What should the Chicago Blackhawks do with their new “cap space”?
Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago: Chicago likely won’t be a playoff team. Mortgaging the future is a waste but the idea of taking on some “bad contracts with sweeteners” may be helpful.
Players like Calgary’s Michael Frolik and Buffalo’s Zach Bogosian come to mind instantly. Chicago lost its 2020 second-round pick in the Montreal deal for Andrew Shaw. Any deal that aids them in getting picks back to help with the future cannot hurt. Plus, they must still sign Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik. Finally, the contracts of Calvin de Haan and Brent Seabrook come back on the books by October.
What does Ottawa do with Anthony Duclair?
Chris Stevenson of The Athletic: Duclair has been a runaway success in Ottawa this season and even more than Ryan Dzingel was last year. Many feel that the winger could fetch a nice return in the trade market.
However, this is the fifth organization for “The Duke”. Ottawa connects with him and especially the coaching staff. Maybe that keeps the next contract reasonable. The thought process is to let him grow with the Ottawa rebuild. Ottawa holds his arbitration rights for next season anyway and Duclair likes it there. Why mess with a good thing?
The New York Islanders looking ahead to 2020…
Arthur Staple of The Athletic: Scoring depth remains a significant issue for the Islanders heading into 2020. Unfortunately, the trade market is so limited right now. This is because there are only two recognized sellers — Detroit and New Jersey. These are teams with limited assets at best.
The Islanders do not have a wealth of well regarded prospects to swing deals. Any deal will have to cost a bit more like that first-round 2020 pick plus for talent like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, etc. There are depth acquisitions like Riley Nash available which will not cost as much and could address that third-line center hole. If Lou Lamoriello makes a deal, no one knows which need he will work on.
