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Chicago Blackhawks Blogger •
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Club qualifying offers to Restricted Free Agents are due at 5PM Eastern today. As there has been no public release of the Hawks' intentions (beyond the Bolland contract and a small signing of Jake Dowell today), my guess is this might precede a lot of activity.
Following the Hawks thus far in the offseason has been a little like playing the board game Clue. There is precious little hard information coming out of 1901 W. Madison (I'm in the 21st Century now, Wiz), and a fair amount of innuendo.
While this might be frustrating for Hawk fans, wondering how all the sub-plots are going to play out (Havlat, Khabibulin, RFAs), not to mention the larger drama of the Hawks taking the next step toward a Stanley Cup, Hawk fans should be encouraged that their front office is playing it close to the vest — which is what successful teams do (assuming the decisions they make are good ones).
Conversely, imagine being a fan of Tampa Bay, where the GM has to send league-wide emails clarifying that he, not the meddlesome owners, is the guy making player personnel decisions!
Now, all that said, I heard a really interesting interview with Rick Dudley last night, where both he and the interviewer agreed that the front office in Chicago is a bit crowded now. (More on Dudley in a second, who in no way trashed the Hawks, by the way).
It could be that, because of the crowd in the front office, the Hawks are suffering from a bit of "analysis paralysis." But I don't think so. At least not now. I suspect they were at the trade deadline. But they do appear to have a plan now: the stance on the Havlat negotiations and the Bolland contract being two clear indications.
Problem is, for most of us, we don't have enough "other" clues to fill the picture in right now and know what that plan exactly is.
But, I do also think there are some indications.
One thing Tallon has said a couple of times is now really standing out to me: "we might be younger next year."
OK, this could have obvious implications for a Nikolai Khabibulin. Also for a Brent Sopel. Or even a Ben Eager.
I think it's a safe bet the Hawks are going to break camp this year with either Igor Makarov or Kyle Beach on the roster (though maybe not both), and without at least one of their RFAs. And while that might not seem like a big deal, bear in mind, this is a much better team now than it it was in past years. Then, there was no problem envisioning a number of "youths" matriculating from the AHL or even college or junior, because we knew the NHL team wasn't that great anyway.
Not anymore.
It could also be that the Hawks won't "replace" Havlat if he leaves per se.
Consider the top two lines the Hawks ended the playoffs with:
Brouwer-Toews-Byfuglien
Ladd-Bolland-Kane
Those were actually pretty effective line combos against arguably the best defense in hockey.
Now, add to that a "third" line of Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg with a solid veteran center between them (who comes to the Hawks at a significantly lower price than Havlat returns at).
Could be Sammy Pahlsson. Could be John Madden. Could be Robert Lang. Could be a lot of guys we can't even think of right now (Brandon Dubinsky anyone?) because the Hawks might deal for them rather than sign them.
Yes, trading Havlat for a center doesn't necessarily make the Hawks younger. But trading "off" Havlat for Versteeg or Kane on his line sort of does, while strengthening a much weaker overall position in the organization (center).
This is all pure conjecture. But the point is, there are all kinds of ways the offseason could play out (and play out successfully) for the Hawks that are far broader reaching than just finding a "replacement" for Marty Havlat.
Another indicator is the philosophy that clearly drove the Hawks' draft. Instead of drafting kids who could be projected to step in within two years, as they had for so many years prior, the Hawks were clearly thinking long term, drafting lesser-known kids with long development curves but also clear positives that could be built around.
The big point here is the Hawks seem to be focusing on building a long-term system that will keep them at an elite or near elite level for a long time (as Detroit has done), as opposed to just cobbling together the best team for next year.
And that's the smart way to go.
How many times do you see, not just in the NHL, but the NFL and MLB as well, where teams seem to be "loaded" to the gills with free agent moves and trades? And then something happens. Some wheel comes off. And they've mortgaged their future only to finish as an also-ran. That's because "things" do happen: injuries, dressing room spats, what have you. But a system, where you can easily plug another player in when someone goes down, allows you to prevail in spite of "stuff" happening. Like Detroit does.
And so is it really any coincidence that Scotty Bowman is now involved with the Hawks? No.
So, stay tuned. None of us might be able to predict, or fully explain, all the moves this offseason. But I do think now it's safe to say they are clearly about building for the longer term, not just next year.
DUDLEY ON NHL HOME ICE:
Nice interview last night, like I said. Good guy. He said a couple of really interesting (and I think bang on) things.
When asked what the real turning point was in Chicago in terms of the team's almost meteoric ascent, he naturally said "there were a lot of things." But he really zeroed in on the trades for Versteeg and Sharp. And he's right. You knew picking as high as the Hawks did from '04-08, they were going to get good players, but the fact that they got players of that caliber in trade for next to nothing was huge.
He also had really nice things to say about working for Dale Tallon.
And he also talked about the emergence of Dustin Byfuglien, and how gratifying that was, not just because he's becoming an elite power forward, but also because of the kind of kid #33 is.
You can't help but wish Duds well. And feel real good about the prospects (on the ice at least) for the Atlanta Thrashers.
Look for my next blog if/when any significant Havlat or free agency news comes to light.
JJ
Following the Hawks thus far in the offseason has been a little like playing the board game Clue. There is precious little hard information coming out of 1901 W. Madison (I'm in the 21st Century now, Wiz), and a fair amount of innuendo.
While this might be frustrating for Hawk fans, wondering how all the sub-plots are going to play out (Havlat, Khabibulin, RFAs), not to mention the larger drama of the Hawks taking the next step toward a Stanley Cup, Hawk fans should be encouraged that their front office is playing it close to the vest — which is what successful teams do (assuming the decisions they make are good ones).
Conversely, imagine being a fan of Tampa Bay, where the GM has to send league-wide emails clarifying that he, not the meddlesome owners, is the guy making player personnel decisions!
Now, all that said, I heard a really interesting interview with Rick Dudley last night, where both he and the interviewer agreed that the front office in Chicago is a bit crowded now. (More on Dudley in a second, who in no way trashed the Hawks, by the way).
It could be that, because of the crowd in the front office, the Hawks are suffering from a bit of "analysis paralysis." But I don't think so. At least not now. I suspect they were at the trade deadline. But they do appear to have a plan now: the stance on the Havlat negotiations and the Bolland contract being two clear indications.
Problem is, for most of us, we don't have enough "other" clues to fill the picture in right now and know what that plan exactly is.
But, I do also think there are some indications.
One thing Tallon has said a couple of times is now really standing out to me: "we might be younger next year."
OK, this could have obvious implications for a Nikolai Khabibulin. Also for a Brent Sopel. Or even a Ben Eager.
I think it's a safe bet the Hawks are going to break camp this year with either Igor Makarov or Kyle Beach on the roster (though maybe not both), and without at least one of their RFAs. And while that might not seem like a big deal, bear in mind, this is a much better team now than it it was in past years. Then, there was no problem envisioning a number of "youths" matriculating from the AHL or even college or junior, because we knew the NHL team wasn't that great anyway.
Not anymore.
It could also be that the Hawks won't "replace" Havlat if he leaves per se.
Consider the top two lines the Hawks ended the playoffs with:
Brouwer-Toews-Byfuglien
Ladd-Bolland-Kane
Those were actually pretty effective line combos against arguably the best defense in hockey.
Now, add to that a "third" line of Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg with a solid veteran center between them (who comes to the Hawks at a significantly lower price than Havlat returns at).
Could be Sammy Pahlsson. Could be John Madden. Could be Robert Lang. Could be a lot of guys we can't even think of right now (Brandon Dubinsky anyone?) because the Hawks might deal for them rather than sign them.
Yes, trading Havlat for a center doesn't necessarily make the Hawks younger. But trading "off" Havlat for Versteeg or Kane on his line sort of does, while strengthening a much weaker overall position in the organization (center).
This is all pure conjecture. But the point is, there are all kinds of ways the offseason could play out (and play out successfully) for the Hawks that are far broader reaching than just finding a "replacement" for Marty Havlat.
Another indicator is the philosophy that clearly drove the Hawks' draft. Instead of drafting kids who could be projected to step in within two years, as they had for so many years prior, the Hawks were clearly thinking long term, drafting lesser-known kids with long development curves but also clear positives that could be built around.
The big point here is the Hawks seem to be focusing on building a long-term system that will keep them at an elite or near elite level for a long time (as Detroit has done), as opposed to just cobbling together the best team for next year.
And that's the smart way to go.
How many times do you see, not just in the NHL, but the NFL and MLB as well, where teams seem to be "loaded" to the gills with free agent moves and trades? And then something happens. Some wheel comes off. And they've mortgaged their future only to finish as an also-ran. That's because "things" do happen: injuries, dressing room spats, what have you. But a system, where you can easily plug another player in when someone goes down, allows you to prevail in spite of "stuff" happening. Like Detroit does.
And so is it really any coincidence that Scotty Bowman is now involved with the Hawks? No.
So, stay tuned. None of us might be able to predict, or fully explain, all the moves this offseason. But I do think now it's safe to say they are clearly about building for the longer term, not just next year.
DUDLEY ON NHL HOME ICE:
Nice interview last night, like I said. Good guy. He said a couple of really interesting (and I think bang on) things.
When asked what the real turning point was in Chicago in terms of the team's almost meteoric ascent, he naturally said "there were a lot of things." But he really zeroed in on the trades for Versteeg and Sharp. And he's right. You knew picking as high as the Hawks did from '04-08, they were going to get good players, but the fact that they got players of that caliber in trade for next to nothing was huge.
He also had really nice things to say about working for Dale Tallon.
And he also talked about the emergence of Dustin Byfuglien, and how gratifying that was, not just because he's becoming an elite power forward, but also because of the kind of kid #33 is.
You can't help but wish Duds well. And feel real good about the prospects (on the ice at least) for the Atlanta Thrashers.
Look for my next blog if/when any significant Havlat or free agency news comes to light.
JJ
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