Today's News Clips June 26, 2018
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Today’s News Clips June 26, 2018 Chicago Tribune Blackhawks cut ties with restricted free agent Anthony Duclair: report Jimmy Greenfield June 25, 2018 The Blackhawks parted ways with restricted free agent forward Anthony Duclair after declining to make him a qualifying offer, the Sun-Times reported Monday. Per team policy, the Hawks would not comment regarding the status of their restricted free agents. The Hawks also were required to make offers to forward Tomas Jurco, defenseman Adam Clendening and winger Michael Chaput, whom the Hawks acquired from the Canucks on Sunday for Tanner Kero. If the Hawks don’t tender offers to Duclair or Jurco it saves them around $2.5 million as they eye potential free agents. They are not expected to make a bid for free agent center John Tavares, The Athletic reported Monday. The Hawks have a little more than $9 million in cap space to work with, according to Capfriendly.com. Teams are currently in the one-week negotiating window with players but aren't permitted to sign free agents until July 1. The Blackhawks acquired Jurco, 25, on Feb. 24, 2017, from the Red Wings for a 2017 third-round pick. He scored only one goal in 13 regular-season games for the Hawks and was a healthy scratch throughout their four-game sweep by the Predators in the first round of the playoffs. Nevertheless, the Hawks signed the winger to a one-year extension worth $800,000. Jurco, a 2011 second- round pick, spent the majority of last season in Rockford, where he had 13 goals and 12 assists in 36 games. He was with the Hawks for 29 games, scoring six goals and four assists. Duclair is 22 but the Hawks were his third organization, having been drafted in the third round by the Rangers in 2013 and then dealt to the Coyotes in 2015. The Hawks acquired him last January along with Clendening from the Coyotes for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin. He had 20 goals during his rookie season with the Coyotes in 2015-16, dropped to five goals the next year and was struggling last season with nine goals and six assists in 33 games when he was a healthy scratch 10 times before being dealt to the Hawks. Duclair was open about needing a “change of scenery” but the same inconsistency that plagued his time in Phoenix carried over to Chicago. He had two goals and six assists in 23 games for the Hawks but was a healthy scratch on occasion and ended the season on a 14-game scoreless streak. Chicago Sun-Times Blackhawks offseason priorities begin with a top-four defenseman Mark Lazerus June 25, 2018 Stan Bowman is almost always on the phone. Whether the Blackhawks general manager is walking the halls of the United Center, hanging out in the lobby of MB Ice Arena, watching a morning skate, or strolling through an NHL press box, Bowman’s phone is pretty much plastered to his ear. It’s his natural, resting state. And this time of year, in the anything-can-happen period between the Stanley Cup Final and the official opening of free agency on July 1, every other general manager is doing the same. Spitballing. Kicking tires. Gauging interest. Feeling out agents, feeling out each other. “Probably 90 percent of the discussions you have don’t go anywhere,” Bowman said. “So we’re having a lot of dialogue even the last 10 days to two weeks, we’re very active in conversations. But most of them don’t lead anywhere. You have to put in the time. So we’re going to talk to some people and see if there’s a fit there.” Well, the Hawks have needs, and they also have cap space. Sunday’s swap of minor-league centers with Vancouver — Tanner Kero for Michael Chaput — certainly won’t be the only deal the Hawks make. But they won’t be able to solve all their problems in one swing, either. So here’s a look at Bowman’s priorities, in order of need. Bowman’s decision to extend Erik Gustafsson and Jan Rutta for a combined $3.5 million next season sent a curious message near the end of a rather miserable defensive season for the Hawks. It meant the Hawks have nine defensemen with NHL experience signed through next season. And that’s not counting 2017 first-rounder Henri Jokiharju. Yes, Gustafsson made strides. Yes, Rutta briefly formed an effective shutdown pairing with Gustav Forsling. Yes, Connor Murphy was surprisingly good on his off side and yes, Brent Seabrook was perfectly fine in a slightly more limited role. But Bowman can’t possibly think it’s OK to bring this blue line back intact. “I’m not trying to shake things up just to shake things up,” he said when asked about the defense. “If we can find a way to improve our team, then we’re going to look at that — whether it’s a defenseman or a forward or a goaltender.” So does he try to deal away a player like Murphy, who carries a $3.85-million cap hit, to clear a roster spot for a free agent such as Calvin de Haan or Ian Cole? Does he trade for a guy like Carolina’s Justin Faulk — an ideal top-pairing partner for Duncan Keith — and bury a few guys in Rockford to make room? Does he do both? The only thing he can’t do is nothing. 2. Find a goalie The Hawks don’t need a backup goalie. They need a co-goalie. A contingency plan. A 1B. And neither Anton Forsberg, J-F Berube nor Jeff Glass showed they were up to the job. Maybe Collin Delia becomes that guy eventually. But for now, the Hawks simply must find an external option. A source said they were one of many (one report had it as high as 10) teams that reached out to St. Louis UFA Carter Hutton (a former Hawks farmhand) as the free-agent interview period opened on Sunday. He’d be the best option after posting a .931 save percentage in 32 games with the Blues. He’s good enough to hold down the No. 1 job, but not experienced enough to necessarily be handed a guaranteed No. 1 job elsewhere. Other options include Robin Lehner, Cam Ward (or, yes, Scott Darling via trade), Ondrej Pavelec, Jaroslav Halak and Kari Lehtonen. None of those guys is an elite netminder, but each is an improvement over the current Corey Crawford contingency committee. 3. Find a scorer The Hawks can score. With Nick Schmaltz, Alex DeBrincat, Vinnie Hinostroza and Dylan Sikura joining the veteran core, they have plenty of firepower. But given the state of the defense and the uncertainty in goal, they can never have enough. And someone needs to play left wing on Patrick Kane’s line. So if you can get UFA James van Riemsdyk for about $6 million a season, you do it. If you can take Max Pacioretty off Montreal’s hands in a favorable deal, you do it. If you can get Jeff Skinner — long a Bowman favorite — out of Carolina, you do it. 4. Find a taker for Hossa If the Hawks never move Marian Hossa’s contract, it’s not the end of the world. Long-term injured reserve is always an option. But if you can unload his $5.275-million cap hit on another team without having to throw in too sweet a sweetener, all the better. It means more cap certainty, more in-season flexibility, and less paperwork. The work has already begun. Bowman’s phone had better be charged. Chicago Sun-Times Blackhawks winger Anthony Duclair set to become an unrestricted free agent Mark Lazerus June 25, 2018 Anthony Duclair is just 22 years old, has a 20-goal season under his belt and can skate with just about anybody in the NHL. But he’ll be on his fourth NHL team in the fall. In a mild surprise, the Blackhawks decided not to tender Duclair a qualifying offer. That means the restricted free agent will become an unrestricted free agent Sunday, free to sign anywhere. A qualifying offer would have cost the Hawks about $1.5 million, and with young players such as Dylan Sikura, Victor Ejdsell and Dominik Kahun expected to leapfrog Duclair on the organizational depth chart in the fall, there apparently wasn’t room for him at that price. In theory, Duclair could come back at a cheaper price. But with his speed and the potential he has been chasing since his 20-goal season as a rookie in 2015-16, he’s likely to find plenty of suitors, even though the Hawks were unable to trade his negotiating rights. Duclair had two goals and six assists in 23 games after the Hawks acquired him from the Coyotes for fellow winger Richard Panik. He missed the last month of the season with a leg injury. Unlike many teams, the Hawks don’t make such decisions public. But it’s thought that their three other restricted free agents — winger Tomas Jurco, newly acquired center Michael Chaput and minor-league defenseman Adam Clendening — also were allowed to become unrestricted free agents. Jurco had six goals and four assists in 29 games last season and had hoped to return. ‘‘For sure, I would like to stay here,’’ he said in late March. ‘‘I like the system. The city’s great, everything around the hockey is great, the people are great.