Threat of a Hostile Takeover: The Hawks and the Sharks Need to Stop Messing Around

Marc-Olivier Cook
Threat of a Hostile Takeover: The Hawks and the Sharks Need to Stop Messing Around
Credit: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Daniel Brière and the Flyers have taken everyone by surprise in recent days with their hostile offer to Leo Carlsson.

Because let's face it: no one expected to see this happen this summer. At least, not with a talented player like Carlsson… 

This means that teams across the National Hockey League need to be more cautious. And that starts with the Hawks and the Sharks…

Right now, Connor Bedard is eligible to sign a hostile offer from a team other than the Blackhawks because he still doesn't have a contract for next season. And in Chicago, they need to find a way to resolve this before it's too late.

The situation is a little different in San Jose because Celebrini still has one year left on his entry-level contract. But… it's pretty much the same in that he can now sign a contract extension (as of July 1) since he only has one year left on his deal.

So the Hawks and the Sharks are behind schedule. And they need to stop dragging their feet on these issues…

Celebrini and Bedard are proving to be two of the best young players in the National Hockey League.

In fact…

Celebrini and Bedard are, respectively, the faces of their franchises. Celebrini is seen as the one who can lead the Sharks to the promised land… while Bedard is seen as the one who can give the Hawks a chance to bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago.

And let's be clear: neither of these two clubs can afford to lose them to a hostile trade offer. Even if it could net them no fewer than four first-round picks…

So we can expect to see progress on both of these fronts in the coming weeks. In both Chicago and San Jose, the organizations need to secure their futures… and that will happen by reaching agreements with these two young players.

This needs to become a priority very quickly, given what we've seen in the NHL over the past few days. 


In a nutshell

– Sad news.

– Hello, Slaf!

– Oh.

– Um…

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