Lord why
That Chicago trade is so bad I cannot express

That trade opens up millions and gives us a cheap goal scorer.

Trading your top prospect, a 1st, and a 2nd to move on from guys who had good seasons at low cap hits is ungodly bad. I like Radysh for a 2nd rounder of something, but don't sell the farm while doing it.

Foegele is a decent player but too costly for the bottom six. Kulak is too costly for the bottom pairing. Raddysh scores 30 plus in this team.

Chicago takes it and runs.

Frankly, I think EDM has to do something like this deal. Cap space - IOW, roster flexibility - is critical RIGHT NOW. Without getting that flexibility, EDM will not be able to make necessary changes to get better and the window with McJesus will start to close. There is one team best positioned to offer EDM what it needs: the Hawks. More than any other team, they have the cap space to absorb big, bad cap hits without the need to win now, and offer Raddysh (a cheap, cost-controlled goal scorer) in return.

I'd argue that this trade doesn't go far enough, though. Campbell is at the heart of EDM's cap straight jacket - dumping his cap hit is essential, IMO. I'd suggest EDM trade Campbell, Ceci, and Yamamoto to CHI, who can absorb those cap hits. The timing works for the Hawks, too... I doubt the Hawks are seriously looking at being Cup contenders within four years - they have torn the team down to the studs and are just beginning a long, arduous re-build.

Providing such salvation and hope to EDM won't come cheap, though. The Hawks are in the driver's seat here. I see a top prospect or two, along with EDM's '23 2nd round pick and their '25 and '26 1sts going to Chicago in the deal. (Allowing EDM to retain their '24 picks provides additional flexibility for EDM to improve the team.)

Would this be painful? Believe me, Hawks fans KNOW how painful cap sell-offs are. We lived it for years, selling off good player after good player on the cheap. What it always came down to was not whether a player being sold was good or bad, but we HAD to get cap space to make adjustments to the team. Cap space was the most precious asset! And so it is now with EDM.

Each team gets what they need with a deal like this. It helps the Hawks in their rebuild, with significant, long-term assets. MOST IMPORTANTLY, it gives hope and salvation to EDM in the present. (What EDM does with the gained cap space is another thing - i.e., HOW it makes the team better now - but at least it'd possible now!) Absent a deal like this, IMO, EDM's window may start to close and they may be staring at another CGY situation - i.e., players realizing that they're NOT gonna win as the team is now constituted, and start leaving.

Bottom line: a very painful choice faces EDM right now. Do they go for it while McDavid is still around, or significantly fail to improve their team and face those consequences. Both choices involve pain, but one, IMO, at least offers hope.

Man, GMing is tough, isn't it? Hard to win in the NHL. Good luck to all!

Hawks accept, no take backs