To protect or not to protect Kruger…
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times: Anyone who is anyone knows that Marcus Kruger has more value than his numbers suggest. The player does not have a worry in the world where he ends up.
“Marcus does lots of small things that people don’t see really well, especially in the defensive zone,” Hossa said. “He kills penalties and plays against top lines, and you might not see it all when you’re sitting in the stands, but we see it on the team. He’s a good player.”
says it simply. Kruger is a player that warrants his salary at $3.08 million and does not at the same time. There is a huge squeeze play money wise when it comes to the salary cap. This may mean another cap casualty if Las Vegas scoops him up. Some things cannot be measured including chemistry.
Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman on the deadline and expansion…
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Again the general manager has maintained they will not wade too deep into the trade market. There are simply too many young players that need time to develop. The top line not being the Kane line anymore is telling to the balance that Chicago finally has again. Nick Schmaltz and players like him have caused Bowman to re-evaluate some things. There was also this frankness on the expansion question.
“That’s a good question and I don’t know if I have an answer for you. It’s probably playing some role, yeah. What you might see, and I’ve talked to some GMs about this, is you might see some moves right at the end of their seasons, whether that’s in May or June.”
alludes to the new rationale general managers are facing. The trade deadline, expansion draft, and pre-draft window towards free agency are possibilities.
Panik is a jack of all trades player for Chicago…
Brian Hedger of The Athletic (Chicago): Chicago seems to have these players that just do what is asked of them in any and every way. For Richard Panik, that means anything from first line winger to fourth line grinder.
notes that Panik was on a hot streak earlier in the season before he shifted to more of a bottom six role. Now that he is on the top line, Chicago has a one-two punch few NHL teams can match.