Who is that someone and what do you think it will take?
- bhawks2241

Someone meaning "someone" who doesn't think TT/Crawford/Shaw/TVR (insert name here) should be dealt.

The Hawks will not fill their D need without giving up an asset someone really wants, or a couple of them.

They will also need to create cap space. Although buying out Bickell should create some(?)

Panthers have around $25m in cap space, if Tallon wants to keep him, he has more than enough to pay him. I personally think the Panthers will win a cup in the next couple of years.
- pierregruska

100% agree. I mentioned in a previous post that you could see them putting it together a couple years back. Tallon has assembled a really talented team, balanced with veteran experience. It's cool to see.

This. I love Crow but he may need to get moved to open up some space. He also would bring back A LOT that the Hawks have recently given up in terms of picks and prospects.

Darling has not proven to be on Crow's level but neither was Crow before he was Crow.
- Bjm84

There are ZERO replacements in the immediate or near future for 19, 88, 2, 4, 7, 81. Scott Darling has won Stanley Cup playoff games and has all the physical tools to be a solid #1 NHL goalie. There is no other option for StanBo to address 4D OR 1LW. BOTH are giant holes on this roster, again. I would prioritize 4D but 1LW is another glaring need. There is no possible way to fit even an ELC 4D or 1LW, and what does Stan have left in the asset pool to trade?? I'm calling Corey Crawford traded at the NHL draft for a 4D.

lets take a look at teams who have made it to the finals since 2009
2009: wings and pens; wings can hardly get out of the 1st round and pens 1EC final
2010: flyers; a nothing bubble team since
2011: nucks; in freefall
2012: kings continued to run through 2014.. now a missed playoff and 1st round out; devils are just another team
2013: bruins are another cap casulty and are now a bubble team
2014: rangers; some nice playoff runs into the EC finals but they look like the window is closing
2015: bolts...injurys have hurt them; stamkos contract..they might now just become another team

so the 75 million $$ question are the hawks now in the early stage of becoming just another team...
- bogiedoc

I don't agree with that. They look like they're built to contend for a while. Lots of very good young hockey players on cost-controlled contracts and a sharp coach that seems to get the best out of them.

Essentially, if you follow the moves—it was Brouwer and 5 years invested in Danault's development for Weise and Fleischmann as rentals.

Remember how many people couldn't wait to get rid of that slug Brouwer?

I know Brouwer pissed off a lot of fans with his stick work in this series, but he is a quality all-terrain forward in the NHL.
- John Jaeckel

I like that expression!

The loss of Danault stings pretty good. I like him alot.

I'd put money on Weise shipping out this summer. Fleishman had a good end to the season and vanished during the playoffs.

I think it started last summer, which is why this summer is SO critical. The cap commitments and the roster are still about winning now. If you keep selling off and compromising on your third pair and bottom 6, without upgrading elsewhere, you will have a slow decline. Bowman needs to figure out a way to fill in what's missing on the second pair, possibly another 2-way winger, and pay for it both in term sod trade and cap.

Panik and Panarin were two nice finds and possible/likely pieces of the puzzle going forward.

It CAN be done. But someone is going to be unhappy I think with what it takes.
- John Jaeckel

What do you think it takes? I really don't see Crawford as tradeable.. Are you thinking it takes a Seabrook contract? Or one of those 11 million dollar contracts? Or?

I'm kind of surprised that Keith didn't get scorched on this board. Instead it's Gus and Runflat, easy targets because they're inexperienced, mistake-prone d men.

I might have had thicker beer goggles on last night than many here, but Keith was instrumental to the Blues victory. Lackadaisical horse poop play from him. As I recall, I counted more good defensive and physical (!) plays from Runblad than Keith. That is horrifying.

lets take a look at teams who have made it to the finals since 2009
2009: wings and pens; wings can hardly get out of the 1st round and pens 1EC final
2010: flyers; a nothing bubble team since
2011: nucks; in freefall
2012: kings continued to run through 2014.. now a missed playoff and 1st round out; devils are just another team
2013: bruins are another cap casulty and are now a bubble team
2014: rangers; some nice playoff runs into the EC finals but they look like the window is closing
2015: bolts...injurys have hurt them; stamkos contract..they might now just become another team

so the 75 million $$ question are the hawks now in the early stage of becoming just another team...
- bogiedoc

When you win a Cup usually there is only one direction to go as other teams improve, get better draft picks and don't have the salary commitments winners have.

For the Hawks, it will depend on the what the farm is going to produce next year and beyond. If good, cheap players come in and perform they should be fine. If the Ice Dog graduates are just marginal NHL wannabees they have big problems on the horizon.

But look at what Pittsburgh and San Jose have accomplished by bringing up AHL'ers and players from Europe under new coaches. Got bigger, faster and hungrier as they melded in with experienced veterans.

I don't agree with that. They look like they're built to contend for a while. Lots of very good young hockey players on cost-controlled contracts and a sharp coach that seems to get the best out of them.
- kinigitt

yeah..probably to quick to count them out....or characterize as I did...but they have their cap problems to and resigning stamkos will force some cap and roster pain on them...

So after last summer, Stanbo took a big swing at the trade deadline at a repeat and it didn't work out. The 2 guys he got from Montreal did very little (no surprise at all to me) and he didn't bolster the position that turned out to be the team's Achilles heel.

Same thing happened to Dean Lombardi this year and last; Dale Tallon's acquisitions got him 6 post season games only; the Bruins collapsed and died before the playoffs started and one of Poile or Murray's teams are done after tomorrow night. Tough league to win championships in.

I think my criticism would be more along the lines of the type of players he keeps acquiring. Size and snarl is meaningful in today's NHL - the Hawks need more of it. He and Q need to figure that out.
- RickJ

In all fairness, Dale didn't seem to be swinging for the fences, as he probably knew overpaying at this point would be kinda pointless. It was very doubtful they'd be winning the Cup this year, and might want to see how his team responds in year 1 of the Panther's new era.

Absolutely agree that they need more snarl, and that's been an issue for a few years. As has been said by me, and several others, there seemed to be a disconnect between the front office and Q. I'm curious to how things shake out this off-season.

Someone meaning "someone" who doesn't think TT/Crawford/Shaw/TVR (insert name here) should be dealt.

The Hawks will not fill their D need without giving up an asset someone really wants, or a couple of them.

They will also need to create cap space. Although buying out Bickell should create some(?)
- John Jaeckel

Problem is you don't have an in house replacement for the players that you can deal. Hammer, Seabrook, Keith, Hossa, Toews, Kane, Crawford.....Can Darling withstand a barrage of prime scoring chances over and over again like Crawford? Not so sure. He did so in a limited sample size vs Nashville but doesn't have the body of work like Crawford.

yeah..probably to quick to count them out....or characterize as I did...but they have their cap problems to and resigning stamkos will force some cap and roster pain on them...
- bogiedoc

They're in a tough spot with Stamkos, I can see that.

What do you think it takes? I really don't see Crawford as tradeable.. Are you thinking it takes a Seabrook contract? Or one of those 11 million dollar contracts? Or?
- Hossa1881

I never used to be a CC fan, but I'd deal Seabrook, provided you can someone find good defensemen to fill the gap, before Corey. Love the big shot from the point with Seabs, but that contract term blows. That being said, I don't see them being able to replace Seabrook through a trade.

Thanks for the post JJ and thanks for the comments 'Hawk brethren.

We have often heard that many NHLers play in the playoffs with injuries they would never play with in the regular season. We will probably never honestly know, but I have a sneaking suspicion this is the case this year for a number of the boys (including, but not necessarily limited to):
Crow
Hoss
Seabs
Hammer
Shawzie
Tazer
Anisimov
I would even go so far as to hazard a guess that one or more of the above played with injuries that required season-ending surgery to repair.

We really are spoiled, aren't we?

The 2015-16 Blackhawks were a good team. It's not good luck that saw them finish 6th in the league. Were they largely carried by Kane and Crawford? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean they weren't good. Those guys are part of the team. I would take this iteration over the 2010-11 and 2011-12 teams, and maybe even over the 2013-14 team. Certainly most fans of other teams would have preferred this team to the one they watched this year. But to a Hawks fan, 2015-16 was mediocre.

I love it. That means our expectations are high -- justifiably. But that doesn't mean that they were actually mediocre or bad. It just means that they've been better.

It's very easy to criticize the 2015-16 team when, in the past seven years, they've iced three championship teams. But really, what was the difference between this year's team and last year's team? Johnny Oduya? Maybe. But maybe it was also Brian Elliot, who played as well as any opposing goaltender has against Chicago in the playoffs in a long time. If Elliot saves only 92% of shots instead of 93%, then the Hawks win the series. It Crawford's able to come back across the goalmouth on Brouwer or if Seabrook's shot goes in, we'd have seen overtime last night. If Duncan Keith plays like Duncan Keith in the first period, they spend more time in the Blues' end of the ice, less in their own, and maybe they score one more goal or give up one fewer.

There's no denying that this team had a glaring hole in its defensive depth. It's one that should have been fixed this past summer, and it should be fixed this summer. Don't know how they'll do that, but it's what they've got to do. But you can't point to a team this year that doesn't have a hole, a team that doesn't have a flaw.

We've now had the pleasure of watching the Blackhawks in the playoffs for eight straight seasons, which would have seemed impossible a decade again. We've seen them win the Stanley Cup three times, which no other team has matched in the salary cap era. And I think all of us know that they're not done yet. The window's not closed.

I, for one, am glad to have this team, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it -- even when they fall just short like they did last night.
- darklighter

This! And if I may add two things, the Hawks didn't have their best dman in G1 or someone everyone is freaking out about in G5 and they were STILL two posts away from G7 OT.

Is there a link to the Q presser transcript from last night? I read somewhere that he essentially threw a player or two under the bus for "not playing the right way".
- DMCsPulledHammy

He threw the whole team under the bus, and did mention, without naming names, the critical turnover. Said they didn't play the right way nor have enough heart to win. As I said in the last blog, I was so disappointed in his statements. Good leaders don't do that when something goes wrong. You stand up for your team, take responsibility for your own role it in, congratulate the other team and move on.

https://www.nhl.com/black...ia/t-277437096/c-43741103

ETA: His snarled "I didn't say anything" when asked what he had to say to his team after was just so bad.

There are ZERO replacements in the immediate or near future for 19, 88, 2, 4, 7, 81. Scott Darling has won Stanley Cup playoff games and has all the physical tools to be a solid #1 NHL goalie. There is no other option for StanBo to address 4D OR 1LW. BOTH are giant holes on this roster, again. I would prioritize 4D but 1LW is another glaring need. There is no possible way to fit even an ELC 4D or 1LW, and what does Stan have left in the asset pool to trade?? I'm calling Corey Crawford traded at the NHL draft for a 4D.
- EnzoD

Problem is that Crawford has a no movement clause so you need to get him to waive it. Edmonton would be an ideal trade partner but doubt he would waive to go there.

Sign in Preds locker room says, "Noon flight to Anaheim. Pack for 6 days."

Always a good year when the Preds last longer than the Hawks- even if it only for 2 days. And the Preds aren't even in Salary Cap hell.

Have a great summer
- predsfan97

Also cool knowing that I've seen not one, not two, but three Cups won by my team. Expectation levels are a bit different. A success in Nashville is a failure in Chicago.

When you win a Cup usually there is only one direction to go as other teams improve, get better draft picks and don't have the salary commitments winners have.

For the Hawks, it will depend on the what the farm is going to produce next year and beyond. If good, cheap players come in and perform they should be fine. If the Ice Dog graduates are just marginal NHL wannabees they have big problems on the horizon.

But look at what Pittsburgh and San Jose have accomplished by bringing up AHL'ers and players from Europe under new coaches. Got bigger, faster and hungrier as they melded in with experienced veterans.
- RickJ

Their out-of-nowhere depth players are looking very confident. They're given freedom to grow and settle in, instead of getting the rolled up newspaper treatment.

I never used to be a CC fan, but I'd deal Seabrook, provided you can someone find good defensemen to fill the gap, before Corey. Love the big shot from the point with Seabs, but that contract term blows. That being said, I don't see them being able to replace Seabrook through a trade.
- howiehandles

What about a Nurse/winger/prospect/vet d for Seabs? Would that be on the table?

I never used to be a CC fan, but I'd deal Seabrook, provided you can someone find good defensemen to fill the gap, before Corey. Love the big shot from the point with Seabs, but that contract term blows. That being said, I don't see them being able to replace Seabrook through a trade.
- howiehandles

Seabrook has a full no movement clause for the first 5 years of the contract. He's not going anywhere. I love Seabs but Stan paid for past performance on that contract.

Had the chance to listen the NHL Radio for 4 hours yesterday on the way up to MSP. Lots of interesting stuff from the local guys they had on.

Quite a few other teams with interesting CAP decisions to make this summer, including LA, NYR, and DET.

Also, someone, sorry, don't remember who, brought up the possibility that if there is an expansion team announced this summer, the NHL would link that to an additional compliance buyout this summer.

And the announcement of an expansion team would force all the GMs to start planning for the expansion draft next summer. It'd be an interesiting curve to add to this summer's chaos.

Q wanted him gone. That was obvious with the non stop BS dog house treatment. Ironic that Brouwer sends Q home for the summer. How good would Brouwer have looked in the top 6. Now yes there is no proof we could have kept him with salary cap issues and all, but Brouwer got the Q-boot!!
- z1990z

Brouwer got top 6 minutes in 2010 - his last season in CHI. Q really wanted him gone

Sign in Preds locker room says, "Noon flight to Anaheim. Pack for 6 days."

Always a good year when the Preds last longer than the Hawks- even if it only for 2 days. And the Preds aren't even in Salary Cap hell.

Have a great summer
- predsfan97

LOL!!! You Pred fans literally could be some of the worst fans in all of sports. Make sure you set up that ridiculous/laughed at nationally ticket policy to make sure Hawk fans don't come to games next year.

Oh! One other thing: Fantastic to know that the Hawks still - being out right now - are closer to winning a Stanley Cup (by a wide margin) than the Preds.

(1) Keith and Seabrook probably played their worst games since their rookie years. It was disturbing how poorly they played, namely Seabrook who has looked bad for the past couple of months. I'm not sure if he's playing concussed, hurt, or losing a step, but for the most part in the year 2016, he did NOT look like the #2 d-man. Hopefully the longer summer will give him time to rest up and return to the old #7 that we all know and love, regardless of his career high in point totals.

(2) I'm going to give Toews the benefit of the doubt because I truly believed he played hurt. He didn't look okay skating up and down the ice, even though he battled. He won a lot of the wall battles and kept possession of the puck but did nothing with it except for pass. He didn't go to the net as we are accustomed to.

(3) Hossa was fantastic, and as aforementioned earlier in the blog, it's a shame that his impact was essentially for nothing. Love the idea of him on the third line next season as I think he can still make a major impact without getting major minutes.

(4) Crawford wasn't perfect and didn't make every save, including giving up a few questionable ones in this series, but he still kept the team in it and made some huge saves down the stretch when it mattered. I still felt as if he outplayed his counterpart, but the team in front of him were outplayed.

(5) I don't care how, but Bowman 110% needs to find a way to ensure that Shaw wears the Indian head next season and beyond. Losing him will hurt more than losing Ladd, Brouwer, etc. Shaw is the fire that we need. His game has improved so much from rookie season, and he's just as valuable to the team as he is to the fans. THIS is the top priority of the off-season. Regardless of what everyone says, there's no one in the farm system like him. His attitude, willingness, and heart is what drives this team. Losing him will be catastrophic.

(6) Panarin disappeared. If found, please return to the UC.

(7) Weise was just getting settled. If he would have been given a chance earlier on in the series I think the tables may have turned. Don't think he'll be back next season, but we saw what he was capable of, albeit in a small sample size.

(8) No comments necessary on Rundblad. That dead horse has been beaten for a while.

(9) TT needs to be moved this off-season. I don't give a hoot about his age/potential.

Full marks to the Blues, they were the better team in this series and deserved to move on. Hitch would have been canned if they didn't pull off the win yesterday.

Can't win it every year, but I'm proud of our boys for the valiant effort they gave. Backs against the wall and they almost pulled away as victors.

I expect St. Louis to win the cup. No other team, minus Pittsburgh, has impressed me.