no 1 center

what are the hawks going to do this summer to get themselfs that no1 center.we are going to be in good postition,in the top 4 or 5 in the draft.there are not to many good ufa's this summer,so do we trade our pick along with a couple of our young studs(barker ,skille,blunden, to get that no1 guy.because whoever we pick,will probably not be ready to step in anyway,or just make our pick and go with what we have with ruutu,salmelainen,vrbada,calder,bell,bourque,boche nski,sharp,homquist,and others.are d will be great in a few years,and lets hope habby gets healthy.

what are the hawks going to do this summer to get themselfs that no1 center.we are going to be in good postition,in the top 4 or 5 in the draft.there are not to many good ufa's this summer,so do we trade our pick along with a couple of our young studs(barker ,skille,blunden, to get that no1 guy.because whoever we pick,will probably not be ready to step in anyway,or just make our pick and go with what we have with ruutu,salmelainen,vrbada,calder,bell,bourque,boche nski,sharp,homquist,and others.are d will be great in a few years,and lets hope habby gets healthy.
if the pens cant get johnson they would love to trade imo

Well since they've pretty much screwed themselves cap-wise, I wouldn't expect a big splash this time from the Hawks. After the debacles that are Aucoin and Khabi, I don't see Wirtz splashing the cash for another pricey veteran

Well since they've pretty much screwed themselves cap-wise, I wouldn't expect a big splash this time from the Hawks. After the debacles that are Aucoin and Khabi, I don't see Wirtz splashing the cash for another pricey veteran

I will say that I don't think that Hawks are are screwed as many people think. Bulin is getting paid $1.25M more than guys like Turco & Nabakov. If he's healthy, I think he an upper tier goalie. AA's entire season was a write-off with injuries. I do think he's a legit top pairing d-man when healthy. If the Hawks are playing a bunch of kids next year (3-4 d-men on rookie contracts + a couple of young forwards) they would definetely have the cap room to go out and sign a 1st line forward or another top pairing d-man.

The problem is that if they're smart those types of players don't come anywhere NEAR the Hawks. Knowing the Hawks, we'll pick over the bargain rack at the Salvation Army thrift store and get warm bodies just to fill holes.

The Blackhawks have plenty of assets to deal off in a trade --but we may not be as bad off as you think....barring a trade for MALKIN blockbuster,and given only Marc Savard and Jason Arnott left of the top ufa centres this year --and neither looks like the right answer to the Hawks "problem"--they may still not be as badly off as you think:

The Hawks could and should sign Jari Viuhkola and Jonas Nordqvist --both are centres...I expect they will leave Petri Kontiola in Finland 1 more year since they still retain his rights after June 1st--but they must sign the other two euro centres or lose their rights...


Viuhkola finished officially at #15 in the SM-liga scoring race with 12g+27a =39 pts
but he only played in 46 games--if he would have played in 56 games as many of the top ten scoreres did--he would have probably finished #4 or so in the league ...
He's good defensively (+21) =#5 in that stat (Salmelainen was #3 in +/- as well as leading the league in goals and points) --so IMAGINE THIS LINE:

SALMELAINEN VIUHKOLA RUUTU
(we start to emulate the Dallas Finns)!!!!


Now add Nordqvist to the mix as the #2 line centre...
(I still expect Bell will be traded)...

In addtion-CULLEN looks like he belongs and SHARP is good defensively and is recently starting to score more as expected...


I expect excess baggage (Curtis Brown) to be shipped out or bought out/waived...

BOLLAND should start the year in Norfolk --but could be called up in case 1 of the starting 4 centres gets injured...

IF the Hawks get Malkin in a trade--then line combos get shuffled again and Nordqvist moves to a LW spot or becomes third line centre and SHARP moves to a wing...

If i'm wrong and they also bring Kontiola over--he plays both RW and centre --so that is 1 more option...

Or if I'm wrong and they keep Bell --he can play LW and move to centre in an emergency...

The additions of Viuhkola and Nordqvist (neither is fast --but they have good hockey sense which too manyof our previous centres did not) help the STRUCTURE of the lines and they will be helped out with the speed of Salmelainen and Ruutu
and maybe 1 UFA/or via trade sniper/winger (I expect Calder to be traded --maybe in a package with Bell--- either in a bombshell package for Malkin or for a sniper winger --or if we get that guy via trade,then for at least picks to create Cap room)...

Whatever--there will be big changes and lots of options coming for the Hawks next season...

A final scenario (no Malkin deal--but Pitt drafts at #1 and takes Johnson--should Hawks draft at #2 and take Kessel--you never know-Phil The Thrill may just leave Minnesota--especially if they win the Frozen Four already in his freshman year--for his shot at the NHL--even if the Hawks started him in Norfolk--or played him on the wing---he could also be called in during an injury at centre to one of the others...


In short--there could be lots of different scenaros as to how this all plays out...

Even if neither the Malkin nor Kessel scenarios play out--the Hawks still will draft either Toews,Staal or Backstrom in that case--so they'll get a "future" #1 or #2 centre candidate to add to the depth coming in the years ahead as with Bolland
(who as I said will probably need to start in Norfolk next year)...

Plus we'll see if the Hawks get an opportunity in round two with their early pick to add another centre prospect --or whether they choose another positional player or goalie--if the right centre has slipped just out of round one into their grasp early in round two--then that could also be a future centre candidate..

So --in reality they are not as hard up for good centres as you believe..true,neither Viuhkola or Nordqvist or Cullen will lead among the NHL centres lists like a Spezza,an Eric Staal,or a Pavel Datsyuk --BUT if they are surrounded by better wingers and more imprtantly"CHEMISTRY" --they could all put up "good" numbers sufficient to give the Hawks 3 decent scoring lines--in other words--if they are "only" Mark Bell's in goal scoring--that should be 20-25 goals each --but they look to have more hockey sense than he does --so I actually expect better points scoring...if they are only Mark Bell equals in scoring then at the very least there will be 3 of them not one for a full year--that alone will up the Hawks scoring,,,whoever plays with Salmelainen and Ruutu (Viuhkola?) could really shine as a #1 centre IF they"click" in the chemistry dept,,,so I do expect a lot more than a Mark Bell performance there...Rene Bourque --more was expected out of the rookie than 14 goals--but again--he had different centres during the year and his scoring only has picked up recently since they put him with Bell and Calder---but next year he should play with better! So Line #2 could also surprise--but they probably need some sniping RW --via ufa or trade...
I think they may want a veteran proven sniper/points getter there rather than Vorobiev--so he probably gets traded or not re-signed...


CHANGES are a coming--and how it all plays out--we'll see..

BUT "structurally" they will be in better shape centre-wise than they were throughout 2005/06 --even if they never land a "top" ufa centre...

IT probably now is more important to land a proven scoring RW to cement line #2 and help out Bourque and Nordqvist into a decent scoring line...whether the answe there is ufa or trade--I don't know--but the Hawks will figure it out...

The other possible scenario is that Salmelainen Viuhkola Ruutu gets earmarked as the #2 line...in that case whoever is the RW on the Bourque Nordqvist line must be such a catalyst that he can elevate it to a #1 line status...either that or the Hawks may just have 3 good but not 1 "great" + a line #4 that can chip in...
Salmelainen Viuhkola Ruutu
Bourque Nordqvist (RW proven scorer via trade or UFA)
Holmqvist Cullen Bochenski*
Bartovic* Sharp Vrbata

* I'm assuming Calder and/or Bell get traded
or Bartovic and Bochenski will need to fend off one or both of these vets on the wings...

I also assume none of the Killer B's (Brouwer,Bickell,Bolland,Blunden) cracks the roster next September--but they all start the year in Norfolk...

I also assume Vorobiev never gets out of Yawney's doghouse and is traded or let go--if that is wrong,then he too will battle Bartovic or Bochenski for that last winger spot...

IF they bring Kontiola over this summer that also increase competion for that last winger spot...
(but he can play centre too)..

Things are getting crowded --even without the Kessel or Malkin scenarios...

And they still must dump Brown,Lapointe and Barnaby...

Tallon willbe busy this summer...

hf 50 .....there is no way the pens will trade malkin unless they are way and i mean waaaay over paid.....and the chi-hawks have no reason to do that.........now as for kessel....you could trade up to get him [with pgh.] or pick him outright is your best shot...the price to moveup should not be that much imo

We'll have a top 3 pick as it looks currently. No reason to trade up.

only if you want kessel

Kessel, Toews, Frolik, Backstrom, Staal would all be upgrades. I don't see us trading up 1 spot unless the Pens lost their marbles & let Malkin go.

The only reasons the Pens would trade Malkin are:

1. It may cost $5-6 million n transfer fees demanded by Magnetogorsk to release him...

2.After his usual 3 year "entry contract" period is up--he'll demand amax contract--but Crosby may already be getting that since his entry contract will be up 1 year prior--so there could be a big CAP problem on just 2 players in 4 years...
Even if Malkin would only be an RFA --bet on clubs willing to give up draft picks to get him then--so Pens might be forced to "match" a max contract then...

WHEN YOU ADD UP these money issues--MAYBE the Pens would rather just build around 1 max contract down the line in Crosby AND focus on improving their D-corps instead to build a more competitive 2-way team...if so--then MAYBE if they do not get the #1 pick after lotto (to take Erik Johnson) ,they MIGHT want to trade up for it by trading Malkin in a package to the team with the #1 pick (ie. the #1 pick + players off a current roster and maybe other draft picks)...They could then with their own pick take a Kessel or Toews (who could still be in University 2-3 more years before NHL entry) in addition to Johnson--structurally and economically it may make better sense to use their monetary resources that way rather than spend the extra millions in transfer fees,potential Cap structure issues 4 years from now or fending off RFA offers on Malkin then--or giving up the opportunity cost to their D-corps and cutting their GAA down should thei fail to land Erik Johnson...

Yes--Malkin can be a franchise centre--but so is Crosby--can you have 2 of them on 1 team? Without Crosby moving to wing? They could do that to form 1 super line --but maybe that costs them in other areas likke a stronger D-corps..They must determine which strategy helps them WIN and at what monetary cost?

The only reasons the Pens would trade Malkin are:

1. It may cost $5-6 million n transfer fees demanded by Magnetogorsk to release him...

2.After his usual 3 year "entry contract" period is up--he'll demand amax contract--but Crosby may already be getting that since his entry contract will be up 1 year prior--so there could be a big CAP problem on just 2 players in 4 years...
Even if Malkin would only be an RFA --bet on clubs willing to give up draft picks to get him then--so Pens might be forced to "match" a max contract then...

WHEN YOU ADD UP these money issues--MAYBE the Pens would rather just build around 1 max contract down the line in Crosby AND focus on improving their D-corps instead to build a more competitive 2-way team...if so--then MAYBE if they do not get the #1 pick after lotto (to take Erik Johnson) ,they MIGHT want to trade up for it by trading Malkin in a package to the team with the #1 pick (ie. the #1 pick + players off a current roster and maybe other draft picks)...They could then with their own pick take a Kessel or Toews (who could still be in University 2-3 more years before NHL entry) in addition to Johnson--structurally and economically it may make better sense to use their monetary resources that way rather than spend the extra millions in transfer fees,potential Cap structure issues 4 years from now or fending off RFA offers on Malkin then--or giving up the opportunity cost to their D-corps and cutting their GAA down should thei fail to land Erik Johnson...

Yes--Malkin can be a franchise centre--but so is Crosby--can you have 2 of them on 1 team? Without Crosby moving to wing? They could do that to form 1 super line --but maybe that costs them in other areas likke a stronger D-corps..They must determine which strategy helps them WIN and at what monetary cost?

Q: Please tell me that the rumors about the Penguins starting a bidding war to trade Evgeni Malkin are just that -- rumors. After watching him play in the Olympics, I'm convinced that this kid is not only better than Sidney Crosby, but that he has a greater upside, due mostly to his size. With the new cap on rookie salaries the Penguins can surely afford him, can't they?


Ben Dickinson of Seattle


MOLINARI: A few months ago, when the Internet was on the verge of overheating because of runaway speculation that the Penguins were actively trying to trade Marc-Andre Fleury -- heck, some people were so certain he was going to St. Louis for Patrick Lalime that they practically had Fleury house-hunting in Missouri -- the moderator of this Q&A went on a major rant about the absurdity of buying into "information" that is neither substantiated nor attributed.

Well, as asinine and unfounded as the Fleury trade talk was, suggestions that the Penguins would even consider dealing Malkin's rights, let alone that they are soliciting offers for them, are a thousand times more ridiculous. Who is responsible for those rumors isn't known -- presumably, someone with a hyperactive imagination and way too much time on his/her/its hands -- but they are the latest evidence about the perils of taking such things at face value.

There's no question that some potential trades reported on various websites, message boards and the like do turn out exactly as presented. In a few cases, it's because the people presenting the particulars of a potential trade actually have a source familiar with names being discussed by two or more teams. But it also is true that people win lotteries every day, which proves that if enough combinations are put together, one occasionally turns out to be a direct hit. So, yes, of 10,000 trade rumors presented on the Internet, there's a pretty good chance a few will prove to be correct. Good luck figuring out which ones.

And, yes, the Penguins can afford Malkin. It seems reasonable to believe he will get a contract similar -- if not identical -- to the one Crosby received last summer. As for whether Malkin is better than Crosby, that judgment probably would wait until they're playing on the same-sized rink, against the same competition. No question, though, that the Penguins are remarkably fortunate to have such a 1-2 combination at center in their future.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06062/663922.stm

what's wrong with Bell? :dunno: he seems to be very talented...

Still doesn't bring it every night.

Still doesn't bring it every night.

maybe, but he's still young and you guys are in a rebuilding process, so...

Isn't it possible for Malkin to refuse to sign a deal and go back into the draft?

Isn't it possible for Malkin to refuse to sign a deal and go back into the draft?

he wouldn't gain anything by doing that other than going to another team... he was the 2nd overall pick, i'm sure he's going to receive a max contract (which is part of the CBA) and go from there. the Pens look to be a good situation to be coming to at this point for a young player, so it makes no sense to go through all of that...

he wouldn't gain anything by doing that other than going to another team... he was the 2nd overall pick, i'm sure he's going to receive a max contract (which is part of the CBA) and go from there. the Pens look to be a good situation to be coming to at this point for a young player, so it makes no sense to go through all of that...

Hypothetically, if he were to re-enter (because he wanted to play for team X) and get drafted again by a team like the Pens. He could then hold out again and become a UFA in two years, right? He could stay in Russia making great money until age 22 or so and then come over to the team of his choice (because every team would be willing to pay the rookie max for him). Financially, it's not the smartest move, but if guy wanted to play for a certain team, would this be a possibility?

First line center?

As an outsider it appears you have the perfect first line center in your organization already. Ruutu's designation as a franchise player is legitimate. He and Bell are both young and will develop with the team. Considering you have other good youngsters and a high pick in the upcoming draft, you'd be foolish to deal for a first line center. If I was GM I'd wait till Khabibulin is playing really well and deal him (if that's possible). I'd keep Aucoin only as a tutor and stabilizing influence for Seabrook, Keith and Vandermeer.

Because he missed a year, Ruutu has been forgotten. Look for Ruutu, Alexander Semin in Washington and Malkin to be impact players next year. You guys are about as likely to get Malkin as you are to get Crosby. It's not going to happen.

The Hawks have a decent foundation to build on. I wouldn't waste any resources on established players with high price tags.