A LOT of moving parts here...earlier this week we found out that Marian Hossa will be put on the long term IR (injured reserve) due to a severe skin condition he's been battling for years.
Then we lose 'The Bread Man' Artemi Panarin and Taylor Motte...
And THEN we lose Niklas Hjalmarsson who's been a Hawk for ten years!
In a way, the trades we necessary, we picked up another goaltender after losing a gem in Scott Darling. We desperately needed to fill the shoes of Hossa with some Forwards, and then you have the whole salary cap dilemma and the only way to make room is take younger players for less money.
With all the negativity I've seen on the internet around these trades, I am VERY excited to have my boy Brandon Saad back in the lineup. Two cups under his belt and still a lot of hockey left for him to play. We got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs two years in a row...it was time for a shake up.