The guy was 4th last year with 40 goals for a reason. If he were easy to stop, I'm sure more teams would gladly contain him.
- breadbag

The current Blues team reminds me of the 2010 Hawks team. Fast, skilled, deep and has an edge.

The current Blues team reminds me of the 2010 Hawks team. Fast, skilled, deep and has an edge.
- z1990z

They got rid of Backus. Just need wait to Hitch is gone. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

It was TVR and scary thing is Tarasenko was basically standing still.
- Al

He came off the boards right below the dot on another play in the 2nd period I believe. Went right through Toews and a d man like they weren't there. I just sat on my couch and thought oh poop the Hawks have no power scoring wingers like that.

If he becomes a little more selfish and takes some pucks to the net on his own instead of passing he will score 50 multiple times. If he wasn't a Blues player he would be one of my favorites. If there is such thing as a lunch pail 40 goal scorer its him.

Still can't believe Hitch only had him on the ice for 16 min per in the playoff series last year.

I will beat the same dead horse but AA was the player I would have dealt this summer.
- Al

Of the players with salary greater than $1.5m, AA seems to be the least valuable to the team. Creates a hole at C on the second line. If Schmaltz were ready to play 2nd or 3rd line C full time, that would sure help. He's not. So then you need a 1LW and 2C for AA & TVR & ??? Is that doable?

The current Blues team reminds me of the 2010 Hawks team. Fast, skilled, deep and has an edge.
- z1990z

I always find it weird when people say the 2010 team was deep - they were a great team, but they did have a barely there 4th line (esp at ev) and a 3rd pair anchored by Hendry (for all but like 3 games). The top 3 lines and two pairs were just so so good, it was fine they regularly had 2-3 forwards and a d-man skating 8 minutes or less a night in the playoffs.

Technically, the 2013 and 2015 teams were deeper at forward, at least in terms of rolling the 4 lines more evenly, though obvs the 2015 team had more issues on defense than 2010 or 2013.

This comment doesn't have much do you with your comparison of the current Blues team with the 2010 Hawks, just something I always think about when that team is mentioned.

Dear Blackhawks Coaching Staff,
THIS JUST IN : Vladamir Tarasenko is a good hockey player and is destroying you.

It's honestly baffling to me that after last year's playoff series where he absolutely TORE us up that he can roam free and snipe us some more.
Get a FREAKING body on the guy already ....
- eyewtkas

If it was easy to cover guys like Tarasenko, someone would cover Tarasenko. Same with how Ovechkin has a spot on the ice he shoots from that people literally call "Ovechkin's spot" - why don't teams take that away from him? Because he's fraking Ovechkin. People are also always saying Kane just needs to be hit and stuff to stop him, but it's rare that happens. Sometimes really good players are just really good.

I have said this without hearing anything but I don't think they can standpat too long if things are dicey.

First off the schedule until mid November slants toward the Hawks the next 30 days is different.

Also, Toews has brought up several times about a lack of chemistry was an issue last year because trades happened later in the year. Not sure I buy that as the reason for a 1st round loss. But Toews has made a point of saying trades came too late more than once and I'm sure the point has been made to Bowman as well.

Fact is starting off in a hole isn't a good recipe for any team. But especially so for one with a good deal of inexperience.

I don't think Bowman will have trouble dealing TVR-But if that is the guy to go, Bowman can't afford to make a mistake. As has been seen there isn't a lot of interest in the Ice Hogs who couldn't make the big club.
- Al

Toews says "chemistry" but I think what he means is talent. There just aren't enough talented guys on the team. Compared to last year, the forward group is less talented.

Toews says "chemistry" but I think what he means is talent. There just aren't enough talented guys on the team. Compared to last year, the forward group is less talented.
- matt_ahrens

Last year, Toews definitely meant chemistry as he was talking about Ladd, Weise, etc trying to get in-tune with the team. He hasn't talked about that this year yet.

What would you have been looking for in return Al? The team can't score now 5 on 5, at least AA can help with some offence.
- RickJ

A player for about half his contract value that could be effective and I would have kept Shaw.
Hawks are now hooked becasue AA's NTC has kicked in.

Kane has scored with everyone he has played with and is a better scoring threat since the lockout. If he plays with Panarin he will score with just about any center....And most will disagree but on a really good team AA is a vg 3rd line center not a 2nd line center.

They let players go for basically a lot less than AA is making-Oduya and Shaw for about $500,000 a year or so.

I have liked AA since I first watched him in NY...But he makes a lot of money now and I would trade him 10 times over before Seabrook, or Kruger.

Also. the big hole in the Hawks roster since 2010 has been at 2nd line center-Supposedly had one last year and were knocked out in the first round. But more important teams that score 43% of their goals with one line either don't make the playoffs or don't last long if they do....That's what the Hawks were last year.

Of the players with salary greater than $1.5m, AA seems to be the least valuable to the team. Creates a hole at C on the second line. If Schmaltz were ready to play 2nd or 3rd line C full time, that would sure help. He's not. So then you need a 1LW and 2C for AA & TVR & ??? Is that doable?
- matt_ahrens

Well AA's cap hit is $4.5 mill and that money cold be used to plug a hole or two. An issue to trade him now is his salary is a hefty $5.75 mill this year.

He came off the boards right below the dot on another play in the 2nd period I believe. Went right through Toews and a d man like they weren't there. I just sat on my couch and thought oh poop the Hawks have no power scoring wingers like that.

If he becomes a little more selfish and takes some pucks to the net on his own instead of passing he will score 50 multiple times. If he wasn't a Blues player he would be one of my favorites. If there is such thing as a lunch pail 40 goal scorer its him.

Still can't believe Hitch only had him on the ice for 16 min per in the playoff series last year.
- bhawks2241

Tarasenko is a beast but last year in the playoffs he would disappear for awhile and that didn't sit well with Hitch. He isn't the best defensively but a great talent. He is more Ovechkin like than probably anyone else,

Panarin is not the player Tarasenko is now...Maybe someday but he doesn't have the size and strength. I'm sure his agent will want that kind of money regardless.

Well AA's cap hit is $4.5 mill and that money cold be used to plug a hole or two. An issue to trade him now is his salary is a hefty $5.75 mill this year.
- Al

Would be great if he could perform in the 1LW spot (better justify his contract as well). It might cause issues on the other lines, but again, if it gets the Toews line going, so much the better.

A player for about half his contract value that could be effective and I would have kept Shaw.
Hawks are now hooked becasue AA's NTC has kicked in.

Kane has scored with everyone he has played with and is a better scoring threat since the lockout. If he plays with Panarin he will score with just about any center....And most will disagree but on a really good team AA is a vg 3rd line center not a 2nd line center.

They let players go for basically a lot less than AA is making-Oduya and Shaw for about $500,000 a year or so.

I have liked AA since I first watched him in NY...But he makes a lot of money now and I would trade him 10 times over before Seabrook, or Kruger.

Also. the big hole in the Hawks roster since 2010 has been at 2nd line center-Supposedly had one last year and were knocked out in the first round. But more important teams that score 43% of their goals with one line either don't make the playoffs or don't last long if they do....That's what the Hawks were last year.
- Al

It's not that he is the greatest talent in the world but the loss of Shaw to their overall team game may prove to be much greater than people think. He would have stirred it up in the Blue's zone last night by hammering somebody like Pietrangelo or Bortuzzo or Brodziak. He gets opponents off their game but unfortunately, $3.8M long term in Chicago wasn't going to happen for him.

If Q thought Schmaltz could play the middle between Kane and Panarin, he probably would try AA on the LW with Toews, which might work. But last night Schmaltz looked more ready for a trip to Rockford than getting moved into the Top 6.

Another thing about the lineup last night, that was the first time everyone actually played together in a real game. Correct me if I'm wrong but Toews and Hossa didn't play any preseason games. The blows had pretty much their opening day lineup out there in the last preseason game. Just need a little time to get the chemistry together. We got the guys to do it. Hopefully sooner than later....

Would be great if he could perform in the 1LW spot (better justify his contract as well). It might cause issues on the other lines, but again, if it gets the Toews line going, so much the better.
- Chunk

Yes that's why when they let Shaw walk that put all the eggs in the Schmaltz basket or someone similar.

It's not that he is the greatest talent in the world but the loss of Shaw to their overall team game may prove to be much greater than people think. He would have stirred it up in the Blue's zone last night by hammering somebody like Pietrangelo or Bortuzzo or Brodziak. He gets opponents off their game but unfortunately, $3.8M long term in Chicago wasn't going to happen for him.

If Q thought Schmaltz could play the middle between Kane and Panarin, he probably would try AA on the LW with Toews, which might work. But last night Schmaltz looked more ready for a trip to Rockford than getting moved into the Top 6.
- RickJ

Just posted above...But I said at the time Shaw was a big loss...I didn't think they would let him go. It will likely take more than one player to fill the void.

Just posted above...But I said at the time Shaw was a big loss...I didn't think they would let him go. It will likely take more than one player to fill the void.
- Al

Agreed Al. Shaw was the most versatile forward considering his position in the lineup and Q seemed to trust him very much. Hawks still need a LW however.

Ah the Hawks aren't that bad. When you have as many clutch players as the Hawks they only need close to average play from the rest of the team. Q worked wonders in what looked to be a lost year for the Blues during his first head coaching gig. All he has to do is get the young guys to play a positional game and get their neutral zone play solid and then the PAK line, Crawford, Seabrook and Keith will carry the team the rest of the way.

Concern is deoth an injury or two could hurt if any such theoretical injury occurred for a significant period. Then again Crawford could carry this team for a decent stretch.

Toews is great but he is dragging anchors around on his wings. Hossa still has hands and strength but he is slow now.

With Crawford and a good backup like Darling, plus clutch scorers all you need is a ticket to the dance.

The current Blues team reminds me of the 2010 Hawks team. Fast, skilled, deep and has an edge.
- z1990z

I hope so. Fifty years, thirty-four of which I have been a conscious Blues fan.

I like the idea of waiting (at least)10 games before any real judgements are made.

I mean, if we're gonna look at last night as any measuring stick then we might damn well be the worst team in the NHL. That's how we looked after the first goal by Panik. The Blues OWNED us in our own building. Ugly.

Are things really gonna be that bad as the season progresses, who knows. We might drastically improve, can't get any worse...

Going back just one season, the Penguins lost their first 3 games last year....including a 3-0 loss opening night @DAL. Obviously their season ended in much better fashion than those first few games would have made you think.

Marchand with 5 points tonight. He has really upped his game. He will probably net 60-70 points.

Last year, Toews definitely meant chemistry as he was talking about Ladd, Weise, etc trying to get in-tune with the team. He hasn't talked about that this year yet.
- L_B_R

yeah, that's true. I would have loved another month of Ladd to see what could have happened with that team.

Ah the Hawks aren't that bad. When you have as many clutch players as the Hawks they only need close to average play from the rest of the team. Q worked wonders in what looked to be a lost year for the Blues during his first head coaching gig. All he has to do is get the young guys to play a positional game and get their neutral zone play solid and then the PAK line, Crawford, Seabrook and Keith will carry the team the rest of the way.

Concern is deoth an injury or two could hurt if any such theoretical injury occurred for a significant period. Then again Crawford could carry this team for a decent stretch.

Toews is great but he is dragging anchors around on his wings. Hossa still has hands and strength but he is slow now.

With Crawford and a good backup like Darling, plus clutch scorers all you need is a ticket to the dance.
- BluemanGuruu

Have to disagree with you on Hossa's speed. His back checking and cycling ability are evidence that his legs are still good, his shot however makes me think that his hands are on the decline. He can still fire it if he has time and space, but down low near the crease he looks pretty weak.

For the Hawks to be a playoff club, CC will need to be spectacular and several of the young'ns will need to produce.

Otherwise, the draft at the UC will include a rather high pick for the home team.

Reply below was posted just as JJ put up his new blog. Regarding the bolded:

Toews looks physically sick to me. Anyone see any of his recent interview clips? Face looks drawn (sallow). He's either lost weight on purpose (puzzling) or there's something else going on.

He appears to be no stronger, no faster than last year. There is no appreciable difference in shot strength or stickhandling or faceoffs. In fact, he seemed to lose a lot of the important draws (I lost count of the PP draws in Blues zone that were lost and subsequently cleared).

You know Bogie, everyone puts it on Hossa's age/declining skills (I don't see much of that) and on revolving wing. OTOH, for years Kane has had to drag around various players. Yet there are always these excuses for Toews. He's making $10.4M. If you are giving a player that much dough, I think you would expect they'd perform regardless.

I'm not saying Toews is a bad player by any stretch but am questioning what the guy did (at least this past off-season when all we saw were pics of him wakeboarding or rock climbing or cliff diving etc etc) to get ready for the season. If anything, playing in the WCOH should have given him (and the others that played) a leg-up on the rest of the league that did not by having to play/compete against the best players in a tournament.

Folks are talking about Anisimov's PK penalty (slash on the hands) that put us 2 down. Why not talk about Toews ill-timed INITIAL penalty that led to having to go on the PK? I know for many, Toews is above reproach. However, when you are making the most coin in the league, I would expect more. I'll sit back and wait for the flaming to begin.

On another topic (our D), Seabrook looks like he's worked in the off-season to drop weight (looks a lot more svelte and ready to go) and improve his foot speed. He looked mighty good to me. And TVR . . . well, once again, he showed that in spite of his thinking the game fine, his physical limitations of limited mobility and foot speed (like Pokka) are going to likely see him traded before trade deadline. Compared to Kempny or Forsling, TVR is only 1 notch above the 3 wheeled shopping cart when it comes to skating, speed and mobility.

>End rant . . . pulls on flameproof gear and waits for the fallout to begin

- savvyone-1

Was very glad to see this pointed out very early in this thread. A leader with cups, gold medals and skins on the wall all the way down to Pee Wee making 190 million, which in part is crippling this franchise, gets frustrated and takes a slash 180 feet from his goalie while his team is WINNING 2-1 late in the 2nd period getting outplayed with 5 pure rookies in the lineup is inexcusable. Period. ..... The floodgates opened directly as a consequence of this play by a 200 million dollar guy.

If Toews is gonna take up 12 mil per in cap space and be a 55-60 point guy he has to be better between the ears and if not he's close to being a detriment on a team that has no room for error. A 4-5 million dollar shutdown 55 point guy that's not crippling but from a 12 million dollar guy that is.

If Q is gonna continue his head scratching lineup choices that started at last year's TDL and through the playoffs he too is close to being a detriment. ...How anyone could think running a 4th line with two rookies known for finesse and a career 4th liner on his last leg vs a seasoned cement head line of Reaves-Brodziak-Upshall is beyond a head scratcher, it's downright stupid. And this isn't said in hindsight either, it was posted pregame. Also was posted pregame this would leave a very short bench, meaning huge minutes for the top 3-6. ....... Watching Q since the TDL has been difficult unless you are some kind of sadist.

What you saw out of Schmaltz is what all have seen from him playing junior. A lot of skill from this guy, a lot of improvement since junior but IMO he's wired that way. Period. He's skilled, he comes, he goes, he competes, he doesn't compete, he backchecks, he doesn't backcheck. So what do we do with him. We have him center the 4th line vs a Hitchcock 4th line.

I thought Hinostroza showed well. Watched him play junior on an Olypmic size sheet and he was fast. Didn't realize he was NHL fast and liked his simple north-south effort using his speed.

Liked what I saw out of Panik. Especially how he payed attention to defense in the Ozone. He was leaning to getting back yet still was found in the crease.

Motte and Hartman. What can be said other than this is what many expected. Very nice showing.

Forsling. A rookie Dman making some positional mistakes in his first NHL game? Shocked? Smooth skilled kid is forcing his way onto this roster.

Kempny. I don't really see many, if any, weaknesses. Really fluid with really nice offensive instincts.

Unlike many I'm very satisfied with game 1 except for Q and Toews.