Hawks not expected to tender qualifying offers to two top six forwards and both would be exceptional fits in Toronto
It is well known that the Hawks are entering a full-blown rebuild and that they want to strip the team down to the studs, so to speak. The surprising thing with this rebuild is their willingness to part with young, core players like Brandon Hagel, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. All of these players are in their early or mid-twenties and could be pieces to rebuild the team around.
Alex DeBrincat headlines the list of Hawks players that have surfaced on the rumour mill, but 26-year old Dominik Kubalik and 25-year old Dylan Strome, both pending RFAs, are intriguing trade candidates. The problem they're going to run into is that the Hawks have made it known they likely won't be qualifying either player, which makes them hard to trade, since they can essentially be had for only cap dollars next week. As a result, the Hawks will get very little for either player, if anything at all.
Kubalik had success a couple of seasons ago playing on a line with David Kampf. Perhaps reuniting the pair in Toronto can work wonders for the Leafs. Meanwhile Strome, a Toronto native, is someone who has shown flashes of his talent that made him a top 5 pick, but has been rather inconsistent. Maybe a return to his roots and the motivation of playing at home can help him to develop some better habits to help him find consistency.
Both players, regardless of whether it is through trade or free agency, would help bolster the Leafs' forward group and Dubas should certainly inquire about both. With Kubalik, the Leafs would be adding some much needed size to their top 9. Strome on the other hand, would allow the Leafs to experiment with moving the slower John Tavares to the wing with Strome between him and William Nylander. It is also worth noting that Tavares is very close with Strome's elder brother, Ryan - who, coincidentally, is a free agent this summer as well.
Both players will be on the lower end of salary expectations given the fact that their production has dropped. Still, it may make more sense for Kyle Dubas to make an offer on Strome, who is likely to be qualified by whoever trades for him, but wait for the older Kubalik to hit free agency before he touches base.
| POLL | ||
7 JUILLET | 24 ANSWERS Hawks not expected to tender qualifying offers to two top six forwards and both would be exceptional fits in Toronto Which of these two Blackhawks forwards would you like to see land in Toronto? | ||
| Dylan Strome | 6 | 25 % |
| Dominik Kubalik | 5 | 20.8 % |
| Both | 6 | 25 % |
| Neither | 7 | 29.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
