Nope, and that is why I am so in favor of aiding Kev being the center of the hockey universe...maybe it adds MORE pressure to be the real deal?

Does choosing a partner parent club where your agent says "a quicker route to the bigs" is part of the signing ADD pressure on the late July / early August big anticipated signee?

Does the hockey world coverage of this event quit if he ends up down of a team's farm?

Don't know enough about the lad to make any predictions, but at past camps he certainly seemed to talk the talk and say the correct things in terms of commitment to becoming a pro hockey player.

It's going to be fun to watch him progress.

I pray the season ticket holders don't start the goofy booing carp you hear in others cities, when they say, boo Hossa because he left, or boo Keith because of past series where they felt violated by him.

If I had two hockey wishes that would be my second.
The first would instant rapture to hell for any one yelling, a goalies name over and over, especially in a tie game or when their teams goalie has let in MORE pucks.
I guess i hate it whether at any juncture, because most goalies are not just goalie breakdowns.

It is so rookie lame. "Crawford....Craw----fooooordddd!"

They need to concentrate on watching the play and learning all the beautiful parts to the sport that happen so nonchalantly at the pro level.

But instead the trying to take phone photos, text there friends to tell them they are at a hockey game, or check their e-mails....

I bet the Romans watched every second of the Lions & the Christians...
- wiz1901

This is about as dumb as The Wave. I can't stand the goalie name chant.

Jimmy Hayes showed very little for a contending team. He was an average skater, he didn't play big and he didn't show he was better than other Hawk forwards. Olsen doesn't think the game well at all and while he may learn that he wasn't going to do it in Chicago.
- paulr

Yeah Jimmy starts his second RFA contract when he signs with the Panthers...unless Tallon TRADES HIM to some NHL team willing to trade & overpay and sign Kevin and have the two Boston brothers in their organization.

Olsen's biggest issue was speed from a dead stop. When he be at the point and the puck transistioned to the opposition with a quick break-out, he simply could get back and defend.

This is about as dumb as The Wave. I can't stand the goalie name chant.
- eburgio

It's about as dumb as front-row fans banging on the glass to try to disrupt someone on the ice.

Or fans in back of the basket waving things to try to distract a free-throw shooter.

and for the record:

I don't think an Oduya departure now solves the CAP crunch that the 2015-16 season will bring.

It's about as dumb as front-row fans banging on the glass to try to disrupt someone on the ice.


- StLBravesFan

Being so ego-centric I will take credit for bringing out the worst in whomever of my friends would come sneak into the area of my US season ticket.
so when Steve Kohn would sneak in he would start targeting the idiots banging the glass but would wait until the intermission and when they were turned towards us, would yelll don't things like "HEY you, the guy who was banging on the glass:You're REALLY EXCITED!- How much did you pay for that seat? Sit down!

It's about as dumb as front-row fans banging on the glass to try to disrupt someone on the ice.

Or fans in back of the basket waving things to try to distract a free-throw shooter.
- StLBravesFan

How about fans that have funny pictures behind the basket?

But yeah, I hate the fans on the glass. There are some times when that's mic'd up and you can't even hear the announcers for the constant smacking of the glass. Dumb. I'm sure a player is really bothered by that...

Being so ego-centric I will take credit for bringing out the worst in whomever of my friends would come sneak into the area of my US season ticket.
so when Steve Kohn would sneak in he would start targeting the idiots banging the glass but would wait until the intermission and when they were turned towards us, would yelll don't things like "HEY you, the guy who was banging on the glass:You're REALLY EXCITED!- How much did you pay for that seat? Sit down!
- wiz1901

That is SOOOO Steve Kohn...

Hayes showed very little for a contending team. He was an average skater, he didn't play big and he didn't show he was better than other Hawk forwards. Pirri is a poor skater, he doesn't check, he wants to play the perimeter game, he didn't show he was good enough to play for a contending team and due to his contract the Hawks would have lost him this summer for nothing this summer. Olsen doesn't think the game well at all and while he may learn that he wasn't going to do it in Chicago.
- paulr

I would add who on the current roster would the 3 of them replace?

Do you think the three of them would have re-signed with the Hawks after their deals were up this past year, even if the Hawks wanted to resign them???

Not a Versteeg fan, but Stan didn't make a mistake trading these 3, they were never going to make the big club and that's how this system currently being implemented and executed works.

Stock the farm system, weed out who can make it and who can't. Trade the ones who can't for whatever you can get, more future picks, or a guy you think can help short term on the big club, and keep the cycle going.

Really isn't that tough to comprehend, and to me makes a lot of sense. Got to have faith in your scouting organization though.

and for the record:

I don't think an Oduya departure now solves the CAP crunch that the 2015-16 season will bring.
- wiz1901

No, it doesn't - but IMO, worry about that one then.

Be the best you can be - this year - because I think you have a couple of transition years ahead starting in 2015-16 no matter what happens.

Unless the cap goes up by a lot more that I expect it to.

My personal opinion is Stan made bad moves by offloading Pirri, Olson and Hayes. Hayes was not dynamic but was a serviceable big man with good hand who showed he could score at the NHL level. Pirri may have lacked the defense some wanted to see but with both Hayes and Pirri on entry level deals, I have to believe you get more on balance than with one Verstink playing no D, giving you little O and generally being a non-physical turnover machine. Olson has a ways to go but I believe he'll ultimately be a serviceable bottom pairing D-man at least. Stan essentially got little to nothing for 3 of his supposed top prospects and is now saddled with Verstinks' contract moving forward.
- Baaaaaaannerman!

I believe all 3 of these players would have been on 1 way deals this year or had to go elsewhere. The returns in the trades do look bad but hard to argue with the logic. Pirri is the one player who would have given them another option this off season and next year. People hate him here but he could be a 50 point per year center/wing.

Another reason Dent should be canned in Rockford. If he cannot provide prospects that know Qs defensive positioning requirements WHEN they arrive then he is a failure. Pirri's d problems were as much on Dent as they were on Pirri. It looked like he had no idea what Q wanted.

I would add who on the current roster would the 3 of them replace?

Do you think the three of them would have re-signed with the Hawks after their deals were up this past year, even if the Hawks wanted to resign them???

Not a Versteeg fan, but Stan didn't make a mistake trading these 3, they were never going to make the big club and that's how this system currently being implemented and executed works.

Stock the farm system, weed out who can make it and who can't. Trade the ones who can't for whatever you can get, more future picks, or a guy you think can help short term on the big club, and keep the cycle going.

Really isn't that tough to comprehend, and to me makes a lot of sense. Got to have faith in your scouting organization though.
- vabeachbear

Trading Dylan Olsen wasn't a bad move, trading for Kris Versteeg was. It made no sense and solved no issues at the time. And now we have a guy who gives almost nothing to this team on the ice while his cap hit (though not obscene at 2.2) is hurting us and he's blocking players who if they can't play as well as him they need to be traded to. If Versteeg was a center or provided a physical/PK presence on this team the trade would make sense, but as it is it made no sense.

The trade sucked and I bet you anything if/when we trade Versteeg we will NOT get two "middling" prospects for him. We'll get a low round pick, nothing more. He stinks.

It is what it is, I hope he is traded out so McNeill, Danault, TT, Ross, etc...can get a chance.

Trading Dylan Olsen wasn't a bad move, trading for Kris Versteeg was. It made no sense and solved no issues at the time. And now we have a guy who gives almost nothing to this team on the ice while his cap hit (though not obscene at 2.2) is hurting us and he's blocking players who if they can't play as well as him they need to be traded to. If Versteeg was a center or provided a physical/PK presence on this team the trade would make sense, but as it is it made no sense.

It is what it is, I hope he is traded out so McNeill, Danault, TT, Ross, etc...can get a chance.
- kwolf68

Versteeg, like Bickell, was coming off of a serious injury last off-season. I think both are capable of, and both will need to have, big bounce back seasons in order for the current lineup to work out.

They're both capable of significantly more than they showed last year. Let's see what they look like with another full off-season to get their bodies right.

Trading Dylan Olsen wasn't a bad move, trading for Kris Versteeg was. It made no sense and solved no issues at the time. And now we have a guy who gives almost nothing to this team on the ice while his cap hit (though not obscene at 2.2) is hurting us and he's blocking players who if they can't play as well as him they need to be traded to. If Versteeg was a center or provided a physical/PK presence on this team the trade would make sense, but as it is it made no sense.

The trade sucked and I bet you anything if/when we trade Versteeg we will NOT get two "middling" prospects for him. We'll get a low round pick, nothing more. He stinks.

It is what it is, I hope he is traded out so McNeill, Danault, TT, Ross, etc...can get a chance.
- kwolf68

I wouldnt mind if Versteeg had some speed. He just doesnt seem to have anything really. At least last season since his acquisition he didnt do anything special.

Oh well

I'll respectfully disagree. I'm sure 90% of this board takes a bad loss in November a lot harder then the team does. Most of these guys head out to dinner afterwards to get away.
- SteveRain

Two different issues. You learn as a pro athlete to leave the game at the rink and enjoy your family and your life. To suggest that because a guy can go out to eat dinner after the game and equating that to not caring is a stretch. How many of you or your dads, are able to compartmentalize what happens at work and keep it from stressing out your family. That is what Men do. Ultimately guys know they have a job to do and help to contribute to winning.

I am a fan, but what the hawks do or don't do in winning or losing does not effect my day. This is my escape...I have no control over what happens.

I wouldnt mind if Versteeg had some speed. He just doesnt seem to have anything really. At least last season since his acquisition he didnt do anything special.

Oh well
- BlazinMike

My problem is he didn't fit. Where can he play?

Top 6? Yea right
Botto 3? We need tough checkers there
PK? Nope
Center? I wish

He's a third line winger. That's what he was WHEN HE WAS pretty good in 2010. That's where he is now, but we have PLENTY of those type of players...Bickell, Shaw, Smith, Morin, Sharp (for the last 3 games of the Cup final). And that's not to even count the prospects who are very close to ready (TT on L3 wing may be just what that kid needs, instead of sticking him at L2-C).

Versteeg brings no skill that isn't already in abundance in Chicago and now his mere presence pushes us over the cap further and unless he is moved, he'll continue to block kids who can hit (McNeill, Ross), players with great skill (TT), and players smart enough to get a puck in deep and not getting picked at the blue line (Danault).

Moving him should be the very next thing Stan Bowman does. It was a suck trade, but lets not compound it thinking he has some illustrious role here. Move him and move on.

Again I don't care if Hayes leaves. I don't blame him if he goes and if.he stays I.hope.he becomes a serviceable player.

He's a big kid and last time.i checked this team doesn't have a lot of size in the system to replace a Bickell for example.

Oh well. Let's hope bowman makes a trade before camp. Otherwise let's enjoy the tumble weeds after 8/15

Versteeg, like Bickell, was coming off of a serious injury last off-season. I think both are capable of, and both will need to have, big bounce back seasons in order for the current lineup to work out.

They're both capable of significantly more than they showed last year. Let's see what they look like with another full off-season to get their bodies right.
- Ogilthorpe2

Yes sir. And both have a proven track record in the NHL of being able to produce. Versteeg could be a steal if he's anything close to 2010 Versteeg.

Chicago is the only place in the NHL where anyone EARNS a job? Smart players look for the best opportunities. It is that simple.

and for the record:

I don't think an Oduya departure now solves the CAP crunch that the 2015-16 season will bring.
- wiz1901

Agreed. Going to take maybe a sharp and Oduya or leddy.

I bet Stan goes for.it this year and deals sharp next summer.

Chicago is the only place in the NHL where anyone EARNS a job? Smart players look for the best opportunities. It is that simple.
- TrueGrit

Correct. That was my initial point and why I don't blame him for exploring other options.

Agreed. Going to take maybe a sharp and Oduya or leddy.

I bet Stan goes for.it this year and deals sharp next summer.
- SteveRain

Agreed. Think someone like Versteeg or Oduya goes now then they worry about the cap crunch next year. This team needs to build for the upcoming season not two years down the road.

Agreed. Think someone like Versteeg or Oduya goes now then they worry about the cap crunch next year. This team needs to build for the upcoming season not two years down the road.
- golfbard

Versteeg and Rosy...Rosy is a consummate pro and was large in 2013, but he looked so done last year.

Chicago is the only place in the NHL where anyone EARNS a job? Smart players look for the best opportunities. It is that simple.
- TrueGrit

Best opportunity? As in best chance to win?

Or easiest opportunity? As in best chance to play now.

Chicago is the only place in the NHL where anyone EARNS a job? Smart players look for the best opportunities. It is that simple.
- TrueGrit

The problem is the idea (true or not) that Hayes EXPECTS to have a spot in the NHL lineup wherever he may go, including Chicago.

I dont know if anyone has a problem with him trying to find the best situation for himself, just the way he is perceived to act while doing so (the whole entitlement thing)

Correct. That was my initial point and why I don't blame him for exploring other options.
- SteveRain

Unless he's an elite talent, which he isn't, few teams will show the patience with him as the team that drafted him. Hopefully for him he can make an impression right away or he risks being a trivia answer.