23 million
Add in a retained Jones of $2.5 million
Add in an IRd Weber of $7.86 million

The Hawks are sitting at $68.531 million caphit…

Plenty of room still to the ‘rumoured’ $90 million ceiling, and still bellow the $70 million cap floor

Even if taking into consideration other possible rookies or prospects making the roster( ie Anderson, Lardis, Savoie, 2025 1st pick)…any of our RFAs getting respond or Donato being resigned?

Hawks could ice a team right now and still compete…it’s getting to that next level…gonna be a fun summer!

 

[Pertti]

Offer sheet on Knies.

We win draft this season and are worst team next year and we lose number 1 pick.

Sign Marner, you only lose money.

 

[Giovi]

Offer sheet on Knies.

We win draft this season and are worst team next year and we lose number 1 pick.

Sign Marner, you only lose money.

If they're the worst team next year, they don't automatically lose the 1oa pick. They retain that spot unless someone leapfrogs them in the lotto.

If they win the lotto this year, they can't win the lotto next year.

 

[Hull2Roenick2Kane]

Plenty of room still to the ‘rumoured’ $90 million ceiling, and still bellow the $70 million cap floor

Unless its changed I think the rumor was 95 mil cap.

 

[featherhawk]

This is actually kind of brilliant. If the Hawks win the lottery they’ll be ineligible for a while so those first rounders will be worth 3rd overall at absolute best.

And if you draft a Knies like player at third overall, he won’t be NHL ready for a season or two anyway

The tricky part would be other teams offer sheeting Bedard but not for salary cap numbers for for an RFA contract that walks him to UFA as quickly as possible.

that is why KD should be locking up Bedard and convince him to take a team friendly deal so there is enough money to have depth at all positions and thus a shot at a Dynasty.

Not opposed to Offer Sheeting players at all, that said, if we do, management and scouting must hit on certain picks including the depth picks.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Knies has already indicated he isn't desiring to sign an offer sheet

Leafs will sign him and he seems happy in Toronto so really no reason to think otherwise

 

[TLEH]

Knies has already indicated he isn't desiring to sign an offer sheet

Leafs will sign him and he seems happy in Toronto so really no reason to think otherwise

He’s playing for the leafs.. what is he gonna say? Yeah man I’m ready to leave.

Money isn’t right he’ll sign it.

 

[Kurtosis]

Knies has already indicated he isn't desiring to sign an offer sheet

Leafs will sign him and he seems happy in Toronto so really no reason to think otherwise

Remember that Hjalmarsson offer sheet? Come on man, you know the game. Not saying it happens but you shouldn’t be taking comments before FA as gospel.

 

[clydesdale line]

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Goes to show the BS narrative of "If you can't skate, you can't be Hawk" is just nonsense

The narrative is just used to excuse our scouts/GM passing on some very good talent in recent drafts

 

[Kurtosis]

I expect that to change next year.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Goes to show the BS narrative of "If you can't skate, you can't be Hawk" is just nonsense

The narrative is just used to excuse our scouts/GM passing on some very good talent in recent drafts

It's not BS.

Other than Bedard, none of those skaters are in the long term plans.

Bertuzzi and Teravainen were a desperate attempt at finding immediate wingers to play with Bedard, and the rest are vets that are either gone or have one more season but they were brought in to shape the locker room culture.