i know kruger is a hot topic of debate on these blogs...but i personally think he is worth the money he is paid. he allows Q the luxury of being able to get match ups in playoff games because of his ability to play against opponents top lines. i know the hawks penalty kill has been rough this year....and thankfully it has leveled off since its horrid start...but he is arguably their most important penalty killer along with #4. i just look at last year when he got injured and the hit their PK took. he wins faceoff's, can match up with other teams top lines in the playoffs, and is arguably their best penalty killer. sure would scoring be a nice bonus? of course. but again, not everything is about scoring. the hawks have plenty of guys who can put the puck in the net. for a defense first team, kruger is essential.
- frafra

I think many would agree Kruger is worth his contract (maybe) but on the Blackhawks, he may be a luxury they can't afford to keep, given the cap hell they're in.

The problem I have with this notion is it's the same excuse why Toews doesn't produce as much offensively because he's always out against the other teams top line and playing a defensive first role. If Kruger is so valuable and does that then Toews can't have that as an excuse. If Toews is still doing most of the heavy lifting then Kruger isn't as valuable as he's made out to be. I'll add that Kruger should be doing it all season long not just come playoff time.
- bhawks2241

I mean I really don't disagree with you at all. I just think that Toews has been a mix of snake bitten this year and playing injured. Him playing injured is a topic itself that we the fans can argue over. But again, when the Hawks paid Toews his current contract, I would assume they were aware of what they were paying him for in regards to his production.

In regards to kruger...I feel it's the same way to a degree. Clearly the front office isn't paying him to put up a ton of points...so if it's not points...I don't know what else it could be other than some of the things that I mentioned in my earlier posts.

As far as what these guys do in the playoffs compared to the regular season, I think it's two different animals. I am not saying regular season games aren't important, because they are. But usually around this time of year the Hawks have an idea of where they fall. The last few weeks the big debate on these boards has been the lack of effort. It is evident that the Hawks aren't playing for a President's Trophy. I am not saying they don't care to win, but I don't think they get up for January games the same way they do for playoff games. Even the way Q manages the team during games is drastically different in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

The problem I have with this notion is it's the same excuse why Toews doesn't produce as much offensively because he's always out against the other teams top line and playing a defensive first role. If Kruger is so valuable and does that then Toews can't have that as an excuse. If Toews is still doing most of the heavy lifting then Kruger isn't as valuable as he's made out to be. I'll add that Kruger should be doing it all season long not just come playoff time.
- bhawks2241

Just to be clear, Kruger is not meant to take the load for Toews - his primarily role is to take on the guys who would be thrown on against the Anisimov line, but in the DZ. It allows for the Anisimov line to take some draws away from high QOC and to rarely take draw in the DZS as a result. Kruger is also meant to flip the ice and then get off so that the Anisimov line can go one (and the Toews one to some extent). Whether the Kruger line comes off quickly depends on how fast they've flipped the ice, but part of why Kruger doesn't score as much is because he's instructed to get off for more offensive players. Hell, Kruger's line is often looking for a goalie stoppage so that an OZ faceoff can take play - the Hawks have had the most OZF in the league since 2012, part of that is because of Kruger. If you look at shift charts, the most common transition is Kruger to Anisimov, which highlights how/why this happens. And when Kruger had Frolik on his line, they stayed out more; same thing for with Shaw, Hossa during the playoffs. Since Kruger has not been with offensive guys as much in recent year, Q has changed his deployment and usage somewhat to make use of Kruger's excellent transition style but meh offense capabilities.

Just to note as well, Kruger has taken Toews' matchup sometimes, but it's not consistently, but it happens more in the playoffs, just usually once Kane was moved up to be with Toews (Anaheim and Tampa in 2015, for example). Q also historically makes some tweaks to how he deploys lines in general in the playoffs, but that's a bigger discussion.

In any case, the best way to think about it is that Kruger is there to first, help shutdown players as much as possible; and second, to facilitate getting more offensive minded players on the ice in more ideal situations. Kruger is worth his cap hit for these qualities imo, but he's just a luxery that the Hawks cannot afford going forward. When he is ultimately replaced in the future, the way in which the checking line is deployed/used will likely be different from Kruger's use (similar to how neither Danault nor Kero got it even when 'subbing' in for Kruger). And it's something to watch to see how different Kruger might be used with more offensive guys like Hossa and Schmaltz on a line (though I'm wary of having two primarily pass heavy guys on a line).

Is he singing the National Anthems - or funeral dirges?

Good to see Darling in net

If the Hawks want to win tonight they are going to have to play with an edge

Panik has great feet.

There is no way we're going to win a playoff series if our PK doesn't get better. I've never seen it this bad and the players being so irresponsible

Well that's the game

It's hard to fathom how the Hawks PK can be so bad. They have no chance in the playoffs if their PK continues to be this bad.

Just tuned in let's see oh The Hawks got a penalty and the other team scores how odd

Winnipeg continues to make a mockery of the Blackhawks.

The trend of 2 goals against in under 1 min HAS to end

We've been giving up way too many goals lately...

Defense, goaltending, and PK all need to get much better. Or else it won't matter how many depth forwards we add.

Looks like I picked a good game to ignore.

Enjoy the road trip guys.

Lots of time left,!,,,,Go Hawks.

Lots of time left,!,,,,Go Hawks.
- eagle50

Yes there is and we might still win this game, but regardless we keep giving up too many goals. I can't remember the last time we gave up fewer than 3 goals in a game. Pretty pathetic....

Yes there is and we might still win this game, but regardless we keep giving up too many goals. I can't remember the last time we gave up fewer than 3 goals in a game. Pretty pathetic....
- SimpleJack

You aren't the only one but comes a time when all the moaning and bit ching gets you no where actually it never gets you anywhere anyways....Go Hawks.

John Jaeckel: The Thin Blue Line
- John Jaeckel

Gosh are you correct about the THIN BLUE LINE JJ.
This Hawk Defense is frightening at times. The only dman that has any legs tonight is Kempney. I'm still going to say that Keith and Hjalmarsson are TERRIBLE together. I can't imagine this coaching staff allowing these two to play together.
For all the mistakes they make, I would rather have Forsling get the experience and see the ice once in a while Mr Q !!!! He's not going to improve sitting in the press box of at Rockford, or wherever he is. Campbell BAD, TVR slow.
On the bright side, Hartmann is really shaping up into a nice player. Nice to see somebody go to the net with the puck for once.

Yes, I'd assumed that the only way any team could get Ignila is if Colorado retained half. Chicago currently will have about $3.3m prorated space at the TDL - Iginla at half off is still about $2.7m. And again, Iginla is not worth whatever assets would be needed to acquire him / get the Avs to eat cap. Unless it's a low round pick, it's seems like a silly move.
- L_B_R

Iginla isn't worth 500 K !! Old and Slow

I do like how the Hawks are attacking the front of the net in this game, especially the Toews line.

Iginla isn't worth 500 K !! Old and Slow
- Hawkytalk

Would rather stand pat if that is the only move.

Gosh are you correct about the THIN BLUE LINE JJ.
This Hawk Defense is frightening at times. The only dman that has any legs tonight is Kempney. I'm still going to say that Keith and Hjalmarsson are TERRIBLE together. I can't imagine this coaching staff allowing these two to play together.
For all the mistakes they make, I would rather have Forsling get the experience and see the ice once in a while Mr Q !!!! He's not going to improve sitting in the press box of at Rockford, or wherever he is. Campbell BAD, TVR slow.
On the bright side, Hartmann is really shaping up into a nice player. Nice to see somebody go to the net with the puck for once.
- Hawkytalk

My biggest concern with the defense is the attention to detail, many things can be corrected, it's just they are forming some bad habits and worried it will be carried over into the playoffs

I've got Campbell with 4 turnovers in the dzone already

Another bad line change, 3 on 1

Missed the goal - was watching Stuart trying to have sex with Kruger.

Nick Schmaltz has been one of the best forwards since he has come back. Stealing pucks, getting chances, creating plays. This kid is gonna be a keeper.