Following you too Beav...@philcoforde
- philco28

I'm your 50th follower! How are things in Mississauga? I was born and raised there, great city.

I'm your 50th follower! How are things in Mississauga? I was born and raised there, great city.
- DarthKane

I'm 49th! We should have struck a bit earlier. 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

JJ and others have been bashing Stan Bowman for a couple years now for leaving some room beneath the salary cap. Never understood it. Especially when we've all seen what fiscal irresponsibility has done to this team after the cup year, and also knowing the cap is going down to 64 million or whatever next year. Nice to see some other rational thinkers on this blog. They've been few and far between of late.
- mcmasterkev

"Yeah....wait until next year when we are so well positioned from a cap perspective..." "We like our team now."

We have heard these lines for three years in row now.

All that means is "I Stan Bowman refuse to do anything that maybe could result in a bad decision so I can keep my job and be able to blame Quenneville for not winning with what we gave him."

Players to fill holes are cheaper now than at the trade deadline, and the compressed schedule combined with three point games means 2/3 of teams are in the hunt by the deadline anyway.

Besides, Stan won't make ANY consequential moves this season. Bank on it.

"Yeah....wait until next year when we are so well positioned from a cap perspective..." "We like our team now."

We have heard these lines for three years in row now.

All that means is "I Stan Bowman refuse to do anything that maybe could result in a bad decision so I can keep my job and be able to blame Quenneville for not winning with what we gave him."

Players to fill holes are cheaper now than at the trade deadline, and the compressed schedule combined with three point games means 2/3 of teams are in the hunt by the deadline anyway.

Besides, Stan won't make ANY consequential moves this season. Bank on it.
- Return of the Roar

Maybe it's not his decision.

I'm your 50th follower! How are things in Mississauga? I was born and raised there, great city.
- DarthKane

Thanks to you and Beaver for following....things in Missy are great. LOVE this sleepy burb in Toronto. Big winter storm rolling in so we're battening down the hatches.

I'm 49th! We should have struck a bit earlier. 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
- Beaver-Warrior

42 = Jackie Robinson

Tim Thomas to the Islanders.

"Yeah....wait until next year when we are so well positioned from a cap perspective..." "We like our team now."

We have heard these lines for three years in row now.

All that means is "I Stan Bowman refuse to do anything that maybe could result in a bad decision so I can keep my job and be able to blame Quenneville for not winning with what we gave him."

Players to fill holes are cheaper now than at the trade deadline, and the compressed schedule combined with three point games means 2/3 of teams are in the hunt by the deadline anyway.

Besides, Stan won't make ANY consequential moves this season. Bank on it.
- Return of the Roar

On the other hand, it's 10 games into the season, at least 90 percent of the teams feel they have a shot at the playoffs and aren't going to be trading anyone yet. Not that Stan would make an aggressive trade when he can, but it's early, quality guys just aren't being shopped yet.

"Yeah....wait until next year when we are so well positioned from a cap perspective..." "We like our team now."

We have heard these lines for three years in row now.

All that means is "I Stan Bowman refuse to do anything that maybe could result in a bad decision so I can keep my job and be able to blame Quenneville for not winning with what we gave him."

Players to fill holes are cheaper now than at the trade deadline, and the compressed schedule combined with three point games means 2/3 of teams are in the hunt by the deadline anyway.

Besides, Stan won't make ANY consequential moves this season. Bank on it.
- Return of the Roar

Sniffle Sniffle...you must be a state of Illinois finance genius. Just cuz there is technical cap room, does not mean there is actual dollars to be spent. That concept may be hard to understand.

Again, cite the trades he turned down. Cite the players that were made available. Help me with facts...oh nevermind...another thing that gets in the way of logic.

JJ and others have been bashing Stan Bowman for a couple years now for leaving some room beneath the salary cap. Never understood it. Especially when we've all seen what fiscal irresponsibility has done to this team after the cup year, and also knowing the cap is going down to 64 million or whatever next year. Nice to see some other rational thinkers on this blog. They've been few and far between of late.
- mcmasterkev

Don't confuse managing the salary cap with leaving millions of dollars in cap space unused. 2 different things....

Also if Parise would have signed here, and I believe he was pursued, would that mean Bowman wasn't doing his job?

The idea is to manage the cap and give your team the best chance to compete for the Cup every year.

The Hawks broke just about every cap management rule possible and won the Cup. If they didn't there would have been hell to pay no doubt.....

But anyone that would trade that one Championship for anything else including a more manageable cap, doesn't understand how important and difficult it is to win the Stanley Cup.

Tim Thomas to the Islanders.
- Kentxo

Islanders needed to hit the cap floor by tomorrow so the move helps them get there.

I tweeted the other night...Don't know if you saw.
11,000 in Columbus the other night to watch the Cup Champs...

The sea of red ink keeps flowing there.

on Twitter@AlCimaglia
- Al

YES, YES, YES.. and bring a team all the old cities prior to 1990s

Oh my gosh!
- Beaver-Warrior

The Force is strong with this one

Don't confuse managing the salary cap with leaving millions of dollars in cap space unused. 2 different things....

Also if Parise would have signed here, and I believe he was pursued, would that mean Bowman wasn't doing his job?

The idea is to manage the cap and give your team the best chance to compete for the Cup every year.

The Hawks broke just about every cap management rule possible and won the Cup. If they didn't there would have been hell to pay no doubt.....

But anyone that would trade that one Championship for anything else including a more manageable cap, doesn't understand how important and difficult it is to win the Stanley Cup.
- Al

Unless they knew they would be able to buy someone out really easily because a CBA would not have been ratified if there was no amnesty...

Islanders needed to hit the cap floor by tomorrow so the move helps them get there.
- golfbard

Stan asleep at the wheel? Olesz needs a new home

Unless they knew they would be able to buy someone out really easily because a CBA would not have been ratified if there was no amnesty...
- fattybeef

A lot of ifs....

Even then that was a reason to be more agressive with shorter term contracts not a reason to sit idle.

Stan asleep at the wheel? Olesz needs a new home
- ikeane

Not an easy sell ever, especially now after two knee surgeries on the same leg.

The Force is strong with this one
- fattybeef

Hey! That's my line!

Not an easy sell ever, especially now after two knee surgeries on the same leg.
- Al

Does the fact that he's on LTIR have an impact too?

The Coyotes give the Hawks trouble because they expose the main area the Hawks need to address, the need for 2 additional big, physical forwards to balance the Hawks attack with a dump and chase / board battle game. For all the talk about the need for a face off guy, I think the bigger need are those bangers who can give the Hawks a more dynamic and versatile group of forwards, now if one of those forwards can take faceoffs as well, that’s icing on the cake. We don’t need a specialist of any type, be it an enforcer, faceoff specialist, powerplay specialist, penalty killing specialist etc. Ideally every guy should be able to play in most, if not all, situations to make the team that much more dangerous and hard to play against and defend.
- paulr

Agreed. This is something that has been lacking the past few seasons.

"Yeah....wait until next year when we are so well positioned from a cap perspective..." "We like our team now."

We have heard these lines for three years in row now.

All that means is "I Stan Bowman refuse to do anything that maybe could result in a bad decision so I can keep my job and be able to blame Quenneville for not winning with what we gave him."

Players to fill holes are cheaper now than at the trade deadline, and the compressed schedule combined with three point games means 2/3 of teams are in the hunt by the deadline anyway.

Besides, Stan won't make ANY consequential moves this season. Bank on it.
- Return of the Roar

Stan made 5 moves for this season. Resigned Carcillo, Emery, and Mayers, all character guys. He also signed Rozsival and Brookbank, these two are part of the best D-core in the NHL. The best part of these additions is that they cost us nothing and allowed us to hang on to players who are filling rolls this year. It would be nice to see Stan get a shout out every now and again.

Edit: Sorry forgot Oduya, that makes 6.

Stan made 5 moves for this season. Resigned Carcillo, Emery, and Mayers, all character guys. He also signed Rozsival and Brookbank, these two are part of the best D-core in the NHL. The best part of these additions is that they cost us nothing and allowed us to hang on to players who are filling rolls this year. It would be nice to see Stan get a shout out every now and again.

Edit: Sorry forgot Oduya, that makes 6.
- hawksbuzz

Thank you Lauren, or are you Anna?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvkPbdSuztU

Okay here we go... Hopefully Mike Smith's stick will be 0-2 for the season after tonight.

Thank you Lauren, or are you Anna?
- Beaver-Warrior

Nope, just an informed Hawks fan. You are?

Nope, just an informed Hawks fan. You are?
- hawksbuzz

A non kool-aide drinking fan. Be sure to say hi to Stan for me.