He has only played in North America for a few months...

Khabby could disappear and depending on cap implications Raanta could stay before the TD.

My take is LaBarbera was brought here to backup Crawford for awhile...

Raanta has looked good and has progressed but I don't see any downside in going back to Rockford....I am sure they will whisper a plan to him so he isn't discouraged. 25 is still young for a goalie....Crawford played almost 5 years in Rockford.
- Al

I agree with the highlighted. I just hope that Khabby doesn't come back.

HB is for everyone dude, this is not an exclusive Hawk site so go pound sand.
Besides Raanta is my goalie and Teuvo my star prospect and I probably watch more hockey nhl style than anyone on here, I have no life other than watching nhl hocky 24/7 and I mean all teams. I am not trolling, so watch your mouth.
- flyerdude17

He is an angry flyerdude!

Just curious, but what makes you think that Johns is "on the cusp?"

As for the idea of next season's blue line and its depth, why trade Leddy or Oduya? There's cap room to keep both and then some. Brookbank & Kostka are both UFAs at the end of the season. Are they sticking around or are they gone? Beyond Dahlbeck & Clendening, there isn't a whole lot of depth at defenseman in Rockford that can step in and play. Honestly, Dahlbeck could be on the 3rd paring in Chicago right now. I would imagine that the blue line corps next season could look something like this:

Keith - Seabrook
Oduya - Hjalmarsson
Leddy - Roszival/Dahlbeck

I could live with that as the defense next season. Clendening can still work out some of the bugs in his game, and signing another veteran (not named Peckham) to a two way deal and stashing him away in Rockford would be ample depth.
- EKolb13

He has only played in North America for a few months...

Khabby could disappear and depending on cap implications Raanta could stay before the TD.

My take is LaBarbera was brought here to backup Crawford for awhile...

Raanta has looked good and has progressed but I don't see any downside in going back to Rockford....I am sure they will whisper a plan to him so he isn't discouraged. 25 is still young for a goalie....Crawford played almost 5 years in Rockford.
- Al

If they do send him (Raanta) down, I'm sure they will have a plan for the long term. Crawford also did not have the immediate success that Raanta is having though so I could see where it might do more harm than good. The way I look at it is that they rolled the dice on Raanta and he's currently beating the house. I think if you are the hawks you change your plans and stick with Raanta as the #2 when Crow comes back.

AND...... He improves our overall quality of playoff facial hair...
- PhilMeister89

Wow! That photo is as forgettable as his Stanley Cup Parade "rap"... Not sure if Kris has always had the perma-grin he's seemed to exhibit since being back with the Hawks but, game in and game out, he sure looks like a man who was pardoned from death row.

they traded our next line of defense, ryan stanton and dylan olson. both are performin well and are same guys bowman told us to watch coming up
- georgem

Stanton was lost on waivers. Olsen was traded.

It's definitely a reflection on how deep the blue line was in Rockford. However, both of these guys were stuck pretty low on the depth chart. Part of the reason Olsen (and Hayes) were traded was of the idea of what happened to Stanton. Both Olsen and Hayes, as well as Pirri, Morin and LeBlanc will have to pass through waivers next season in order to be sent to the minors. I don't think Bowman wants to give talent away if he doesn't have too.

Those are pretty good numbers...arent they? Am i missing something?
- BlazinMike

Price >>>> CC

And Price is the most likely Team Canada goalie. With Luongo as backup. With his early season performance, CC is not in the discussion.

Don't you think they will go after some sort of vet dman who is cheap? IMO the likes of Brookbank/Roszival/Kostca going into beard season makes me nervous.
- hockey nut 28

Been catching up, and a little late to the party on this one, but......

What? Really? Seriously?

Rozy, Brookbank, and Kostka are what makes you nervous? Our 6th, 7th, and 8th D-men? Not bottom three, not even bottom pair, but 6, 7, & 8?

Name another team with a better 6th D-man than Rozy, and then tell me who their #7 & 8 are.

If our 6-8 D-men are the Hawks weakest link, I'd say they're in pretty good shape.

*takes deep cleansing breath*

Carry on.

I did see and could turn out well you hope....but I don't know if I would have traded Vanek but that isn't my point...

The point is you didn't need Miller the last 2 years if there wasn't a likelihood of being a Cup contender soon...Now he is wasted asset. If you combine his salary and what he would have fetched that is a significant mistake.

Not to mention keeping the front office the same....

There was a scattered plan at best and the people making the decisions shouldn't have been.

The same things has happened other places with new ownership...

The reason it was different here is the person taking control had been around the team for his entire life although from a distance.

The first thing he did was put management people in place that were proven and could implement a plan...and then got rid of those who were involved for years and hadn't succeeded.

When you put yourself in position to succeed then getting lucky in the draft with a Toews and Kane can put you over the top.

But a plan is needed and if Miller wasn't part of the future that should have been determined a couple of years ago.

All is well in Blackhawk land with 3-1 win in Nashville. Kane/Keith with MVP years-On The Blackhawks: My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1i1r6Bs
- Al

Rocky Wirtz should have his own holiday in Chicago... What he did for us long-suffering Hawks fans in turning the Hawks around is nothing short of amazing. I still can't believe this is the same organization that delivered nothing but disappointment for many of my 40+ years on this earth.

No....Johns IS on the cusp. Almost everybody thinks he's heading straight to the Blackhawks once his Notre Dame season is over. The Hawks have been trying to sign him for the past year and were quite disappointed when he went back for his senior year. And since Johns could go the "Justin Schultz" route the Hawks have made it more than clear that they would add him to the big club once he was done at ol' ND.....
- yahoodi

This one may not require some creativity from Bowman.

Always somewhat risky with dmen especially, coming straight out of college.

All is well in Blackhawk land with 3-1 win in Nashville. Kane/Keith with MVP years-On The Blackhawks: My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1i1r6Bs

There would be many teams in the NHL willing to offer more than Morin and Pirri.
- CaptainBlackhawk

Then let them. You don't give away major assets for an expiring contract.

If they do send him (Raanta) down, I'm sure they will have a plan for the long term. Crawford also did not have the immediate success that Raanta is having though so I could see where it might do more harm than good. The way I look at it is that they rolled the dice on Raanta and he's currently beating the house. I think if you are the hawks you change your plans and stick with Raanta as the #2 when Crow comes back.
- PhilMeister89

Oh I see your point but Khabby has to be dealt with $$$...If assigned to Rckfrd he could quit.

After the TD it is very easy to have Raanta here.

All is well in Blackhawk land with 3-1 win in Nashville. Kane/Keith with MVP years-On The Blackhawks: My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1i1r6Bs

Been catching up, and a little late to the party on this one, but......

What? Really? Seriously?

Rozy, Brookbank, and Kostka are what makes you nervous? Our 6th, 7th, and 8th D-men? Not bottom three, not even bottom pair, but 6, 7, & 8?

Name another team with a better 6th D-man than Rozy, and then name the team with better options at 7 & 8.

If our 6-8 D-men are the Hawks weakest link, I'd say they're in pretty good shape.

*takes deep cleansing breath*

Carry on.
- Ogilthorpe2

No time to panic, Raanta will steal Crawford's number one job anyway despite what they are being paid. Trust me when I say Raanta is the next Bobrovsky. The kid is already brilliant and in a couple years he is a bonifide number one. Please Hawks do not bring in Miller and disrupt the room. Miller likes to be in the limelight. Lets just get this job done routinely with no side shows, thank you and than you Anti Raanta.
- flyerdude17

THIS

Price >>>> CC

And Price is the most likely Team Canada goalie. With Luongo as backup. With his early season performance, CC is not in the discussion.
- scottak

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUCK NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He has only played in North America for a few months...

Khabby could disappear and depending on cap implications Raanta could stay before the TD.

My take is LaBarbera was brought here to backup Crawford for awhile...

Raanta has looked good and has progressed but I don't see any downside in going back to Rockford....I am sure they will whisper a plan to him so he isn't discouraged. 25 is still young for a goalie....Crawford played almost 5 years in Rockford.
- Al

Without getting inside Raanta's head and playing psychologist, one obvious "downside" to sending him to Rockford is that he's winning games now, and is clearly one of the top two goalies the Hawks have right now. Call me old fashioned, but isn't it as simple as having your best performers on the NHL roster?

A Crow/Raanta tandem similar to the "1-1A" Crow/Razor tandem of last year could keep Crow fresh for this extra-extended season coming out of the lockout-induced short break. Win-win, as Crow gets extra rest and Raanta gets a reasonable amount of work. Plus, as a Hawk he gets to practice against the best.

No....Johns IS on the cusp. Almost everybody thinks he's heading straight to the Blackhawks once his Notre Dame season is over. The Hawks have been trying to sign him for the past year and were quite disappointed when he went back for his senior year. And since Johns could go the "Justin Schultz" route the Hawks have made it more than clear that they would add him to the big club once he was done at ol' ND.....
- yahoodi

If Johns doesn't want to be developed at the AHL level, then let him go the Justin Schultz route. It hasn't done Schultz one bit of good for his career. The best thing for his career and for the Hawks is he signs based on when the Hawks think he is ready, not when he thinks he is ready.

Without getting inside Raanta's head and playing psychologist, one obvious "downside" to sending him to Rockford is that he's winning games now, and is clearly one of the top two goalies the Hawks have right now. Call me old fashioned, but isn't it as simple as having your best performers on the NHL roster?

A Crow/Raanta tandem similar to the "1-1A" Crow/Razor tandem of last year could keep Crow fresh for this extra-extended season coming out of the lockout-induced short break. Win-win, as Crow gets extra rest and Raanta gets a reasonable amount of work. Plus, as a Hawk he gets to practice against the best.
- Tugboat

Sending Raanta down is an INSANE idea. The kid STAYS.

Once it was determined Crawford didn't suffer a brutal abdominal or groin tear Miller was never coming. As John wrote if Crawford was seriously hurt than that would have been different, but they knew early on it wouldn't be months until he returned.

As it turned out Raanta gained experience and as I wrote today looks like a different goalie than his first few games. ...And Crawford got a well deserved rest.

All is well in Blackhawk land with 3-1 win in Nashville. Kane/Keith with MVP years-On The Blackhawks: My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1i1r6Bs

On Twitter@AlCimaglia
- Al

Raanta has been very good...IF he stays in Chicago, he can be a backup next year, no Rockford for him imo...I mean he can be the backup this year too...I just hope Stan can afford him for the next few years....For the rest of the season you can play Raanta like Emery last season....Give Crow a game off every 2 games...I think it would be the best thing to do, he would be much fresher for the playoffs

No....Johns IS on the cusp. Almost everybody thinks he's heading straight to the Blackhawks once his Notre Dame season is over. The Hawks have been trying to sign him for the past year and were quite disappointed when he went back for his senior year. And since Johns could go the "Justin Schultz" route the Hawks have made it more than clear that they would add him to the big club once he was done at ol' ND.....
- yahoodi

You forgot to put this in red for sarcasm.....

Sending Raanta down is an INSANE idea. The kid STAYS.
- philco28

I agree with this Phil, as I usually agree with people who agree with me. LOL.

Without getting inside Raanta's head and playing psychologist, one obvious "downside" to sending him to Rockford is that he's winning games now, and is clearly one of the top two goalies the Hawks have right now. Call me old fashioned, but isn't it as simple as having your best performers on the NHL roster?

A Crow/Raanta tandem similar to the "1-1A" Crow/Razor tandem of last year could keep Crow fresh for this extra-extended season coming out of the lockout-induced short break. Win-win, as Crow gets extra rest and Raanta gets a reasonable amount of work. Plus, as a Hawk he gets to practice against the best.
- Tugboat

I disagree, somewhat.

I agree that Raanta can handle the back-up role, but having Raanta play in Rockford will give him more playing time to fine tune his game. I'd like to see Crawford have a little less of a workload, and I think it makes sense to see if LaBarbera could handle the job of playing behind Crawford.

The only thing that Hawks might need is another 4th line forward - preferably another center. However, there isn't a whole lot of cap room, and I'm sure Bowman isn't looking to move a player on the roster unless it's a clear upgrade over that roster player. I'd almost have to think if any deal for a player were to be made, the other team might have to take on good ol' Vodka Tits as part of the return to make it work.
- EKolb13

Malhotra....making 600k.....Good C, FO's D...PK....can play on the lower two lines...plus he plays in the Easter conference...only bad news is the Canes are still in the playoff hunt

Oh I see your point but Khabby has to be dealt with $$$...If assigned to Rckfrd he could quit.

After the TD it is very easy to have Raanta here.

All is well in Blackhawk land with 3-1 win in Nashville. Kane/Keith with MVP years-On The Blackhawks: My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1i1r6Bs
- Al

Khabby and (insert something here)... for Okposo!!!

I think Pirri and Morin are trade chips at the TDL. The quality depth behind them is where the Hawks' future is (LeBlahhh, TT, Danault), and those two guys can add some speed and offense today to a team like...BUF....

Agree or not, I think the two cups without a 2C mantra trumps this FO/Q trying to wrench any of the other ready/almost ready guys in the lineup. Signing Versteeg was the sign that the closest Rockford hopefuls are little more than injury and rest call ups.
- Return of the Roar

Is not that good....I donno if I would call him depth, or a good prospect or anything similar