News Article: Why the Blackhawks could be major players for Mikko Rantanen, others this offseason

[Hull2Roenick2Kane]

The Blackhawks are in no position to be turning down upper-echelon NHL talent. Timelines go out the window when it comes to fantastic players under 30.

They're going to draft in the top 3-5 again this year (conservatively). You just took Levshunov second. How much longer do we need to be cellar dwellers?

If Rantanen and/or Marner want to come, you sign the first guy of two that's willing to put his pen to paper. Rantanen is 29. There will be plenty in the tank when this team is ready to compete, and he's a proven guy in the playoffs. It also lifts the spirits of the young core (mainly Bedard and Vlasic) that the front office is trying to aggressively get out of the cellar.

The Blackhawks are an incredibly profitable team, and the Cap is going up. By three years from now, I think you can pretty comfortably pay three or four guys $10M+ AAV. You easily could at the end of one of these 7-year deals (unless you deal for their rights and go 8).

I'm not saying this will happen (almost certainly won't), but you could extend Bedard and bring in Rantanen, Marner, and Kaprizov if you really, really wanted to and they all three (for some reason) wanted to play in Chicago.

I like it. Hossa was 31 when they brought him in. Unfortunately were not in the same shape as we were in 2010, but if they will come the turnaround will be in full force.

Do you have zero patience? Who are these teams that "quickly" turned things around? It certainly wasn't the Panthers, Avalanche, Lightning, Penguins, or Blackhawks of the last 20 years.

Rebuilds take a long time. Bowman royally screwed this team by not acknowledging a rebuild was necessary sooner. He signed Jones and Fleury, thinking they along with mid-30's Toews & Kane, Debrincat, and Strome were going to turn us into a contender again.

I think people are projecting their fear of Bedard choosing to leave because the team is not competing. This seems to be the consensus of a lot of NHL fans I am talking to in RL because of how media outlets portray his frustration over and over again on the 24 hr news cycle.

 

[Muffinalt]

We are right on time I think. It's been 3 seasons since the rebuild started in honest. That's nothing.

Bedard, Vlasic, Soderblom have established themselves. This year Nazar, Crevier, Reichel and Allan have too as everyday guys. Del Mastro, Dach and Slaggert are knocking.

That's a lot of young guys. You can't expect more really.

Next year Korchinski is coming. Then another big wave with Kantserov, Levshunov our top 3 pick this year. Maybe Moore, Rinzel, Commesso and a bunch of depth forwards like Savoie, Spellacy or Greene.

It's going to be massive waves and this team could look so vastly different as soon as next year.

We can make additions sure, but the impatient takes are not seeing the youth movement hitting it's stride.

I would say this even has a chance for a pretty fast turnaround all things considered. Young guys need to hit of course, but it's more than the light at the end of the tunnel - it's happening already.

Next few years will be really fun as we see which young guys turn into top players and we ascend towards the playoffs and more.

 

[Bubba88]

the timeline changed when we won the lottery. That's the player you tank for. He will have played 2 full seasons and you still have lots of picks and prospects.
With Bedard, you don't keep your rebuild for much longer, at least not actively trying to lose. They got a 2nd overall and will get a Top5 Pick this year. That's while other prospects make the jump.
You won't keep em all, but you have to get better and show them that the losing is over (we will still lose more than enough games to still pick in the top half of next years draft).

That's not something related to patience or sticking to the plan.

 

[Malaka]

With Eliotte Friedman talking about giant jumps in Cap upcoming and NBA style Cap smoothing, we need to get out of this 2010-2020 mindset on nickle and diming a roster together. For better and worse you need to switch to thinking NBA-style. It's actually a kind of dangerous time for the Hawks, teams can afford their elite forwards in a 10% cap increase per year environment. If a guy shakes loose you have to try. Have to.

I appreciate this thought but I imagine the NBA is different with free agency because of the age of players becoming unrestricted. Again I think you can count on 1 hand the last decade or so how many players actually were worth the contract and lived up to it before their body broke down

 

[Sarava]

I'm in the group wanting to get a big name free agent if one is available and the contract isn't ridiculous. You need to mix in older vets. Not just washed out older vets as we've mostly seen - but producing ones.

I also dont think think we should discount Soupy's contributions to the Cup era teams. He was there for the first one - he even had the keep that won the Cup in OT. And I suspect he was a big part of that team growing and learning how to be champions. And our young guys are hopefully about to go through that same process in the next few years.

 

[Putt Pirate]

If there is no no trade/NMC I am good with signing a vet a little older that is front loaded so his contract is easier to trade later on when he drops off. If needed.

 

[x Tame Impala]

I think people are projecting their fear of Bedard choosing to leave because the team is not competing. This seems to be the consensus of a lot of NHL fans I am talking to in RL because of how media outlets portray his frustration over and over again on the 24 hr news cycle.

When has that ever happened? Seems like wishful thinking by a bunch of people who don't like the Hawks. Eichel left Buffalo because they wouldn't let him get the surgery he wanted to get on his own body. Tavares left because he's a good ol' Canadian boy who was stuck to his pajamas.

Bedard isn't going anywhere.

 

[GIADF]

If things ever got to the point for Bedard wanting to leave... Well, we'd all be so exhausted from how bad this team has now been for going on 10-15 years or whatever that nobody would even be upset with him. It also likely means he's missed coming even close to his ceiling.

I don't think any of that happens.

 

[MHO]

I'll say it like this. If they sign someone like Boeser or Ehlers for 7 x 9-10M, I'll be happy. If they sign Marner or Rantanen for 7 x 14M I'll be happy but less happy. If they don't sign any major free agents, I'll still be ok and excited about what could come from next offseason.

If they don't sign anyone major this offseason or next, I'll be furious.

 

[GIADF]

I'll say it like this. If they sign someone like Boeser or Ehlers for 7 x 9-10M, I'll be happy. If they sign Marner or Rantanen for 7 x 14M I'll be happy but less happy. If they don't sign any major free agents, I'll still be ok and excited about what could come from next offseason.

If they don't sign anyone major this offseason or next, I'll be furious.

Opposite for me. I'd much rather they spend more on the elite guy vs a step down. You can go years between a talent like Marner or Rantanen being available.

The Boeser's and Ehlers of the world are available most FA years.

 

[BLKHKhockey]

Will any of these players still be worth their projected contracts in, say, years 4-7? That’s about when I’d expect this team to make serious runs.

If not, does it matter?

 

[Muffinalt]

Will any of these players still be worth their projected contracts in, say, years 4-7? That’s about when I’d expect this team to make serious runs.

If not, does it matter?

I agree with the first part, but I think it would be beneficial even if we get only 3-4 elite years from the signed player.

It would be really beneficial for the young guys' development to play with really good talent or be sheltered by said talent etc. Building confidence and being accustomed to winning mindsets could have huge benefits. But it needs to be the right guy.