Is there a rule that you cant have players on ELCs anymore....
Try using your brain for a second here, the only pieces chicago even has to re-sign outside of Panarin are Schmaltz (gets under what larkin got) and Cat who will probably get a similar deal. They have 10 million in space being freed up on top of the 5 million cap space they already have. A majority of those spots will go to ELC players along with Anisimov likely being moved at the TDL. The lineup that Chicago would have next year would mostly be the same sans Panarin as no one outside of Schmaltz and Cat have done anything to really earn a raise in the slightest as of now.
The Hawks have 8 roster Fs under contract for 2019.
Resign Schmaltz (let's say 3.5m)
Resign Kampf (1m)
Sign Panarin (8m)
The only ELC Fs you have are Entwhistle, Highmore and Noel. So are they the final 3 Fs? That's another 3m combined.
D
6 guys signed.. let's say they let Rutta and Davidson walk and fill the last spot with an ELC guy-
Boqvist at 925k
G
They let Ward walk and sign a bargain guy for 1.5m
That's roughly 18m. Which is just about all the space, leaving nothing for bonus overages, daily injuries and the like.
Then the next year you have to re-up DeBrincat, Fortin, Kahun and add a starting goalie all for about $10m.
Maybe they do move Anisimov or maybe they add sweeteners and they get someone to take Seabrook (pipe dream), but it's totally fair to say that until they do those things they DO NOT have the space to add a guy like Panarin.
It's like when Major Strasser asked Rick Blaine about how he would feel seeing the Nazis marching in London- Let me know when you get there.