MAKE ROOM FOR GARY?

Today the Hockey Rumor Mill is grinding at full speed.

While the Blackhawks seem to have back-burnered any thoughts of trading goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the prospect of getting Michael (nee Gary) Nylander seems to be getting closer to reality.

The Sun Times seems to think it's almost a done deal, with the Hawks giving up Brent Sopel and Dustin Byfuglien for Nylander. What does this mean for the Hawks?

THE GOOD:

No more Sopel. Last year he parlayed a good season into the Hawks grossly overpaying him. Good for him and his agent. Now get him the fuck out of Chicago.

The Hawks have two lines completely filled with top-6 forwards. You'd probably see Patrick Sharp move up to Jonathan Toews' left wing, where he flourished last year, and see Kris VERSTEEG slip down to Nylander's wing. 

No more Sopel.

Two guys who are signed through the 2010-2011 season go away, and one comes in. Nylander is the type of player who will always be tradeable, if only for "veteran leadership".

No more Sopel. This can't be stressed enough.

THE BAD:

Man, Nylander is fucking soft. He's softer than the leading brand of toilet paper. He's softer than a pillow-top mattress. He's softer than a fucking cloud. What I'm saying here is, he's soft.

Losing Byfuglien. This is in "The Bad" more out of its potential to be bad. He's an enigma, but he's an enigma who has at least one hit every night that brings people to their feet. He's enigmatic because his play is lazy at times, dumb at others. He can't crack the top two lines, and they need toughness up there. Still, with the right coaching, and if he gets his head screwed on right, he can be productive.

VERSTEEG moving to the second line. If Sharp stays on Nylander's line, he can probably keep scoring. I'm not sure VERSTEEG would be able to have the success on another line he currently enjoys.

THE UGLY:

If you liked Robert Lang, you might learn to love Michael Nylander. He's 36, and he's signed for another two seasons after this one. Getting him doesn't make the Hawks a Cup contender, and they might not be one as long as he's here.

Also, even in his prime, Nylander was never what you'd call a "character" guy. In fact, he's been called "The Magician", for his propensity to disappear in games. Since he'll only be the Hawks' #2 center, this might not factor in as much.

Of course, this is all conjecture at this point, the deal might not even happen. Overall, it would probably wind up being a gain for the Hawks.

But not a significant one.

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Posted by Forklift at 11/21/2008 11:03 AM
Categories: News and Notes
 

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