Would have liked the fifth more if it were this year: two years away, low pick - not worth much.

The third this year is ok - likely to be 63/64/65.
- StLBravesFan

Jamie Benn, Andrew Shaw, Pavel Datsuyk and Henrik Zetterberg were all picked in the 5th round or later. While it very unlikey that this pick will uncover a gem, you also never know.

Borrreeeddddd.



Was really hoping for aBlues loss last nite ....

Borrreeeddddd.



Was really hoping for aBlues loss last nite ....
- mrpaulish

If you are looking for a decent read, here is Bob Verdi's take on the outdoor game:

http://blackhawks.nhl.com...ws.htm?id=707191&navid=DL

If you are looking for a decent read, here is Bob Verdi's take on the outdoor game:

http://blackhawks.nhl.com...ws.htm?id=707191&navid=DL
- prd797

Fantastic

I think Olsen and Pirri have a shot to make an impact on a team like Florida. A big part of the win is that these guys will be cheap too.
- DarthKane

I believe that Olsen has already kind of made himself a niche in Florida.

As for Pirri, Hayes and others - Florida has a good amount of young forwards that have a lot of upside (or a lot of hype?). It will be interesting to see who sticks, and who is just passing through town on their next stop on the pro hockey circuit.

Party is still going....


- UnnamedSource

This is you being modest and humble, right?

I believe that Olsen has already kind of made himself a niche in Florida.

As for Pirri, Hayes and others - Florida has a good amount of young forwards that have a lot of upside (or a lot of hype?). It will be interesting to see who sticks, and who is just passing through town on their next stop on the pro hockey circuit.
- EKolb13

You never know what could happen giving 3rd liners top 6 minutes in a non pressure hockey environment like Florida. Im surprised we couldn't flip Pirri for Goc. Oh well.


about 60 hours of trade deadline remaining right ?

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.
- yahoodi

Im going to Give Stan until 4pm Wed to address it.

Dont take too much stock into what GMs say publicly . They lie. Lets just wait and see.

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.
- yahoodi

Pirri and the 2C void have nothing to do with each other. Pirri wasn't going to fill the void nor would he be traded for a legitimate top 6 forward. The 2C vacancy is a concern but it's nothing that can't be overcome. It's not like we can't win a Cup with the current roster. Regin was acquired just to give Handzus some rest so he's ready for the playoffs. We have to look at roster in its entirety. The only real while is the 2C spot, things could be worse (and better). There are options, personally I'd like to see Steeger get another shot.

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.
- yahoodi

I'd actually move Kruger up to 2C and acquire a Marcel Goc to man the fourth line. He's a good faceoff guy too and has pretty much been in that role his whole career. You get him then you pretty much have three dominant faceoff guys in the lineup every game and a fourth if you add Zus.

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.
- yahoodi

Keith-Seabrook
Oduya-Hjalmarsson.

Hossa, Kane, Sharp, Versteeg, Saad. We're stacked at wing. Center's only part of the picture. And Krugs is just as good as Ott, probably better. Also ROR is a permanent winger this season.

I'm not sure what everyone is celebrating here. The 2c position still sucks.

Trading Pirri doesn't make Handzus any less slow. And the echoes of "Well he won a cup last year" get more ridiculous each day. He doesn't have the carrot of a Stanley cup or the benefit of a shortened season to keep him fresh. He's just slow and bad. Peter Regin is a 4th line player. Always has been, always will be. But, Like Frolik before him and Kruger before him, the Hawks are putting a square peg into a round center position.
I understand it worked last year. But are we counting on Stoll, Kopitar and Richards to be beat up like they were last year? I'm not. The Hawks Opponents down the middle are:

Backes- Berglund-Ott

Duchesne-Stastny- Oriely

Thornton-Coture-Pavelski

And I'll take Jonathan Toews over all of them. But I'll put Handzus-Regin-and now that Shaw is shooting 7% instead of the 15% of the last two half seasons and is looking more and more like a wing in Center's clothing, I'll throw all three under all nine of the above…

Would Pirri have made a difference? No. But this complacency that 2c will be fine because The hawks overcame it last year is pretty foolhardy logic. And this idea that if all else fails we'll bring over the finnish teenager……well they tried that with Kruger in 2011, it didn't work.
- yahoodi

Bowman has shown he will not make panic moves and will patiently wait for another season instead of making a big move that may or may not help in the short term. Yes Zus is slow but like it or not he was a better option than Pirri who not only wasn't much faster but was also not any where near as expereinced.

As for Shaw the fact he hasn't hit anyone with the intensity as he has in the past should tell us that there is an underlying issue. I have heard that he has cracked ribs and torn rib cartlidge, which would explain allot.

I'd actually move Kruger up to 2C and acquire a Marcel Goc to man the fourth line. He's a good faceoff guy too and has pretty much been in that role his whole career. You get him then you pretty much have three dominant faceoff guys in the lineup every game and a fourth if you add Zus.
- golfbard

I'd really like it if Q would leave Kruger in there for 2-4 games to see if that line could gel. Anytime Kruger has gotten a look there, it's usually been for a game or parts of a game. At least that's how it appears to me.

@mirtle: Blackhawks extend Bollig.

Per James Mirtle, Hawks extend Brandon Bollig. Three year extension. Don't know dollars yet

I'd really like it if Q would leave Kruger in there for 2-4 games to see if that line could gel. Anytime Kruger has gotten a look there, it's usually been for a game or parts of a game. At least that's how it appears to me.
- EKolb13

Yea and they've played pretty well together.

Per James Mirtle, Hawks extend Brandon Bollig. Three year extension. Don't know dollars yet
- golfbard

If the contract is reasonable I like the deal. I'm surprised Bollig was re-signed ahead of Smith. Maybe it's leverage for Smith's negotiations.

Bollig gets 1.25 mil AAV per LeBrun.

@Real_ESPNLeBrun: Bollig's extension in Chicago worth $1.25 M AAV per year


Waaaaaaaaay to much. Not crippling but that's too much.

@Real_ESPNLeBrun: Bollig's extension in Chicago worth $1.25 M AAV per year


Waaaaaaaaay to much. Not crippling but that's too much.
- DarthKane

Why? That's what Brookbank makes in a smaller cap and he's less valuable than Bollig

As far as Bollig goes maybe one more year then I would've given him but it is what it is. I was a big critic of Bollig but I do like the fact that he has really tried to develop his game over the past year. He realizes he has to do more then fight to stick with the Hawks. That being said there aren't many forward openings on next year's squad as of right now. If I'm correct Regin and Zus are now the only UFA forwards.

Why? That's what Brookbank makes in a smaller cap and he's less valuable than Bollig
- rollpards19

Bollig's deal won't start until next year when the cap rises and it'll likely continue to rise over the next few years.

Brookbank is a free agent after this year so they can always get someone else in that role or use someone in the minors.

This is a cheap contract for a guy who brings size, toughness, and plays pretty clean in his role. He's also improved and shown some skill. I mean six goals from your so-called enforcer?

As far as Bollig goes maybe one more year then I would've given him but it is what it is. I was a big critic of Bollig but I do like the fact that he has really tried to develop his game over the past year. He realizes he has to do more then fight to stick with the Hawks. That being said there aren't many forward openings on next year's squad as of right now. If I'm correct Regin and Zus are now the only UFA forwards.
- dan9189

Been saying this all year. Now there's one forward spot and its going to TT. Forward prospects are a lot less valuable to the Hawks than other teams.

@Real_ESPNLeBrun: Bollig's extension in Chicago worth $1.25 M AAV per year


Waaaaaaaaay to much. Not crippling but that's too much.
- DarthKane

All depends on where the cap is headed.