Plenty of work ahead for Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks
The clock is ticking louder and louder for the Blackhawks and their free agents.
With the draft set for Oct. 6-7, and free agency on Oct. 9, it would be nice for Stan Bowman and Co. to have a clearer picture of what their 2020-21 roster will look like sooner rather than later.
"I would say that's fair," Bowman said during a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday. "Sometimes things take time, and as much as you'd like to do them on your own timeline, it doesn't work that way. There are two sides to a negotiation."
The biggest unsigned names are goalie Corey Crawford, forwards Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Strome and Drake Caggiula, and defenseman Slater Koekkoek. Crawford is an unrestricted free agent, while Caggiula, Kubalik and Koekkoek are restricted free agents with arbitration rights, and Strome is just an RFA.
According to SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman, Crawford and the Hawks were "not seeing eye to eye on the dollar value" of a new contract. Bowman wouldn't give much of a comment on the situation, other than to say he's "always an optimist" and that "we're realistic that it's a possibility, but that's not what we're focused on."
Something better get done soon, though, or expect the Hawks to move in a different direction.
Bowman also needs some clarity on everyone else so he knows how to attack free agency.
"The sooner you can do things it gives you the ability to plan out the next season a little bit better," he said. "Our job is to be planning on several different fronts. We're never just assuming one thing's going to happen. ...
"We have a lot of contingent plans in place. It's going to have to resolve itself in the coming week or two."
Thoughts on Pirri:
The Hawks' decision to trade Dylan Sikura on Monday didn't shock too many people. After all, Sikura never established himself as a consistent NHL player and probably needed a change of scenery.
So Stan Bowman shipped Sikura to Vegas for Brandon Pirri, whom the Hawks drafted 57th overall in 2009 with hopes he'd develop into a second-line center. That never transpired, though, and Pirri has bounced around the league since 2014.
He does have 72 goals in 275 NHL games and could give the Hawks some much-needed scoring further down the lineup.
"He's got an elite shot," Bowman said. "He's transitioned more to be a winger now, and I think he's just shown some more maturity. He understands how to contribute - maybe not always the way you draw it up in your mind - but it takes players some time to get through that.
"I know he's still hungry to prove he can be an NHL player. He's also got a great attitude."
On loan:
The Hawks have loaned a half-dozen players to overseas teams over the past six weeks. They are forwards Brandon Hagel, Tim Soderlund, Pius Suter, Philipp Kurashev, Michal Teply and Matej Chalupa.
Stan Bowman said a player's agent typically reaches out to the Hawks, and they then attempt to find a good match.
"There's some young players that really want to play - even if it means leaving North America to a new country and to a team they don't know about," Bowman said. "Other guys would prefer to focus on their training, work on their strength, work on their individual skill work. ...
"In these instances, their agents have been seeking it out and they've come to us with questions. We support it and we work with that team."