NHL rumors: Is time for Jonathan Toews to move on, Rick Bowness new deal, and Islander desperate times
Anthony Scultore
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The cat is out of the bag in Chicago. The Blackhawks are rebuilding and now their core four know it. When you look at the Hawks, it is very hard to see Patrick Kane going anywhere. Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are very long in the tooth and likely hard to trade. However, if there’s one Hawk who could bring back a haul, it would be Jonathan Toews.
NHL Rumors: Jonathan Toews trade?
Oddly enough, this very website wrote up a piece about Toews moving on back in August. Now that the news of a rebuild has become official the question needs to be raised again.
The Hawks captain is 32 years-old and still has plenty to offer teams looking to get over the hump. He has two years remaining on a deal that comes with a cap hit of $10.5 million. Toews also controls his own destiny with a full no move clause. If the Hawks move him, they will need to retain salary and also get his blessing. A tough proposition, but it all has to start with if he wants to go.
Let’s check back at the trade deadline next season.
Rick Bowness about to ink a new deal
So what does making it to the Stanley Cup Final get you when you are the interim head coach? Apparently a new longterm deal. It isn’t done yet, but it looks like Rick Bowness is close to signing one.
Islanders are in cap hell and trying to trade expensive vets
CapFriendly has the Isles with $8.905 million in cap space. At first blush you would say that seems to be enough to fill out the roster but that’s not the case. That’s why there’s rumors galore about who they are trying to move out in order to sign Mat Barzal longterm and make a few other moves.
There are three clear candidates for moving salary off the cap: Johnny Boychuk (two years, $6 million AAV), rumored to be on the block since the offseason began; Andrew Ladd (three years, $5.5 million), whose buyout-proof deal with three years remaining also seems trade-proof at the moment; and Thomas Hickey (two years, $2.5 million), with whom the Isles might not need to add as much of a sweetener given his far lower AAV. The fourth candidate, also rumored to be on the block, is Leo Komarov (two years, $3 million).
The Athletic