If his past trades are any indication then Chiarelli will give the Blackhawks McDavid for Seabrook.
- DarthKane

And Draisaitl along with the next 1st overall pick?

I don't understand how some fans looking at the present and future of the Hawks as opposed to the past means that we don't appreciate or value the 3 Cups and amazing rebirth this franchise had since 2007??? It is an accusation and has no basis in fact. If some want to just keep posting about the 2013 Hawks and reminisce, by all means! If others would like to assess the current situation and look forward, that shouldn't be met with slights and criticism.

I don't understand how some fans looking at the present and future of the Hawks as opposed to the past means that we don't appreciate or value the 3 Cups and amazing rebirth this franchise had since 2007??? It is an accusation and has no basis in fact. If some want to just keep posting about the 2013 Hawks and reminisce, by all means! If others would like to assess the current situation and look forward, that shouldn't be met with slights and criticism.
- EnzoD

You forgot one. They won in 2015. Hopefully it's ok if I'm still enjoying that one too.

Not saying it's all you and yes it's fine to be critical but I think some of the fatalism displayed and the proverbial fork being stuck in after less than 10% of the season has been played is beyond a bit premature.

Also, assessing a point in time (7 games played) isn't looking forward. You're assessing the current situation and extrapolaitng on things that haven't happened yet.

You forgot one. They won in 2015. Hopefully it's ok if I'm still enjoying that one too.

Not saying it's all you and yes it's fine to be critical but I think some of the fatalism displayed and the proverbial fork being stuck in after less than 10% of the season has been played is beyond a bit premature.

Also, assessing a point in time (7 games played) isn't looking forward. You're assessing the current situation and extrapolaitng on things that haven't happened yet.
- HawkintheD

Ya Ive missed maybe 5 Hawks games in the last decade but I definitely forgot 2015....

I think you are the one being hyperbolic. The majority of the critical posts made have raised valid points about the 16/17 and 17/18Hawks. A lot of self-inflicted woulds from the FO and a team that has regressed substantially from the Cup year I can't remember. Your perception is your reality, after all. I see a team that has been passed by in terms of on-ice talent throughout an entire roster. You see what you want to see, and think what you want to think. Just would be nice to stop questioning the fandom or character of posters with a different POV.

The Preds seem to be off to a slow start. They're 2-3 and will likely fall to 2-4 as they are down 6-0 to the Ducks.

Am very busy and on the road, but just wanted to say there are quite a few pages of remarkably good discussion. Including St. Louis Brave's point that many look like entitled crybabies by expecting more strength than the dam can hold back.
I am not going to try and debate anything...just say I am pretty sure they thought the Cap would be a lot higher right now.

And parity is truly here. Winning isn't a easy thing.

Great players continue to be great players into their late thirties nowadays, but the youth also serve notice; maybe not every game, but there are so many fast youngsters.

The idea is to start to be at your best in late February...time for PK and player deficits to mend.

Vesey with 3 goals - 2 of them GWG.

Hudler has an illness (?) and is on IR.d
- StLBravesFan

With first line minutes.

Motte in place of Vesey is not the reason Hawks are .500...

Ya Ive missed maybe 5 Hawks games in the last decade but I definitely forgot 2015....

I think you are the one being hyperbolic. The majority of the critical posts made have raised valid points about the 16/17 and 17/18Hawks. A lot of self-inflicted woulds from the FO and a team that has regressed substantially from the Cup year I can't remember. Your perception is your reality, after all. I see a team that has been passed by in terms of on-ice talent throughout an entire roster. You see what you want to see, and think what you want to think. Just would be nice to stop questioning the fandom or character of posters with a different POV.
- EnzoD

You and I are watching two different games apparently. I see a team with top end proven vets that need to get in game shape, a bunch of talented rookies who need to figure out the system, and a team that needs to coalesce and has a few months to do it.

Ya Ive missed maybe 5 Hawks games in the last decade but I definitely forgot 2015....

I think you are the one being hyperbolic. The majority of the critical posts made have raised valid points about the 16/17 and 17/18Hawks. A lot of self-inflicted woulds from the FO and a team that has regressed substantially from the Cup year I can't remember. Your perception is your reality, after all. I see a team that has been passed by in terms of on-ice talent throughout an entire roster. You see what you want to see, and think what you want to think. Just would be nice to stop questioning the fandom or character of posters with a different POV.
- EnzoD

Just having some fun, and didn't question your fandom but why you would go back to the '13 Cup when they've won more recently...seems odd no?

You may even be proven right this year, who knows? I don't really agree with your assessment and cutting them a bit more slack than 7 games while they sort things out isn't really unreasonable...but then again, that's my POV.

Also, don't agree, while there are many posts with an eye on the future I'm reading just as many assessing this year's team. I think some of the other posts I've read like mine seem to be questioning why the revisionist history seems to place more importance on and highlight all the misses preceived or real vs the hits as if 3 Cups were a given...JMO.

They are going to be wildly up and down until they can get the PK sorted. Both the PP and PK need to be more aggressive.

The PP spends too much time playing keepaway. The PK needs to think every player out there is a threat to shoot. Once everyone is considered a threat to shoot the lanes for other things will open up.

There are also too many turnovers on trying to force long stretch passes that aren't there. Keep it simple stupid.

If his past trades are any indication then Chiarelli will give the Blackhawks McDavid for Seabrook.
- DarthKane

Someone start spreading rumors that McDavid is a locker room cancer.

Just having some fun, and didn't question your fandom but why you would go back to the '13 Cup when they've won more recently...seems odd no?
- HawkintheD

But you're going to question it anyways...

If all you're going to do is to come here and troll others - because the conversation doesn't fit your view of things - then I would suggest that you don't come back.

Because they filled the much needed holes on D, so then they hoped with what remaining money they could persuade a Hudler or Vesey as well? They had some cash. No point in not trying.

Where are Hudler and Vesey currently? Isn't Hudler injured and is a -3 in 2 GP? Vesey with 3 points?
- teh_HAWKZ

Agreed. They decided to over-index on D and see if they could fill in at W through the bargain bin. Haven't I been saying that?

I am not here to argue whether those players are good or not. That is irrelevant. It was the HAWKS' decision to pursue them, based on actual professional scouting and their own knowledge of their own epic talent pipeline.

They signed Rozsival two days before Campbell, but they'd already been talking to Campbell during the FA period so they knew they were getting him and for how much at that point (Campbell had already changed his twitter pic for example lol). I feel like ultimately we're both pretty much coming to the same conclusion: the FO obviously saw the defense as the highest priority - through getting a proven #4 and signing someone to help with Kempny who they see with potential - and focused on defense before addressing the forward depth (or ultimately not addressing it) in those specific ways. Discussion on whether it should have been done that way is valid, just appears to not be the opinion of the FO.

Ftr I'm not arguing against anything when it comes to Kempny as a player - I really like what we've seen of Kempny so far and think he'll likely be top 4 in terms of TOI at ev (Campbell may edge him a bit because of his PP time).
- L_B_R

Sorry, not to quote Trump again: "wrong"

They did not know they were getting Campbell til about 24-48 hours before it was announced. There were at least 1-2 other teams involved and making pitches, including the Dallas Stars up to that point. And that's not just going by my sources, but even the Great Hockey Writers Of The North had that.

Let's stick to the facts, as we know them.

Vesey they could have signed after Campbell - I recall they were pretty upbeat on that happening - so were several of the pundits....

Perhaps they thought Vesey was in the bag at an ELC cap hit for this year - which was why they felt they could give Soupy $2MM AND solve 1LW....
- StLBravesFan

Exactly. You've lived up to your nickname, yet again.

Because he might have gotten one of them with the cap money he still had remaining. Vesey on an ELC obviously would fit. When that didn't work out Stan offered Hudler what he could and Hudler found it inadequate and signed elsewhere for more. No harm in trying.
- garacat

AGREED!

Overall, this team has many of the same problems that last year's team did. Poor breakouts (last year due to only one guy being able to make a tape to tape pass or escape with his feet) and a poopty penalty kill.

This year, they have the personal on the back end to both skate the puck out or make a tape to tape pass. However, the defensive zone coverage of the forwards and the manner in which they exit the zone is haphazard at best. There is also a hesitancy from Kempny and Forsling to move the puck in a positive direction. That is to be expected to a certain extent.

From Rad Brichards to Brandon Saad and many players between, it seems like there has been a rather steep learning curve for the forwards (and defenders, see Oduya, Johnny) to reach an acceptable level of consistency.

Even if they were to trade for a LW or a new 2nd line center or whatever fantasy trade is proposed, there will still be a period of adjustment that may or may not end up providing a positive outcome. Weise and Flash are two recent examples of this.

Right now, the easiest thing to fix in order to earn some points is going to be the PK. Allowing free point shots is unacceptable and the root of the problem there. With that, they ought to be able to buy the rest of the guys enough time to hopefully get their feet under them.

With the cap constraints and the excessive amount of NMCs that have been bestowed upon these guys, it will be very difficult to make any type of meaningful acquisition. So hopefully they address they problems they can sooner rather than later and were going to have to suffer through some of the growing pains as viewers while the new guys figure it out.
- fattybeef

I can't disagree with any of this—mostly really solid analysis as usual—except the FO is not earning its money if they are not at least being receptive to, or actively involved in exploring, trade options.

My info. is they are and have been in that posture, waiting to see if the present composition can work. Right now, hard to say it will. But they will give it a few more games at least, I have heard, before getting serious about possibly making some changes.

FWIW, the one fly in the Kempny ointment for me has been just that, he literally has that half second pause where he considers where to go with the puck, though not the Rundblad, deer in the headlights, please don't hurt me sir, look while under the forecheck. It's more like Svedberg, though not as bad, just a tick slow in making that breakout pass decision. Otherwise, guy's been really solid.

Forsling is a little like Rundblad, in that he looks a lot better coming up the ice and in the offensive zone than he doe sin his end—but not nearly as bad. I don't think Forsling has any dog in him like Rundblad. Still a process for him.

Krueger, Crawford, Seabrook would be the list......... oh wait, they all have NM Clauses !!! Bowman should go first for these deals.
- Hawkytalk

Kruger does not. Crawford has a limited NTC in addition to a NMC. My info is that means he can be traded after submitting a list. Seabrook's is iron clad til the last two years of his deal.

Toews is a target - Bowman is a Target - gee, if we only still had Leddy, and if only Saad and Kane had taken less money, and if only Jim Nill hadn't taken advantage of a bad Blackhawk situation, and....

Ya wanna run Stan and Q and an over the hill Toews out of town? Ya wanna blame them for everything bad, without giving credit for anything good? You're ok with revisionist history that forgets three Cups? You're welcome to your opinions.

But the vitriol, anger, endless female doging about the same things all the time is very tiresome.

This team is very iffy right now - bad decisions, some avoidable, some unavoidable because of the cap - yeah - have put this team on the playoff bubble, in my opinion.

But don't forget: this is the first hockey team - first maybe in any sport - who was up against a hard cap from the day they won their first Cup - Bowman and his team had to figure out how to keep a competitive team on the ice without looking to any other franchise's history - Q had to figure out how to keep winning while losing multiple key pieces every year.

And they managed 3 Cups and a couple of WCFs. It may all have caught up with them at this point - maybe time for new management - maybe - but send them off with a little class

But c'mon - and Eli, ban me if you must - there's a lot of idiocy here recently.
- StLBravesFan

There's a lot of passion and resulting unwillingness to cite ALL the facts or see the other side or middle ground—on both sides of the argument.

I have actually been taking the middle ground—no conclusions yet—but I have felt besieged for even suggesting the Hawks might consider making some moves or that the Great Youth Movement was a default position, and the Hawks might have to move on from it at least partially. Even though, I have heard that from a couple of people in position to know. Suggesting that some of the salary commitments of the last year might not turn out to have been ideal—I mean, that alone ignited a firestorm, so yeah, Sage, come on man. LOL

Hayes and Vesey have scored for the Rangers too.
- DarthKane

Where the trade them all meme when you need it?

Am very busy and on the road, but just wanted to say there are quite a few pages of remarkably good discussion. Including St. Louis Brave's point that many look like entitled crybabies by expecting more strength than the dam can hold back.
I am not going to try and debate anything...just say I am pretty sure they thought the Cap would be a lot higher right now.

And parity is truly here. Winning isn't a easy thing.

Great players continue to be great players into their late thirties nowadays, but the youth also serve notice; maybe not every game, but there are so many fast youngsters.

The idea is to start to be at your best in late February...time for PK and player deficits to mend.
- wiz1901

So yeah, my point in one sentence, thx. Safe travels, Wiz.

With first line minutes.

Motte in place of Vesey is not the reason Hawks are .500...
- busmaster

No but there's also a reason the Hawks pursued Vesey like they did, no? And Vesey ain't playing with Jonathan Toews in New York either.

Lets slow down on saying Vessey replacing Motte would mean the Hawks would have a better record. Vessey is not a sure thing and he wouldn't fix the PK that can't stop anyone. Or the poor decisions on trying to force long breakout passes that aren't there. The problems run deeper than just one or two players.

Exactly. You've lived up to your nickname, yet again.
- John Jaeckel

Pretty sure that's what I've been trying to say this whole time lol. Sorry if you took what I was saying the wrong way.

Pretty sure that's what I've been trying to say this whole time lol. Sorry if you took what I was saying the wrong way.
- teh_HAWKZ

Well, then we've all been agreeing strenuously on that point.

ALL I've been saying is the approach of perhaps over-indexing the limited budget toward two defense acquisitions and then hoping to strike gold later (and on the cheap) with a wing MAY turn out to have been misguided.because the second half didn't work out—and they should NOT have assumed it would.

So, IF, forward play in all three zones, production and especially balanced production is not improved versus last year—to the tune of a bubble team (sacrilege!) or another first round out, then I think maybe we will have that discussion.

Have to wait and see. And maybe the team addresses it before it reaches that point.

All I was saying.