Versteeg traded to Chicago

[Chino Oscar]

I cannot understand how any one rational can look at a team with more than half of its roster on expiring contracts and not understand what it means. Similarly, the trade of Versteeg serves to add credibility to the rumor that Tallon is shoping virtually every player on the team not named Barkov, Hubs, Guds, Bjugstad or Goc.

And I cannot understand how anyone can arrive at that conclusion based on Versteeg being traded. He sucked, he was not giving effort, and his contract was terrible (Tallon's own fault).
If we are tank nation, like you now like to refer to, why on earth change coaches/make any chances... we were well on our way to the bottom of the standings as it was.

 

[Egblad]

I am shocked people actually think Versteeg had more value than this.

 

[Egblad]

Tallon traded a conditional 2nd round pick, and a 3rd round pick for Kris Versteeg. Big time value going the other-way huh?

What did Tallon get in return? Jimmy Hayes, picked in the second round, and Dylan Olsen, picked in the first round. Yep, Tallon got OWNED!

As far as return, I think that's pretty fair.

You know, Philly gave up a 1st for Versteeg.

 

[Chino Oscar]

Just a caution to you Panther fans about Hayes and Olsen

Olsen can be a 5 or 6 d-man, on a team that needs offense from their d-men. Defense wise, he just seems so slow to react. The game seems too fast for him at the pro level.

Hayes is a big dude. He has no clue on how to use his size. While his skating has improved, he didn't have the speed to play in the Blackhawks system.

So you got two potential NHLers for Versteeg while still paying 6.6 mil on him for the next three years. I would be pissed at Tallon if I were you. However, here in Blackhawks land, we still love Tallon and the moves he makes for the Blackhawks (minus the contract mess he made and the 2010 SC aftermath that caused him his job here).

Several accounts from coaches, scouting staff and the likes state the opposite.

 

[RainingRats]

This team needs a true leader. We need to bring a true veteran captain. I'm starting to wonder if Versteeg was a locker room cancer.

I'm glad he's gone. The return is fine. Nice to see ownership willing to eat the contract.

I think a guy like Gaborik would come here. I don't get the feeling he likes the spotlight.

My only concern is that Tallon seems to have a bit of an obsession with former players.

 

[Crossbar]

Going to predict Versteeg gets injured way before the Hawks clinch the playoffs....that's of course, if Versteeg actually risks sacrificing his body to make a play in Chi-town. *perish the thought*

 

[GrumpyKelly]

I don't buy the whole players don't want to be here. 30 teams in the NHL. The best league in the world.

If you are talking about the average Joe then sure. But if we are talking about the top talent in this league, don´t kid yourself. Good players want to play on good teams. That´s why they have NTC clauses on their contracts and you can pretty much bet that Florida is on most of them. That´s also the reason why Florida has to overpay UFA´s to come here.

 

[Lundell4Prez]

Next up,

Campbell to Detroit for Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Jurco or Anthony Mantha.

Get it done Tallon!

No chance in hell we can get that much for him.. Unless we're taking half of that salary as well.

 

[Great8Cam]

It is really laughable how everyone talks about Viola eating half the contract. It's as if the money is coming out of our own pockets.

Viola has actually said that he will spend whatever it takes to win. This is what it takes. Would you rather buy him out at 2/3s and get NOTHING back?

The eating of 2.2 does not put us against the cap and it doesn't prevent Dale from siging any player in UFA or aquiring a high priced player via trade.

I think that the bigger indictment on Versteeg is how little value Versteeg has, and Bowman knows it. We needed to get rid of him and Bowman refused to pay 4.4 for Versteeg.

It is also an indictment on how badly Tallon wanted Versteeg off the Team.

Props to Viola and Dale for doing whatever it takes to dump the guy that became a BUM.

Perhaps his horrendous play and floating around is a result of the surgery. If it isn't, then he will be picking splinters.

It is easy for the Hawks fans to laugh at the trade because they remember Versteeg as a useful player when they won the Cup. If he finally becomes useful again, then good for him and the Hawks. I like that Team so I hold no ill will. But Versteeg comes across as the spurned lover. The classy thing to say would be that he enjoyed his time here and he wishes the boys the best.

The fact is that he knows that he was dumped by us and Bowman refused to pay his full contract in return.

We remember him for being very useful for only one season when we won the Division.

 

[Lundell4Prez]

My only concern is that Tallon seems to have a bit of an obsession with former players.

I mean, we know he likes the players he has had on his team.. But I feel more than anything, Chicago was the only team that was willing to take him on because they knew him back when he played there.

 

[RainingRats]

If you are talking about the average Joe then sure. But if we are talking about the top talent in this league, don´t kid yourself. Good players want to play on good teams. That´s why they have NTC clauses on their contracts and you can pretty much bet that Florida is on most of them. That´s also the reason why Florida has to overpay UFA´s to come here.

We'll have to get a little bit better to attract 90% of top talent, I agree.

They have NTC because they don't want to have their entire life disrupted and moved to another city.

Every team overpays for free agents unless it's the rare hometown discount.

 

[Chino Oscar]

So they will continue to scan the market for trades, so who's next? Upshall? Kulikov? Kopecky?

For whatever it is worth, I would not mind keeping Upshall and Kulikov. I would make Kopecky available. Like its been said plenty of tims, you have to give to get, so I don't know what Kopecky can really get us in a trade scenario.

 

[RainingRats]

I mean, we know he likes the players he has had on his team.. But I feel more than anything, Chicago was the only team that was willing to take him on because they knew him back when he played there.

I don't disagree but Versteeg at half salary isn't a bad deal. It's worth the gamble for some teams.

 

[RainingRats]

For whatever it is worth, I would not mind keeping Upshall and Kulikov. I would make Kopecky available. Like its been said plenty of tims, you have to give to get, so I don't know what Kopecky can really get us in a trade scenario.

You'd have to be insane to take on Upshall's contract. The guy is expensive and can't stay healthy. He might be able to turn things around under the new coach if he can stay healthy.

Kopecky will have value at the trade deadline but it's as low as it's ever been with his lack of production.

 

[Lundell4Prez]

I don't disagree but Versteeg at half salary isn't a bad deal. It's worth the gamble for some teams.

The way he played, I wouldn't want him on this team for the league minimum.

 

[RainingRats]

The way he played, I wouldn't want him on this team for the league minimum.

I'm thrilled he's gone.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

I don´t know if this has been brought up before but there are only 8 teams with more than 2,2 million of cap space at the moment (including Florida):

Phoenix Coyetes
Nashville Predators
Edmonton Oilers
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Calgary Flames
New York Islanders
Colorado Avalanche

If Versteeg indeed had an NTC with 15 teams on it very well maybe that all of those were on his list. None of them are really top end destinations... meaning that there was no way to move Versteeg unless Panthers would eat half of his salary.

My guess is it wasn´t a question of negotiation if they would eat 50% of the salary, just something that had to be done if they really wanted to move him.

 

[zeroG]

We'll have to get a little bit better to attract 90% of top talent, I agree.

They have NTC because they don't want to have their entire life disrupted and moved to another city.

Every team overpays for free agents unless it's the rare hometown discount.

some players are competitive, want to win and don't want to waste precious years of their careers playing for a team that has no interest in winning. even if a team says and does all the right things to indicate it IS interested in winning, there's still no guarantee it'll happen. there's a lot of risk for players, especially when you consider most don't really have a choice as to where they start their career.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

We'll have to get a little bit better to attract 90% of top talent, I agree.

Understatement much? You can´t really get worse than this.

They have NTC because they don't want to have their entire life disrupted and moved to another city.

And still I´m pretty sure Florida is on most of those NTC contracts.

Every team overpays for free agents unless it's the rare hometown discount.

And yet Florida has to pay more than e.g. Chicago for UFA´s.

 

[Chino Oscar]

You'd have to be insane to take on Upshall's contract. The guy is expensive and can't stay healthy. He might be able to turn things around under the new coach if he can stay healthy.

Kopecky will have value at the trade deadline but it's as low as it's ever been with his lack of production.

Right, Upshall's contract is clearly bad and more likely the Panthers will have to eat some of that salary if he is brought up in a trade scenario as well. However, inflated salary or not, I like what he brings in terms of effort, grit and presence in front of the net. He is one of our smallest players, yet he is the one more often than not throwing himself at opposing players, and being an overall pain in the ass to play against. And yes, Kopecky's value has got to be at an all time low and likely making it difficult to find decent trade value for him, but he is just plain sucking this season.

 

[Chino Oscar]

Tallon traded a conditional 2nd round pick, and a 3rd round pick for Kris Versteeg. Big time value going the other-way huh?

What did Tallon get in return? Jimmy Hayes, picked in the second round, and Dylan Olsen, picked in the first round. Yep, Tallon got OWNED!

As far as return, I think that's pretty fair.

You know, Philly gave up a 1st for Versteeg.

I was not aware that was what we gave up to pick Versteeg up, looking at it on those terms, pretty fair value. I think the issue some people are having is that they are already labeling the two prospects we got as busts (as opposed to an undrafted 2nd/3rd rounder potential to be good) and the fact that we are eating half his remaining contract. I think Tallon said somewhere that he had to eat half the salary because of the Hawks salary cap situation, there would have been no way for the deal to WORK otherwise.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

It is really laughable how everyone talks about Viola eating half the contract. It's as if the money is coming out of our own pockets.

Viola has actually said that he will spend whatever it takes to win. This is what it takes. Would you rather buy him out at 2/3s and get NOTHING back?

The eating of 2.2 does not put us against the cap and it doesn't prevent Dale from siging any player in UFA or aquiring a high priced player via trade.

I think that the bigger indictment on Versteeg is how little value Versteeg has, and Bowman knows it. We needed to get rid of him and Bowman refused to pay 4.4 for Versteeg.

It is also an indictment on how badly Tallon wanted Versteeg off the Team.

Props to Viola and Dale for doing whatever it takes to dump the guy that became a BUM.

Perhaps his horrendous play and floating around is a result of the surgery. If it isn't, then he will be picking splinters.

It is easy for the Hawks fans to laugh at the trade because they remember Versteeg as a useful player when they won the Cup. If he finally becomes useful again, then good for him and the Hawks. I like that Team so I hold no ill will. But Versteeg comes across as the spurned lover. The classy thing to say would be that he enjoyed his time here and he wishes the boys the best.

The fact is that he knows that he was dumped by us and Bowman refused to pay his full contract in return.

We remember him for being very useful for only one season when we won the Division.

thank you for bringing truth and logic. Cant understand how anyone can be upset about this.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

There's no downside to cutting dead weight. Seeya Steeger.

Suck the way things went with this guy. I was very into Tallon signing this guy to his contract a couple of years ago. He's just not the same player.

 

[SufferingCatFan]

And I cannot understand how anyone can arrive at that conclusion based on Versteeg being traded. He sucked, he was not giving effort, and his contract was terrible (Tallon's own fault).
If we are tank nation, like you now like to refer to, why on earth change coaches/make any chances... we were well on our way to the bottom of the standings as it was.

McKenzie, a reputable source, reported on TV that everyone on Florida's roster was being shopped, except the 5 I named, but there was little interest on our vets, except for Matthias and Kulikov, all of which is the subject of a thread on the main board. Trading Versteeg confirms McKenzie's rumor about our vets being shopped and the trade terms seems to confirm the lack of interest to some extent.

We are making personnel and coaching changes with an eye towards rebuilding for the future.

Why is any of this hard to fathom? We have a new owner who reportedly wants to build a winning franchise. Half of our team consists of mostly marginal vets on expiring contracts, who are likely gone by the end of the season anyway unless traded first. Most of the remainder of our vets contracts expire next year (Flash, Kopecky etc.). This is what a rebuild looks like when a team makes room for youth.

The tanking is just good management. If a team is not going to make the playoffs and is going to turn over half its roster anyway by season's end, then it makes sense to lose big and secure a top pick. Tallon did it in year one when he was hired mid-season and now he is doing it again.

And yes, WE ARE TANK Nation, whether you wish to admit it or not...

 

[Past Considerations]

Quite the opposite reactions on the Hawks forum. Basically everyone calling it a genious robbery by Bowman. I'm going to have to assume they haven't seen many games from Versteeg this year.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1538849&page=99