In each NHL Playoff game, I see tons of ex Hawks players playing big time for their team.

All these guys were Hawks during the glory years and not sure why they got traded. Think of having guys like Teravinen, Panarin, Saad, Leddy still on the team.

What happened?

The salary cap happened.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Contracts for Bickell, Seabrook, Toews, and Shaw sums up an explanation for the players you listed. Hell, you also got guys like Danault, Hartman, Forsling, and Duclair who have become competent players that left the Hawks with very little coming back. At least they got some 1st round picks for Hagel. Just think about how miserably Bowman failed this team from 2015 onward. Once the Toews/Kane extensions kicked in, they haven't won a playoff series since. And then the mess he left with the Jones trade. Does Bowman ever get another NHL job of consequence?

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.

You have to $5 million / year for Crawford in that last of overpaid contract liabilities. there were years Crawford earned it, but he sat a lot, including his "vertigo symptoms from concussion" year.

Shaw's contract was pretty inconsequential. There's no way around this. $10 million year for Toews to play like 3rd line center is going to cripple any team.

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Watched a vid from a dude breaking down how poorly the Hawks have drafted and how little they have in the pipeline, only Wirtz and McKaskey would be stupid enough to keep GM's in place year after year and allow them to draft poorly and then trade away future assets to paper over poor drafting, not a coincidence that both franchises are massive rebuilds, but you still have the same goofs as owners.

They have a new GM this year. And Bowman's draft record wasn't that bad.

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.