Upgrading Hawks Defense Now

The Hawks don't want PK Subban. He's a fine player, but not worth $9M.

That Nashville trade is awful for the Hawks. At $9M, PK is WAY overrated. He's not playing at the level he once was and giving up our #1 prospect and a guy that is slated to be a solid #1 or #2 guy on defense in the next few years is insane.

It's not going to be "in the next few years" though. Defenseman take a long time to develop. Duncan Keith wasn't good until he was 25. He played in the AHL after the minors and was bad for a couple seasons when he came into the NHL. Very few Dmen are great from the minors to the NHL. The Hawks young Dmen won't be ready to compete for a Cup for about 4-5 years and they can't wait that long.

I actually agree with you about Subban not being worth $9m. Seabrook isn't worth $6.9m either but which would you rather have? Subban is a the top 2 Dman. Coach Jeremy Colliton wants to play man to man defense which requires that all of skaters are fast and can stay with their man all over the ice. Subban can do that. Seabrook cannot. I think Jeremy Colliton is ahead of the curve on this development of professional hockey with man to man and essentially positionless play. It's the future. More and more teams will abandon grit and size for speed and skill and the Blackhawks need to make personnel changes to get younger and faster on defense quick.

Not true. Yes, defenseman take longer then forwards who come up at 18 to 20 but Keith in his 2nd, 3rd and 4th seasons had 31, 32, and 44 points at ages 22, 23, and 24 years old. At 25 he had 69 points. He started in the league at 21 years old full time. Adam Boqvist is 19 at the start of next season, will come up to the NHL the season after at 20 years old and after his rookie season will settle in at 21....a few years. Ian Mitchell will be 21 1/2 way through next year and will be full time at 21/22 the season after. Beaudin will be 20 at the start of next season and will come up the following season at 21. Chad Krys is 21 already and will play in the AHL. The next few season, the "four horseman" as they call them will all be ready full time and integrated into their roles. Add to it Jokiharju who's about to turn 20 and will be full time next year. That's 5 players who at least 4 will have a rookie season under their belts in a few years in the NHL.

Conceivably one of them doesn't work out and one gets traded, that's still 3 core ELC players on the squad in 2 to 3 years. Plus you have Keith and Seabs still on long term NMC contracts so that's conservatively 5 out of the 6 or 7 D guys. Gus has proven he has a spot on the team, now that's 6 players. This is why the Hawks should only consider bringing in 1 guy and only on the left side since you have Jokiharju, Seabs, Mitchell and Boqvist fixtures and of course murphy. 3 of those guys are locks for next year, all 5 are locks in 2 years. PK makes zero sense at his cap hit and for a declining player on the right side.