They have a LOT of picks at the draft and we here that they dont' want to trade 1st round due to draft being in Chicago.

You could be right, but I see it more as drafting as much as possible. Unless the trade is an absolute win can you imagine the fan reaction inside the UC if 50 were traded fro a pick? Some would get it, but most would be upset.
- SteveRain

It would suck, but that's what keeping Panarin and our core around might cost. I have faith in Darls too.

In the middle of February, the Hawks get 6 days off (along with all other teams). So maybe that can help Toews/Keith. The Hawks have back-to-back games right before and right after this break, but maybe the Hawks rest 1 or both guys a little bit around there to give them some extra time off, especially since neither is getting an All-Star "break". Hopefully the helps heal/rejuvenate them, and everyone else a little. #wishfulthinking

The current goalie situation reminds me of after 2010. Chicago had a goaltender that just backed them to a Stanley Cup. Lots of people were outraged when Stan decided to match the offer sheet to hammer and lost a cup winning goalie in the process. There was a young goalie in the wings with a few rough edges but some solid play named Corey Crawford. In my opinion this could be a potential similar situation. Only this time instead of losing a goalie for nothing, Stan good get a decent draft pick and about 2 million in cap space (3 for darls, 1 for a backup ufa) if he dealt crow.

We shall see at the draft...

In the middle of February, the Hawks get 6 days off (along with all other teams). So maybe that can help Toews/Keith. The Hawks have back-to-back games right before and right after this break, but maybe the Hawks rest 1 or both guys a little bit around there to give them some extra time off, especially since neither is getting an All-Star "break". Hopefully the helps heal/rejuvenate them, and everyone else a little. #wishfulthinking
- airmidget1

Can they skip the All Star game or I should there cash involved if they don't play ?

Can they skip the All Star game or I should there cash involved if they don't play ?
- hockey nut 28

I believe that if the choose to miss the game (injury or otherwise) they're giving a 1 game suspension from the league. Not sure if there's a $$ fine or anything. But at this rate, a 1 game suspension for those guys is just another day off, which would help. Toews got sick or something last year and missed and served his suspension, so I doubt the league wants to see him do it 2 years in a row.

It would suck, but that's what keeping Panarin and our core around might cost. I have faith in Darls too.
- JRoenick97

Oh I do as well but Hawks are very image conscience so I don't see that happening.

More so it will be probably have old hawks/new hawks there announcing picks, etc to glam it up.

I don't think 33=50, but 33 has some qualities (size, altheticism at his size, demeanor, performance under immense pressure) that suggest he could be the Hawks' #1. Bookmark that thought for late June . . .

System-wise, to me, the BIG things are as follows:

1) Keith

Watch him closely. He lacks explosion and he does not react quickly/smoothly in short areas. Not like . . . Keith. I am convinced he is still hurt/recovering form the knee (or possibly something else).

A compromised Keith means the Hawks' SYSTEM is compromised. When the hawks are at the ir best, they get through center ice fairly quickly and often with lethal quickness and Keith has a lot to do with that. When he's 100%. I will not buy the "Keith is in decline" narrative until I see another season like this. Just like with Hossa last year.

2) LW

When the Hawks had Saad and Sharp, they had 2 fast LWs who could finish the stretch pass play. Now they really only have 1. The stretch play forces defenses to give a lot of ground and also is one of the best ways to counteract a jammed up neutral zone, or a team that forechecks hard and deep. The Hawks are seeing a lot of those two things this year, too. Aren't they?

3) Way too many new, young faces

A system by it's very nature relies on familiarity, repetition and recognition. Q is forced most nights by roster turnover and injury to experiment and change on the fly. VERY hard, if not impossible, to play smoothly and instinctively in a SYSTEM under those circumstances.
- John Jaeckel

On Keith - no doubt in my mind he isn't 100%. It could be the knee, a groin or something physically that doesn't allow him to execute what he has always been able to do. And I really think Hammer impedes pace to #2's game and the Hawks game in general. He makes so many crappy passes it gets frustrating to watch. Gimme a couple of games with 2 and 7 together and maybe they would both look better.

https://www.yahoo.com/spo...g-can-they-210511056.html

On Keith - no doubt in my mind he isn't 100%. It could be the knee, a groin or something physically that doesn't allow him to execute what he has always been able to do. And I really think Hammer impedes pace to #2's game and the Hawks game in general. He makes so many crappy passes it gets frustrating to watch. Gimme a couple of games with 2 and 7 together and maybe they would both look better.
- RickJ

Hammer's passes are bad because they really aren't passes. He has the least efficient breakout percentage on the team. He's always having to play on his off side so he has to chip it out. He is tops on the team in rush break ups though. If we had a balance of RD vs LD, Hammer would be a lot better.

Hammer's passes are bad because they really aren't passes. He has the least efficient breakout percentage on the team. He's always having to play on his off side so he has to chip it out. He is tops on the team in rush break ups though. If we had a balance of RD vs LD, Hammer would be a lot better.
- JRoenick97

Very true. He does flip it out to center a lot.

Also it is interesting to note how much Seabrook is giving the puck away.

Season GP Giv Tak Giv/Tak Give/Gp

2008-09 82 35 26 1.346 0.43
2009-10 78 43 24 1.792 0.55
2010-11 82 69 27 2.556 0.84
2011-12 78 57 34 1.676 0.73
2012-13 47 40 15 2.667 0.85
2013-14 82 68 35 1.943 0.83
2014-15 82 65 27 2.407 0.79
2015-16 81 89 19 4.684 1.10
2016-17 45 58 14 4.143 1.29

This I think plays into part to something I've mentioned before and JJ commented on earlier. The Hawks don't have so many speedy breakout pass accepting LW (with the loss of Saad/Sharp). I also think the Hawks D in general just tries to force it too often lately. More short passes need maybe? A lot of the teams the Hawks have played lately that are playing well, they were killing the Hawks attacks with short passes to relieve the pressure and they'd quickly exit the zone. Hawks haven't done that as well, and maybe a bit more focus in that area (along with thought into the pairings LD/RD) would go a long way.

Edit: it turned out to be a bit hard to read, but the point of the chart, Seabrook is being credited with more giveaways per game and in relation to takeaway. Not always the best recorded stat, but I think it makes some sense.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/huge-if-true-will-chicago-go-shopping-can-they-210511056.html
- EnzoD

Chicago is always a good team to throw into the rumor mill given their past success and Stan's deadline moves. I don't see a big move happening this year.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/huge-if-true-will-chicago-go-shopping-can-they-210511056.html
- EnzoD

Not to be a Richard, but . . . I wouldn't go fishing in Chicago beat reporter columns or tweets for legit trade info.to write an article with. It's typically never found there.

Honestly, while I have heard some sporadic, muted whispers the Hawks are working on some things, the rumor mill has been very quiet this year.

All of that in the article is pure speculation however.

Funny also that they don't mention Vanek.

I know his name is not as sexy as JVR, Landeskog or Duchene or not as embedded in the conscience as say Iginla or Sharp. But there are serious problems with all five of those scenarios.

On the first three, Toronto and Colorado are going to want more for each of those three players than what the hawks can likely offer.

My educated (meaning I have heard a little) guess is the Hawks will be willing to deal a young D prospect/player and a young forward prospect/player for the right guy.

But here's the deal: I don't think packaging Forsling and Schmaltz (probably the two most attractive pieces you have) necessarily will win the bidding for any of those first three players, definitely not Landeskog or Duchene.

Hawk fans (and a lot of writers) WAYYYYY overvalue Hawk prospects versus the assets of other teams.

Another issue is cap space and the salary of the player being traded for.

Think about the following—it is important. The hawks will not deal a big contract at the deadline to acquire a"piece" for the playoff run. It is defeating the purpose to create a new hole to fill another.

Even dealing Kruger as part of a deal for Landeskog creates one hole to fill another. And no kero has not shown yet he can do what Kruger does, even if he might chip in more offensively (albeit with more o zone states, but I digress).

They must deal from depth to add to their functional veteran core for the playoffs, and where they have depth is in young D and forward prospects.

Iginla and Sharp are problematic for two reasons. While the price might be very low in terms of assets going the other way, their salaries and remaining 16-17 cap hits are high. Iginla is a RW, and appears to be in serious decline. Sharp has been hurt much of the year and he is old.

Which comes back to an asset like Vanek.

I am not here to wave Pom pons for him, but . . . he makes a lot of sense as a possible Hawk target. Why?

Natural left wing, natural scorer.

Relatively low cap hit.

Detroit GM is officially in the market for young defensemen.

While the "popular" assessment of Vanek is he sucks and doesn't play D (the latter of which has some legitimacy) I was sure you, the Hawks were willing to overlook that when they pursued him this past summer. And they did.

So I'm not saying Vanek will be the guy. But I think he is more likely as a possible acquisition than any of those guys in the article and I think the odds are kind of high the Hawks will grab him. I have as much confidence about as I did in 2015 when I reported they were after Vermette.

Too many dots connecting, at least as far as what I know.

I'd assume the team doctors and coaching staff would know best if he should be playing or not. It is what they get paid for.

Also his 0.68 PPG over that span isn't great, but it isn't that dramatic.

He scored 35 goals and add 45 assists, where typically he would have been more like 45 goals and 57 assists. A slump, but not as dramatic as some make it out to be. He may be hurt or he may just be doing something wrong, but you also can not deny the facts that he lost a lot of support from his line mates as well. Hossa struggled last year and missed time due to injury and the LW side was often 3rd and 4th line guys trying to fill a hole they shouldn't. You can call it an excuse or not, but it is a factor. An undeniable factor. There is such a thing as chemistry and make up of a line to have it be effective. True, Toews isn't living up to the $ in his contract right now, but it was the deal signed at the time. Stan has to deal with that and Q needs to get his Captain playing right, but don't forget that the real value will come playoff time. If Toews performs in the postseason like usual, then I don't care if he slumps a bit in the regular season. The Hawks aren't struggling to make the playoffs or on the outside looking in.
- breadbag

Aside from being able to reconstruct a shoulder - I don't have a lot of faith in the Hawks medical staff. They seem to botch just about everything else.

Hammer's passes are bad because they really aren't passes. He has the least efficient breakout percentage on the team. He's always having to play on his off side so he has to chip it out. He is tops on the team in rush break ups though. If we had a balance of RD vs LD, Hammer would be a lot better.
- JRoenick97

Hammer allegedly prefers to play on his off side

Aside from being able to reconstruct a shoulder - I don't have a lot of faith in the Hawks medical staff. They seem to botch just about everything else.
- fattybeef

I have the opposite opinion of the medical and training staff for the Hawks. Chicago seems to always been one of the teams to lose very little man games to injury. There are some other teams that seem to constantly have guys on the shelf and injury setbacks.

Aside from being able to reconstruct a shoulder - I don't have a lot of faith in the Hawks medical staff. They seem to botch just about everything else.
- fattybeef

That's a little like blaming the company that makes your furnace when it breaks down every ten years.

Point being, we always know about the failures of team docs when things go bad, but we don't give them credit for all the crap they patch and repair and fix—and there's a lot of that.

I know a guy who sees a Hawk team doc—many of whom have their own practices in addition to being the team's designee for knees or backs or shoulders, etc.

My understanding is the guy is a great surgeon and I know one Hawk he fixed up rather nicely 5-6 years ago and the guy's been amazing since.

Just some perspective.

Not to be a Richard, but . . . I wouldn't go fishing in Chicago beat reporter columns or tweets for legit trade info.to write an article with. It's typically never found there.

Honestly, while I have heard some sporadic, muted whispers the Hawks are working on some things, the rumor mill has been very quiet this year.

All of that in the article is pure speculation however.

Funny also that they don't mention Vanek.

I know his name is not as sexy as JVR, Landeskog or Duchene or not as embedded in the conscience as say Iginla or Sharp. But there are serious problems with all five of those scenarios.

On the first three, Toronto and Colorado are going to want more for each of those three players than what the hawks can likely offer.

My educated (meaning I have heard a little) guess is the Hawks will be willing to deal a young D prospect/player and a young forward prospect/player for the right guy.

But here's the deal: I don't think packaging Forsling and Schmaltz (probably the two most attractive pieces you have) necessarily will win the bidding for any of those first three players, definitely not Landeskog or Duchene.

Hawk fans (and a lot of writers) WAYYYYY overvalue Hawk prospects versus the assets of other teams.

Another issue is cap space and the salary of the player being traded for.

Think about the following—it is important. The hawks will not deal a big contract at the deadline to acquire a"piece" for the playoff run. It is defeating the purpose to create a new hole to fill another.

Even dealing Kruger as part of a deal for Landeskog creates one hole to fill another. And no kero has not shown yet he can do what Kruger does, even if he might chip in more offensively (albeit with more o zone states, but I digress).

They must deal from depth to add to their functional veteran core for the playoffs, and where they have depth is in young D and forward prospects.

Iginla and Sharp are problematic for two reasons. While the price might be very low in terms of assets going the other way, their salaries and remaining 16-17 cap hits are high. Iginla is a RW, and appears to be in serious decline. Sharp has been hurt much of the year and he is old.

Which comes back to an asset like Vanek.

I am not here to wave Pom pons for him, but . . . he makes a lot of sense as a possible Hawk target. Why?

Natural left wing, natural scorer.

Relatively low cap hit.

Detroit GM is officially in the market for young defensemen.

While the "popular" assessment of Vanek is he sucks and doesn't play D (the latter of which has some legitimacy) I was sure you, the Hawks were willing to overlook that when they pursued him this past summer. And they did.

So I'm not saying Vanek will be the guy. But I think he is more likely as a possible acquisition than any of those guys in the article and I think the odds are kind of high the Hawks will grab him. I have as much confidence about as I did in 2015 when I reported they were after Vermette.

Too many dots connecting, at least as far as what I know.
- John Jaeckel

For numbers guys Vanek has been consistent for the last 6 years in terms of goals and points and is doing well on an abysmal Detroit team. Probably the guy to get if all they need to move is a young defender.

For numbers guys Vanek has been consistent for the last 6 years in terms of goals and points and is doing well on an abysmal Detroit team. Probably the guy to get if all they need to move is a young defender.
- fattybeef

Maybe you get him for Forsling and a 2nd round pick. Or Forsling and TVR.

I really don't think, as much as everyone thinks Forsling is the next big thing, he alone would get you Vanek at the deadline.

It's not about how great someone thinks Forsling is or how bad they think Vanek is.

Holland will entertain multiple offers and take the highest one. So it's about what Holland and other GMs think too. Also about TDL desperation which always drives prices up.

I have the opposite opinion of the medical and training staff for the Hawks. Chicago seems to always been one of the teams to lose very little man games to injury. There are some other teams that seem to constantly have guys on the shelf and injury setbacks.
- breadbag

Just to add, these are some charts from mangameslost who track how many injuries teams have vs performance. Here is this year as jan 14th.



Here is one they did from 2009 to 2016.



The teams that won cups were generally the healthiest in terms of not losing players to injury. The size of the circle is supposed to be a measure of the quality of the injured players, so if you lost Sidney Crosby, you'd have a much larger circle than if you lost Ben Eager.

I think the Hawks training and medical staff are keeping the guys in the game, which helps.

That's a little like blaming the company that makes your furnace when it breaks down every ten years.

Point being, we always know about the failures of team docs when things go bad, but we don't give them credit for all the crap they patch and repair and fix—and there's a lot of that.

I know a guy who sees a Hawk team doc—many of whom have their own practices in addition to being the team's designee for knees or backs or shoulders, etc.

My understanding is the guy is a great surgeon and I know one Hawk he fixed up rather nicely 5-6 years ago and the guy's been amazing since.

Just some perspective.
- John Jaeckel

Yea well I mean, he did a tremendous job with Havlat's shoulder which was a chronic problem, he did a tremendous job with Hossa's shoulder - not sure where he had his back done, I don't think they have done a great job managing concussions, Keiths knee obviously though meniscus tears can be weird, Bickells knee but now that we know he has MS maybe not, TVR did his knee but that was a little different and i think were spliting hairs on how mobile he was anyway, Burish and Carcillo both did their knees here and I suppose came back as well as they could, Bollands back (which may have nothing to do with the doctor), Kooga's wrist seems to be a continuing problem but Kane's has been find.

So I dunno. Maybe there's not an issue there.

I think its probably easier to notice a guy like Keith losing some mobility, espeically with how aggressive his skating stride is.

Maybe I'm wrong and further proof im not a learned doctor and I dont play one on tv.

Maybe you get him for Forsling and a 2nd round pick. Or Forsling and TVR.

I really don't think, as much as everyone thinks Forsling is the next big thing, he alone would get you Vanek at the deadline.

It's not about how great someone thinks Forsling is or how bad they think Vanek is.

Holland will entertain multiple offers and take the highest one. So it's about what Holland and other GMs think too. Also about TDL desperation which always drives prices up.
- John Jaeckel

I think the smarter money is sticking with Kempny

I don't have a subscription but Scott Powers is reporting from a source that the Hawks are looking for a veteran D man. Odd but I guess the revolving door of Campbell, Kempny, Rozi and Forsling is enough to get them to hunt for a veteran D. Not sure they'll find a real upgrade or maybe its a bottom pair guy since TVR has played well this year.


https://theathletic.com/3...dding-veteran-defenseman/

Maybe you get him for Forsling and a 2nd round pick. Or Forsling and TVR.

I really don't think, as much as everyone thinks Forsling is the next big thing, he alone would get you Vanek at the deadline.

It's not about how great someone thinks Forsling is or how bad they think Vanek is.

Holland will entertain multiple offers and take the highest one. So it's about what Holland and other GMs think too. Also about TDL desperation which always drives prices up.
- John Jaeckel

FMV for Vanek may be Forsling and a 2nd or Forsling and TvR but would Vanek be he really be worth it and be the missing the piece that puts the Hawks over the top? I'm sure people would argue both sides, but I don't think so. Vanek is a solid forward and would likely help Toews' line, but (again) would that be enough to put the Hawks over the top? Not in my opinion.

Glad to see Darling start, for several reasons:
1. Keeps him sharp, may need him in the playoffs again like against Nashville couple of years back.
2. Gives Crawford some needed rest. He hasn't been sharp lately and maybe a little "down time" will be the fix he needs.
3. Hawks have a point cushion. They should play Darling once every 3-4 starts anyway. 50-55 starts for Crawford is plenty. 30-35 for Darling is not too much.
4. Nice to have TWO fairly rested and game-ready goalies ready when the playoffs roll around.

Go Hawks....beat dem Bruins!!!!!


- hawk35

I get the feeling that if Darling wins tonight, he starts the next game too. Crawford hasn't been sharp, he needs to step up.

.
- John Jaeckel

Great stuff JJ! I find it highly improbable that the Hawks will add yet another long-term high cap-hit contract like Duchene or Landeskog. JVR probably wont be traded unless the Leafs absolutely tank the next 6 weeks. Though, their #1 Dman Morgan Reilly has a Lower Body Injury and they gave up A TON of chances against NYR last night in a loss. Vanek makes sense on a lot of levels. However, he would likely not play with 19+81 bc for all he is, he is NOT fleet of foot.

72-19-81
Vanek-15-88

Definitely an upgrade on offense. However, I think TVR has established himself as a reliable low-end #4 and high end #5/6 NHL dman. Campbell has been shaky (at best) this year and I think TVR has been a much better player defensively. IDK if I'd be comfortable moving TVR as it probably brings Rosival back into the nightly lineup....should be interesting but I chuckled a bit when I saw Landeskog/Duchene in the article.