Chicago Blackhawks GM finally gets a Schmaltz offer he can't refuse
Over and over again, Arizona general manager John Chayka kept pestering Stan Bowman about Nick Schmaltz.
How about this deal? How about that one? How about this?
Bowman's answer was always the same - no, no and no.
Until Sunday.
That's when Chayka came at Bowman with a proposal the Chicago Blackhawks' GM couldn't pass up: center Dylan Strome and forward Brendan Perlini for Schmaltz.
"In a lot of ways, that's accurate," Bowman said Monday after the Hawks practiced at MB Ice Arena.
Said Chayka: "When I asked (Bowman) about Nick in the past … he's been an untouchable. I don't know whether it's a slow start or what occurred, but at some point he became available.
"And when a player like that becomes available, you've got to give to get, and we certainly did that."
In some ways, the departure of Schmaltz comes as a big shock. This was supposed to be the Hawks' No. 1 center of the future. A perennial 20-goal, 60-point scorer. A near slam-dunk star.
"It's tough, for sure," Patrick Kane said. "I think the world of the kid."
But Schmaltz, still just 22, had only 2 goals, 9 assists and 33 shots on goal in 23 games this season. Bowman said he wasn't disappointed in Schmaltz's play, but that when Chayka sweetened the pot with two top-nine forwards, it was tough to say no again.
"We're a better team today than we were yesterday simply because we have more depth up front," Bowman said. "We've got some different combinations (that) are going to give us a chance to be competitive this season."
So what can fans expect out of these new additions?
Well, in the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Strome, you've got a 21-year-old center who can score (104 goals in his last three seasons in juniors), win faceoffs (58 percent this season) and possesses impressive instincts.
Strome has just 48 NHL games under his belt, but he put together an impressive 22-goal, 31-assist campaign for the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners in 50 games last season.
"You can look at all of our guys who make it through our system to come to Chicago, they weren't able to do that at that age," Bowman said of Strome being a point-a-game player in the AHL.
Although Bowman knew there was no way the Hawks could draft Strome, he's had his eye on him for quite a while.
"He was a dominant player in the OHL," Bowman said. "We've known his talent for a long time and sometimes those guys just need a change of scenery. That's sort of the cliché thing. But there's a lot of truth to that.
"Really excited for what he brings to the table. His talent level is unquestioned."
The 6-3, 211-pound Perlini can absolutely fly and proved during his first two seasons that he can score as well, piling up 14 goals in 2016-17 and 17 more last season.
Perlini has managed just 2 goals this year in 22 games, however. He said his inconsistent play mirrored that of the team.
"We would play five or six games really good, then we'd go on a losing streak, then back on a winning streak," Perlini said after practice Monday. "As a player, it's hard to find consistency when the games are going like that."
Whether this moves sends a perform-or-else message to the rest of the Hawks is open for debate. Bowman said that wasn't the motivation behind the deal.
"The message is we're just trying to get better," he said. "We're trying to make this a stronger group, and I think we're sitting here today with two players that strengthens our top-nine forwards.
"The message would be we're here to make your jobs easier."
By the numbers
<b>Dylan Strome career stats</b>Season, team GP G A Pts.
2013-14, Erie* 60 10 29 39
2014-15, Erie* 68 45 84 129
2015-16, Erie* 56 37 74 111
2016-17, Erie* 35 22 53 75
2016-17, Arizona 7 0 1 1
2017-18, Arizona 21 4 5 9
2017-18, Tucson** 50 22 31 53
2018-19, Arizona 20 3 3 6
NHL totals 48 7 9 16
<b>Brendan Perlini career stats</b>Season, team GP G A Pts.
2012-13, (2 teams)* 59 8 4 12
2013-14, Niagara* 58 34 37 71
2014-15, Niagara* 43 26 34 60
2015-16, Niagara* 57 25 20 45
2016-17, Arizona 57 14 7 21
2016-17, Tucson** 17 14 5 19
2017-18, Arizona 74 17 13 30
2018-19, Arizona 22 2 4 6
NHL totals 153 33 24 57
<b>Nick Schmaltz stats with Hawks</b>Season, team GP G A Pts.
2016-17, Hawks 61 6 22 28
2017-18, Hawks 78 21 31 52
2018-19, Hawks 23 2 9 11
NHL totals 162 29 62 91
* OHL (juniors); ** AHL