Blues still worry me -- while their goaltending is certainly a question mark, they have Tarasenko, and it seems the Hawks just don't have anyone who can control him.
- Hank_Greenberg

Yeah, but the loss of Fabri is a huge blow. Not only that, they lost a lot of experience and tough heavy players. Guys that made it tough on the hawks entire playoff roster. Nashville...idk if I am "afraid" of them either. I think Rinne is the x factor there.

Evander Kane has cleaned up his act ....

He's a power Left Winger that can score and grind. Buff wasn't exactly a PR Dream either. Think we need some snarl this off season against the Blows
- Colbyboy

Talented player for sure. Just not sure if it will please McD's PR ego. Just saying, nothing personal.

One comparable is both are very good defenders in space. Like, very, very good. Another is both are highly competitive individuals who elevate their games in the playoffs.

One thing that's pretty remarkable is that Hjalmarsson plays on his off side—and claims he prefers to.

Either way, the Hawks love Hjalmarsson, as much as they do Keith—if not even slightly more so.
- John Jaeckel

Catching up here--- JJ excellent blog and insight-- highlighted the above line-- Hawks have been very fortunate to have 3 top defensemen for an extended run-- I think in the cap era this is an unparalleled triumvirate with Keith, Seabrook and Hjarmalsson-- kind of like the Canadiens dynasty runs with Savard, Robinson and Lapointe--

I also agree with Steve Rain about the leadership Seabrook brings-- under the public radar but very much in the fabric of the team--

Bowman knows very well how to play poker here-- and keep in mind Scotty watches the Lightning on a regular basis-- with close relationship with Yzerman-- Palat is the type of player I would imagine Scotty endorses-- Lets see if Tampa falls out of it the next few weeks-- will be fun for sure--

I am on the record as seeing Palat as more viable than Duchene due to perceived cost and cap space moving forward--

EDIT---- one more comment to the title of the blog-- while it appears that the Hawks may have turned the corner with improved play and effort-- I think it is too soon to tell what they exactly have-- as a fan observer-- But Q, SB etc surely know what they need-- so still more smoke and mirrors for the next bit-- but the Hawks seem to have improved their leverage with good performances by young players and the 5 game road winning streak--

Yeah, but the loss of Fabri is a huge blow. Not only that, they lost a lot of experience and tough heavy players. Guys that made it tough on the hawks entire playoff roster. Nashville...idk if I am "afraid" of them either. I think Rinne is the x factor there.
- nickmo2699

Exactly right. They have been up and down all year mostly due to goalie issues and inconsistent scoring. They are riding high right now with a new coach and coming off of a terrible stretch of games...and they have the same goalies. Our back end is deeper and if our rookie forwards continue to improve I believe we should at least be able to hold our own against them. They caught a tired team last year with no D depth and IMO horrible lineup choices. And how ever you call it, they seemed to get the bounces...or posts....

Blue Jackets have some good speed and play and up-tempo game. They would look a bit better with Duchene to add a bit more speed.

Blue Jackets have some good speed and play and up-tempo game. They would look a bit better with Duchene to add a bit more speed.
- 93Joe

They need to do better, Bobrovsky has been killing me in my hockey pool lately.

Blue Jackets have some good speed and play and up-tempo game. They would look a bit better with Duchene to add a bit more speed.
- 93Joe

Sharp and Oduya would be good rentals for a young team like the Blue Jackets.

Hayes and Vesey looked great tonight, what's their combined cap hit?

Sharp and Oduya would be good rentals for a young team like the Blue Jackets.

Hayes and Vesey looked great tonight, what's their combined cap hit?
- Dieselhead

Combined, IIRC, is around $3.8M. Good young players that's for sure and their futures' look bright in NY. I'll still take our guys however

They need to do better, Bobrovsky has been killing me in my hockey pool lately.
- DarthKane

They could use a top 3 defender and another first or second line player.

EDIT: sorry to hear about your hockey pool

Blues still worry me -- while their goaltending is certainly a question mark, they have Tarasenko, and it seems the Hawks just don't have anyone who can control him.
- Hank_Greenberg

Hey Hank, Nickmo...interesting thoughts...

I still think St. Louis has got a good amount of top end talent. Yeo since taking over has got them playing again. Not sure about the Preds. Should be interesting to see who we end up with in the first round.

Washington had 120 points last season. They got beat. They are great regular season performers. Have yet to prove it in the post season.
- JRoenick97

Yes, the Caps have never proven an ability to go deep into the spring. The big issue has been the wrong leadership. Their two highest paid, highest scoring, and longest tenured players wear the C and one of the As. Neither of these guys are ideally suited to the role and don't command the full respect of the room as leaders (teammates have full respect for their talent and what they mean to the team). The supporting cast has been changed. The coach has been changed. This is the last chance for that which has remained constant to show they can overcome adversity and make it happen in the playoffs.

Sharp and Oduya would be good rentals for a young team like the Blue Jackets.

Hayes and Vesey looked great tonight, what's their combined cap hit?
- Dieselhead

Vesey ($925K cap hit) - 13 goals; 8 assists; -8; 81 SOG and averaging a little less than 14 minutes of ice time a game (55 games)

Vesey had 6 goals and 3 assists (+5) in his first 10 games.

So since then - 7 goals; 5 assists; -13; 63 SOG in 45 games.

For 'Hawks comparison:
Hinostroza ($717K cap hit) - 6 goals; 8 assists; -1; 69 SOG and averaging 12 minutes of ice time a game (46 games)

Obviously they're both still kids and we don't know what kind of contributions they'll have down the road, but Vesey hasn't exactly been an impactful player for the Rangers this season.

No arguing how helpful Hayes would have been however.

Vesey ($925K cap hit) - 13 goals; 8 assists; -8; 81 SOG and averaging a little less than 14 minutes of ice time a game (55 games)

Vesey had 6 goals and 3 assists (+5) in his first 10 games.

So since then - 7 goals; 5 assists; -13; 63 SOG in 45 games.

For 'Hawks comparison:
Hinostroza ($717K cap hit) - 6 goals; 8 assists; -1; 69 SOG and averaging 12 minutes of ice time a game (46 games)

Obviously they're both still kids and we don't know what kind of contributions they'll have down the road, but Vesey hasn't exactly been an impactful player for the Rangers this season.

No arguing how helpful Hayes would have been however.
- TommyHawk

Vesey has skill but im not convinced hes a lock top six guy every year who averages 30 goals per. The competition he faced at Harvard may have potentially inflated his numbers. Plus Hobey Baker awards don't necessarily equate to NhL success. Instill think this kid was way overhyped. I said it last summer and I'll stick to it.

Evander Kane has cleaned up his act ....

He's a power Left Winger that can score and grind. Buff wasn't exactly a PR Dream either. Think we need some snarl this off season against the Blows
- Colbyboy

What, for like 3 weeks?

You MIGHT be correct. But caveat emptor. Seriously. I don't see that deal happening, haven't heard it, but never know because the talent is there.

What, for like 3 weeks?

You MIGHT be correct. But caveat emptor. Seriously. I don't see that deal happening, haven't heard it, but never know because the talent is there.
- John Jaeckel

Dont see E Kane coming in

Blue Jackets have some good speed and play and up-tempo game. They would look a bit better with Duchene to add a bit more speed.
- 93Joe

Duchene is a nice fit a lot of places. One possibility I'm surprised we haven't heard more about is St. Louis with Shattenkirk going back to COL.

What the Blue Jackets really need are another 1-2 quality d-men.

Feeling very optimistic(more so than usual) about the direction this team is headed as the playoffs approach, and here is why:

1) Toews and Keith are both showing signs of returning to form as of late. I think we're seeing the core hit their stride.

Panarin-Anisimov-Kane continues to be force.

2) Young forwards are all looking good. Schmaltz since his most recent call up has been very impressive playing with Toews and and Panik. But the one that really stands out is Hartman. He's already looking as good if not better than Shaw and for a fraction of the price.

3) More depth on the blue line 1-6 than they've had in the past few seasons. The "big 3" of Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson don't have to play as many minutes, and the unit as a whole is very mobile and excellent in transition.

4) Overall team speed is as good as its been since the 2012/13 season.

5) They have cap space, they have some pieces to move, and as we've seen the past few years they will not hesitate to pull the trigger on a TDL deal to further upgrade their forward depth. So essentially the roster as it is now has the potential to become even better when the playoffs roll around(as is the case with many contenders).
- SimpleJack

I'm about 90-95% with ya. I go back to what Rain City said a few pages back. They're not as good as they look when they get streaky, nor as bad as when they get sucky. Somehwere in the middle. Which is why point 5 is so important.

Anyway . . .

1) Looks that way, more so Toews than Keith, but Keith is showing some signs of coming around of late.

2) Yup, also of late. Will they or any of them regress somewhat at some point, make mistakes in the playoffs? Could be.

3) Depth, ehhhh, yeah. Campbell really looks like he's on fumes though. Plays smarter than he used to but man he has lost those wheels. And Campbell is really the key to the "improved depth." So yeah, it's better as long as he's playing better than TVR or Rozy. They're OK in transition. Keith, like I said and some others have pointed out, has not been the 'driver" of transition this year that he has been in the past. MAYBE that's coming back now. maybe. Kempny gets caught pinching a lot, but like Oduya, he has the wheels to get back most of the time.

4) Again, I . . . . dunno. Maybe? 14-15 team had a lot of speed. I mean if you're gonna look at a guy like Hinostroza or Panik and say "he's fast," then you can say the same about Kyle Cumiskey. I mean. it's not just foot speed, but mental speed, anticipation that somewhat comes out of experience. Also, you don't have Johnny Oduya playing 25-30 minutes a night on this team. Not to mention Brandon Saad playing big minutes. So I don't buy the speed argument. This team has slowed down somewhat if anything.

5) Yes, agreed 100%.

Duchene is a nice fit a lot of places. One possibility I'm surprised we haven't heard more about is St. Louis with Shattenkirk going back to COL.

What the Blue Jackets really need are another 1-2 quality d-men.
- John Jaeckel

Precisely. They could definitely use a guy like Jake Muzzin on their blueline to compliment Jones, Werenski, Savard, and Johnson.

Watch one period of Senators hockey and you'll scratch your head wondering how "4th Forward" Erik Karlsson ever won the Norris Trophy....
- EnzoD

Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum.

The other day the Hawks tweeted about the Hammer leading the team in BS and stated how he was second in league, well I went to check out who was ahead of him. Guess who was number three in the league? Yep. Erik Karlsson and ATT he was all of one block shot behind the Hammer.

Duchene is a nice fit a lot of places. One possibility I'm surprised we haven't heard more about is St. Louis with Shattenkirk going back to COL.

What the Blue Jackets really need are another 1-2 quality d-men.
- John Jaeckel

JJ, I called it before , hopefully I am wrong here, but does Saad have a NMC, If not, he winds up in St.Louie for Shattenkirk, would that be a kick in the nuts!
Trying to temper expectations on this years deadline, lots of Kool aid being consumed over the 5-1 trip.
I am with you ,I would love to see Matt Duchene here, I think so would the CAPTIAN.
But I some how think at the 2oclock witching hour on march 1st,SB is gonna blow the per verbal "Big Fart" , and wind up either with Iginla, Sharp, or Vanek, While the guys on the dream list may be dealt to other teams, turning out that what teams gave up for them ,SB could have beat. That is what I am Leary about . We will see!

1) Looks that way, more so Toews than Keith, but Keith is showing some signs of coming around of late.

-I've noticed Toews driving the net more and trying to skate through defenders instead of slowing down or trying to go around them on side boards. He's been a lot more aggressive.

Go Hawks!

i'd put money on Eaves/Oduya and then the depth moves to get ready for who we leave unprotected for the expansion draft.

i hope the vanek nonesense is just a smokescreen

i'd put money on Eaves/Oduya and then the depth moves to get ready for who we leave unprotected for the expansion draft.

i hope the vanek nonesense is just a smokescreen
- jt19

Agree on Eaves/Oduya. Both are UFA after season and Eaves only makes 1.0 million per year. Would not take much in return, cap wise, to make the deal happen. Maybe a cap player and a high draft pick gets this deal done.

i'd put money on Eaves/Oduya and then the depth moves to get ready for who we leave unprotected for the expansion draft.
- jt19

Plus Eaves brings a classy lumberjack beard!

13 points in his last 9 games
7 points in his last 5
getting his name in the scorecard more frequently lately.
- matt_ahrens

More importantly, he is helping the guys around him be better. That's what true leaders do. It is no coincidence that Panik and Schmaltz are doing better.