I Am Starting To Get Annoyed With Blackhawks Fans And Their Complacency
MONSTER deal for Nylander and the Leafs. A deal that only the Leafs could do. A deal that maybe only the Leafs WOULD do. There's been massive speculation about what Toronto would do to their core four. Maybe more changes are coming, but at the moment the Leafs are completely locked into four forwards making $11M/year.
I don't think this is the worst idea for the Maple Leafs. Marner and Tavares are up after next year. I would assume that they'd try to re-sign Marner and let Tavares walk or re-sign him at a much lower number which gives them cap flexibility. I am usually on board with the thinking that it is better to have guys like them than to not. Players as good as their core-4 are damn near impossible to find. You can do a mini reset in summer of '25 and hopefully be able to add the right mix around them.
Now, I posted this tweet in response to the news that Nylander wouldn't be hitting the open market
The 2023-24 Blackhawks are one of the worst teams I have ever seen, which is saying something, and now without Bedard it is about to get a lot worse
Now, I am not sure I want Nylander for a variety of reasons, BUT I do want to add legit players in 2024. I want to accelerate the rebuild. And apparently…I am alone with wanting an improved product
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I am STUNNED by the section of fans who would turn their nose up at acquiring improved players who can help right away. I think Nazar and Moore look like nice players. I hope they get lottery luck again and add Celebrini or Lindstrom in the draft. Even if they hit on all these guys and they get 250+ NHL games from them…that's not enough. The Blackhawks went out and got Hall, Perry, and Foligno to surround Connor Bedard. Those guy were making for a combined $14M this year. Even with all of those guys in the lineup the Blackhawks were still dead last in payroll. The Blackhawks are going to have about $30M coming off their payroll with expiring contracts AND the Cap is going up.
Adding quality players would not fuck up the rebuild at all under any circumstances. The Blackhawks had three first round picks in 2022, they had two last year, they have two more in 2024, and two more in 2025. Getting a generational star, another top 4 pick, and all those other picks should be more than enough to build a young core. Not to mention all the other 2nd round picks. If you want the most out of Bedard, if you want him to develop, you need, you MUST, get him genuine help. I like Hall and Foligno as much as the next guy. Hall was a 3rd line player for Boston and Foligno was a 4th. They need to find some help for Bedard. They need to bring the other young guys along slowly. Everyone was super hyped about Reichel (I never really was, but the fanbase fell in love with him) and he has really struggled this year. Moore and Nazar could be like that. Then what? What is plan B for the supporting cast?
I'd like to add a few guys who make sense both short and long term. I want to take some pressure off of Bedard. I want him to have a guy that gets more out of him and that he has fun playing with. This isn't signing players for the sake of signing players. This is about building, growing, insulating, and striking at the right moment. I believe that moment is now. The Cap is expected to go up to a record high next summer. $87.7M. The Cap doesn't really ever move down. It only stays flat due to some extenuating circumstances. If you were ever going to over-pay someone that can help you for the next 4-5 years that moment is now. $11M only seems like a ton right now because of where the salary cap is. If the cap goes to $90M in 2027 then $11M probably feels more like $8.5M by today's standards. They do need flexibility for Bedard, but again…that shouldn't be a problem. He is an RFA after 2026. There is ZERO chance of getting into a cap hell where they can't sign him. Bringing in legit top 6 players can only help the rebuild. It has to be the right kind of player, but it needs to happen. The Blackhawks aren't close to being a playoff team even if Nazar, Moore, Celebrini, and whoever they get with Tampa's pick all become NHL players. I can not understand people who want to be picking in the top 5 for five straight years and how that is a good thing
I like what Davidson is building, but this rebuild has been going on for a while now. The clock started ticking while Bedard was still playing Regina. Davidson has an obligation to help his best player. I think the people who think this way don't understand the Cap, the Blackhawks payroll, the draft, or the timeline for 99% of prospects. You can spend without screwing everything up, but you need to spend.