We have a lot of smaller skilled forwards in the pipeline but not a lot of bigger skilked powerful and good defensiveky forwards in the system..
We also need a top line or top 2nd line Center with decent size and great skills who can "drive a line" and winn draws!
Hard to win in the NHL without 2 top line Centers..Boisvert might be one of the 2 ..good size great shot 209ft game but not above water on draws.. Nazar great speed and skill but small..
We can libe with 1 small skill cebter ..but not 2 ..so either Nazar or Brdard will have to play wing.
In the 2025 Draft Misa being 6'1 195 is a decent size C ...you figure hecwill add 10-15 lbs as he matures...He can drivecablibe with his scoring and playnaking and tocks the elite speed box ,but you wibder about edgy physical stuff.
Martone is not a Venter...but is the quintessential power big winger With skills and the best hands in the draft...also the ephesians edgy pkay and board battle winning and checking get the puck back ability you want..He ticks every box except elite speed ...it is good forca big guy but not the speed of Misa...However his control of the puck when he has it and his steal abilities and oose puck retrieval with instinct make him I think more effective a driver for a line as a tranlatable set of abilities for the NHL that any teM woukd want for their top line..
He does so many things well that you eat that in your top forward group.
Schaefer is simply the top DmN in thec20w5 drFt by a mile..
Good size (6'2) ...elite skating...hockey I.Q . playmKingvandcscoring skill..can go endvto end if he wants to and score..good defensively.. a true #1D and woukd put Vlasic as 2LD ..can direct and control a game..
Also onebofvthevyoungestbpkatersvun the drFt...Can only get bigger and stronger yet..
I think he is BOA of the drFt.
.but Hawks desperately need better top forwards whovarexalk not small.
Still if KD has Schaefer at #1overalk and we draftcthere,I think hecwill delay those cebter and Winger with size andcsjikks needs to 2026andc2027vdrafts....he might also be trading sone of our prospects to get needs off other teams.
He might also decide to go after a top expensive UFA..
If that is Marner, tgatcwoukd be another smaller skilled topforward...He this woukd havevto trade eitgerxLardiscor Kantserov or even Nazar if it brought back positional need for size with top scoring skills and line driving andboissesdion abilities...
We cannot be ateam where we have 4 -5 smalk" skilled forwards in our top six forwards.
The forward group needs balance of Big and Small different skikkset guys.
The small little stars can't all pkay Pp..
So we have some imbalance to address in our top 6 forwards to assemble a up worthy team.
Besides the little guys are fine starting in regular season but Marner as good as hevis and other little guys can get oushedxaround with playoff intensity and physical pkay ranped uo then.. So maybe better to surround 3 of Lardis and Kantserov and Nazar and Bedardwith 3 good size forwards with physicality plus scoribg skills..Woukd be nice to solve faceoff dilemma too.
Also making big splash for Marner ifvhe gets to ufa,means firing future cao once the system top scorers get infused en masses over the next few years,means eventual cak problems if 1 guy earning that much.
Bedard's next contract sizexalone could take up a lot IF he explodes next season with a big year or starts producing more even the rest of this season...They probably still give hom $9milkion per on a shorter deal of 3years before the Realky Big cobtract at 8 years forxa Max contract is given him...unless he stays below 30bgoals or below 90 -100points till that potential max. Contract whopper.
Plus.. we still have $9.5 through 29/30 season I believe..
He may get traded if hecwaiveshis NMC by TFL 2029 so maybe we avoid his final season by trading hom then and eating half his remaining cobtract time..but if HaeksxaVup contender by then he may refuse to waive.
So there us that $9.5 still a problem when Bedard potential earns amateur dral ..And once we get sobe startobg from our kids in the pipeline for that teM ,the cap is going to beconeca problem bottleneck again.
For these reasons I doubt KD splashed bog on Marner.. bit you never know if the top brass oanocs into goibg for the prize and spending now to worry about cap later...the reason being if gans do not fill the seats or they worry that will gapien unless they make sone high splash to landvtge top ufa target to 'start for the team.
Patience to wait it out till the re-build vs actually finished in 3-5 years ,just probably is not there for the Hawks top brass. The make a big splash to accelerate the process to get to contender is too tempting .. and so a buy now pay later (on cap problems in future) is probably going to occur...We akk know you do not splash till alk theboieces but the last one to put you over thevtop forca Cup (see Hossa examoke) is the correct course.
Right now even with the Hawks system full of good prospects there are still 4 needs Not in the system that have to cone before Hawks can contend for a Cup..
Not in any order...a Big line driving Center who can drivexavlibe and score himself ,win draws and 2 way game to boot...
A Big power winger who can score Ndcd get pucks back (see Hossa) to help a king's oissesfion and tilt that ice.
A #1LD with elitexskatibg who can cobtrol a game like Keith did but also has even better offebse with similar defensive effect and better size (ie Schaefer...this does nit coneboften).
Finally a goalie whobis a top 5 goalie in the League...You can win with a lesser goalie if your team outscore thebopos ..but I do not think Vommesdo or Hajan or Soderblim is ever glingvto be of the top 5 class if goalie sobevitger teams have now.
But you can get great goaliesceven in roubd two orc3..so no need to waste a first rounder on that...Not likelyvto be a top 5vgialie goibg to UFA eitger.
My opinion..:
Draft Schaefer if we get tge #1...Completes our Cuo top 4 D= Schaefer +Vladivostok top 2 on left side...Rinzel and Levshunov =top 2 on right side..Can fill 5-6 pair from eitger currrent system /trade or ufa sources...And $9.5 stll there to at least TDL 2029 or if he vhe refuses to waive, through 2029/30 season ...let's our top 4 D complete then worry about the 5-6 d guys after that.
.
Then 2026 draft fill the Big Winger for for kine or the Bigger Center need..as we probably still willbe a lottery team with good odds.
By 2027 draft maybe we are a 8-15 type team? And van still fill that final need unlesssobonevib our system shows hevuscthat dokution.
