This is interesting.

IF we are to believe reports, Kane was putting serious pressure on the FO to get Kesler. How did that "being a Richard" and lighting "fire under his ass" work out?
- CaptainBlackhawk

Not well so far...so turn up the heat to eleven.

Hey Hippie ,


just wait till we miss out on Spezza and Stastny
- mrpaulish

Stastny is NEVER gonna be an option. He wants + 6.6 to move from the Lanche. Not happening in Chicago.

In case nobody watched the playoffs this year: the Blues beat themselves, we were bad, and the Kings didn't beat us by as much as they should have; we were mediocre, and so were they. The Kings are a better team. Now Anaheim is, too. The Blues are a better team, and will likely improve. We have our keys getting another year older, Morin will likely be a 4th line starter, Bickell is horrid, Sharp is ... Sharp, and now we don't even have Crapzus for a 2C. Just how have we improved? Oh, wait, Bowman will resign Morrison! All is well!
- Q...argh

You do realize we don't even have a salary cap for next year yet, right? It's a little premature to call the offseason over don't you think. I expect moves to be made. Don't need to jump off a cliff just because of one trade.

You do realize they've been the most successful franchise in the NHL over the last six years or so right? You also realize they can't win a Cup every single year, right?
- CaptainBlackhawk

You do realize that LAK is certainly the best over the last half of those six - and that the don't have the major cap issues that the Hawks do?

I see an awful lot of over reacting to losing out on Kessler.

1. If the cap ends up at 68 mil we are already about $2.2-2.3 mil OVER it right now.

2. Kessler is not the only center available who can help us.

3. Let's say the plan was to trade Sharp to clear salary room for Kessler. But if Sharp exercises his NMC and we made the trade for Kessler, now we're screwed, $7+ mil over the cap depending on what went to Vancouver.

4. We didn't have a young productive center like Bonino to offer. TT is still a mystery and we don't know if every other team in the league views him as a center to begin with. Kruger is not Bonino.

You do realize that LAK is certainly the best over the last half of those six - and that the don't have the major cap issues that the Hawks do?
- StLBravesFan

they are not....

the WILL at the end of next year, much like the Hawks had after their first Cup.

With the #1 Pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft the Chicago Blackhawks select.....

How has our roster changed since 2010? Well....let take a look at this past years roster....in BOLD are the players who won the cup with the Hawks in 2010.

SHARP-TOEWS-HOSSA
Saad- Handzus- KANE
Versteeg ( he was traded then reaquired) -Shaw - Bickel
Smith - Kruger - Bollig/Morin/Regin/Nordstrom

SEABROOK-KEITH
HJALMARSSON - Oduya
Leddy - Rosival
Brookbank


Crawford
Raanta


The year we swung out on Iginla...we won the cup
Swung out on Steve Ott...when? and this may be a good thing
Kesler....still yet to be determined whether or not this will impact us at all based on moves that still could be made....


And when did we have deal for Bobby Ryan?.....isn't he an RW?
- UnnamedSource

He was connected with the 'Hawks a good amount prior to being dealt. He's a LW and I believe in the last olympics (four years ago), him and Kane played on the same line and are friends.

There were rumors floating around that the 'Hawks were very interested and JJ even blogged about it during that off-season leading up to the draft.

I see an awful lot of over reacting to losing out on Kessler.

1. If the cap ends up at 68 mil we are already about $2.2-2.3 mil OVER it right now.

2. Kessler is not the only center available who can help us.
- Hemingways

You're very correct. Keslur isn't the only center avail.

Hey Hippie ,


just wait till we miss out on Spezza and Stastny
- mrpaulish

If the Hawks couldn't acquire Kesler due to "cap concerns" or "we like of players" then those 2 are out of the question.

I'm not expecting much now...

I would expect Regin to be signed very soon. Bout all Stan can do now.
- z1990z

There's plenty he can do. Will he? That's the question.

Sharp, Rosival, Clendening, & #27 for #1 overall is a STEAL...we can dream, cant we?

JJ has been very quiet the last hour and a half........any news to report??????

they are not....

the WILL at the end of next year, much like the Hawks had after their first Cup.
- CaptainBlackhawk

If the Cap is that low... Both the Kings and Hawks are (frank)ED.

I think very well it could be both, and I that's whY I don't see how the hell they get Spezza at a 7 million AAV. To do that they move some salaries and for a 1 year rental?

If it's not a trade....I think they load up for legit run at Stasny.
- SteveRain

If the cap is $68, and if Stastny wants $7, Hawks have to shed close to $11 in salaries (net of minimum replacement costs) to get there.

Who and how?

Sharp, Rosival, Clendening, & #27 for #1 overall is a STEAL...we can dream, cant we?
- EnzoD

Maybe leddy instead of rozy. Still a stretch. You need a young stud player to give up the #1. Saad or eberle type.

The next time someone wants to blog a rumor about Stan Bowman actually making a deal to acquire someone actually better than average at his position ... do us all a favor and DON'T.
- Q...argh

Or maybe we shouldn´t take rumours as facts.

Sorry dude, I know where you're going with this, but can you (and everyone) PLEASE stop with the one bounce away rhetoric. It's moral victory stuff.
- eburgio

"One bounce away" is a meme so ingrained that it's now propaganda. I expect a marketing campaign to be ramped up any day now.

The Hawks got THOROUGHLY outskated by the Wild ... had Crawford not stolen that series, the Hawks get bounced in Round 2. Wild were a BETTER team in that series...#50 totally stole it.

Hawks have major issues with the cap, center, depth...but "we were one bounce away"...all giddy and happy now!!!!!

The Hawks will sign Olli Jokinen....

Sharp, Rosival, Clendening, & #27 for #1 overall is a STEAL...we can dream, cant we?
- EnzoD

Lol



Hey Bro sometimes dreams do come true.........


For Ducks fans haha

He does this after every rumor goes awry.
- CBHawks88

No rumor went awry here:

@DarrenDreger: Kesler's agent, Kurt Overhardt has high praise for Canucks GM Jim Benning. Says Benning worked very hard with the 2 teams given (Chi-Ana).

Also proves the message from the Hawk FO about cap space concerns was BS. They were in this deal until the end.

There's no way we sign Statsny, cap room for this year would be very hard to free up and next year would be damn near impossible without sacrificing someone like Seabrook.

The amount of utter stupidity and negativity on here right now is just unfathomable....

The Hawks will sign Olli Jokinen....
- faustus1500

The Hawks will sign Olli Jokinen....
- faustus1500

The cap at less than 70m is stressing me out