HawksFan28
Rejoint: déc. 2016
Messages: 1,076
Mentions "j'aime": 138
The Hawks absolutely need improvement in that bottom 6.... Sure the kids improved but they didn't improve to the point where that bottom 6 is of contender quality...
1. Bowman needs to acquire a #4 defenseman, preferably using Anisimov as trade bait.. Who Bowman should acquire is up for debate, who knows - but I do know that the Hawks need an experienced top 4 defenseman.. The Hawks were terrible this season because of how inexperienced the D corps were this season.. At times the D looked like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off -- literally!
2. Bowman needs to sign (2) #5 defenseman along the John Moore or Dan Hamhuis mold and skill-set.... I wouldn't be opposed to working a deal with Carolina in an attempt to bring TvR back along with Kruger and perhaps even Darling if Carolina wants to retain a bit of salary - or perhaps takes Anisimov in a deal for all 3. That would be ideal because it would kill 3 birds with one stone TBH.
3. Bowman needs to sign at least 2 experienced UFA bottom 6 forwards that can win draws, kill penalties, grind and wear down other teams top lines - the kids aren't ready yet - guys like Antoine Vermette, Tommy Wingles and Dominic Moore.... Those 3 guys are exactly what the Hawks need. They're ideal veteran role players that know what the hell they're doing and they're ALL excellent on draws - heck Moore is something like 56% at the dot and Vermette isn't too far off from that himself... The Hawks could also commit to a guy like Tyler Bozak who is young enough to be a long-term solution at #3 center... I wouldn't be opposed to that at all.
4. Bowman may want to sign a backup, because I'm not so certain that Forsberg and Berube are legitimate NHL backups just yet. Not only that but Corey Crawford has been out for a while, who knows what his future holds, or IF he will be back (Carter Hutton). Either way Bowman is going to have to look long and hard at the Hawks goaltending situation.
5. Bowman may want to think about adding a long-term solution to second line LW, there are plenty of options out there: James van Riemsdyk, Ilya Kovalchuk, James Neal and David Perron, however another player that would fit in nice (hopefully) that Bowman could easily get for nothing is Bobby Ryan. Ryan is signed for 4 more years and perhaps he could resurrect his Anaheim days playing with Kane and Schmaltz?? Not only that but I'm sure Ottawa would toss in their top 5 pick in this draft in the right deal for Ryan, so if Bowman played his cards right he could walk into the draft with 3 first round picks (2 top 10 picks & Nashville's) which would play a significant role in the Hawks future. Ottawa's pick alone would make acquiring Bobby Ryan worth it....
If Bowman addresses those issues you can bet your ass the Hawks will be back contending next spring..... And NO, I'm not advocating getting rid of the kids - Schmaltz & Debrincat are the future - there are spots for Hayden, Hinostroza, Duclair and Sikura in the bottom 6 BUT there will be an odd man out - who that guy is I don't know - but one of those roles needs to be replaced with a vet....... That is if you want to see improvements...