Ultimately think Motte sees plenty of NHL ice time next year, also Debrincat will be up but I do believe they start him in Rockford.
Keep Pokka as the youth movement on D begins, hoping between Kempny/Forsling/Pokka two of the three develop into a reliable 5th and 6th D-man (not paired).
Panarin bonus makes signing Panik nearly impossible, news to Shalunov staying hurts also.
Kempny's corsi numbers were off the charts this year, there just wasn't room for him on the back-end. He deserves a shot, and I'd prefer it be in Chicago instead of re-signing 35+ year old D-men for double his cost.
The bottom 6 here definitely needs another scoring threat besides Hossa, maybe Jurco turns it around, otherwise a veteran could be signed/traded for.
Losing Kruger definitely hurts down the middle, but the cap space is needed. If Debrincat is given a shot in the Top 6, Schamltz moves to 3C and Kero down to 4C, which is much stronger.
As for Panik, it's hard to pinpoint accurate value. People seem to be using the Shaw trade as a comparable, so: More Top 6 ice time than Shaw had, equal opportunity on the power play, more skill, equal net front presence, only 1 year older, and bigger size wise. Shaw was more consistent over a multiple year window though, and that's Panik's biggest question mark. Could he produce this way in a different line-up? I'd love to hear thoughts on value.
Great assessment. I think the biggest factor for Panik's value of +/- Shaw will be determined in the playoffs. If the Toews line plays well...slightly better, but if it doesn't...then slightly worse. 2nd biggest factor is that he can't expect $4M a year on an RFA contract which is what Shaw approx. received. That leads to a trade value greater than Shaw. Panik is a 40+ point player which Shaw can't claim in any year, but Shaw did it for longer so that part is a slight edge Shaw.
While Kempny's corsi stats were great there are underlying reasons why. He was the most sheltered D-man on the Hawks. He saw the worst quality competition and took favorable offensive zone draws. I do believe he could be a decent #5-6 guy on many teams but not a team that is coached by Joel Quenneville. Q values D-men that are great in their own end first and are predictable/consistent.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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