Who plays 2C next year?

so, its early, but so far we have 2 votes for each of 4 choices and 1 vote for Bolly.

unlikely with the ‘Hawks cap situation and the FA class is limited, so my guess will be Frolik if nothing more than the teams’ attempt to get Sharpie back at LW.

There certainly would be more options to throw around if Madden or Drury came along though.

Alex Tanguay playing LW with Toews and Kane, Brooks Laich centering Sharp and Hossa, Bolland centering Lord Byron and Frolik, and Konopka centering Smith and Dowell…

tho i think just an ok guy (not a “true #2 center”, but a decent veteran) could make hay between Sharp and Hossa.’

My thinking on Sharp: Keslord is everybody’s drool-worthy prototype #2.

But if I had one game I had to win (like tomorrow), I think I’d rather have Sharp.

 
My issues with each of the suggested lineups (top two FW lines)
 
Diomedes7: Frolik is in no universe (that I want to live in) the solution. I’m assuming you might not follow the Hawks too closely, so thanks for at least getting the ball rolling. The Hawks have had this problem for a few years, so I think they can continue to be successful with a pseudo-2C, but Frolik appears to not even be that. Plus, he was successful on the 3rd line and lacks the size and/or playmaking ability the Hawks ideally need to add there.

Kyle321N and snibbodmot: I’ve thought about Tanguay too, but he’s not very big and not physical at all. Ideally not the solution to take some pressure off of Toews and Kane. He had success this year next to Iggy, but it sounds like he’d like to stay in Calgary. He’d also have to play on the top 2 lines, so if Sharp stayed at LW, the Hawks would have no PWs on the top lines. Not good. Even if Sharp was the 2C, I don’t like the dynamic of the top lines. Defense is lacking in 3 of 6 spots.

I would love to see Laich at 2C. He’s got size, can be somewhat physical and is coming into his own. The big question is, does Washington want to let him go? If they lose him, they’re in the same boat as the Hawks, with a very limited FA pool.

And enough everyone with this talk that he’s not a true center. He’s taken between 500-700 draws every season except for one (5 of 6 seasons) and his FO% has consistently been around 50%. It would be a luxury to have him at C with another competent FO man in Sharp at his wing. I think Brooks is the best solution IMO, but getting him – and he’s gonna want at least $3M like snibbodmot wrote – is going to be the main issue.

FrankStallone: I like the thinking on Morin. He’s proven he can play at every level so far, but he’s still very young (just turned 20) and has some filling out to do. If he has a good training camp and his brain’s not still fried, 2nd line LW may be the best fit for him. Unfortunately for that solution, Q is magically going to have to like rookies who he typically makes earn their stripes on the bottom lines.

No thanks to Arnott. Sure, he’s big – actually, that’s all I got. He never survives a full season, he’s old and has been declining rapidly over the past few years, and is getting wildly inconsistent at the dot (and he’s never been exceptional there anyhow). No way he gets $4.5M and I don’t even think he’d be a good pickup at $2.5M. Hawks don’t need two injury-prone centers on the 2nd and 3rd lines.

IMO none of these solutions address the needs of the team – a more permanent 2C and a PF on the 1st or 2nd line.
So there’s probably three ways the Hawks could go:

Option 1: Sharp moves to 2C
In this scenario, Hawks likely keep and slot Brouwer at 1 or 2 LW and pick up an establish PW. With the way he’s been handled over past two seasons, I’m not sure they go this route unless no other options exist. And they definitely wouldn’t slot Morin and Brouwer to fill those roles together. Way too many question marks.
Regardless, if they can re-sign him around $1.5M, TBrouwer is a great guy to have on the roster. VERSATILE!

Option 2: Sharp stays at wing
With an established LW in Sharp, Hawks could chose to go with bodies already in the system at 2nd line LW and concentrate on 2C. The big issue is finding one. Aside from Laich via free agency, they’d have to trade assets and then my guess is as good as anyone’s since anything could happen.

But what if the Hawks had someone already in the system? Someone who was a true center, had experience at 2C, and even makes 2C money. Does this player exist??

I think it’s very likely the Hawks move Bolland to 2C, pickup a cheaper 3C (and possibly a big experienced 4C) and spend the money on a PF. They’ll keep Brouwer at the right price and start him off on the 4th line.This option frees up more cash to fill in a lot more holes without dumping a core member or overpaying for a temp solution. Hawks are a two-way, “defense produces offense” team. This option solidifies all lines as two-way threats.

So the question for me is, who are the PF and 3C? The 2C for the situation that currently exists has been there all along.

Under the current CBA, if the NHL’s gross revenues meet or exceed $2.1 billion, the salary cap goes up an automatic 5%. It can go higher at the league’s discretion of the revenue exceeds that number.

Figure the cap will be at $62,370,000, unless the new TV deal brings more windfall.

That being said, unless a “core” player is traded, or all of the UFA/RFAs they have agree to homer discounts/static pay, no free agent second line center will be signed. Gonna need like $2.5-3MM to make that happen for a Brooks Laich.

I think Brouwer and Johnson gone at a minimum is how you create cap space for a FA.

Toews/Kane/Sharp 16.5MM
FA/Hossa/Frolik 7MM + FA
Bolland/Bickell/Smith 4.73MM
Madden/Kopecky/Stalberg 3MM

Keith/Seabrook 11.34MM
Campbell/Hammer 10.65MM
Campoli/Leddy/Scott/Hendry (if room) 2.61MM

Crawford/Salak 3.27MM

Assumes 1.75 for Frolik, 1.5 for Kopy, 700K for Madden (per Jesse Rogers’ blog), Hendry at 600K, Campoli at 1.5, and Stalberg at 800K

Leaves $3.27MM with 22 players. Figure $2.5MM at best for a FA center to leave some room.