Once the season's over. For the summer.
- mohel

Hmmmmm -

Condo in Trump Tower, world class city, summer festivals, al fresco dining at some of the greatest restaurants (and bars) in the world....

Vs.

Buffalo chicken wings....

Hard choice to make for an off season.

Going into the ladder part of the season, I feel like our defense is the only thing that seems solid. Yeah, the forwards played well last night and the line shake up worked but the D have consistently been solid. Idk if getting kesler and losing the defensive depth is truly a good idea.

What sets the hawks apart from other elites is their ability to SKATE. Losing Oduya and Leddy would seriously diminish that. Are there other options this summer that could fill that role? Any free agents or trade possibilities that could be cheaper?

How so? His potential might be underrated, I could get that, but as far as his play its certainly not. He's a bottom pairing d-man.
- rollpards19

He is not a defined bottom pairing league wide....Defenseman that can skate, pass and shoot like Leddy aren't hitting their ceiling at 22 usually.

He would be in the top 4 on a lot of teams also 1st unit PP.

The Hawks have the best defense in the NHL from 1-6...Only one worth considering is probably the Blues. We take that for granted.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77

Kesler will be a tighter squeeze if this is true. And Toews and Kane next year...

http://prohockeytalk.nbcs...huge-swing-in-salary-cap/

Once the season's over. For the summer.
- mohel

Introduce him to your college girls and cab drivers.

Going into the ladder part of the season, I feel like our defense is the only thing that seems solid. Yeah, the forwards played well last night and the line shake up worked but the D have consistently been solid. Idk if getting kesler and losing the defensive depth is truly a good idea.

What sets the hawks apart from other elites is their ability to SKATE. Losing Oduya and Leddy would seriously diminish that. Are there other options this summer that could fill that role? Any free agents or trade possibilities that could be cheaper?
- nickmo2699

You have to deal from strength to plug holes and eliminate weaknesses.

Unfortunately, the immediate (this year and next year?) strength is in Chicago already: if forced to move a top 4 defenseman to plug the 2C problem - Rockford is not yet ready to send up a top 4 replacement - or even a 5D if you want to move Leddy into 4C.

Eli, I hear what you're saying about Dahlbeck - next year as a 6/7, two years "on the team" - but who at Rockford - F or D - next year - could you move in to replace someone you could move to solve a problem?

It seems that whatever depth the system/organization gas is at least 2-3 years away (and I include TT in this).

Kesler will be a tighter squeeze if this is true. And Toews and Kane next year...

http://prohockeytalk.nbcs...huge-swing-in-salary-cap/
- mohel

If that's true - and the cap falls to $68MM - then Bettman and his finance/accounting team should be immediately FIRED.

You can't have everyone play to a $71MM cap and then say, we'll, sorry, our projections didn't take the economy into consideration....

A little clarification, now that I have a moment to catch my breath:

The source on this was/is a very good one. I will just leave it at that. Someone else I know with a contact close to (some might say within) the Hawks got to me yesterday and said they had heard the exact same thing.

My source warned me: "you will take a lot of sh-- if you go out with this."

And I did. I don't care. Most of it has been from Hawk fans who think, due to having seen some videotape of Teravainen, they discovered him personally and he is the greatest player since Wayne Gretzky. Neither of which are remotely true.

And in at least one case, I do believe the Hawks pr people have some "operatives" out in the "Twitter-verse" whose job it is to derail stories they don't want getting out.

There is a very real possibility that Teravainen in 5 years might not be the player Ryan Kesler is today. Very real. And if you're Patrick Kane, and you've been waiting the last 2 years for a legit center, you're not waiting to see if Teravainen is that guy—or if he ends up as many speculate, another sort of Patrick Kane at RW. In other words, Teravainen coming over and thriving at RW—TAKES AWAY leverage Kane has on his contract next summer.

His pushing for Kesler—which has been NO SECRET for the last 10 days or so, is him USING the leverage he has right now.

Teravainen could end up being a great player. But Ryan Kesler plugged in at 2C for the Hawks is pretty much a guaranteed upgrade right now. And makes them a marginally better team right now. Too bad they couldn't get him for this year's playoffs. He might have been the difference between a 2nd or 3rd round team and a Cup winner. Yes, he's a very good player who fills a couple of huge holes in t this lineup.

All this is just common sense. Anyone debating this as though Teravainen is guaranteed to be Pavel Datsyuk is just ignorant.

The thing that is debatable is can you afford to ship Leddy off and assume David Rundblad, and/or Steve Johns or Klas Dahlbeck fills his shoes in some way. That is debatable. but there are also two sides to that debate. Rundblad is a highly thought of, willed puck rushing defenseman with a lot of good years ahead of him—especially in the Hawks' system.

Bottom line, and if any of you haters are reading this, you are ridiculous. This is not "made up." I am creative, but it would take a genius to make up a scenario like this where so many dots clearly connect. And to get a made up story out to more than one independent source.
- John Jaeckel

I haven't seen anybody "guarantee" TT will be another Pavel Datsyuk.

I haven't seen anybody even suggest that you "made up" any part of this story. Stating a position that one thinks this rumor won't turn to reality is NOT suggesting that you made up the rumor.

If that's true - and the cap falls to $68MM - then Bettman and his finance/accounting team should be immediately FIRED.

You can't have everyone play to a $71MM cap and then say, we'll, sorry, our projections didn't take the economy into consideration....
- StLBravesFan

Next year its supposedly MIGHT be $68 mil, but Toews and Kane dont need new deals until the following year so by then the cap will be higher, dont see what the major issue is...

By the way, I'm pretty sure EVERYBODY agrees that Bettman should have been fired already.

If that's true - and the cap falls to $68MM - then Bettman and his finance/accounting team should be immediately FIRED.

You can't have everyone play to a $71MM cap and then say, we'll, sorry, our projections didn't take the economy into consideration....
- StLBravesFan

I don't see how the increase after next season won't be at least as much as this year....But I'm thinking there will be another 4-6 outdoor games.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77

I don't see how the increase after next season won't be at least as much as this year....But I'm thinking there will be another 4-6 outdoor games.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77
- Al

If they do 6 outdoor games EVERY year, wont it kind of lose its coolness?

If they do 6 outdoor games EVERY year, wont it kind of lose its coolness?
- BlazinMike

As long as it keeps raising the cap who cares!

I don't see how the increase after next season won't be at least as much as this year....But I'm thinking there will be another 4-6 outdoor games.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77
- Al

But you'd be starting from a lower base: 68 + X < 71 + X.

If the looney comes back - fine; if not - trouble.

Even next year: Hawks have a cap hit of $66MM for 18 signed players - big difference between $5MM left and 2MM left.

I don't see how the increase after next season won't be at least as much as this year....But I'm thinking there will be another 4-6 outdoor games.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77
- Al

The issue is the falling value of the Canadian dollar. The contracts and are in US dollars, which means that the new Canadian TV deal and any increased revenues from the Canadian teams will be less than anticipated.

He is not a defined bottom pairing league wide....Defenseman that can skate, pass and shoot like Leddy aren't hitting their ceiling at 22 usually.

He would be in the top 4 on a lot of teams also 1st unit PP.

The Hawks have the best defense in the NHL from 1-6...Only one worth considering is probably the Blues. We take that for granted.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77
- Al

I certainly don't take it for granted. He doesn't have the physical skills of a third pairing d-man, but he certainly has the effect on the game. Do you really think a team giving Nick Leddy 20 minutes a game against top players has a shot at a cup?

I certainly don't take it for granted. He doesn't have the physical skills of a third pairing d-man, but he certainly has the effect on the game. Do you really think a team giving Nick Leddy 20 minutes a game against top players has a shot at a cup?
- rollpards19

Not a chance, we saw how that worked out remember?

PATRICK KANE IS COMING HOME TO BUFFALO NEXT YEAR!!!
- disabledhuman

To show off his 3rd cup ring with the Hawks and take the Cup to Niagara falls again?

To show off his 3rd cup ring with the Hawks and take the Cup to Niagara falls again?
- ikeane

Well played!

A little clarification, now that I have a moment to catch my breath:

The source on this was/is a very good one. I will just leave it at that. Someone else I know with a contact close to (some might say within) the Hawks got to me yesterday and said they had heard the exact same thing.

My source warned me: "you will take a lot of sh-- if you go out with this."

And I did. I don't care. Most of it has been from Hawk fans who think, due to having seen some videotape of Teravainen, they discovered him personally and he is the greatest player since Wayne Gretzky. Neither of which are remotely true.

And in at least one case, I do believe the Hawks pr people have some "operatives" out in the "Twitter-verse" whose job it is to derail stories they don't want getting out.

There is a very real possibility that Teravainen in 5 years might not be the player Ryan Kesler is today. Very real. And if you're Patrick Kane, and you've been waiting the last 2 years for a legit center, you're not waiting to see if Teravainen is that guy—or if he ends up as many speculate, another sort of Patrick Kane at RW. In other words, Teravainen coming over and thriving at RW—TAKES AWAY leverage Kane has on his contract next summer.

His pushing for Kesler—which has been NO SECRET for the last 10 days or so, is him USING the leverage he has right now.

Teravainen could end up being a great player. But Ryan Kesler plugged in at 2C for the Hawks is pretty much a guaranteed upgrade right now. And makes them a marginally better team right now. Too bad they couldn't get him for this year's playoffs. He might have been the difference between a 2nd or 3rd round team and a Cup winner. Yes, he's a very good player who fills a couple of huge holes in t this lineup.

All this is just common sense. Anyone debating this as though Teravainen is guaranteed to be Pavel Datsyuk is just ignorant.

The thing that is debatable is can you afford to ship Leddy off and assume David Rundblad, and/or Steve Johns or Klas Dahlbeck fills his shoes in some way. That is debatable. but there are also two sides to that debate. Rundblad is a highly thought of, willed puck rushing defenseman with a lot of good years ahead of him—especially in the Hawks' system.

Bottom line, and if any of you haters are reading this, you are ridiculous. This is not "made up." I am creative, but it would take a genius to make up a scenario like this where so many dots clearly connect. And to get a made up story out to more than one independent source.
- John Jaeckel

Whether intentional or not, you've hit the nail on the head. This is a 2nd, maybe 3rd round team at best. Based on the way they're playing since the new year, and the roster they now have, a key acquisition at TDL was critical to putting this team into the finals.

Bowman blew it.

Has Stan turned into Lovie Smith since he left town? We like our team! What else are they supposed to say? Depth is great, unless Q is your coach, where he proves time and time again that he shortens the bench the deeper the playoffs go. And we all know that the regular season and Playoffs are 2 different worlds. So, I ask, why does he care about keeping depth at positions when it will be a fact that Q is going to ride the core hard. Make the core better for the post-season.

Pirri just got plowed face first into the boards. He was bleeding from the nose and a game misconduct was called.

Makes sense. He's a LD right?
- rollpards19

For the most part, yes.

Pirri just got plowed face first into the boards. He was bleeding from the nose and a game misconduct was called.
- waitforawhistle

Saw Unnamed skating away....

As long as it keeps raising the cap who cares!
- DarthKane

I care.

I get the spectacle and the attraction to the whole pond hockey routine the league is trying to sell. However, these outdoor games are not real games in my opinion. If you take the Soldier Field game for example, with all the snow that slowed the game way down and visibility was crap, how can you count it as a real game?

I think the Winter Classic is more than enough of a dog and pony show for the league. Really, I'd be just fine with two Winter Classic games on January 1st - one in the East, and one in the West with one played during the day and one at night. That's all it needs to be.

The more Stadium Series games played, the less interest the league will have from people in general about outdoor games, and Bettman will kill that cash cow.

Saw Unnamed skating away....
- TrueGrit