Quote:
Originally Posted by East Coast Flame
Having Kane, Toews and Keith on their entry level deals allowed the Hawks to sign Hossa in 09-10 and win the cup.
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Keith wasn't on his entry level deal, he was on his second contract.
Besides, they won with all four of those guys making big money last year. It's not that your stars have to be on their ELC's, it's that you have to have a mixture of ELC's and big contracts.
Chicago was 10th in the West the year Toews and Kane debuted, and 13th the year before that (the exact same place Calgary was in last year). That's not to say that a rise this year to 10th in the west, and then deep into the playoff the next two years is even remotely likely, but it IS possible. Chicago had he luxury of a few more years in the depths to build up their prospects, but careful drafting and proper development can go a long way.
We're concerned about burning a year of his ELC, but there will be other important pieces on ELC when the time comes, and hell, even Monahan could be on the last year of his ELC when we make a push. It's not like it hasn't happened before.
Sending him down is a contract decision, nothing more. He's doing well right now, and he'll likely fall off a bit, but there's nothing to learn from the OHL once you know you can play in the NHL.