Salary Cap: Goaltending Future

[Moonshiner]

It seems that Hawks have 3 solid goaltenders and obviously will need to choose 2 of them in 1 year or so...

Perfect solution in my mind:
- in July 2015
1) sign Raanta for 3 more years (till 2019) for 1,2 - 1,4 mil. per year
2) sign Darling for 3 more years (till 2018) for 0,7 - 0,9 mil. per year with the first year of 2-way contract

I think Raanta has a future in the NHL, so it would be bad to loose him for nothing after next season.
If Raanta and Darling will continue to progress, there would be an option to trade Crawford after next season (July 2016) and solve a lot of cap problems.

Click to read more...

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Unless a goaltender is absolutely spectacular, I'm not seeing much of a market for teams to pick up that much of a cap hit to go along with it, so don't think that trading Crow is at all likely, or even wise. Crow's our guy and he's shown that he has the potential to be clutch when it matters, win us some games, and go the distance in the playoffs. Further, the direction of goaltender salaries is going in his direction and beyond anyway, so I think that moving on to a cheaper guy with a much shorter track record is a recipe for disaster. Having enough room to save a guy or two on the roster in front of him would be nice (if that, as we'd likley have to retain a chunk of his cap hit), but the potential for a step down in the net more than negates that in my book.

As for who we go with as our #2 going forward, it's an interesting question. I'm honestly leaving Darling at this point, but wouldn't be upset either way.

 

[Crow]

How many threads about this do we need? I could get behind trading crow, as much as I like the guy, if darling or raanta prove themselves for a few months but there is no chance of it happening until the off-season. So 5 different threads about this is a but much.

 

[JaegerDice]

Crawford isn't going anywhere.

I personally prefer Darling simply because of his size, plus he would likely be the cheaper of the two backup options.

 

[Moonshiner]

Before Crawford took over the starter position for 2010-11 he had 8 games in NHL under his belt. Raanta has already 34 games now and probably will have at least 60-70 after next season.
Of course it will not be necessary to move Crawford, but it wouldn't be bad to consider it.
I am not afraid, there will be no market for a proven starting golatender with 1-2 Stanley Cups. In 2016, there will be most of starting goalies min. around 6 mil per year, so the cap hit will not be an issue...

 

[Moonshiner]

How many threads about this do we need? I could get behind trading crow, as much as I like the guy, if darling or raanta prove themselves for a few months but there is no chance of it happening until the off-season. So 5 different threads about this is a but much.

The plan is to consider the Crawford trading after next season, for sure not before...

 

[Crow]

The plan is to consider the Crawford trading after next season, for sure not before...

I know. I am saying, that being the case we should be waiting to see how things unfold over the next 6 months to see if it even makes sense. Right now it obviously does not make sense. We don't know if it will make sense in the off season, yet. So much can change.

 

[Hawkaholic]

We are asking for more trouble trading Crawford than we are by trading Bickell and/or Sharp.

Trade Raanta for whatever, sign Darling for league minimum.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I expect Raanta to go away in summer (Maybe a team like Oilers takes him as sweetener to take a Bickell mistake off our hand)

Crawford/Darling 1-2 punch next year

 

[Crow]

For all we know crawford will completely suck for the rest of the year like he has for the last two weeks. Maybe no one will want him for 6 mil/year. Or perhaps he will stand on his head and the hawks win another cup. Then would you trade him?

It just makes no sense to even think about this right now.

 

[Longwayfromhome]

Dont forget Anders Nilsson who is currently playing great hockey in KHL. He night be worth a look going forward.

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=5591

 

[clydesdale line]

Crow's our guy and he's shown that he has the potential to be clutch when it matters, win us some games, and go the distance in the playoffs.

Then why not sign Niemi who is a FA this offseason and shouldn't cost nearly as much as Crawford? I think some people here get carried away with the "Oh but we won a cup with him so he's more proven" stuff. Not saying that doesn't help, but I don't think Hawks would miss a beat with either guy especially mentally. Plus, Crawford has concussion issues.

 

[Blackhawks]

Crawford is getting traded in the summer, there is no doubt in my min, in order for team to contend beyond this year it just needs to happen. The Hawks need to win the cup and dump his mediocre but...

 

[x Tame Impala]

Then why not sign Niemi who is a FA this offseason and shouldn't cost nearly as much as Crawford? I think some people here get carried away with the "Oh but we won a cup with him so he's more proven" stuff. Not saying that doesn't help, but I don't think Hawks would miss a beat with either guy especially mentally. Plus, Crawford has concussion issues.

Crawford is more proven because he has one Stanley cup campaign under his belt where he could've been a Smythe winner and he had a really solid postseason last year two. The guy can win us another cup. Niemi can't, and I have no faith in Darling or Raanta to take us there either.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Crawford is getting traded in the summer, there is no doubt in my min, in order for team to contend beyond this year it just needs to happen. The Hawks need to win the cup and dump his mediocre but...

Before the Winnipeg game he had some of the better stats in the NHL

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Then why not sign Niemi who is a FA this offseason and shouldn't cost nearly as much as Crawford? I think some people here get carried away with the "Oh but we won a cup with him so he's more proven" stuff. Not saying that doesn't help, but I don't think Hawks would miss a beat with either guy especially mentally. Plus, Crawford has concussion issues.

Because Crawford's better than Niemi and his track record as of late also shows that? Also, I was merely pointing out his positives. He has won us games and he has shown the capacity to be a playoff workhorse. Not every goalie has those abilities.

Crawford is getting traded in the summer, there is no doubt in my min, in order for team to contend beyond this year it just needs to happen. The Hawks need to win the cup and dump his mediocre but...

Who's picking up his contract? How much are we retaining?

 

[LordKOTL]

Then why not sign Niemi who is a FA this offseason and shouldn't cost nearly as much as Crawford? I think some people here get carried away with the "Oh but we won a cup with him so he's more proven" stuff. Not saying that doesn't help, but I don't think Hawks would miss a beat with either guy especially mentally. Plus, Crawford has concussion issues.

Niemi will be making MAF money this summer--like 5M+.

If any 5M+ player is dropped (Sharp, Hoss, Seabs, Keith, or Crawford regardless of actual likleyhood of them moving) it's going to be for cap reasons only--as such whomever is traded (one of them plus Bickell) they're going to be going with little to no salary coming back.

If Crawford is indeed the one who's traded (assuming that he can be moved in spite of his NTC) the team will either go with Darling/Raanta, or some other sub-1M goalie to offset Toews & Kane's new deals plus the possible re-signing of Saad. Since an outside netminder making sub 1M will likley be Brian Boucher-level garbage, chances are if Crawford is moved (only a bit more likley than Hossa, Seabs, or Keith IMHO), you're looking at a Darling/Raanta combo.

Because Crawford's better than Niemi and his track record as of late also shows that? Also, I was merely pointing out his positives. He has won us games and he has shown the capacity to be a playoff workhorse. Not every goalie has those abilities.



Who's picking up his contract? How much are we retaining?

Basically the issue I see. If Crawford contiunes this slide independent of the team D's slide, we'll have to retain salary and that won't work. If he returns to Dr. Craw form and can steal games in spite of the team D trying to give it back like he did early in the year, 6M for that calibre is a bargain especially going into 2016 where our team D will likley take a hit.

 

[CourtneyDagger50]

We had one good year with none of this discussion.
Now its back.
Damnit

 

[chicagoskycam]

Crawford is more proven because he has one Stanley cup campaign under his belt where he could've been a Smythe winner and he had a really solid postseason last year two. The guy can win us another cup. Niemi can't, and I have no faith in Darling or Raanta to take us there either.

Absolutely Niemi could win again with the Hawks. Contract wise and play he's not much different than Crawford so there's no point.

 

[Minowaman]

Corey has looked terrible since coming back from his drunk injury. If somebody would take him I'm all for trading him. Raanta/Darling combo is just as good and a lot cheaper.

 

[iceman58]

Corey has looked terrible since coming back from his drunk injury. If somebody would take him I'm all for trading him. Raanta/Darling combo is just as good and a lot cheaper.

I agree, but I don't see many teams taking a slightly above average goalie with a $6 million contract.

 

[Crazy_Ike]

The Hawks won't Philadelphia Flyers themselves. Crawford may be about average for a starter, but they KNOW they can win with him if everyone else is firing. Because of that, the Hawks are unlikely to ever move him unless forced to somehow. The risk of a lost season because of below average goaltending is too steep.

 

[EmeticDonut]

People make too far reaching conclusions with the handful of games by Raanta/Darling. You see it all the time around the NHL, a new goalie steps in for some team and plays lights out and everyone are anointing them the next big goalie but after a while the book on the goalie gets out and they fall back to more realistic numbers or even worse, fall out of the league. Predicting goalie success after a handful of games is voodoo at best.

 

[Bubba88]

not the worst Option... trade Craw and Bickell. You could Keep everybody else, open a roster spot for one of the Young guys and let Raanta/Darling battle it out with a good D infront of them.

 

[pamela2]

Crawford has to go now we won with the other goalies while he was hurt from his drunken party we won nearly every game and when he came back we struggle every game he cant seem to wake up for the first 5 minutes I say trade him now and let the other goalies take over cant be any worse.