JJ, do you think with the start of spring-training (and all the positive moves the Chicago baseball teams made over the winter) will have McD on hightened alert to the teams media coverage? If the Blackhawks become 3rd or 4th place story, will he force a move just to get press?
- powerenforcer

Damn McD and his meddling

Just for perspective sake, re: "don't trade away the future", 12 years of the future:

1998 Mark Bell 8th overall OK 3rd line player
1999 Steve McCarthy 23rd overall 55 points in 302 NHL games
2000 Mikhail Yakubov 10th overall 40 NHL games BUST
2000 Pavel Vorobiev 11th overall 57 NHL games BUST
2001 Tuomo Ruutu 9th overall OK top 6 forward
2001 Adam Munro 29th overall 17 NHL games BUST
2002 Anton Babchuk 21st overall OK 4-5 defenseman
2003 Brent Seabrook 14th overall NHL All Star HIT
2004 Cam Barker 3rd overall fringe NHL player BUST
2005 Jack Skille 7th overall 4th line journeyman BUST
2006 Jonathan Toews 3rd overall Franchise player HIT
2007 Patrick Kane 1st overall Elite player HIT
2008 Kyle Beach 11th overall 0 NHL games BUST
2009 Dylan Olsen 28th overall In AHL, fringe NHLer BUST?
2010 Kevin Hayes 24th overall Rangers, decent rookie yr HIT
- John Jaeckel

Didn't he get off to a hot start or something in '05-'06? I seem to recall there was some slight buzz at the start of the year pertaining to him but man did he fizzle fast.

Also, anyone notice a trend with these prospects? The "hits" are basically all players that were drafted within the first 15 picks (except for Babchuk who is alright). Of course there are busts and the risks of busts, but there was skepticism with TT when he was drafted. After all, wasn't he projected by some to be picked as a top-10 pick and ended up falling to the 'Hawks. I don't think that it was without reason. Now I'm not saying TT is a bust or anything, but the only reason he is so hyped up is because he is the "best" prospect in our system. I never understood the infatuation with our minor league system or minor league prospects in general. They are minor leaguers and are just that. I NEVER equate a minor league player with that of an NHL player. Way too much risk/reward involved. However, with that being said, the reason I think that most value the prospects so much is that given the 'Hawks salary constraints they are going to be counted upon much more than an average organization and as such it would be nice for them to pan out. But considering the circumstances, I don't think a prospect should get in the way from a team making a move that would potentially put them over the hump.

Just for perspective sake, re: "don't trade away the future", 12 years of the future:

1998 Mark Bell 8th overall OK 3rd line player
1999 Steve McCarthy 23rd overall 55 points in 302 NHL games
2000 Mikhail Yakubov 10th overall 40 NHL games BUST
2000 Pavel Vorobiev 11th overall 57 NHL games BUST
2001 Tuomo Ruutu 9th overall OK top 6 forward
2001 Adam Munro 29th overall 17 NHL games BUST
2002 Anton Babchuk 21st overall OK 4-5 defenseman
2003 Brent Seabrook 14th overall NHL All Star HIT
2004 Cam Barker 3rd overall fringe NHL player BUST
2005 Jack Skille 7th overall 4th line journeyman BUST
2006 Jonathan Toews 3rd overall Franchise player HIT
2007 Patrick Kane 1st overall Elite player HIT
2008 Kyle Beach 11th overall 0 NHL games BUST
2009 Dylan Olsen 28th overall In AHL, fringe NHLer BUST?
2010 Kevin Hayes 24th overall Rangers, decent rookie yr HIT
- John Jaeckel

The Chicago 2005 draft.


So many great players in that draft and we take Skillet head.

The Chicago 2005 draft.


So many great players in that draft and we take Skillet head.
- Lido_Shuffle

Thanks a lot Dale

Yes. Especially now that Kane has been locked up then I feel like TT is expendable as they are similar players. Obviously Kane is in a class of his own.

There are teams that would certainly covet TT for his youth, playmaking skills, and enormous upside.

If I were Bowman then I would package one of my bigger salaried players with TT to getch a better return. IE: TT and Sharp to NYI for Nielsen and Lee(or something of that variety).
- Bjm84

Or you pay some veteran meh dollars. Maybe another year of Richards (gasp!) and let some of these younger guys maturate.

Detroit has sat on prospects the past few years and that has probably benefited them more than rushing them up. If you know any RedWings fans, Tatar this and Tatar that and blah blah blah. Came out of the AHL at just about a 20/20 player which is pretty neat to pop in your line up from the minors.

The reality of a hard cap.

Kruger showed a lot of offensive upside until he was slotted into the 4th line role, which to his credit he does well, but I sometimes wonder what else could he be doing now if he was allowed to grow his game in the AHL and come out a more rounded player.

Just plugging holes with kids next year may not be the best solution either which is the point.

It seems as though the Hawks are going to be battling the cap for the next 5 years or so until dramatic cap increases give them a bit more flexibility. As such, I dont see the value in holding onto Sharp in a bottom 6 role and losing him for a draft pick this summer. Sharp to Montreal is a very interesting rumor as Bergevin obviously has close ties to the Hawks. Ultimately, if Bowman plans on keeping Sharp for the duration of his contract, fine. Otherwise, deal him before the deadline and get SOMETHING back. Otherwise, something like Patrick Sharp to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick might happen at the draft.

It seems as though the Hawks are going to be battling the cap for the next 5 years or so until dramatic cap increases give them a bit more flexibility. As such, I dont see the value in holding onto Sharp in a bottom 6 role and losing him for a draft pick this summer. Sharp to Montreal is a very interesting rumor as Bergevin obviously has close ties to the Hawks. Ultimately, if Bowman plans on keeping Sharp for the duration of his contract, fine. Otherwise, deal him before the deadline and get SOMETHING back. Otherwise, something like Patrick Sharp to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick might happen at the draft.
- EnzoD

I agree. If Sharp gets you help in the needed areas now then bam do it. The off season trade for picks wont help much. I also would have zero problem putting TT in a trade to help this team. The West playoff race will be an a$$ kicker.

It seems as though the Hawks are going to be battling the cap for the next 5 years or so until dramatic cap increases give them a bit more flexibility. As such, I dont see the value in holding onto Sharp in a bottom 6 role and losing him for a draft pick this summer. Sharp to Montreal is a very interesting rumor as Bergevin obviously has close ties to the Hawks. Ultimately, if Bowman plans on keeping Sharp for the duration of his contract, fine. Otherwise, deal him before the deadline and get SOMETHING back. Otherwise, something like Patrick Sharp to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick might happen at the draft.
- EnzoD

Agreed.

There is no perfect time to trade a player a d depending on the return moving Sharp and his cap hit now cpuld make a lot of sense.

Teams like Montreal, Phili, NYI , NYR , Florida , all could put a nice package together for Sharp and the Hawks could get help now and some salary relief.

I agree. If Sharp gets you help in the needed areas now then bam do it. The off season trade for picks wont help much. I also would have zero problem putting TT in a trade to help this team. The West playoff race will be an a$$ kicker.
- z1990z

TT and McNeil and Kruger plus picks for Kesler would have been greaaaaaaat.

Agreed.

There is no perfect time to trade a player a d depending on the return moving Sharp and his cap hit now cpuld make a lot of sense.

Teams like Montreal, Phili, NYI , NYR , Florida , all could put a nice package together for Sharp and the Hawks could get help now and some salary relief.
- mrpaulish

Sharp/Shaw/Erixson for Eller/Tinordi?? More turd chuckin. C help.. D help and some cap help maybe. I dont know..

>>>>I ask you, readers (and Hawk fans, most of you anyway), how happy will you be, how happy will your fellow fans be, if the Hawks bow out in the first or second round this year, and then roll out a team without $5-10 million in veteran salaries, and therefore featuring 3-4 rookies or near-rookies in key roles?<<<<

Not very...but life is not fair and neither is the assinine NHL way of doing business called the hard salary cap....


>>>So the Hawks’ third pair, getting about ten mnutes a game against the league’s best teams in the playoffs, is the flawed Michal Rozsival and one of the above. And here’s what’s even scarier, the Hawks are then one injury away from Rozsival or one of the above getting top 4 minutes. And defensemen have a way of getting injured in the playoffs.<<<

down right nightmarish...

Ugh

Stan the do nothing man

RE: your statement that they have "come back to the pack" this year.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: 33-10-14 (80 points)
2014-15 through 57 games: 35-18-4 (74 points)

Two more wins, with six less points because of losing several more games in regulation as opposed to OT.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: +42 goal differential (+0.73 GPG)
2014-15 through 57 games: +41 goal differential (+0.72 GPG)

A statistical wash.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: 2.77 GAA
2014-15 through 57 games: 2.26 GAA

A massive improvement.

-
2013-14 Corsi-For (couldn't find in-season sats): 55.3%
2014-15 Corsi-For through 57 games: 56.3%

An improvement.

-
If we are arguing that last year's team was a legitimate Cup contender, which they clearly were given their making it to OT of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final, and we acknowledge that defense (as measured by GAA), possession (as measured by Corsi and its various offshoots), and goal differential are predictors of playoff success, I find it hard to believe that a team with massively improved defensive numbers, improved possession numbers, and the same goal differential, has "come back to the pack" or regressed in any significant way.

And yes, before you say it, I do watch the game. I go to upwards of 75 games a year and watch NHL, AHL, KHL and European hockey on a regular basis. Citing numbers does not preclude a person from also "watching the game."
- BreakoutHockey

Well Said....I agree on very point you refer to.
Nsh,Blues and others have improved more than the Hawks are in decline.

Well Said....I agree on very point you refer to.
Nsh,Blues and others have improved more than the Hawks are in decline.
- Colbyboy

That I agree with.

There's a lot of doom-saying on this thread. A few comments ago someone wrote "Anyone who thinks the super-2 and core 5-6 plus kids is going to be anything but a fringe playoff team is delusional." That's just inane. There are 29 other teams that would love to have the Blackhawks core, and any time you have a core like that you have a chance to build a Stanley Cup contender. That's been proven over the past 6 seasons -- 2 Cups, 4 Conference Finals. It's the best stretch of dominance of any Chicago sports team in my lifetime.

Now, having said that, the cap is a reality. This happens as great players move into 2nd and 3rd level contracts. To continue to succeed, the Hawks will have to do a good job of acquiring, drafting and developing talent around the core, AND understanding when pieces of the core need to be moved.

On the second point, clearly the Hawks recognize that two pieces of the core over the last few years are going to have to go this off-season (Sharp and Oduya). Eventually, they know Hossa's coming into the final stretch of his career. And they'll have to watch for signs of deterioration from Keith and Seabrook as they get older.

On the first point, they have Saad and Hjalmarsson as top contributors, and they'll need to acquire or develop another top 4 D and 2 more top 6 F's. Not easy to do when you are drafting later in rounds, but far from impossible. Some of those players may already be in the system.

But I'll worry about those things when they get here. This team is good enough to win it again now. They have one upgrade to make -- improve the 3rd D pair so that teams can't just dump the puck in on Rosie's side. It doesn't take a star to make that improvement -- just a guy who is better than Rosie at what Rosie does, or a guy who is better than Rundblad at what Rundblad does. If they can find that guy -- that one tweak -- I'd still like this team's chances of coming out of the west.

TT and McNeil and Kruger plus picks for Kesler would have been greaaaaaaat.
- mrpaulish

Except that you would have been over the Cap. Would have needed to trade another salary/roster player.

I would be happy if the Hawks just stand pat.

RE: your statement that they have "come back to the pack" this year.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: 33-10-14 (80 points)
2014-15 through 57 games: 35-18-4 (74 points)

Two more wins, with six less points because of losing several more games in regulation as opposed to OT.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: +42 goal differential (+0.73 GPG)
2014-15 through 57 games: +41 goal differential (+0.72 GPG)

A statistical wash.

-
2013-14 through 57 games: 2.77 GAA
2014-15 through 57 games: 2.26 GAA

A massive improvement.

-
2013-14 Corsi-For (couldn't find in-season sats): 55.3%
2014-15 Corsi-For through 57 games: 56.3%

An improvement.

-
If we are arguing that last year's team was a legitimate Cup contender, which they clearly were given their making it to OT of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final, and we acknowledge that defense (as measured by GAA), possession (as measured by Corsi and its various offshoots), and goal differential are predictors of playoff success, I find it hard to believe that a team with massively improved defensive numbers, improved possession numbers, and the same goal differential, has "come back to the pack" or regressed in any significant way.

And yes, before you say it, I do watch the game. I go to upwards of 75 games a year and watch NHL, AHL, KHL and European hockey on a regular basis. Citing numbers does not preclude a person from also "watching the game."
- BreakoutHockey

Crawford save %

last year: .917
this year: .922

Shots against and pucks directed towards the goal against are both up significantly than last year. Tremendous goaltending has compensated for a lot.

It seems as though the Hawks are going to be battling the cap for the next 5 years or so until dramatic cap increases give them a bit more flexibility. As such, I dont see the value in holding onto Sharp in a bottom 6 role and losing him for a draft pick this summer. Sharp to Montreal is a very interesting rumor as Bergevin obviously has close ties to the Hawks. Ultimately, if Bowman plans on keeping Sharp for the duration of his contract, fine. Otherwise, deal him before the deadline and get SOMETHING back. Otherwise, something like Patrick Sharp to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick might happen at the draft.
- EnzoD

Highly doubt a top 6 forward, that has had lots of success only gets a 3rd round pick. We traded Bollig for a 3rd round pick...... Please think logically before spewing madness...

Sharp/Shaw/Erixson for Eller/Tinordi?? More turd chuckin. C help.. D help and some cap help maybe. I dont know..
- z1990z

no

It seems as though the Hawks are going to be battling the cap for the next 5 years or so until dramatic cap increases give them a bit more flexibility. As such, I dont see the value in holding onto Sharp in a bottom 6 role and losing him for a draft pick this summer. Sharp to Montreal is a very interesting rumor as Bergevin obviously has close ties to the Hawks. Ultimately, if Bowman plans on keeping Sharp for the duration of his contract, fine. Otherwise, deal him before the deadline and get SOMETHING back. Otherwise, something like Patrick Sharp to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick might happen at the draft.
- EnzoD

This

All I want at the deadline is a veteran defenseman who is just a step faster than Rozi. I think that a pick and a mid level prospect could get us that. Otherwise, I like this team.
- Dieselhead

Its been stated 100 times, can't trade picks and prospects, no cap space

The guy to trade to me is Sharp since he is on the fourth line and will probably stay there
Trade him for a physical good skating fourth line winger with size that hits everything in sight and a number four defenseman and I like the hawks chances a whole lot more than with Sharp on the team

Just for perspective sake, re: "don't trade away the future", 12 years of the future:

1998 Mark Bell 8th overall OK 3rd line player
1999 Steve McCarthy 23rd overall 55 points in 302 NHL games
2000 Mikhail Yakubov 10th overall 40 NHL games BUST
2000 Pavel Vorobiev 11th overall 57 NHL games BUST
2001 Tuomo Ruutu 9th overall OK top 6 forward
2001 Adam Munro 29th overall 17 NHL games BUST
2002 Anton Babchuk 21st overall OK 4-5 defenseman
2003 Brent Seabrook 14th overall NHL All Star HIT
2004 Cam Barker 3rd overall fringe NHL player BUST
2005 Jack Skille 7th overall 4th line journeyman BUST
2006 Jonathan Toews 3rd overall Franchise player HIT
2007 Patrick Kane 1st overall Elite player HIT
2008 Kyle Beach 11th overall 0 NHL games BUST
2009 Dylan Olsen 28th overall In AHL, fringe NHLer BUST?
2010 Kevin Hayes 24th overall Rangers, decent rookie yr HIT
- John Jaeckel

Can you assume that the drafting has been better the last few years?

Tomorrow is promised to no one nd the world won't meet you half-way ( Thank you, Stallone)

All there is this year and real shot this year. If you can make a trade that can get you closer to a Cup this year, make it.

Sharp, Bickell, Shaw. I don't care if any of them are gone if the trade brings back what is needed.

It does take two to tango but Stan did blink on the Jeff Carter deal it cost the Hawks a decent chance at a Cup that year.

Why can't Dahlbeck get a shot over Rozy/Eunblad/Cuminskey? He can't be worse