I'm in Chicago on business so I was flying around yesterday. We did hit the Billy Goat's bar before the game. I'm going to catch a Wolves game tonight. I spent 25 years in NYC, and they have some nice eating establishments, but Chicago is one of the great foodie cities on the planet.
i regret while attending college in the west burb's of Chicago, I didn't take advantage of going to more eateries while there. Haven't been back since 2000 and I miss it. Have lots of college buddies as well there asking me to return. We're not 25 anymore and can stay out till the wee hours. Everyone has jobs and kids now. Not the same thing. haha.
I really like Forsling. I really don't like so many rookies on the ice up front. Bowman should be dealing soon.
Reports are that TVR is on the block to be moved , still up against the cap not sure they will get much in return for present lineup though.
Friedman report about TVR, not sure what to make of it. Every non-core Hawks' player is available. After Saad, Teravainen, Paliotta (signing drama), etc. were moved, I think it's safe to say anybody not named Keith, Kane, Crawford, Toews, Hjalmarsson, and maybe Seabrook could be shipped out for the right price. With the WC of hockey thing, lots of chatter and then a few sounds in the wind constitute a rumor. TVR is stuck in Chicago, they have too many dmen that want to play the right side and TVR struggled on the left. Pokka or TVR will be eligible in the expansion draft, and that trade value will drop as more gms flood the market with depth dmen. Both play (or prefer to play) the right side at the blueline. Better to move at least one of them to address the forward position. Wheeling out 4 or 5 rookies + Tootoo will be able to get some points in the regular season but that's a losing recipe come the spring. Since TVR is dirt cheap for a full season after this one, and because he's been very versatile, I would suspect he goes a long way in acquiring a good top 9 forward option. Something else to keep in mind for possible Hawks trades is the total contracts. Right now, Bowman has 6 contract slots open for example. I suspect a few of those are to attract NCAA SRs but the rest will be used to add value to a trade. Lots of budget teams have Jared Boll types (900K one way contracts) and they'll want to get rid of real dollars in a trade. Chicago can take on that contract an bury it without negative cap implications. In other words, look for Bowman to make a larger trade with expensive AHL types. They're tight against the cap but Bowman still has plenty of money to burn. Scuderi might retire too, that would free up an additional 1.125 million. Dollars available in Rockford+assets (prospects, picks, contract slots), + TVR or Pokka+ existing capspace= plenty of opportunity to land a pretty good top 9 forward on a salary retained transaction.
I'll put together my trade proposal that centers around Johan Larsson moving from Buffalo and get back to you. In a solid organization that wants versatility and cost containment I think JFL would slot nicely into a top-9 role.
hmmm I wish I watched more Sabre hockey last year so I could make a better opinion. Seems like soemthing both teams might kick the tires on. Q needs 2 way guys with lots of motor. I think Chicago may prefer a right shot unless Schmaltz and Hinostroza show they are able to stick. Could be something there.
I know it's way , way to early to panic but for now this start feels different to me , losing to bad teams at home, PK is past pathetic to say the least. I like to hold off judgement till the circus road trip has been completed , seen them get their mojo on that trip many times before so let's see if they can find something soon.
This PK is making my head hurt. Toews needs to produce. His cap hit killed the team last year because of his dreadful start, from a production standpoint, and it's worse this year if he's not helping out on the PK. I really thought he would have come out of the gate flying this year. For 10.5 against the cap, he's Gomezing it.
Hawks have found a few things recently , still lot's of room for improvement but keep making progress is what I like to see.
Shame about Bickell. Explains quite a bit. Hawks have lots of underlying problems to address. They're still getting beat 5 on 5 even though things look great in the standings. Given the lineup they're icing, things are going pretty well, lots of time to straighten out the mess.
You look at their record and their doing well. The scary thing is, they are only getting better and have room and talent to improve. These Blackhawks are good.
They are good, they are masking a bunch of flaws successfully right now. There's a balance in terms of burning rookies out and getting them experience/confidence. I'm not sure where the tipping point is in terms of setting the roster up to be successful in the postseason. What is a positive is that the higher point total allows them to experiment a little more and to focus a little more on developing the young players while constructing the best 4 lines instead of just going all out for points in the short term. Things are good, I'm just not drinking the Koolaid yet when it comes to projecting their success in the spring.
I agree, especially the Koolaid part. I don't follow them as closely as I wish I could, but I think its cool how they are gathering wins now even if they havnt quite put together the package in its entirety. One thing I have observed is they are well coached and play their positions well. Its fun to watch a team with the young getting and gaining in experience with the likes of an older vet like Hossa. Very talented group and the sky's the limit. Good luck... _________________________ Whats up with Anisimov? Is he good to go yet?
The better the Hawks are doing in the standings, the more obscure injury information is. I think he's fine, he was on the ice on Sunday.
Agree a little early to drink the koolaid , 7 game road trip coming up so let's see that play out for now. Hossa has seemed to find new life , hope that can play out for entire season , Crow looking good , love the rook D man Forsling , Tazer still needs to fill up the net more as usual . 3rd & 4th lines are a work in progress as expected with the changes , but like stated above they have time to work out the kinks and still maintain a solid position in the standings. Shouldn't be surprised with anything they do I guess , just didn't see this fast of a start that's for sure.
I'm more excited about Forlsing than I was with Leddy. I thought Leddy made better adjustments defensively, and quickly but disappointed in offensive situations. Forsling has a great game but he has to make one or two brutal mistakes a game. I'm not sure if it's a gambling mentality or something that has to be worked out. If, BIG IF, he eliminates those, I think he could be a very good top 4 option for a long time. Things have started to a get a little tighter overall, so that's good. I was really encouraged by the game last night.
