His hype train was in full force right out of his ELC. After he signed his extension he has slowly regressed, enough that ANA was using him as trade bait and were trying to go after guys like Tyler Myers and were offering Fowler in return

Clearly a PMD, but has not continued to develop and has gotten more a liability defensively in the last year or two.
- FourFeathers773

Nothing could be further from the truth. I enjoy the Chicago blog (fans very entertaining), but sometimes a comment is made that is pure fiction. Fowler was NEVER trade bait. EVER. Teams wanted him and were turned away. Once Lovejoy was traded (Fowler D partner last few years) for Despres, Fowler has never looked better. His defensive game has gotten only better. To suggest he's a "liability" is ludicrous. Even JJ acknowledges he's been very good.

Good luck Saturday. Predicted a 7 game series from the start. Time for the Ducks to put up or shut up as far as I'm concerned. Sure would love to have Keith on our team though.

I posted this in the last Thread if Freaddy would be ready becouse he looks BROKEN!
He knows it And so do the Hawks its all in his demeanor. Spot on JJ

I'd be stunned.
- John Jaeckel

Oh, I'm not a fan and wouldn't agree to the signing. Just thinking Bowman resigns him as a "veteran" right handed shot.

I noticed this yesterday as the Hawks seemed to be winning every draw, much like game 4. But in game 5, the draws were decidedly in Anaheim's favor, with the same matchups. I'm starting to think that home ice second stick down has a lot to do with these faceoff numbers in this series and that causes me a bit of concern when it comes to a road game 7.
- Sandus

Home ice advantage is big in this series in part for this reason. 'Hawks need to compete and at least not let the FDucks win draws clean.

Shaws hit on Lindholm is no.1

http://www.sportsnet.ca/h...hits-of-the-night-may-27/
- FourFeathers773

So was it after that we didn't see much of Lindholm?

Shaw was a beast last night. Good Lord.

Oh, I'm not a fan and wouldn't agree to the signing. Just thinking Bowman resigns him as a "veteran" right handed shot.
- MNHawk

He's Bowman's guy and he controls the purse strings. He'll play the inexpensive, young and improving card.

Oh, I'm not a fan and wouldn't agree to the signing. Just thinking Bowman resigns him as a "veteran" right handed shot.
- MNHawk

No.

Oh, I'm not a fan and wouldn't agree to the signing. Just thinking Bowman resigns him as a "veteran" right handed shot.
- MNHawk

I'm a right-handed shot and available.


Point being, there are so many other options, starting with Stephen Johns and go on from there.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I enjoy the Chicago blog (fans very entertaining), but sometimes a comment is made that is pure fiction. Fowler was NEVER trade bait. EVER. Teams wanted him and were turned away. Once Lovejoy was traded (Fowler D partner last few years) for Despres, Fowler has never looked better. His defensive game has gotten only better. To suggest he's a "liability" is ludicrous. Even JJ acknowledges he's been very good.

Good luck Saturday. Predicted a 7 game series from the start. Time for the Ducks to put up or shut up as far as I'm concerned. Sure would love to have Keith on our team though.
- quackup

Keith's alien DNA should be cloned and patented for use by the Hawks for generations.

BTW, I do like Fowler's game

I posted this in the last Thread if Freaddy would be ready becouse he looks BROKEN!
He knows it And so do the Hawks its all in his demeanor. Spot on JJ
- BGKarras

A number of posters here suggested Crawford was also displaying this demeanor based on his body language. I expect Andersen to come out and play well and I hope the Hawk players do as well. While I think the Hawks will take the series it will require the full effort of all Blackhawk players, especially their best players.

I think Despres' been mostly good. Vatanen is impressive. The four best defensemen on the ice have been Keith (by a wide margin), Oduya, Seabrook and Fowler.

So was it after that we didn't see much of Lindholm?

Shaw was a beast last night. Good Lord.
- John Jaeckel

I believe so. I find it incredible that Shaw, who is 180 lbs dripping wet, makes the types of impacts that he does. One thing I have noticed as I've watched him though is that he "explodes" into many of his checks at the last minute in ways that other players do/cannot. If I had to guess, his body is equipped with a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers and he does a lot of power movements, such as cleans, in the gym.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I enjoy the Chicago blog (fans very entertaining), but sometimes a comment is made that is pure fiction. Fowler was NEVER trade bait. EVER. Teams wanted him and were turned away. Once Lovejoy was traded (Fowler D partner last few years) for Despres, Fowler has never looked better. His defensive game has gotten only better. To suggest he's a "liability" is ludicrous. Even JJ acknowledges he's been very good.

Good luck Saturday. Predicted a 7 game series from the start. Time for the Ducks to put up or shut up as far as I'm concerned. Sure would love to have Keith on our team though.
- quackup

Fowler is a stud. No doubt about it. I like lindholm a lot to. They both skate very well.

Are you serious? If you put Drew Doughty on this team in Kieths spot he would be just as effective, and that's not taking away from keith, he's an excellent player but he's not light years ahead of every other defenseman, there is at least 10-15 right around where he is.

Are you serious? If you put Drew Doughty on this team in Kieths spot he would be just as effective, and that's not taking away from keith, he's an excellent player but he's not light years ahead of every other defenseman, there is at least 10-15 right around where he is.
- Dcoms

Actually no. Keith has an innate ability to log far more effective minutes than almost any other defensemen in the league, in my opinion, its what separates him from the pack.

Are you serious? If you put Drew Doughty on this team in Kieths spot he would be just as effective, and that's not taking away from keith, he's an excellent player but he's not light years ahead of every other defenseman, there is at least 10-15 right around where he is.
- Dcoms

Doughty is no-where near the defender that Keith is. He has improved in his own end, but still not close to Keith as a defender.

Doughty is no-where near the defender that Keith is. He has improved in his own end, but still not close to Keith as a defender.
- TheTrob

This. And the fact that he logs an insane amount of EFFECTIVE minutes. Plus those hands, he gets close to puck carriers and its like he's dicing carrots with that stick of his.

I'm a right-handed shot and available.


Point being, there are so many other options, starting with Stephen Johns and go on from there.
- John Jaeckel

Agree on Johns. Now, BEFORE you roast me, does Bowman put his faith in Johns (who is a right handed shot but also missed time with two separate injuries) to play a huge number of games without backup insurance (Rundblad). It also wouldn't surprise me to see Rozsival signed to something like $800k and thrown on LTIR at the beginning of the season.

I see the defense looking like this with a few trades to create the space:
Seabrook, Brent 5.8
Keith, Duncan 5.551
Hjalmarsson, Niklas 4.1
Oduya, Johnny 4
Veteran 1.7
Johns, Stephen 1
TVR 0.925
Rundblad, David 0.9135

I just can't put my faith in TVR or Johns to eat up minutes.

Agree on Johns. Now, BEFORE you roast me, does Bowman put his faith in Johns (who is a right handed shot but also missed time with two separate injuries) to play a huge number of games without backup insurance (Rundblad). It also wouldn't surprise me to see Rozsival signed to something like $800k and thrown on LTIR at the beginning of the season.

I see the defense looking like this with a few trades to create the space:
Seabrook, Brent 5.8
Keith, Duncan 5.551
Hjalmarsson, Niklas 4.1
Oduya, Johnny 4
Veteran 1.7
Johns, Stephen 1
TVR 0.925
Rundblad, David 0.9135

I just can't put my faith in TVR or Johns to eat up minutes.
- MNHawk

Just because Rundblad is on the ice doesn't mean he gives you much of anything. I'd rather them bring back Cusminsky.

I think Despres' been mostly good. Vatanen is impressive. The four best defensemen on the ice have been Keith (by a wide margin), Oduya, Seabrook and Fowler.
- John Jaeckel

If they have Lovejoy instead of Despres they likely don't even make it this far. That whole organization should be calling the senile old Jim Rutherford every day and thanking him for giving them Despres for nothing. I know my skin crawls every time I think about what a monumental failure that trade was, it made no sense then and now it's infuriating. Rutherford is a buffoon and I can't wait to see who he trades the rest of our young d studs for. Olli Maatta for Mike Richards perhaps, Derrick Pouliot for Marty St Louis? It's terrifying times.

Are you serious? If you put Drew Doughty on this team in Kieths spot he would be just as effective, and that's not taking away from keith, he's an excellent player but he's not light years ahead of every other defenseman, there is at least 10-15 right around where he is.
- Dcoms

If Doughty and Keith were the same age most GMs would take Keith over Doughty because Keith plays a better defensive game and he's not prone to the the giveaways Doughty is. Doughty gets higher marks for his physical play. "Light years" is journalistic hyperbole that most of us realize is a way of making a point.

So was it after that we didn't see much of Lindholm?

Shaw was a beast last night. Good Lord.
- John Jaeckel

Yeah that was his last shift. He was only on the ice for 15 seconds got hit and got off.

2 things mentioned on the other board.

1) Hossa did not see the ice the final 5 mins? I was at the game and really did not notice? Was he Hurt?
2) Bill Watters reported that the rift between Q and the the Bowmans' is so huge? I'm not sure how he would know, but it has been mentioned that they do not always see Eye to Eye. With the team having to go young next year you wonder how Q would do with that Team.

As much as people hate on him, I really think you see Rundblad resigned. As a qualifying offer he'd get $913,500 a year.
- MNHawk

The Hawks have been paying about $300K of Rundblad's salary and the Coyotes picked up the balance.

Unless about 10 defenceman in the Hawks organization move to the KHL or quit to become missionaries in Africa, there isn't a way in hell Bowman even thinks about giving this joker $900K +. He will be in the Swedish league hauling down $85K with an Ikea endorsement contract.

Agree on Johns. Now, BEFORE you roast me, does Bowman put his faith in Johns (who is a right handed shot but also missed time with two separate injuries) to play a huge number of games without backup insurance (Rundblad). It also wouldn't surprise me to see Rozsival signed to something like $800k and thrown on LTIR at the beginning of the season.

I see the defense looking like this with a few trades to create the space:
Seabrook, Brent 5.8
Keith, Duncan 5.551
Hjalmarsson, Niklas 4.1
Oduya, Johnny 4
Veteran 1.7
Johns, Stephen 1
TVR 0.925
Rundblad, David 0.9135

I just can't put my faith in TVR or Johns to eat up minutes.
- MNHawk

The better question is, will Q put faith in them? I think not and that leaves 2/7 to play 25+ mpg. Not ideal over 82 games.