Proposal: Tavares and the Hawks make sense

[Leaf Fans]

We will give Toronto back 1 Ryan Donato. Id be happy to take him for half a year. Hold down that 2C spot until Nazar is ready to play NHL minutes.

We can tell him we will eat half his cap and send him where he wants to go at the deadline.

Sure, you could probably sign the player you get to extention as well. Big change to center for him though.

 

[BHawk21]

Sure, you could probably sign the player you get to extention as well. Big change to center for him though.

I thought he was playing center in the playoffs?

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

He isn't waiving his NMC to come to Chicago and Hawks sure as f*** would not be taking his $11M cap hit and doing massive favor for Leafs without a sweetener in deal

Marleau dump cost Leafs a 1st rounder. Hawks would be getting a 1st+ to do this as it would likely require a buyout as Tavares would only waive to Chicago if it leads to him becoming FA

 

[WarriorofTime]

Curious that JT went to worlds, could be:
- he knows he won't have many more shots at these types of tourneys and wants one more
- a naive hope it puts him on radar for the next best vs best tourney
- auditioning to play elsewhere
- 3 kids at home drive him nuts (like me) and jumps at any chance for a business trip

-Get out of Toronto while everyone goes crazy speculating about how he needs to get GTFO, and just focus on hockey for a couple more weeks while the hysteria gets resolved and works itself out.

 

[johnnybbadd]

Still have no idea how anyone doesn't understand going home to Toronto wasn't just his decision.

So he went to Toronto for his retirement contract. Makes Dubas look like more of an imbecile for not being able to gauge what motivates an 11 million per year free agent signed for 7 years. This contract is a spectacular failure.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I thought he was playing center in the playoffs?

Nope goalie.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He isn't waiving his NMC to come to Chicago and Hawks sure as f*** would not be taking his $11M cap hit and doing massive favor for Leafs without a sweetener in deal

Marleau dump cost Leafs a 1st rounder. Hawks would be getting a 1st+ to do this as it would likely require a buyout as Tavares would only waive to Chicago if it leads to him becoming FA

I think the logic would be (a) Hawks get a player that can be a stopgap player while prospects develop, give a bit more talent and another guy that can play PP1, to aid in Bedard's development and the team not getting obliterated every night, (b) obvious for Toronto, get out of of cap hit, use it for something else, (c) for Tavares, play somewhere with less pressure while still being a big market, a fresh start where he'll get a lot of ice time, opportunity but minus the circus aspect as he heads into a UFA season and potentially a place he might consider extending (Chicago to Toronto is a very easy trip if he's concerned with family) if the fit works out.

I doubt Toronto is interested if they have to pay a big premium just to get out of one year. Looking at the situation with their Defense, next year doesn't feel like the year to go "all in", they're going to need picks (since Dubas traded away so many towards the end) if they're going to sustain anything. Chicago has more space than it knows what to do with, so they'd hope that they could get away dumping for nothing as opposed to having to attach a major sweetener. They may consider retaining a small amount if they need to in order to make it work.

But really, the ball is in Tavares court probably more than anything because it's all moot if it's not a place he will waive to.

 

[BHawk21]

Nope goalie.

Dont know what you mean "big change to center for him tho"?

 

[Leaf Fans]

Dont know what you mean "big change to center for him tho"?

If you want to convert him to center it would be a huge change. Unless, you were thinking of someone else for Donato? He is a decent player.

 

[BHawk21]

If you want to convert him to center it would be a huge change. Unless, you were thinking of someone else for Donato? He is a decent player.

I dont know what the hell your talking about. John Tavares. It wouldnt be a huge change for him to play center.

Ryan Donato is not a decent player.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I dont know what the hell your talking about. John Tavares. It wouldnt be a huge change for him to play center.

Ryan Donato is not a decent player.

I was talking about a player Chicago would get for Donato. Obviously, it wouldn't be Tavares.

 

[BHawk21]

I was talking about a player Chicago would get for Donato. Obviously, it wouldn't be Tavares.

We're in the Tavares thread. I said we will offer 1 Ryan Donato...

 

[Leaf Fans]

I dont know what the hell your talking about. John Tavares. It wouldnt be a huge change for him to play center.

Ryan Donato is not a decent player.

Sure,

We're in the Tavares thread. I said we will offer 1 Ryan Donato...

Yeah, I naturally assumed that you were thinking of a different trade as 1 Ryan Donato would not be enough for one John Tavares. I did think it was a touch odd that it was in the Tavares thread, but it wouldn't be a first.

 

[BHawk21]

Sure,
Yeah, I naturally assumed that you were thinking of a different trade as 1 Ryan Donato would not be enough for one John Tavares. I did think it was a touch odd that it was in the Tavares thread, but it wouldn't be a first.

John Tavares makes 11 million a year and has a NMC. Your management would give him away for free in 1 second if he gave them an out.

You can sign two good free agents with that money.

 

[NVious]

If Tavares was willing to waive, I'd take anything for him at full pop, at 50% retained I'd ask for a 2nd.

The salary and ability to add a D man is way more important than having him, he doesn't do anything for the Leafs.

 

[Leaf Fans]

John Tavares makes 11 million a year and has a NMC. Your management would give him away for free in 1 second if he gave them an out.

You can sign two good free agents with that money.

I don't think that is true, but I guess it is possible though not very probable.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Hawks can eat the cap but I'd be upset if we weren't compensated for the act. We got a second round pick to take on a very good third line center in Jason Dickinson.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Hawks can eat the cap but I'd be upset if we weren't compensated for the act. We got a second round pick to take on a very good third line center in Jason Dickinson.

He and Stillman were both struggling players at the time of the trade. It is a credit to the Hawks that he developed in to a very good player.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

He and Stillman were both struggling players at the time of the trade. It is a credit to the Hawks that he developed in to a very good player.

Sure but that was a guy we were eating a quarter of the cap hit for. Tavares for anything is a bad trade for Chicago. Tavares+ is a conversation worth having.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Sure but that was a guy we were eating a quarter of the cap hit for. Tavares for anything is a bad trade for Chicago. Tavares+ is a conversation worth having.

Yeah, among posters on the board.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Yeah, among posters on the board.

Bruh that's all this is.

 

[HFpapi]

I've thought about this scenario as well and I think it makes sense.

Leafs would retain a few mil and ask for basically nothing in return. They get 8 million in free cap space to get a top 4 dman.

Hawks get a good leader and professional to mentor Bedard and gives him some skill to work off of on the PP.

As OP says, it's basically no "real" money for the Hawks and cap is not an issue for them at this stage. It's off the books next season anyways.

The obvious and most difficult impediment is him not waiving. If I'm the Leafs brass I honestly play hardball with him. We gave you a cushy retirement contract and generational wealth and got not much back from the core 4 in the playoffs. This experiment failed and now you need to do what's best for the team and move on otherwise you're in the press box or minors all next season.

It's dirty pool but we've been pushed around and hampered too much by our diva stars.

In this case we give Marner another kick at the can and don't trade him.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Bruh that's all this is.

For us, yeah.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

For us, yeah.

I don't understand how you can critique me by saying maybe on HF and then saying we're both just guys on HF when my whole point on this thought experiment is just here's my thought.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I wouldn't take Tavares for free. That's a huge cap hit for a veteran that doesn't move the needle. For a team intending on winning hockey games next year that cap space is valuable. It's meaningless for Chicago. Real dollars are meaningless for Chicago. We're spending a lot on culture. It's market mismanagement to not make teams pay for the cap space.