It’s not just signings that make them dumb.

The forwards are actually pretty good

Callahan was a beat still when he got signed

First player listed is 25-year-old Brandon Saad. #oops

I'd take Toews/Saad/Stepan at their current contract any. day. of. the. week.


Don't confuse cap dump with simply paid too much. Being paid too much is simply not living up to your contract because it was higher than a player could realistically attain. Being a cap dump means even if you were 100% healthy, the level of value you bring to a team is not even enough to be in the starting 20 roster.

Then there is the fact that guys can rebound. Best example being Dustin Brown. Last year he was worth every penny of his cap hit. the previous year to that, not so much.

Pretty sure Saad falls under this category "I should add loyalty for the sake of maintaining your previous successes"

He was signed to that contract by the Blue Jackets and played at that level while he was here, so... no, not really.

EDIT: Now, if you're talking about the trade to bring him back, that's admittedly something else.