Versteeg nordy Bollig ......
- mrpaulish

Cmon. Steeger is the modern day Berezin.

Josh Yohe Verified account
‏@JoshYohe_PGH

No surgery for Malkin. June keeps getting better for the Penguins.

Why do I get the feeling Stan and Scotty are sitting in a room somewhere and Scotty is sitting there saying "Son watch the master at work. Let's make some puppets dance".....

I feel like the front office is fully engaged this offseason. They are on the offensive, unlike last year, when they had much more of a wait and see reactionary mindset which resulted in that horrible Sharp deal.


On the Yandle contract, this hard cap is going to drive the NHL to a lockout again. You have "big name" guys salaries continue to increase while the cap really doesn't. This is going to push 3rd pairing and 3/4th line vets into taking 1 or 2 year league minimum contracts. If we continue to see borderline star players get handed that kind of money there simply won't be enough cap room to pay lower line players what they are actually worth. That can't make the NHLPA happy. In a weird way expansion might mitigate this short term but I see this as a major issue moving forward.

See: David Rundblad, or Mashinster.

Isnt mcneill a rfa?
- ikeane

I think McNeil is at the play him or trade him stage. It could be they have decided he doesn't fit going forward and they simply want some sort of return on investment or it could be a piece of something bigger.

I really do wonder how he chooses who he gives endless chances to and who he almost right away says be gone to
- mrpaulish

To paraprhase a line from Transformers (the awesome cartoon I grew up with, not the lame-buttocks Michael Bay vomit)....

There is more than meets the eye

I think McNeil is at the play him or trade him stage. It could be they have decided he doesn't fit going forward and they simply want some sort of return on investment or it could be a piece of something bigger.
- Marlowe

Why did they not move him while he still had relatively decent value? If they knew Q did not care for him why did they keep him around? Did they think Q was going to change his mind??? THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!!

I think McNeil is at the play him or trade him stage. It could be they have decided he doesn't fit going forward and they simply want some sort of return on investment or it could be a piece of something bigger.
- Marlowe

i agree Marlowe. Questuon is do they qualify him just to trade him or let him walk via UFA?

I really do wonder how he chooses who he gives endless chances to and who he almost right away says be gone to
- mrpaulish

being a smart player and not making mistakes.

Also, lets all remember the hawks traded one Denis Savard back in the day for Chelios. They survived.

So I think anything and anyone is quite possible right now.

I think any movement of Seabrook would have to bring a righty D coming back. Someone that is cost-controlled and younger. Will there be a dropoff? Likely.

IF Seabrook is moved (haven't heard his name on this board or elsewhere), I think there is a real leadership element that is constantly talked about with him. How is that element replaced with the current roster?
- phantasmo

the flyers will gladly give you nick shultz to help with that void......

Interesting. McNeill needed to at least be looked at by the Hawks. I guess Q knows more than all of us, but it perplexes me how Q gives some players almost no chance while some players get the proverbial long leash.
- kwolf68

Been saying forever that guys coming up must:
> know how to detail a luxury vehicle (preventing white dust in seams a must)
> have full and complete knowledge of cleaners in vicinity of 1900 W Madison
> know who stocks/where to buy certain snacks
> memorize locations and hours of Binny's in a 10 mile radius of the UC

It's been rumored that David Rundblad is an expert at #1, #2 and #4 above and has been kept on to tutor the up-and-comers on the big club's roster.

The KHL did not even exist when Evgeni Malkin was drafted. He was playing in the Russian Super League at the time that he was drafted.
- BreakoutHockey

Tomato potato. Sorry for not being up on the Russian leagues in the early 2000s. My point was he was heavily pressured to stay in Russia for two more years and made a risky move leaving for the NHL.

Why did they not move him while he still had relatively decent value? If they knew Q did not care for him why did they keep him around? Did they think Q was going to change his mind??? THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!!
- bhawks2241

I think it's all about context and timing. That's the only way it makes sense. And also supply and demand - you can't just decide to trade a guy, set a price and get it. That might work in NHL17 or a fantasy league but as we've seen repeatedly (cough *sharp* cough) you can't always get what you want.

Why do I get the feeling Stan and Scotty are sitting in a room somewhere and Scotty is sitting there saying "Son watch the master at work. Let's make some puppets dance".....

I feel like the front office is fully engaged this offseason. They are on the offensive, unlike last year, when they had much more of a wait and see reactionary mindset which resulted in that horrible Sharp deal.


On the Yandle contract, this hard cap is going to drive the NHL to a lockout again. You have "big name" guys salaries continue to increase while the cap really doesn't. This is going to push 3rd pairing and 3/4th line vets into taking 1 or 2 year league minimum contracts. If we continue to see borderline star players get handed that kind of money there simply won't be enough cap room to pay lower line players what they are actually worth. That can't make the NHLPA happy. In a weird way expansion might mitigate this short term but I see this as a major issue moving forward.
- bhawks2241

a

It's a HUGE issue and will be a major work stoppage unless owners give back a lot, which they won't.

Throw in escrow as well and here's the thing again....

Big money guys are getting signing bonuses put into deals that get paid REGARDLESS of work stoppage. Those guys have and will have money to sit by. It's the lower tiered guys as usual, that the owners will try to break into pushing NHLPA into a deal.

Interesting. McNeill needed to at least be looked at by the Hawks. I guess Q knows more than all of us, but it perplexes me how Q gives some players almost no chance while some players get the proverbial long leash.
- kwolf68

Q, the GM, scouts....you don't if he impressed any of them he'd get a look see????

The scouts see more of him than Q. If McNeil did anything to warrant a call up I'm sure he'd get it. He is nothing special and probably will never see the NHL on a regular basis. J-H-C

i agree Marlowe. Questuon is do they qualify him just to trade him or let him walk via UFA?
- ikeane

I really don't know enough about the market for him. If you trading maybe you give him a qualifying offer so the there is certainty on the other side of the trade?

EDIT: or maybe you're happy to get a pick or use him as a throw in on a trade (see Morin, J)?

I think it's all about context and timing. That's the only way it makes sense. And also supply and demand - you can't just decide to trade a guy, set a price and get it. That might work in NHL17 or a fantasy league but as we've seen repeatedly (cough *sharp* cough) you can't always get what you want.
- Marlowe

My point was more along the lines that he had some value the last couple of years. It is a former 1st round pick who put up good numbers in the AHL. If the front office knew Q did not like him and they knew he wasn't going to be in the plans then you move him and get something in return. I was not advocating they get a certain return from him. At this point that is a 1st round asset wasted.

Mark Lazerus ‏@MarkLazerus 1m1 minute ago

Stan Bowman on draft-week chatter: "Lots of rumors floating around. I would say the majority of those are false." #Blackhawks

My source on it is employed by one of the two teams involved in a hockey role, FWIW.
- John Jaeckel

I'm not one of the pens fans angry about you reporting what you hear. I just happen to think this is one of the cases where the source is incorrect. There may have been calls made to gauge interest, I just can't see Malkin wanting or demanding out of Pittsburgh. His family is loved there and his parents get the loudest cheers when they're on the scoreboard. And if he reasoning is to be the man, the Hawks are not the team to go to.

And to the person who said he'd be furious if it was a Kane for Malkin straight up, I get your frustration. But Malkin taking over 2C to play with Panarin and moving AA to 3C and Kruger 4C easily gives you the best center depth in the NHL by a mile. You then have the ability to roll 4 lines again and make teams struggle to chose which to defend against. Kane is an all world player, but dynamic centers are more important IMO.

Been saying forever that guys coming up must:
> know how to detail a luxury vehicle (preventing white dust in seams a must)
> have full and complete knowledge of cleaners in vicinity of 1900 W Madison
> know who stocks/where to buy certain snacks
> memorize locations and hours of Binny's in a 10 mile radius of the UC

It's been rumored that David Rundblad is an expert at #1, #2 and #4 above and has been kept on to tutor the up-and-comers on the big club's roster.
- savvyone-1

well rundblad was signed by Stan for 2 years, and I'm sure Rockwell didn't like writing checks to another guy buried.

I don't disagree. Q's major fault is his blind love for some guys and his hatred for others. McNeil is prime example IF Spector is true and not just being used by an agent.

Or he has grown up a bit and only wants Cups.....
- mrpaulish

Or, with last night's exception, he is being tethered to Chicago for the summer, not going back to Buffalo. Good to see him there with his girlfriend. Hope she has a calmimg affect on his partying habits. His dad almost broke into tears with that Hart trophy, even though we knew it was a foregone conclusion.

I really don't know enough about the market for him. If you trading maybe you give him a qualifying offer so the there is certainty on the other side of the trade?
- Marlowe

Sign and trade certainly could work, although they may be stuck w/ him then (which may or may not be the worst thing)... I assumed they just will move his rights as a prospect/"sweetener"... Sell high (ish) on the former first round pick who needs a change of scenery? As he's an RFA and will have little or no negotiating leverage I would have to think if the receiving team wanted him they would not be too concerned with getting him inked

Here's to hoping something pops off today!

I really don't know enough about the market for him. If you trading maybe you give him a qualifying offer so the there is certainty on the other side of the trade?
- Marlowe

If Stan is going to trade McNeill he should look to pull off a Clendening/Forsling type of deal. Trade McNeill for a younger prospect and hope they develop into something.

This just means that all the rumors are true:

Chris Hine ‏@ChristopherHine 4m4 minutes ago
Bowman said a "majority" of trade rumors floating around about the Blackhawks are "false."

Or, with last night's exception, he is being tethered to Chicago for the summer, not going back to Buffalo. Good to see him there with his girlfriend. Hope she has a calmimg affect on his partying habits. His dad almost broke into tears with that Hart trophy, even though we knew it was a foregone conclusion.
- blackhawk24

Think it is the friends and a couple of relatives that are really the issue in Buffalo. We all, most likely, have those couple of friends that can really trigger our party gene. You know if you decide to go out with them it is going to get out of hand. For Kane I think that was more or less the situation in Buffalo.

This just means that all the rumors are true:

Chris Hine ‏@ChristopherHine 4m4 minutes ago
Bowman said a "majority" of trade rumors floating around about the Blackhawks are "false."
- DarthKane

Lazarus , another Blackhawks employee ......

Why comment on the rumors at all ? makes no sense