A major reason those players were let go was because Bowman overpaid them and their qualifying offers would have been ridiculous for what they brought to the table. SO much so for Kubalik and Strome that they had zero trade value due to this.
Strome, yes... plus he had no place on this team going forward.
Kubalik salary would have been way too high, I forget the amount but it was double what he is worth. He signed w Detroit for less than what his qualifying offer would have been. He only had one good year and sucked last year. With no salary cap, I would say pay them anything but Bowman screwed the Hawks cap up paying to much across the board and we lost tons of players vecause of that. Cap management is an important tool. They lost too many players like Teravainen because of this
It's seen as a risk but it really shouldn't be comparatively. If he kept those players and tried to add... that's still a big risk too.
Kubalik was left to die by King and Davidson. His contract was fine.
It would help what to have a guy that could shoot?
When they are getting crushed in shots, many of the shifts are a waste of everybody's time as they're not even close to generating a shot. Players out of position by a few feet, can't adjust to defenders, following up on assignments after shots...the guy knows how to get open to shoot and that would help many of the newer players learn. It's not about trade value, it's about not wasting everybody's time. Kane, Jones, and alot of blueline continuity is making the tank difficult enough, may as well do something instead of just adding these guys to the thread.
Kubalik would have cost them 4 mill to qualify. He was trending down. He almost certainly wouldn't be producing now, with the talent he'd be playing with on the Hawks, the way he is with the Wings.
A sniper needs the puck and he wasn't getting the line support here. Wings immediately put Kubalik on a line that would allow him to use his talent. Going to Wings was the best thing that ever happened to his career.
I'm not sure what the disagreement would be. He cost Detroit less than he would have cost the Hawks, and he's producing more there than he would have in Chicago.
AB was an injury or two away from first round bust. I liked moving him, but I didn't like the return. As numerous posters have said, SJ has no place on a tear-down to the studs rebuild.
Well, it seems to me that KD didn't spend much time on this at all. If it takes some creativity to get something done so be it but I guess that is too much to ask.
He went from .7 ppg to .4. That, to me, is trending down.
Qualifying offer is just for rights, you are not obligated to pay it and he signed less, so might have signed less to stay Chicago too.
