When you say, "get 1 maybe two NHL players out of etc etc...", do you mean use them in trades or just try like hell to develop those guys into NHL'ers?
- BlazinMike

To turn them into useful NHL players....If not then improvements will come via trades.

Is Hayden the one in the system?I know he is in college but I could see him turning pro sooner than later.He just seems to be a guy that is always impressing when he comes for his big club visits.
- eagle50

I think he is in his 2nd yr at Yale.

I would have been fine if they moved both Leddy and Oduya and gotten Stralman. Didn't look too bad for the Rags in the Finals.

Another Swede and we know how the Bowmans love Swedes. Stan still hasn't fixed the biggest problem from last spring and that's another physical dman that can clear the front of the net. Maybe that happens at the TDL. Who knows.

No question Leddy is missed - slick skater puck moving player, but still couldn't get his defense together. You also don't have Brookbank back there as a safety net. Solid physical player knew his role. Shame they lost Kostka thought he was solid and had a lot some offense to his game.
- DK002

Leddy would most definitely NOT help the 40 minute fire drill yesterday...

I appreciate wanting to have Rozi or Brookbank around as veteran insurance at 5-8d... but between Johns, Dahlbeck and TVR we have defensive prospects who are actually project defensive upside, unlike the Clendennings, Leddys and Lalondes. Maybe that gives Q/Stanbo a little more confidence this group can handle it.

How does a second rate goalie become a first rate kiss up?

Thanks,

Wiz
- wiz1901

Wiz....he is wrong...it is Ralph Strangis, he is their play by play guy...Daryl Reaugh is along with him but it is Strangis that is the homer and not Razor

Not so sure...Maybe Brookbank is as good as last year and maybe not.

I think the front office is going to try to get 1 maybe 2 NHL players out of Rundblad, TVR, and Cumiskey...If not it will take a bit to figure it out.
- Al

We always kill the FO for keeping guys a year too long (Zues, Rozy), let Brookbank and for the love of god Sopel go

We always kill the FO for keeping guys a year too long (Zues, Rozy), let Brookbank and for the love of god Sopel go
- vabeachbear

Agreed.

Brookbank was useful and he is gone so be done with it .


Sopel is a huge piece of dog poop .

I saw earlier someone wanted to bring Sopel back for a look see , lol. GTFO here with that poop . Awful .

While I agree you need some physical presence and the Hawks have some and maybe not as much as others, however there's also the notion of playing big. Guys like Toews, Kruger, and others. They did that during the 2013 run. Also you mention finesse but don't forget speed. More times than not speed can expose a team's weakness in the playoffs over a long series. That's why you see the Hawks seemingly dominate late in series.
- golfbard

The bigger question for me is whether the officiating goes ice age like it did this year in the playoffs. Or it bounces back to 2013 with interference being called. The kings have been just as successful with their big bodies as the Hawks have with their speed/finesse players. The Hawks will be fine if last year was an anomaly.

I'm hoping Garrett Ross could turn into that guy some day. I think he has the gritty agitator part down but he may not be as skilled as Shaw.
- jhawk159

He is great to watch - very Shaw-like. He's maybe even more like a Brad Marchand with his after whistle yapping. Could be a great energy player here soon.

I put the signing date for Brookbank on Nov 2
- ChicagoDave

I thought the same thing. IMO he played his best hockey as a Hawk in the playoffs last year. Really stepped up.

Hawks will for sure keep there eye on him overseas.

He is great to watch - very Shaw-like. He's maybe even more like a Brad Marchand with his after whistle yapping. Could be a great energy player here soon.
- TyCamScore

I'd still like to see Ross put some more meat on his bones. I think that kid weighs 170 lbs.

Hopefully Oduya bounces back bc he looked terrible last night besides his iron shot. He was getting tossed around and turning over the puck. I didnt watch the NYI game but Leddy was definitely missed last night IMO. Rundblad just doesnt seem to be quick enough to play at the NHL level. Observations from game 1/82 but I dont see Rundblad as a championship level 3rd pair Dman.
- EnzoD

Oduya was struggling. He dealt with an off-season injury so he's going to need some games to get back to the level he was at last year.

I'd still like to see Ross put some more meat on his bones. I think that kid weighs 170 lbs.
- EKolb13

Would definitely help. He is however, listed only 7 lbs lighter than Shaw, he has room to get up to Shawzy style.

Agreed.

Brookbank was useful and he is gone so be done with it .


Sopel is a huge piece of dog poop .

I saw earlier someone wanted to bring Sopel back for a look see , lol. GTFO here with that poop . Awful .
- mrpaulish

We always kill the FO for keeping guys a year too long (Zues, Rozy), let Brookbank and for the love of god Sopel go
- vabeachbear

Amen!
If no one else has use for them, how in the world will they take us over the top??

Wiz....he is wrong...it is Ralph Strangis, he is their play by play guy...Daryl Reaugh is along with him but it is Strangis that is the homer and not Razor
- captainserious

Dude...Wiz asked who the Dallas color analyst was and I told him.

And if you think there is even one of the thirty color analysts league wide who is not a homer, well, then...I'll have vanilla, I guess.

Amen!
If no one else has use for them, how in the world will they take us over the top??
- 67hawks

I'd still like to see Ross put some more meat on his bones. I think that kid weighs 170 lbs.
- EKolb13

Hey Eli, If you could only see 2 IceHog games this year who would you pick as their opponents ?

He is great to watch - very Shaw-like. He's maybe even more like a Brad Marchand with his after whistle yapping. Could be a great energy player here soon.
- TyCamScore

Ross is my fave Rock Hog....wonder how Jamie Wise is doing in Rock town ?

Dude...Wiz asked who the Dallas color analyst was and I told him.

And if you think there is even one of the thirty color analysts league wide who is not a homer, well, then...I'll have vanilla, I guess.
- MartiniMan

The guy in Detroit Ken Daniels makes my stomach turn and pine for Eddie so it's certainly not indigenous to the Big D...we have it in the Dirty D too.

I will say though I heard KD call a game the Wings weren't playing and he was good calling one he didn't have any skin in.

Here ya go DK.


<=========

The guy in Detroit Ken Daniels makes my stomach turn and pine for Eddie so it's certainly not indigenous to the Big D...we have it in the Dirty D too.

I will say though I heard KD call a game the Wings weren't playing and he was good calling one he didn't have any skin in.
- HawkintheD

He's a homer but not as tough to swallow as listening to Mickey Redmond do their color over the years. Hell of a player. Terrible color man.

I think everyone saying "we need to play a full 60 minutes every night" is in for a LOOONNNNGGG season. Id expect a lot more games like the one we saw in the opener(especially when we play tough division games), and we're gonna be outplayed for stretches, its bound to happen. Whats important to me is eeking out enough points to get a decent playoff seed, staying healthy when the playoff approach, and then going on a run and playing our best when it matters. I think thats a more realistic path, what happened in 2013(domination start to finish) just doesn't happen all too often. There will be plenty of bumps in the road.

Wait. Leddy isn't on the top PP unit for the Isle? Guess Cappy is holding him back, too.

Wait. Leddy isn't on the top PP unit for the Isle? Guess Cappy is holding him back, too.
- Elbows15

I think everyone saying "we need to play a full 60 minutes every night" is in for a LOOONNNNGGG season. Id expect a lot more games like the one we saw in the opener(especially when we play tough division games), and we're gonna be outplayed for stretches, its bound to happen. Whats important to me is eeking out enough points to get a decent playoff seed, staying healthy when the playoff approach, and then going on a run and playing our best when it matters. I think thats a more realistic path, what happened in 2013(domination start to finish) just doesn't happen all too often. There will be plenty of bumps in the road.
- SimpleJack

You can add sorting out the D pairings and letting the kids learn from their mistakes. TVR shows a lot of promise. I was impressed with him. Looked very poised for a kid playing his first game.