Correct, well-played.

Obscure NW Suburb references for a thousand, Alex!!
- John Jaeckel

Haha. I did a double-take when I read "Palatine" on here.

I expected a convincing win from the Capitals last night, but Backstrom and Kuznetsov are being dominated by Crosby+Malkin at the center ice position. Capitals appear to be choking, yet again. With Letang back and Murray playing on his head, I now expect the Caps to fold like a chair in game 5
- EnzoD

Crosby and Malkin are two of the elite players in this league but I'm not sure they are dominating the Caps. I have friends who are Penguins fans who are all over Sid for "doing nothing".

I also don't think you can say the Caps are choking. They have actually played really well, they just are not winning. Thats the way it goes sometimes.

Crosby and Malkin are two of the elite players in this league but I'm not sure they are dominating the Caps. I have friends who are Penguins fans who are all over Sid for "doing nothing".

I also don't think you can say the Caps are choking. They have actually played really well, they just are not winning. Thats the way it goes sometimes.
- TheTrob

Caps need to insert Dale Hunter into that lineup. Haha.

It's kinda funny reading the what ifs about Daley. I seem to recall a lot of Hawk fans on this board saying Daley wasn't gonna cut it and should be traded.
- Hawks_49

He simply wasn't given enough time (games and TOI) to adjust. If Q had the same leash length he had with JO, Daley would still be in ChiTown. There would still be issues, however 4D wouldn't be one of them.

Crosby and Malkin are two of the elite players in this league but I'm not sure they are dominating the Caps. I have friends who are Penguins fans who are all over Sid for "doing nothing".

I also don't think you can say the Caps are choking. They have actually played really well, they just are not winning. Thats the way it goes sometimes.
- TheTrob

Maybe not dominating on the scoreboard, but they have completely neutralized the Caps leading scorer in Kuznetsov and their best playmaker in Backstrom. Yes, Matt Murray has played very well, but there have been plenty of turnovers in the neutral zone, and lost coverage in the D-zone that have led to Pittsburgh goals. You can label it what you like, but when the Caps dominate the league like they did and Ovi has never even been to the conference finals....I'd call that a choke.

He simply wasn't given enough time (games and TOI) to adjust. If Q had the same leash length he had with JO, Daley would still be in ChiTown. There would still be issues, however 4D wouldn't be one of them.
- blackhawk24

I don't think he wanted the time to adjust, even if given it. I'm pretty sure it was an instant decision on his part that Chicago wasn't the place for him.

My opinion: I believe Stan treads water this coming year 2016-2017. He makes and signs a few minor moves and then uses the expansion draft in 2017 to his advantage and Bickell's contract falling off the books to reload.

Maybe not dominating on the scoreboard, but they have completely neutralized the Caps leading scorer in Kuznetsov and their best playmaker in Backstrom. Yes, Matt Murray has played very well, but there have been plenty of turnovers in the neutral zone, and lost coverage in the D-zone that have led to Pittsburgh goals. You can label it what you like, but when the Caps dominate the league like they did and Ovi has never even been to the conference finals....I'd call that a choke.
- EnzoD

Dominating the regular season has proven to mean nothing. Only 8 of the last 30 presidents trophy winners have gone on to win the Cup. I guess if you look at it as anything but the Cup for the #1 seed being a choke, then OK, but I look at a team that is NOT necessarily being outplayed, and in fact has been the better team in 3 out of 4 games, they just have not won them.

My opinion: I believe Stan treads water this coming year 2016-2017. He makes and signs a few minor moves and then uses the expansion draft in 2017 to his advantage and Bickell's contract falling off the books to reload.
- MNHawk

I expect that is the route he will take, but I do not believe it is the best course of action with the Panarin raise due next summer....

Dominating the regular season has proven to mean nothing. Only 8 of the last 30 presidents trophy winners have gone on to win the Cup. I guess if you look at it as anything but the Cup for the #1 seed being a choke, then OK, but I look at a team that is NOT necessarily being outplayed, and in fact has been the better team in 3 out of 4 games, they just have not won them.
- TheTrob

That is exactly how I looked at it for the Caps when the playoffs started. Anything but a trip to the SCF would be considered unacceptable/a letdown, IMO. All the great teams Washington has had and it looks like this one will fall in line with those previous groups that couldn't get it done in the playoffs....Kuznetsov 70+ points in the RS and 2 points so far all playoffs...

Looks like the Caps are doing it again...

...it's just a shame the Pens are the benefactors.
- ArlingtonRob

Pick your poison: Selfish sniper who knows no D, or whiny, diving douche.

For me in the Wales, I am rooting for the Bolts. In the Campbell, it's big-D. Mostly for Sharp, JO and Nemo.

Hahaha! Yours is a well thought out and you make very valid points that I agree with. Mine was a rambling stream of conscious rant because I was bored at work. My concern is the end game/net results from trades. A lot of talent leaving the Hawks with nothing to show in return at the end of the day. I want to see this run we are on last as long as possible. If cap space is the end goal then the front office needs to have a better big picture view and move guys preemptively. Similar to the way the Patriots move players. I don't want to end up like the Penguins. My gut tells me that is where we are headed unless we make some bold moves or hit the jack pot again with unsigned Free Agents from college or Europe.
- bhawks2241

Bored at work? Not sure anybody who posts here during the day could EVER relate to that...

First bolded is just a consequence of the cap I think. If you're good, you make deals like the Saad one where you get helpful pieces in return. If you're bad, you create problems for yourself by signing Bickell-type contracts for marginal players. If you're out of sync with the coaching staff, you make a deal like the Sharp one, where you think you're getting quality in return but the guys you get don't fit your team for whatever reason. Stan Bowman has been all three at various times...

Second bolded is 100% right and why I'm pushing so hard for the Hawks to explore trading Brent Seabrook right now. Guys... Brent Seabrook as a Blackhawk probably means losing Andrew Shaw this year and Artemi Panarin next year. Which is fine if he's producing like a top-2 defenseman. But he's not.

Fully-translated version of the Panarin interview at Worlds:

http://www.iihfworlds2016.../news/boost-from-chicago/

My opinion: I believe Stan treads water this coming year 2016-2017. He makes and signs a few minor moves and then uses the expansion draft in 2017 to his advantage and Bickell's contract falling off the books to reload.
- MNHawk

Makes sense. A two-year type of "re-build" after the '15 cup, just like after the '10 cup.

Makes sense. A two-year type of "re-build" after the '15 cup, just like after the '10 cup.
- blackhawk24

Except the Core is 6 years older this time around....no time to wait...

Go back to last summer lets say at the draft, make two moves;

1. Buy out Bickell
2. Trade Sharp for a 7th round pick

Now set your lineup from that point for last year and the future. It will piss you off.

- vabeachbear

'Hawks only perspective #2 looks great. Strong probability it would have happened. I am not sure a lot of teams were going to line up to give the 'Hawks $5.9M in cap relief. Where it would be interesting is what the parameters of the eventual Sharp deal would have been with #1 already in the books. Here in lies Stan's challenge. Learning from these situations and improving significantly this spring/summer.

Pick your poison: Selfish sniper who knows no D, or whiny, diving douche.

For me in the Wales, I am rooting for the Bolts. In the Campbell, it's big-D. Mostly for Sharp, JO and Nemo.
- blackhawk24

So true. Lets enumerate some of the douchebags.

Ovie is a great player, but it takes more, especially once the playoffs start. Orpik is a POS who finally is paying the price for a cheapshot.

Sid is the King of whiners, Letang as someone said earlier plays with the Keith dirty edge to him, but the Pens as a whole are not an unlikeable group. I really like what the kid Sheary has been bringing (another undrafted find)

Dallas is OK, excluding Roussel.
STL still has Backes, Ott, Reaves and surprisingly has turned Brouwer into a bit of a borderline dirty player

NSH has Weber, who on top of his borderline play sometimes, I think may be one of the more overated D-men in the league. Suter and now Josi were the better players on that pair. They also employ Jackman who continues his douchey ways.
SJ I actually kind of like and root for, Thorton has always had a bit of an edge but not overly so.

TB - Really like what they are doing even without 2 of their better players in Stralhman and Stamkos. Loved the play by Boyle on the OT winner. Man he is big and strong.
NYI - Took a big step in winning a playoff series, Im not convinced their D or goaltending is enough, and Tavares has been quieted.

I guess if I had to pick I would like to see a TB v. SJ SCF

Except the Core is 6 years older this time around....no time to wait...
- EnzoD

True, however the only plans I will have for being at UC next June is for the draft. Too many moving pieces which need to fall into place, not to mention the risk other WC teams further improve.

'Hawks only perspective #2 looks great. Strong probability it would have happened. I am not sure a lot of teams were going to line up to give the 'Hawks $5.9M in cap relief. Where it would be interesting is what the parameters of the eventual Sharp deal would have been with #1 already in the books. Here in lies Stan's challenge. Learning from these situations and improving significantly this spring/summer.
- blackhawk24

But they would have lined up to get Sharp if they had wanted him - even if, as a by-product, it gave Chicago cap relief.

I'm not sure why so many seem to think that the first thing on a GM's mind is screwing Bowman: the first think on his (or her, to be politically correct) mind is to improve his own club - the effect on Chicago doesn't enter into it.

Of course, the receiving team's cap situation and Sharp's NMC do come into play.

Bored at work? Not sure anybody who posts here during the day could EVER relate to that...

First bolded is just a consequence of the cap I think. If you're good, you make deals like the Saad one where you get helpful pieces in return. If you're bad, you create problems for yourself by signing Bickell-type contracts for marginal players. If you're out of sync with the coaching staff, you make a deal like the Sharp one, where you think you're getting quality in return but the guys you get don't fit your team for whatever reason. Stan Bowman has been all three at various times...

Second bolded is 100% right and why I'm pushing so hard for the Hawks to explore trading Brent Seabrook right now. Guys... Brent Seabrook as a Blackhawk probably means losing Andrew Shaw this year and Artemi Panarin next year. Which is fine if he's producing like a top-2 defenseman. But he's not.
- darklighter

At some point you gotta lose someone out of the core, I think the better bet is moving Crawford. It goes back to the Niemi/Hjalmarsson argument. Good D is much harder to find than goaltending. If your defense is your achilles right now it doesn't make sense to trade one of your top 3. Yes, that Seabrook contract may ultimately wind up costing you, but short term moving Crow is the better option.

My opinion: I believe Stan treads water this coming year 2016-2017. He makes and signs a few minor moves and then uses the expansion draft in 2017 to his advantage and Bickell's contract falling off the books to reload.
- MNHawk

You're probably right.

But they would have lined up to get Sharp if they had wanted him - even if, as a by-product, it gave Chicago cap relief.

I'm not sure why so many seem to think that the first thing on a GM's mind is screwing Bowman: the first think on his (or her, to be politically correct) mind is to improve his own club - the effect on Chicago doesn't enter into it.

Of course, the receiving team's cap situation and Sharp's NMC do come into play.
- StLBravesFan

Maybe for most GM's around the league, but for Jim Nill, that trade was meant to damage the Hawks both in the short and long term...and it did just that.

Dominating the regular season has proven to mean nothing. Only 8 of the last 30 presidents trophy winners have gone on to win the Cup. I guess if you look at it as anything but the Cup for the #1 seed being a choke, then OK, but I look at a team that is NOT necessarily being outplayed, and in fact has been the better team in 3 out of 4 games, they just have not won them.
- TheTrob

I wouldn't say it means nothing. The presidents cup winning team historically has the highest odds of taking the cup, when compared individually to each of the other 15 teams. You aren't guaranteed to win the cup, but generally would be the favorite.

Exactly Bhawks! That is why I am strong advocate for trading 50 this summer. Otherwise, StanBo is backed into a corner again and will either give away Crow for NOTHING, or have to trade Panarin/let him walk for nothing. Get ahead of the Cap or else it will continue to eat away at this championship roster....
- EnzoD

I say seriously explore moving 50 and 7...THIS SUMMER. They are part of the core but not the supercore of Toews, Kane, and Keith. Hjalmarsson can even be a quasi-supercore member because of his amazing contract! Hossa is a fantastic defensive forward, but since his offense is clearly in decline, he is not maintaining the value of his cap hit... Sucks, but true, and there's no way to move him with the cap recapture penalties.

Part of me wants to vote for a mini-rebuild rather than just a re-tooling. Re-tooling this summer for one last kick at the can in 2016-17 with the core (minus Sharp) may mean losing Panarin or trying to move Seabrook or Crawford and getting NOTHING in return. Move them now for younger players or high draft picks that will take a couple of years to develop. Expect a couple of down years, but then we need a young cast of characters supporting the supercore of Toews, Kane, Keith (and Hammer), for Cup runs. Think Panarin, Kruger, Shaw (locked up), Anisimov, Schmaltz, Motte, TVR, and Darlin...

Of course, who knows what the GMs know about the expansion draft that we have NO idea about at this time... I agree with the previous posters who think StanBo treads water this summer and retools at the draft in Chicago in 2017 when more about the expansion draft is clear.

Maybe for most GM's around the league, but for Jim Nill, that trade was meant to damage the Hawks both in the short and long term...and it did just that.
- EnzoD

Ok - I don't believe it - but go with it:

Had another GM wanted Sharp at the time - from a team that Sharp would have agreed to go to - there would have been a bidding process, and Bowman would would have seen better offers than the one from Nill.

You can't revoke the laws of supply and demand.