Latest Sens/Hawks Rumour: solid or smokescreen?

and if they want to make it work they have to do it this season and get guys that will be UFA...

Flo The Action wrote:trading campbell seems like the only solution.

Not in season.

shabbs wrote:Moving Huet would be good and help them a lot.

With who to come in? Truth be told Huet has been pretty solid for them as of late but if they cant add a legit number 1 guy, Huet is their best option.

I honestly think, in a year or two, their starting goaltender will be Brian Elliott.

Haha. Nice to see the consensus emerging on this one right about where I left it a week or so ago.

1) This rumour is BS. CHI will not be trading anything by way of core players (i.e., Barker, etc.) this year IN SEASON. If the tagging thing forces their hand, it will be Sopel they move.

2) OTT is a brutal fit for CHI in any event. Brutal.

3) Brian Campbell is the odd man out -- DURING THE OFF-SEASON. All cap problems solved there with that one move.

Maybe I should write these things in all-caps so they don't get skipped over...

rooneypoo wrote:Haha. Nice to see the consensus emerging on this one right about where I left it a week or so ago.

1) This rumour is BS. CHI will not be trading anything by way of core players (i.e., Barker, etc.) this year IN SEASON. If the tagging thing forces their hand, it will be Sopel they move.

2) OTT is a brutal fit for CHI in any event. Brutal.

3) Brian Campbell is the odd man out -- DURING THE OFF-SEASON. All cap problems solved there with that one move.

Maybe I should write these things in all-caps so they don't get skipped over...

Mmmm, I dunno about that... I think there are a couple things that could happen with Ottawa but things have to play out in both cities.

Moving Cambell will clear a lot of space and help them out for sure. If they move Huet, then they'll be starting all over again in net, which can be dangerous. Lots of tough decisions to make for the Hawks.

Their current roster certainly has the makings for a deep cup run so I don't expect many changes during the season, if any as they'll want to keep a good thing going.

They sure lit up the Sharks last night. Welcome back Hossa.

Doesn't that "tagging" issue force them to make a move though?

SeawaySensFan wrote:Doesn't that "tagging" issue force them to make a move though?

I would think that if that is the case then they'll hold off on the new contracts until the summer.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Doesn't that "tagging" issue force them to make a move though?

I would think that if that is the case then they'll hold off on the new contracts until the summer.

As Mike Eastwood said, the players might want to force the issue to protect themselves now in the event of a career-ending injury.

N4L wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:Haha. Nice to see the consensus emerging on this one right about where I left it a week or so ago.

1) This rumour is BS. CHI will not be trading anything by way of core players (i.e., Barker, etc.) this year IN SEASON. If the tagging thing forces their hand, it will be Sopel they move.

2) OTT is a brutal fit for CHI in any event. Brutal.

3) Brian Campbell is the odd man out -- DURING THE OFF-SEASON. All cap problems solved there with that one move.

Maybe I should write these things in all-caps so they don't get skipped over...

Mmmm, I dunno about that... I think there are a couple things that could happen with Ottawa but things have to play out in both cities.

Oh, I hear that. IF OTT falls out of the playoff picture, then I could definitely see CHI being interested in Volchenkov. IF CHI decided to move Campbell in June, I could see OTT being interested.

What I meant -- and what I've been saying since these rumours started surfacing - was that a dollars-for-dollars trade or thereabouts, in season and right now, between OTT and CHI is not in the cards and makes no sense. OTT doesn't have the cap space to accommodate a lot of money coming in; OTT doesn't have a lot of what CHI wants -- good players on expiring contracts -- in return; and, ultimately, CHI doesn't really have to do much this year at all -- I have to think they'll move or demote Sopel before they do any tinkering with the rest of that team.

SeawaySensFan wrote:Doesn't that "tagging" issue force them to make a move though?

Sounds like that issue has been exaggerated. It looks like a small move, ala trading / waiving Sopel, would be enough to get CHI's books OK for this year. I don't know about you, but I think I eat $1.5 mil or whatever Sopel has left in salary owed this year rather than tinker with a team that is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Doesn't that "tagging" issue force them to make a move though?

Sounds like that issue has been exaggerated. It looks like a small move, ala trading / waiving Sopel, would be enough to get CHI's books OK for this year. I don't know about you, but I think I eat $1.5 mil or whatever Sopel has left in salary owed this year rather than tinker with a team that is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Interesting stuff. So I guess all that's left to do is sit and wait for this trade to go through the league office?

If they don't make a move this season, they'll have to wait to announce those big contract extensions at the end of the season.

And next year, well, we all know how that looks now.

shabbs wrote:If they don't make a move this season, they'll have to wait to announce those big contract extensions at the end of the season.

And next year, well, we all know how that looks now.

Which brings us back to Mike "Easty" Eastwood's point.

Personally I wouldn't mnd being in the Hawks position right now... We are the hottest team in the league who just got better by adding our big offseason UFA to the lineup and have all this fantastic young talent that has committed to signing with us long term. Now we just need to figure out how to work around the cumbersome CBA to announce it?!

Not too bad.

Yeah, a nice problem to have this year. And I fully expect them to challenge for the Cup this year.

After thrashing San Jose last night, that is probably a safe bet. Seems that their only potential weakness is in goal.

MurderOnIce wrote:After thrashing San Jose last night, that is probably a safe bet. Seems that their only potential weakness is in goal.

You mean the game that Dany Heatley was a -4 in?