You know the credit limit today. What you are speculating on is how much your earnings will be next year and how much credit the credit card company will give you next year.
- -Doh-

But the banks know they'll never lose you will pay a ridiculous interest rate and if you ever default they write it off

Nothing on my part is speculation within reason-On the open market individually Kane and Toews could have gotten larger contracts.

It has never happened before in the latest salary cap environment where one club has won 3 Cups in a such short time with such a young core....That's a fact too.
- Al

Yes, both of those guys were in the right place at the right time with the right skins on the wall. They would have pulled as much or more as UFA's for 2 reasons - 1) because other clubs would have thought the same way as the Hawks about the cap rising year over year and 2) the rest of the league would have seized the chance to crater a juggernaut team.

And I don't hear anybody saying anything about Keith and Hammer playing for $2M per year under the money or Campbell playing for much less than he could have made elsewhere. Its always about Toews, Kane and Seabrook making way more than they should. Remove those 3 and you have the Toronto Maple Leafs from last year or the Blackhawks of 10 years ago.

And this Brandon Saad adulation - last time I checked he got to play 4th line wing on the Junior Varsity in the World Cup and for a dead nuts loser in the NHL. Good player, not great and his most rewarding NHL years are probably in the past. He opted for the money, like most players do.

And when Connor McDavid's ELC ends, I doubt very much whether he and his agent are going to worry much about the Oiler's cap issues and what players are going to be squeezed out. He's getting the 20% max. which is what he will deserve.

Oh yes Buff scoring a hat trick in Vancouver in the playoffs ,then going behind the net arms out looking at nuck fans was the best !!!!
- oldduffman

I have to also admit that was THE hawk bragging moment for me too! Buff letting the Canuck fans it was him ruled not that green leotarded...

The Hawks never really had negotiating leverage once Toews' and Kane's extensions were linked to each other and under the same agent.
- BreadmanCometh

You certainly didn't want either one pissed enough to hit the open market because it is silly to think Kaner doesn't get much more in Buffalo, and the Jet's opening their limited budget for Taser...OR any team looking to make the headlines, draw new attention to their team, and Toews is a an easy financial decision that makes EVERYONE in your lockerroom sr to a higher standard.

I am kinda tired of the argunment about hwo these 3 time winners should have been asked to not get full value...because they could have shopped themselves and cause a publicity nightmare if they left.

NO GM who knows what greases his team wheels is going to be asking the "grease" to not ask for pay deserving what was accomplished...it is lit easier to post in a discussion than to go face to face with tehse two players and explain why they don't deserve it.

Sharp signed his 4 year $3.9 mil contract after the 07/08 season.
Bolland signed his 5 year $3.375mil contract after 08/09 season.
Sharp signed his 5 year $5.9 contract after 11/12 season.
- -Doh-

and by not sending Sharp packing earlier is what identifies him as core...the fact they felt necessary to not move him earlier...

Yes, both of those guys were in the right place at the right time with the right skins on the wall. They would have pulled as much or more as UFA's for 2 reasons - 1) because other clubs would have thought the same way as the Hawks about the cap rising year over year and 2) the rest of the league would have seized the chance to crater a juggernaut team.

And I don't hear anybody saying anything about Keith and Hammer playing for $2M per year under the money or Campbell playing for much less than he could have made elsewhere. Its always about Toews, Kane and Seabrook making way more than they should. Remove those 3 and you have the Toronto Maple Leafs from last year or the Blackhawks of 10 years ago.

And this Brandon Saad adulation - last time I checked he got to play 4th line wing on the Junior Varsity in the World Cup and for a dead nuts loser in the NHL. Good player, not great and his most rewarding NHL years are probably in the past. He opted for the money, like most players do.

And when Connor McDavid's ELC ends, I doubt very much whether he and his agent are going to worry much about the Oiler's cap issues and what players are going to be squeezed out. He's getting the 20% max. which is what he will deserve.
- RickJ

So that's it then. Saad is greedy but the Infallible Toews, Kane and Seabrook were "just getting paid fairly". Go check the old school stats AND fancy stats and tell me that Brandon Saad isn't an Elite NHL LW...you'd be lying. This debate is going to rage on for the next half decade. Fair points on both sides of the argument and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Kane was never top 5 in NHL scoring before that extension and same for Toews. How does be 2/23 on a Cup Winning team make you the co-highest paid players in the league? Marketability? You know what is Marketable? Winning Championships. Championships are won with full teams, not 6 HOFers and a bunch of Rookies. I will still cheer for this team no matter what, but they could have been a team of Legend. Instead, they all wanted to get paid. So it goes...welcome back to the pack.


EDIT: I agree Wiz...this debate is getting old. and nothing is going to change with anyone's cap hit...unless they are sent packing to another team.

Mark LazerusVerified account
‏@MarkLazerus
#Blackhawks likely going with 11 forwards, seven D tonight against #CBJ. Plus Saad and Anisimov in today's notebook: http://bit.ly/2dHnBU6

Teams win Cups, Al. That is really all that needs to be said, IMO. Toews + Kane have never been 2x as valuable to the Chicago Blackhawks' winning hockey games than Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith or Nik Hjalmarsson. The impact players that have been lost to fit those inflated contracts under the cap is the difference between being the best team in the league, and barely being in the top 10-16. It was 100% within their rights to demand to make $1.5mil more per year than Crosby and Malkin, but doesn't mean they deserved it. Look at the rapid decline in scoring for #19 after his HOF RW finally was caught by father time, and his 2 All-Star LWs were traded to make room for his cap hit. You and anyone else can disagree, but the proof is in the pudding....and those $10.5mil cap hits are the fly in Stan Bowman's pudding.
- EnzoD

Toews/Kane do not make $1.5m more a season than Crosby - just their cap hit is more. No one makes more on their current contract than Crosby, he is still the highest paid player by contract. Arguing the difference between contracts signed in different years is silly, but ones signed under different CBAs is just dumb imo. Which is why you can't compare them to Keith or Hossa either. The rules changed, cap hits per year were bound to go up with less years to spread out the amount of the total contract.

I honestly don't understand why this point is often ignored. Critique the contracts is legit but not for comparison to other contracts from other years/CBAs. It's the most overdone and boring debate, but at least acknowledge the lack of consistent variables/times when contracts were given.

‏@MarkLazerus
#Blackhawks lines:
Motte-Toews-Panik
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
BRIAN CAMPBELL-Schmaltz-Hartman
Rasmussen-Kruger-Tootoo

‏@MarkLazerus
#Blackhawks lines:
Motte-Toews-Panik
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
BRIAN CAMPBELL-Schmaltz-Hartman
Rasmussen-Kruger-Tootoo
- DarthKane

Anyone have a link to tonight's game????

‏@MarkLazerus
#Blackhawks lines:
Motte-Toews-Panik
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
BRIAN CAMPBELL-Schmaltz-Hartman
Rasmussen-Kruger-Tootoo
- DarthKane

Soupy up front ..cool

Sharp signed his 4 year $3.9 mil contract after the 07/08 season.
Bolland signed his 5 year $3.375mil contract after 08/09 season.
Sharp signed his 5 year $5.9 contract after 11/12 season.
- -Doh-

So?

Yes, both of those guys were in the right place at the right time with the right skins on the wall. They would have pulled as much or more as UFA's for 2 reasons - 1) because other clubs would have thought the same way as the Hawks about the cap rising year over year and 2) the rest of the league would have seized the chance to crater a juggernaut team.

And I don't hear anybody saying anything about Keith and Hammer playing for $2M per year under the money or Campbell playing for much less than he could have made elsewhere. Its always about Toews, Kane and Seabrook making way more than they should. Remove those 3 and you have the Toronto Maple Leafs from last year or the Blackhawks of 10 years ago.

And this Brandon Saad adulation - last time I checked he got to play 4th line wing on the Junior Varsity in the World Cup and for a dead nuts loser in the NHL. Good player, not great and his most rewarding NHL years are probably in the past. He opted for the money, like most players do.

And when Connor McDavid's ELC ends, I doubt very much whether he and his agent are going to worry much about the Oiler's cap issues and what players are going to be squeezed out. He's getting the 20% max. which is what he will deserve.
- RickJ

10 years ago people beefed Wirtz was too cheap to pay and keep top players.
Now it's 180 degrees different after 3 Cups the players get paid too much.

10 years ago people beefed Wirtz was too cheap to pay and keep top players.
Now it's 180 degrees different after 3 Cups the players get paid too much.

- Al

I know sounds like we have a bunch of Dollar Bills out there ..Always loved that nickname and it fit .

Has there been any update on Hossa and how long he might be out?

Has there been any update on Hossa and how long he might be out?
- SimpleJack

No but my ETA is Friday in NJ.

10 years ago people beefed Wirtz was too cheap to pay and keep top players.
Now it's 180 degrees different after 3 Cups the players get paid too much.

- Al

1-0 Jackets.

Hawks PP does squat. Jackets get one and boom....another PK thats crap....sigh

Weise suspended 3 games for illegal check vs. Ducks.

Let the guy stand in the blue paint and don't pressure the point. Laughable PK with zero changes in strategy even when stopping less than half of all PP attempts. Come on Q

So that's it then. Saad is greedy but the Infallible Toews, Kane and Seabrook were "just getting paid fairly". Go check the old school stats AND fancy stats and tell me that Brandon Saad isn't an Elite NHL LW...you'd be lying. This debate is going to rage on for the next half decade. Fair points on both sides of the argument and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Kane was never top 5 in NHL scoring before that extension and same for Toews. How does be 2/23 on a Cup Winning team make you the co-highest paid players in the league? Marketability? You know what is Marketable? Winning Championships. Championships are won with full teams, not 6 HOFers and a bunch of Rookies. I will still cheer for this team no matter what, but they could have been a team of Legend. Instead, they all wanted to get paid. So it goes...welcome back to the pack.


EDIT: I agree Wiz...this debate is getting old. and nothing is going to change with anyone's cap hit...unless they are sent packing to another team.
- EnzoD

The players are ALL greedy, as well they should be. They perform a unique skill at a level that only .0001% of the entire world can do, they have a limited time to perform at that level before their skill deteriorates, and there is a market willing to pay them. I hated to see Saad go, but I don't blame him for chasing the cash. None of these guys (or the rest of us, for that matter) will ever make than kind of bank doing anything else.

As a fan, I prefer the winning, and I'm sure winning is very important to the players; however, it's not as important to them as the money.

Glad to see the Hawks have been work'n on the PK.

Take penalty
Lose draw
In net

Rinse and repeat.

This team looks awful. Blue Jackets entering offensive zone like it's a practice flow drill

Saad with 6 shots: Blackhawks with 10. Lol

Saad with 6 shots: Blackhawks with 10. Lol
- kwolf68

So who can we blame when the team takes the ice and demonstrates they clearly aren't prepared to play?

Do we chalk this up now to a non-Cup-hangover summer?
Too much mountain climbing, sky diving, wake-boarding?
Or too much working on your speed, your quickness and lateral transitions?
Or too much working on the speed of your shot release?
Ah well, I'm sure there are some that will show up to bash me. Or claim it's the WCOH's fault. Or maybe it's the 9th planet out in the darkness that is shifting the ice in our opponent's favor.

Holy (frank). This team blows right now.

Same for the PK.
Listening to Seabrook now about PK: "Stick to our gameplan."

OK, great, so Q tells you stay in that box, don't chase or pressure the puck, back in on your goalie, screen him at every chance and make sure you move no players out in front lest he actually is able to see the shot.