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Free Agency Has Started, Here’s What To Expect From The Bulls

By
Patrick Mooney
-
bulls insider suggests michael reinsdorf fire gar forman john paxson

The Bulls won’t be major players this summer, but they still have an itinerary to follow to keep the rebuild moving in the right direction. How much action will we see from them in the coming weeks?

Well, here’s a glimpse of their roster situation:

GUARANTEED CONTRACTS

  1. Robin Lopez- $14.35M
  2. Omer Asik- $11.28M
  3. Cristiano Felicio- $8.47M
  4. Lauri Markkanen- $4.53M
  5. Justin Holliday- $4.38M
  6. Kris Dunn- $4.22M
  7. Cameron Payne- $3.26M
  8. Jerian Grant- $2.63M
  9. Bobby Portis- $2.49M
  10. Denzel Valentine- $2.28M

ROOKIE CAP HOLDS

  • Wendell Carter Jr.- $4.4M
  • Chandler Hutchison- $1.97M

NON-GUARANTEED CONTRACTS

  • Sean Kilpatrick- $2.05M
  • Paul Zipser- $1.54M

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

  • Zach LaVine
  • David Nwaba
  • Noah Vonleh

Active Roster Cap (Including Rookie Cap Holds): $64,312,296 (12 players)

NBA Salary Cap: $101,869,000

Remaining Cap Space: $37,556,704

The Bulls are expected to waive Paul Zipser at some point, but Sean Kilpatrick is expecting the Bulls to keep him around.

With Kilpatrick in the fold, that leaves two open roster spots and more than $35M to spend. The biggest question for the Bulls, which has been discussed ad nauseum, is what to do with restricted free agent Zach LaVine.

Lavine responded to this tweet, making it pretty obvious he doesn’t agree with what Friedell, and possibly the Bulls, think he’s worth.

The Atlanta Hawks have joined the Sacramento Kings as an interested bidder for LaVine. If more teams start to show interest, his price tag will rise and that’s the worst-case scenario for the Bulls this offseason.

Ideally, the Bulls will be able to sign LaVine at the $15M a year price tag that they value him at and retain David Nwaba at $4-5M a season. That maxes out the roster with $15M of cap space leftover while keeping the core intact.

Zach LaVine is a mystery, but high risks sometimes yield high rewards. Keeping LaVine in Chicago should be priority #1 for the Bulls this summer.

 

 

 

Cleveland, of All Places, Could Help the Bears Pass Rush Issue

By
Erik Lambert
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bears pass rush

The Chicago Bears pass rush ranks first in terms of team enigmas going into 2018. Last season their top 10 defense registered 42 sacks total. This despite none of their rushers managing to reach double digits. While that gives some hope that things will be okay, it’s worth noting that three men responsible for more than a third of those sacks are gone. Pernell McPhee and Willie Young were cut. Lamarr Houston left in free agency.

Leonard Floyd is still in place, but after that, it gets a bit dicey. Former 49ers linebacker Aaron Lynch had back-to-back seasons of six sacks in 2014 and 2015 but hasn’t done much of anything since. Sam Acho is a decent backup but already in his 30s. Kasim Edebali is a journeyman. Isaiah Irving was an undrafted free agent last season with limited playing experience.

That just leaves rookie sixth round pick Kylie Fitts who had a number of injury concerns at Utah that clearly impacted his effectiveness. There are a lot of question marks. This leads one to think the Bears might not be done adding to the position, provided some interesting names become available. One that they should be following is third-year man Carl Nassib.

Carl Nassib may not solve but could help Bears pass rush

It’s clear the Cleveland Browns are trying to escape the Sashi Brown era as quickly as possible. Being a former draft pick of that now unemployed GM, Nassib is not exactly a favorite in Cleveland these days. Pat McManamon of ESPN believes his spot on the roster is far from guaranteed and that the Browns may cut their losses within the next two months or so.

“Injuries to Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah meant that Nassib started 12 games in 2017. His most memorable play was when he lined up offside in Chicago, negating an interception return for a touchdown by Garrett. Ogbah’s return to health combined with the drafting of Chad Thomas puts Nassib, a third-round pick in 2016, at risk of not making the roster.”

Nassib was a fascinating prospect coming out of Penn State in 2016. Scouts and experts loved his motor, his 6’6 size, and 34-inch arms and good instincts. Mike Mayock even compared him to Jared Allen. The one problem was his technique. It was clear coming out of college that he had talent but also a limited understanding of what being an NFL pass rusher requires, especially from a fundamentals standpoint.

Cleveland may not be willing to wait any longer for him to come around. This despite evidence of progress last season. Though he had just three sacks, Nassib did apply pressure on the quarterback on a number of occasions. He just hasn’t quite figured out how to finish. Yet.

That said he’s only 25-years old. There is still plenty of time for him to keep learning and growing. Given his general lack of body mass but positive length, he may actually be a better fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio loves pass rushers with his sort of traits, even at the cost of some athleticism. He’s also known for elevating players who might’ve been misused or underappreciated elsewhere.

One name to recall is Jeff Posey.

The former edge rusher spent the first four seasons of his career as a part-time backup in San Francisco, Jacksonville, and Carolina. He never had more than two sacks in a season during that time. He arrived under Fangio in 2002 and promptly broke out for eight sacks that year. That turned into a nice contract from Buffalo.

If he can do it for a former undrafted free agent from Southern Miss like Posey, why can’t Fangio do it for a former third round pick from Penn State like Nassib? The Bears have every reason to find out if the Browns do indeed cut him loose before the regular season.

Stan Bowman May Have Sealed His Fate With Lackluster Opening To Free Agency

By
Tony Gianares
-

Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks made a splash in Free Agency today with 3 signings, but it was lackluster, to say the least. Chris Kunitz is a 38-year-old 4th line forward, Cam Ward is a 34-year-old backup goalie who is going to earn $3 million, and Brandon Manning is yet another 3rd line defenseman to add to the pack of slackers.

Then, to make matters even worse, StanBo decided to hand out yet ANOTHER No Trade Clause to the new 34-year-old backup goalie, Cam Ward.

This aging Blackhawks team just got a hell of a lot older and not much better. If anything, you can make a case that the team actually got worse with these signings. StanBo may have just sealed his own fate with this latest free agency stunt.

Scott Powers of The Athletic recently reported that the Blackhawks are done making moves for the day.

What Does Free Agency Mean for the Future?

Although NHL Free Agency just started at 11 am CST, StanBo has already crushed my hopes for next season. My outlook on the 2018-19 season went from cautiously optimistic to “Are you f***ing kidding me?!” real quick.

Will Ferrell Crying GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

There are a couple moves that StanBo & Co. can do to somewhat make up for this absolute joke of a start to Free Agency.

Option #1: Trade Marian Hossa’s contract to a team looking to get to the NHL Salary Cap floor, such as the Arizona Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, or Florida Panthers. The Coyotes have taken on contracts in the past. Vancouver has a criminally high amount of cap space over the next few seasons, so many teams will be contacting the Canucks for some salary cap relief. Florida has a lot of young players with cap-friendly deals and has some wiggle room with their salary cap situation.

Option #2: Another option would be to find a trade partner for Artem Anisimov. After seeing some of the deals that players have gotten so far in the 2018 Free Agency period, Anisimov’s once large contract actually becomes more reasonable.

Let’s hope that Day 2 of Free Agency turns out better than Day 1. For my sake and the rest of Blackhawks Nation’s sanity. Dear Stan, let’s come up with a better plan.

The Bears RBs Dominated at RPOs in 2017 and Why That’s Big Now

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears running backs
Credit: AP

The Chicago Bears running backs have been lost in the shuffle of late. This isn’t surprising. Most of the team’s offseason moves were geared around helping Mitch Trubisky in the passing game. Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton bolstered the receiving and tight end positions respectively.

Yet make no mistake. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen remain the focal point of this offense. In fact, they could become even more devastating in 2018. Not so much because of the new weapons around them, but because of the new system they’re set to play in under head coach Matt Nagy. One that will feature a substantial increase of RPOs.

Before going into depth here, it’s important to clarify for those who don’t understand the basis of an “RPO.” What exactly is it? It is an acronym for a form of offense called run-pass option. The run-pass option is a crafty alignment with a clear aim: to isolate a defender who has both run and pass responsibilities. The quarterback reads what he’s going to do. If it’s a pass rush, he hands the ball to the running back. If it’s a crash to stop the run, he keeps it and looks for an open receiver.

When executed properly, it can be one of the hardest things in football to defend. This was especially true for the Bears last year when they bothered to try.

Chicago Bears running backs were devastating out of RPO formations

Think about that. Howard and Cohen were so effective out of run-pass option plays that they averaged a full two yards more per carry than the next closest team on the list. This despite having a rookie quarterback in Trubisky making the reads and doing the handoffs. Defenses knew they didn’t have to fear Trubisky’s passes as much but they still couldn’t stop it.

Part of the reason for this success was a mixture of Cohen’s speed and quickness along with Howard’s outstanding vision and decisiveness. Their ability to find the gaps and exploit them was evident all year. Yet Trubisky does deserve some credit. While he struggled passing out of RPO formations (just 3.4 yards per attempt) he was a legitimate threat as a runner himself in those situations.

So why is it such a big deal that Nagy is in charge? Put simply his offense loves to utilize the run-pass option. Alex Smith and Kareem Hunt used it to devastating effect at times in 2017. As a team, the Chiefs ran the ball 222 times out of the shotgun formation, which is often an RPO situation. They posted 5.2 yards per carry for the season and scored 10 touchdowns. That’s outstanding production.

Given the backfield the Bears have, the growing experience of Trubisky and now passing weapons that won’t allow defenses to stack the box? It’s possible 2018 could see them trample opponents with the run-pass option attack. All they need is somebody who’s willing to make it a featured part of the offense. That is where Nagy and his staff come in.

New Bears WRs Possess a Key Trait That Can Fix Team’s Biggest Flaw

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears wide receivers

There are many facets of successful offensive football in the NFL. Converting on 3rd down is a big one. Managing the clock is another. However, easily one of the most important that never gets enough attention is red zone execution. Nothing can prove more dangerous or even disheartening to an offense than constantly getting close to the end zone but never being able to punch it in for touchdowns. So what does this have to do with the Chicago Bears receivers?

Red zone performance was a persistent problem for the Bears in 2017. Most of their success at scoring from inside the opposing 20 and 10-yard lines came from their excellent running game spearheaded by Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. It was throwing the football that continued to haunt them. The congested conditions and lack of imaginative scheming played a part.

Perhaps the biggest drawback was how ineffective their receivers were in that part of the field. As a team, the Bears threw 78 passes in the red zone in 2017. Only 44 of those were completed. Just six of those completions went to wide receivers. According to SharpFootballStats.com, the team ran 20 total offensive plays with their receivers as the go-to targets. Only four of those plays were deemed “successful.”

By contrast, the world champion Philadelphia Eagles were outstanding in the red zone. Out of 45 plays run towards their primary three receivers, 17 were considered successful and resulted in 12 touchdowns. That’s a major reason why they were so hard to defend.

Chicago Bears wide receivers overhaul was directed at this issue

So what could Chicago do to fix the problem? Simply saying find better receivers is not the point. Finding the right receivers is. While it’s obvious the Bears found talent with their additions in free agency and the draft, if one looks closer they’ll notice that the majority of them share a particular trait:  effectiveness in the red zone.

Just look at Allen Robinson alone. Between 2015 and 2016, the former Jacksonville Jaguars star caught 20 touchdown passes in total. No fewer than 18 of them were caught inside the red zone. Memphis had 23 touchdown passes in that area in 2017 alone. Considering Anthony Miller caught 18 total that season, one has to imagine a large chunk of them were from inside the 20.

What brings this home is how this could impact Mitch Trubisky. Despite his struggles in 2017 as a rookie, he was outstanding in the red zone with 13 completing including four touchdowns and just one interception. His 48.15 completion percentage was a bit rough but this can be attributed to his limited options at receiver.

So what will happen now that the Bears appear to have solved that issue? If things progress as expected, one can say quite big things. Buckle up.

Blackhawks’ 2018 Free Agent Wish List

By
Tony Gianares
-

Most fans are well aware of the Blackhawks’ shortcomings last season and there are tons of holes on the roster. The core group of players is also getting up there in age. Jonathan Toews is 30 years old, Patrick Kane is 29 years old, Duncan Keith is 34 years old, Brent Seabrook is 33 years old, and Corey Crawford is 33 years old with major injury concerns.

The window to win a Stanley Cup with this group is rapidly closing. 2018 NHL Free Agency officially starts Sunday, July 1st and it could be the last chance to squeeze one more Stanley Cup out of these guys.

The defense was the biggest problem area last season. Besides Keith and Seabrook, there were really no other solid options. The team’s struggles really boil down to a combination of two things, a lack of experience and poor performance across the board.

In my opinion, the team is not going anywhere next season if StanBo and the rest of the management team do not make a splash in free agency. Here is the latest rumor about the Blackhawks’ free agency plans.

2018 Offseason Priorities

In a previous article, I had talked about the Blackhawks’ 2018 offseason priorities. I think it is pretty obvious that defense will be the top priority this offseason. This will be the first season in a long time where the Blackhawks will have some wiggle room with the salary cap.

The NHL Salary Cap has been set at $79.5 million this season which is up from $75 million the previous season.

The Blackhawks will have $9.2 million in cap space and could possibly free up an additional $5.275 million if they are able to unload Marian Hossa’s contract to a team looking to get to the NHL salary cap floor. This would leave them with approximately $14.475 million in cap space.

Top Offensive UFA Free Agent Targets For Blackhawks

Paul Stastny (C)

Paul Stastny is the next best thing after John Tavares. Stastny led the Winnipeg Jets to a deep playoff run in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. He is a 13-year veteran who brings leadership and plays a solid two-way game. I would pair Stastny up with Kane and DeBrincat on the 2nd line. Stastny can also win faceoffs which is something the Blackhawks have struggled with in recent history. He is 32 years old and this will likely be his last big payday. I estimate his value to be somewhere between $5-6.5 million AAV.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot   Ice                        Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%   TOI  ATOI  FO%          Awards
2006-07    21 COL NHL  82   28   50  78   4  42 15.1  1490      18:10        Calder-2
2007-08    22 COL NHL  66   24   47  71  22  24 17.4  1391 21:05 51.0 Byng-15Selke-26
2008-09    23 COL NHL  45   11   25  36  -9  22  9.3   956 21:14                 51.8
2009-10    24 COL NHL  81   20   59  79   2  50 10.1  1733 21:24 50.0  Byng-33Hart-23
2010-11    25 COL NHL  74   22   35  57  -7  56 12.2  1460 19:44                 53.1
2011-12    26 COL NHL  79   21   32  53  -8  34 11.1  1488 18:50                 55.4
2012-13    27 COL NHL  40    9   15  24  -7  14 10.3   774 19:21                 52.4
2013-14    28 COL NHL  71   25   35  60   9  22 16.7  1306 18:24 54.1        Selke-16
2014-15    29 STL NHL  74   16   30  46   5  40 11.2  1304 17:38                 58.3
2015-16    30 STL NHL  64   10   39  49   3  26  9.7  1226 19:09                 56.1
2016-17    31 STL NHL  66   18   22  40   4  36 16.1  1263 19:08                 55.7
2017-18    32 TOT NHL  82   16   37  53   1  18 10.1  1501 18:18                 54.9
2017-18    32 STL NHL  63   12   28  40  -5  14  8.9  1177 18:41                 55.2
2017-18    32 WPG NHL  19    4    9  13   6   4 16.7   324 17:02                 53.8
Career            NHL 824  220  426 646  19 384 12.5 15893 19:17                 53.9

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

James Neal (RW)

James Neal is a power forward who is basically a lock to score 20+ goals every season. Neal plays a relatively balanced two-way game. This would be a plus since the Blackhawks struggled defensively last season. With Neal, you get an 11 year veteran with playoff experience who also fills a leadership role anywhere he plays. Neal would complement Toews and Saad on the 1st line. He is 30 years old with some tread still left on the tires. Neal will most likely be asking for something in the $5-7 million AAV range.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot   Ice                    Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%   TOI  ATOI           Awards
2008-09    21 DAL NHL  77   24   13  37 -11  51 14.0  1222 15:52        Calder-17
2009-10    22 DAL NHL  78   27   28  55  -5  64 13.5  1419                  18:12
2010-11    23 TOT NHL  79   22   23  45   7  66 10.4  1382                  17:30
2010-11    23 DAL NHL  59   21   18  39   8  60 13.1  1044                  17:42
2010-11    23 PIT NHL  20    1    5   6  -1   6  1.9   338                  16:54
2011-12    24 PIT NHL  80   40   41  81   6  87 12.2  1531 19:08  AS-1AS-3Hart-22
2012-13    25 PIT NHL  40   21   15  36   5  26 15.4   699 17:28 AS-8AS-16Byng-62
2013-14    26 PIT NHL  59   27   34  61  15  55 11.3  1089                  18:27
2014-15    27 NSH NHL  67   23   14  37  12  57 10.4  1212                  18:05
2015-16    28 NSH NHL  82   31   27  58  27  65 11.6  1564 19:04    AS-11Selke-23
2016-17    29 NSH NHL  70   23   18  41 -10  35 11.4  1239                  17:42
2017-18    30 VEG NHL  71   25   19  44 -11  24 12.4  1219                  17:11
Career            NHL 703  263  232 495  35 530 12.1 12575                  17:53

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

David Perron (LW)

David Perron is a playmaking winger who finished the 2017-18 season with career highs in assists (50) and points (66). Perron does not bring much to the table on the defensive end of the ice as he has a career 2 +/- rating. I believe he would fit well as a 2nd line or 3rd line scorer. Perron is 30 years old and will likely be asking to be compensated handsomely for setting career highs in Las Vegas last season. I would set his price tag between $4.5-6.5 million AAV.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot   Ice          Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%   TOI  ATOI Awards
2007-08    19 STL NHL  62   13   14  27  16  38 19.1   778        12:33
2008-09    20 STL NHL  81   15   35  50  13  50  9.3  1177        14:32
2009-10    21 STL NHL  82   20   27  47 -10  60 12.0  1325        16:09
2010-11    22 STL NHL  10    5    2   7   7  12 17.2   184        18:25
2011-12    23 STL NHL  57   21   21  42  19  28 18.4  1042 18:17  AS-20
2012-13    24 STL NHL  48   10   15  25   0  44 11.9   864        18:00
2013-14    25 EDM NHL  78   28   29  57 -16  90 12.7  1492        19:08
2014-15    26 TOT NHL  81   17   24  41 -25  62  8.7  1404        17:20
2014-15    26 EDM NHL  38    5   14  19 -17  20  6.8   646        17:00
2014-15    26 PIT NHL  43   12   10  22  -8  42  9.8   758        17:37
2015-16    27 TOT NHL  71   12   24  36  -1  62  8.2  1080        15:13
2015-16    27 PIT NHL  43    4   12  16 -13  28  4.2   665        15:28
2015-16    27 ANA NHL  28    8   12  20  12  34 15.7   415        14:49
2016-17    28 STL NHL  82   18   28  46  -2  54 11.9  1418        17:18
2017-18    29 VEG NHL  70   16   50  66   1  50 12.8  1247        17:49
Career            NHL 722  175  269 444   2 550 12.0 12011        16:38

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Riley Nash (C)

Riley Nash had a great season last year for the Boston Bruins. He is 29 years old and set career highs in goals (15), assists (26), points (41), and had a 16 +/- rating. He is more of a 3rd line or 4th line player who plays a similar game to former Blackhawk Marcus Kruger. Nash wins faceoffs at a 48.4% clip for his career. I would estimate his asking price to be somewhere in the $2.5-4 million AAV range.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot  Ice        Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%  TOI  ATOI  FO%
2011-12    22 CAR NHL   5    0    1   1   1   2  0.0   53 10:34 31.4
2012-13    23 CAR NHL  32    4    5   9  -4   8 11.1  410 12:48 44.3
2013-14    24 CAR NHL  73   10   14  24   0  29 11.6  925 12:40 45.9
2014-15    25 CAR NHL  68    8   17  25 -10  12  8.5 1109 16:19 50.9
2015-16    26 CAR NHL  64    9   13  22  -5  18 11.8  829 12:57 49.5
2016-17    27 BOS NHL  81    7   10  17  -1  14  5.6 1118 13:48 49.1
2017-18    28 BOS NHL  76   15   26  41  16  18 13.3 1171 15:25 48.4
Career            NHL 399   53   86 139  -3 101 10.0 5615 14:04 48.4

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Jay Beagle (C)

Jay Beagle is 32 years old and a 3rd or 4th line center who consistently wins faceoffs. Beagle plays a solid two-way game. He is not necessarily flashy or sexy, but he would shore up the team’s defensive shortcomings and mentor the younger players. I estimate his value around $2.5-3.5 million AAV.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot  Ice                 Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%  TOI  ATOI  FO%   Awards
2008-09    23 WSH NHL   3    0    0   0  -3   2  0.0   23  7:36          38.5
2009-10    24 WSH NHL   7    1    1   2  -1   2 10.0   65  9:16          54.8
2010-11    25 WSH NHL  31    2    1   3  -2   8  7.4  326 10:30          55.2
2011-12    26 WSH NHL  41    4    1   5  -2  23  8.2  486 11:51          57.7
2012-13    27 WSH NHL  48    2    6   8  -1  14  3.6  581 12:06          56.1
2013-14    28 WSH NHL  62    4    5   9  -9  28  6.7  697 11:15          51.7
2014-15    29 WSH NHL  62   10   10  20   6  20 11.9  794 12:49          56.5
2015-16    30 WSH NHL  57    8    9  17   0  24 10.8  799 14:01          58.1
2016-17    31 WSH NHL  81   13   17  30  20  22 13.0 1104 13:38 56.4 Selke-24
2017-18    32 WSH NHL  79    7   15  22   3  16 10.8  983 12:27          58.5
Career            NHL 471   51   65 116  11 159  9.6 5858 12:26          56.4

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Top Defensive UFA Free Agent Targets For Blackhawks

There are not too many top options available via free agency this year, but here are some of my favorite options for the Blackhawks. Any of these guys would be a welcome addition to the team.

Calvin de Haan

Calvin de Haan is a steady Top 4 defenseman that the Blackhawks desperately need. De Haan is 27 years old. He plays a physical game and he is not afraid to block a shot. De Haan is coming off of a shoulder injury which could play into the Blackhawks’ hands as he will likely come with a discounted price tag. I am estimating his value to be around $4-6 million AAV.

                          Scor Scor        Scor  Ice                   Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM  TOI  ATOI HIT BLK  TK  GV
2011-12    20 NYI NHL   1    0    0   0   1   0   13 13:01   2   0   0   0
2013-14    22 NYI NHL  51    3   13  16  -7  30 1072 21:01 114 104  30  34
2014-15    23 NYI NHL  65    1   11  12   3  24 1236 19:01 140 130  19  44
2015-16    24 NYI NHL  72    2   14  16   3  20 1486 20:38 128 198  19  57
2016-17    25 NYI NHL  82    5   20  25  15  36 1628 19:51 139 190  24  53
2017-18    26 NYI NHL  33    1   11  12  11   8  619 18:45  45  65  14  24
Career            NHL 304   12   69  81  26 118 6053 19:55 568 687 106 212

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Ian Cole

Ian Cole is 29 years old and a man’s man on defense. He is as steady as they come and also has playoff experience. Cole plays a physical game and will protect his goalie at all costs. The best thing is that he will not cost the Blackhawks an arm and a leg. I estimate his value to be in the $2.5-4 million AAV range.

                          Scor Scor        Scor  Ice                  Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM  TOI  ATOI HIT BLK TK  GV
2010-11    21 STL NHL  26    1    3   4   6  35  458 17:36  36  37  5  14
2011-12    22 STL NHL  26    1    5   6   7  22  414 15:55  16  27  5   8
2012-13    23 STL NHL  15    0    1   1  -4  10  266 17:45   6  22  1   5
2013-14    24 STL NHL  46    3    8  11  15  31  694 15:05  24  68  9   9
2014-15    25 TOT NHL  74    5   12  17  14  51 1183 15:59  73  99 12  23
2014-15    25 STL NHL  54    4    5   9  16  44  813 15:03  42  63  7  19
2014-15    25 PIT NHL  20    1    7   8  -2   7  370 18:29  31  36  5   4
2015-16    26 PIT NHL  70    0   12  12  -3  59 1207 17:14 122 122  8  32
2016-17    27 PIT NHL  81    5   21  26  26  72 1605 19:49 164 194 32  50
2017-18    28 TOT NHL  67    5   15  20  14  76 1191 17:47  95 116 21  27
2017-18    28 PIT NHL  47    3   10  13   3  52  828 17:37  69  91 10  20
2017-18    28 CBJ NHL  20    2    5   7  11  24  363 18:08  26  25 11   7
Career            NHL 405   20   77  97  75 356 7017 17:20 536 685 93 168

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

John Moore

John Moore is more of a stay-at-home defensive defenseman and has stepped up his game offensively over the past 3 seasons. The Blackhawks are definitely in the market for a guy like that. Moore would be a Top 6 defenseman for the Blackhawks. He is currently 27 years old and will be looking for a bit of a pay raise. I am estimating his value to be between $2.5-3.5 million AAV.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot  Ice                  Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%  TOI  ATOI HIT BLK TK  GV
2010-11    20 CBJ NHL   2    0    0   0   0        0   23 11:29   1   2  0   0
2011-12    21 CBJ NHL  67    2    5   7 -23   8  3.1 1060 15:49  47  70  4  13
2012-13    22 TOT NHL  30    1    6   7   4   7  3.4  400 13:20  38  32  3   4
2012-13    22 CBJ NHL  17    0    1   1  -5   2  0.0  247 14:31  18  14  1   2
2012-13    22 NYR NHL  13    1    5   6   9   5  6.7  153 11:46  20  18  2   2
2013-14    23 NYR NHL  74    4   11  15   7  25  3.5 1134 15:20  59  57  4  27
2014-15    24 TOT NHL  57    2    9  11  -4  30  2.6  929 16:18  77  52  7  23
2014-15    24 NYR NHL  38    1    5   6   7  19  1.8  574 15:06  51  34  2  18
2014-15    24 ARI NHL  19    1    4   5 -11  11  4.8  356 18:43  26  18  5   5
2015-16    25 NJD NHL  73    4   15  19 -12  28  3.8 1448 19:50  93  83 23  42
2016-17    26 NJD NHL  63   12   10  22  -7  39 11.8 1196 18:59  68  61  7  41
2017-18    27 NJD NHL  81    7   11  18   3  47  5.0 1621 20:01 135 105 17  48
Career            NHL 447   32   67  99 -32 184  5.0 7811 17:28 518 462 65 198

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Thomas Hickey

Thomas Hickey is 29 years old and is a solid two-way defenseman. Hickey is usually good for about 20 points per season and can also help the goalie out with his shot blocking ability. Hickey would be best suited for either the 2nd or 3rd line of defense. I would expect his pay rate to be in the $3.5-$5 AAV range.

                          Scor Scor        Scor Shot  Ice                   Ice
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM   S%  TOI  ATOI HIT BLK  TK  GV
2012-13    23 NYI NHL  39    1    3   4   9   8  2.5  658 16:52  27  47  13  17
2013-14    24 NYI NHL  82    4   18  22   5  34  4.2 1547 18:52  72 132  34  57
2014-15    25 NYI NHL  81    2   20  22 -12  26  2.4 1533 18:56 117 136  39  55
2015-16    26 NYI NHL  62    6   12  18   9  30 10.9 1079 17:24  65  90  18  41
2016-17    27 NYI NHL  76    4   16  20  -1  35  4.6 1331 17:31  89 103  16  43
2017-18    28 NYI NHL  69    5   20  25  20  24  5.7 1247 18:04  76 110  14  60
Career            NHL 409   22   89 111  30 157  4.9 7395 18:05 446 618 134 273

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

NHL Free Agency officially opens up on Sunday, July 1st at 11 AM CST. Let’s see if StanBo & Co. can make a meaningful signing or two.

Joe West Is Fighting The Strike Zone Tonight

By
Matt Enuco
-
Major League Umpire Joe West took centerstage on Saturday night as he singlehandedly dumbfounded both the White Sox and Texas Rangers. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America)

Major League Umpire Joe West is one of the most revered officials in baseball, but he must be suffering from double vision tonight. I give umpires much more slack than most and even umpires have bad days, but West singlehandedly derailed White Sox southpaw Carlos Rodon‘s beautiful start. 

Rodon cruised through the first three innings locating his fastball in all quadrants and sprinkling his slider where he needed to.

And when he reached the fourth with two outs and two on, Roughened Odor inexplicably took strike three for a walk. Next, a bases-clearing double ensued and Rodon’s lead evaporated.

Last week, when Yoan Moncada struck out on a pitch six inches off the plate down and in I thought Moncada should have swung — it was too close to take. In this scenario, Rodon missed his spot and Omar Narvaez had to reach back across the zone to catch the pitch. Still, it was clearly a strike.

After a mound visit from Don Cooper and the good tongue lashing for West, Rodon closed out the inning and unleashed his frustrations in the dugout. He salvaged his outing and lasted five innings, but things could have been much different.

But West wasn’t finished interrupting this game. Later, Jose Abreu took an obvious strike-three call that he eventually rolled into a double play.

Jesse Chavez kept his relief appearance under control and finished the inning, but there was more controversy regarding the strike zone and West. In the seventh inning, after another questionable call, Ryan Rua was tossed for for letting West hear about it his dreadful inconsistency.

Well…West got that one right.

This Is One Mitch Trubisky Concern Matt Nagy Has To Fix

By
Erik Lambert
-
mitch trubisky
Credit: Chicago Tribune

There are so many reasons to believe that Mitch Trubisky has a bright future in the NFL. He’s an athletic, talented thrower of the football. He’s accurate and displays a tireless work ethic that is required to excel at the quarterback position. Now he also has a long list of weapons and a new coaching staff filled with innovative and experienced minds. None more so than the man in charge, Matt Nagy.

While there are plenty of positives for Nagy to work with as he installs his new offense, there are also things to work on. One persistent issue that people didn’t talk about much in 2017 but were definitely hard to ignore involved the directions Trubisky would throw in. This may sound like a minor thing in the grand scheme, right?

No. It can become a big deal if it’s not corrected. Some quarterbacks have trouble dealing with pressure in their face. Others can’t decide when to throw the ball away. A few even struggle to take snaps under center. None of these were persistent issues for Mitch. No his problem was a bit more unique.

Mitch Trubisky had trouble throwing to his left as a rookie

It may sound somewhat oddly specific but it’s the truth. Thanks to SharpFootballStats.com who charted every Trubisky throw in both the direction and distance they went, it became obvious that the Bears rookie did not fair well when throwing to his left. The chart below shows his success rates for each direction and compares them to the league average.

Trubisky was a tale of two quarterbacks. He actually did quite well throwing towards the middle of the field and to his right, exceeding the league average to various degrees. However, he came in 10.6% under it when going to the left. That is not a good look and raises some concerns about whether this could be a flaw in his game that defenses can exploit.

Back in the 1990s, another #2 overall pick named Rick Mirer had the exact same problem. He was erratic throwing to his left. Over time defenses began to pick up on this. So what did they do? They would bring pressure from his right side, often with a heavy blitz. This would force him to throw to his left, often resulting either in an incompletion or an interception.

He never found a way to fix this issue and became one of the biggest busts in history. This is why it should be a major concern for Nagy and the Bears.

Issues likely stem from mechanical problems

So what’s the deal? Trubisky is known for his accuracy. Why is he so much worse going to the left than elsewhere? The most likely culprit has to do with fundamentals and mechanics. Specifically in regards to his footwork. Throwing to the left for a right-handed quarterback requires precisely timed and disciplined feet to get consistent results.

Watch Trubisky on several of his throws during the season. It will stick out immediately. His feet aren’t acting properly. Sometimes he doesn’t open the stance enough. Others he just goes off his back foot rather than step into the throws, causing the ball to sail on him. These are not uncommon problems with rookies.

It’s especially true with Trubisky. He spent his college career in a spread offense going against college defenses. Precise footwork was far less a requirement in those days. With more complex offenses and tighter throwing windows, these aren’t things he can get away with anymore. Nagy has to drill into his mind that the only way he’s going to achieve greatness is through relentless practice.

That includes making sure every part of his body is finetuned mechanically when he drops back to pass.

Cubs Win Bonkers Game. Javier Baez Makes Another Awesome Play

By
Aldo Soto
-

You want to talk about one of the craziest games of the year, well you got it today with the Chicago Cubs beating the Minnesota Twins 14-9.

The Cubs pounded 20 hits and the incredible thing about the 14 runs scored is that none came from a home run.

Tyler Chatwood gave up seven runs in his first start since being away from the team because of the birth of his child. Despite the bad outing, he was bailed out by the offense. Every spot in the batting order drove in a run, including a pinch-hit RBI-single in the ninth slot.

Jason Heyward led the way with four hits and he has to be the best story of the season for the Cubs.

Albert Almora Jr. added three hits, but left in the middle of the game. After the win Joe Maddon said Almora exited because of a leg cramp.

Oh and El Mago did it again.

It was one of the hottest games ever played at Wrigley Field and it resulted in three players for the Twins leaving early because the heat.

Almost as hot as the Cubs offense. If you’re keeping track that’s now 35 runs scored in the last three games.

This Roquan Smith Description By an Ex-Super Bowl Champ Is Sheer Poetry

By
Erik Lambert
-
roquan smith

It’s hard to find anybody who was upset when the Chicago Bears drafted Georgia linebacker, Roquan Smith. It was almost impossible to find a more polished, proven and capable player at any position in the entire draft. Best linebacker in college football? Check. Took his team to a national championship game? Check. Good fit for the defensive scheme. Yes indeed.

Everything about the pick made total sense. He may not have filled the biggest need at the time for the Bears, but he was definitely the best player on the board. So nobody can or should criticize GM Ryan Pace for picking him. One man who is doing anything but that is former cornerback Bryant McFadden.

Now an analyst for CBS Sports, McFadden played seven years in the league and during that time won two Super Bowls as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He might know a thing or two about what good defenders look like. That’s why it was interesting to hear his words regarding the new Bears rookie.

Long story short? He’s a big (BIG) fan.

McFadden believes the Bears got a “bouncer” in Roquan Smith

“Roquan Smith? Boy, he’s a dog and I’m not just saying that because he went to Georgia. He is a DOG. He’s a tone-setter — he’s the guy who throws people out of the club. He’s like the bouncer and you have to have that type of personality on your defense.”

Before people think this is some sort of personal bias, McFadden went to Florida State. So don’t jump to conclusions. On the other hand, it’s shocking to hear him say such things about Smith. Shocking in a good way. Keep in mind this man played seven years in the league. During that time he stood shoulder to shoulder with guys like James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons.

These were Pro Bowl inside linebackers for the Steelers during their two Super Bowl runs in 2005 and 2008. So he’s seen some of the best in the business of his era do their thing. That’s why it should be considered high praise what he said about Smith.

It’s not just the Bears rookie though. McFadden is a huge believer in their entire defense, calling them one of the biggest sleepers of 2018. Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Leonard Floyd and their entire secondary received praise for what they’ve done and what they can still do under Vic Fangio. He thinks Chicago should be excited. After hearing words like that, it’s hard not to agree.

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