You make a Duchene for Panarin trade fast - and don't look back if you're the Hawks.

Then you move Anisimov and try to address a winger in hat deal.
- Chief4Feathers

Just asking, Move Anisimov because of the money, or if you had Duchene, move Anisimov to wing (where he is a better fit)?

You make a Duchene for Panarin trade fast - and don't look back if you're the Hawks.

Then you move Anisimov and try to address a winger in hat deal.
- Chief4Feathers

I'm so down for this. But doubt it happens.

I'd look hard at it.
- John Jaeckel

Not sure that really fits what Colorado needs right now, does it?

Gotta think they're looking for young D too.

Not sure that really fits what Colorado needs right now, does it?

Gotta think they're looking for young D too.
- BINGO!

They are. We'll throw in Villa Pokka, completing the Nick Leddy package removal.

Not sure that really fits what Colorado needs right now, does it?

Gotta think they're looking for young D too.
- BINGO!

Maybe you guys can talk to Colorado...you get Duchene or Landeskop by offering Hanifin +....

So they'll never age? Awesome. Glad the Hawks found the fountain of youth. This is illogical and simply defies historical anecdotes. This team IS aging, the top guys are older, slower, beaten up. And the roleplayers are not as good, they are a collection of kids and retreads, NOT players like Brouwer, Shaw, Bolland, Frolik, etc...guys who could actually play.

You can still win with 81, 2, 7, 19, etc....but you damn well better have more production elsewhere in the lineup. Where was that I read the Hawks were bottom 5 on players with more than 10 goals?

Goaltending masked a ton of this teams problems this year, but they "won the west"...maybe Bowman can start his press conference with that and roll out a team next year that is aging, can't engage physically, plays outside the circles, can't win faceoffs, etc....
- kwolf68

Of course they age, but you don't fall off that quickly when many of the core are still not that old. It wasn't just the elder guys on the team who needed to step it up here.

You can make the excuses and put the blame where you want, but to me, the players on the ice lost the game and under delivered nearly top to bottom. Old,young and in between. Much of this roster pushed a good St Louis team to the limit last year and this year couldn't score more than 3 goals in 4 games. That is not age. If they were that far "declined" then it would be time to blow it all up.

Not sure that really fits what Colorado needs right now, does it?

Gotta think they're looking for young D too.
- BINGO!

No, I think Sakic is not going to go for that deal - unless the Hawks threw in a guy like Forsling - but then the Hawks would need something more in return.

Just asking, Move Anisimov because of the money, or if you had Duchene, move Anisimov to wing (where he is a better fit)?
- powerenforcer

I'd trade Anisimov - and look to get a LW in return.

JJ, thanks again for a great season and facilitating more insight into the Hawks franchise and league. I am mostly a "lurker" but this site is now a staple of my daily news feed.

I don't want to come across as a smart buttocks, but wasn't the hiring of the Bowmans a few years back the "outside perspective" that you are suggesting at this point in time? I think this solution contradicts a problem that you allude to often here, that there are waaaay too many cooks in the kitchen on west Madison. What will another voice do for this process other than create more turbulence? Unless the team sheds some of the "voices".

Re: the roster, I thought Anisimov was an overpay. I would group Panarin in with the "Halo Hawks", guys that are great on the perimeter but don't have a place on a Cup winner unless there is equal parts nasty playing along side them.

Kane, Keith, Hammer and Kruger were the most consistent this series. I think everything should be up for grabs. As bad as the sum of the parts is, there is some "beauty in the eye of the beholder" with the roster that could fetch youth or picks (Crawford, Seabrook, Toews, Hammer, Panarin, etc.).

Of course they age, but you don't fall off that quickly when many of the core are still not that old. It wasn't just the elder guys on the team who needed to step it up here.

You can make the excuses and put the blame where you want, but to me, the players on the ice lost the game and under delivered nearly top to bottom. Old,young and in between. Much of this roster pushed a good St Louis team to the limit last year and this year couldn't score more than 3 goals in 4 games. That is not age. If they were that far "declined" then it would be time to blow it all up.
- breadbag

Sometimes teams DO just fall off the edge. As I said...the core IS AGING...that's a fact. But the real PROBLEM isn't their age, it's THEIR COST. Because of their salary the Hawks are not capable of putting quality around them:

-So you have retreads playing 4th line.
-Grizzled, injured vets playing third pair.
-You cant win faceoffs
-Once superstars seemingly incapble of impacting game (Toews, Keith)
-You can't find consistent top line wingers leaving Hawks with 1 scoring line
-Other team can focus on top line

If you believe this team is poised for another 3 or 4 years of runs to the Cup have at it, but barring some shrewd moves, this team is finished as a Cup contender AS IT SITS RIGHT NOW. As I said they CAN WIN more Cups with 19, 2, 7, 81 etc...but they have to find a way to adjust their salary model so they CAN add needed pieces to compliment the top guys. And that MEANS making hard choices.

I hope they don't participate.

Canada is awaiting word on Toews, Keith and Crawford. Would certainly add a great deal to World Championship roster. #TSNHockey

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 21, 2017

I hope they don't participate.

Canada is awaiting word on Toews, Keith and Crawford. Would certainly add a great deal to World Championship roster. #TSNHockey

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 21, 2017

- DarthKane

Me too

Me too
- VopatsRash

As a Canadian I like to try to win

Sometimes teams DO just fall off the edge. As I said...the core IS AGING...that's a fact. But the real PROBLEM isn't their age, it's THEIR COST. Because of their salary the Hawks are not capable of putting quality around them:

-So you have retreads playing 4th line.
-Grizzled, injured vets playing third pair.
-You cant win faceoffs
-Once superstars seemingly incapble of impacting game (Toews, Keith)
-You can't find consistent top line wingers leaving Hawks with 1 scoring line
-Other team can focus on top line

If you believe this team is poised for another 3 or 4 years of runs to the Cup have at it, but barring some shrewd moves, this team is finished as a Cup contender AS IT SITS RIGHT NOW. As I said they CAN WIN more Cups with 19, 2, 7, 81 etc...but they have to find a way to adjust their salary model so they CAN add needed pieces to compliment the top guys. And that MEANS making hard choices.
- kwolf68

Well the salary for 19,7,2,81 ain't changing so you better go back to the drawing board with something realistic.

I just don't think you can pin a first round sweep of the #1 seed on the roster/depth/age. The top guys rested down the stretch. Mostly healthy team. They didn't win the west without the capability to win and score. I don't think you win many series with the effort they put forward, no matter who the supporting cast it. The put up a much better effort last year vs St Louis with similar supporting cast and arguable less scoring depth, but they at least made a series of it.

As a Canadian I like to try to win
- VopatsRash

I hear you, but this tournament is not the priority. If these guys are truly burnt out or injured they need to rest. Their decision could be very telling.

Not a trick question. How hard is it to get a player to waive their no trade clause? I've heard things like "player submits a list of teams they'd be willing to be traded to" and stuff like that. But does management literally say, "hey we don't think you're a fit here anymore, would you be willing to lift your NMC?"

I'm thinking primarily of Anisimov and Crow. I would also not be against trading Panarin and the return you could get for him considering he has two years left on a $6M per deal would be significant. A package with a good young defenseman in it certainly wouldn't hurt.

And in the end the Hawks are still lost when trying to establish that second line center role. Drives me nuts.

As a Canadian I like to try to win
- VopatsRash

ZING!

So they'll never age? Awesome. Glad the Hawks found the fountain of youth. This is illogical and simply defies historical anecdotes. This team IS aging, the top guys are older, slower, beaten up. And the roleplayers are not as good, they are a collection of kids and retreads, NOT players like Brouwer, Shaw, Bolland, Frolik, etc...guys who could actually play.

You can still win with 81, 2, 7, 19, etc....but you damn well better have more production elsewhere in the lineup. Where was that I read the Hawks were bottom 5 on players with more than 10 goals?

Goaltending masked a ton of this teams problems this year, but they "won the west"...maybe Bowman can start his press conference with that and roll out a team next year that is aging, can't engage physically, plays outside the circles, can't win faceoffs, etc....
- kwolf68

This is a joke. Every year its how they're old, beaten up, and slow and the number of games played is catching up. Nonsense. Other than 81, 2 and 7 the core is still under 30. And 81 and 2 are NOT the problem in the least.

No theory of anyone's has been able to come close to explaining the canyon sized discrepancy in play in these four games - none of us - not JJ, not anyone saw this coming. So you do not throw out ten years of history for a 4 game sample size.

Something is going on here between the ears of every player and staff. Everything else is deck chairs on the titanic.

I hope they don't participate.

Canada is awaiting word on Toews, Keith and Crawford. Would certainly add a great deal to World Championship roster. #TSNHockey

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 21, 2017

- DarthKane

No kidding. Wasn't it during the World Cup that Toews allegedly injured his back?

This is a joke. Every year its how they're old, beaten up, and slow and the number of games played is catching up. Nonsense. Other than 81, 2 and 7 the core is still under 30. And 81 and 2 are NOT the problem in the least.

No theory of anyone's has been able to come close to explaining the canyon sized discrepancy in play in these four games - none of us - not JJ, not anyone saw this coming. So you do not throw out ten years of history for a 4 game sample size.

Something is going on here between the ears of every player and staff. Everything else is deck chairs on the titanic.
- busmaster

Nice

Sometimes teams DO just fall off the edge. As I said...the core IS AGING...that's a fact. But the real PROBLEM isn't their age, it's THEIR COST. Because of their salary the Hawks are not capable of putting quality around them:

-So you have retreads playing 4th line.
-Grizzled, injured vets playing third pair.
-You cant win faceoffs
-Once superstars seemingly incapble of impacting game (Toews, Keith)
-You can't find consistent top line wingers leaving Hawks with 1 scoring line
-Other team can focus on top line

If you believe this team is poised for another 3 or 4 years of runs to the Cup have at it, but barring some shrewd moves, this team is finished as a Cup contender AS IT SITS RIGHT NOW. As I said they CAN WIN more Cups with 19, 2, 7, 81 etc...but they have to find a way to adjust their salary model so they CAN add needed pieces to compliment the top guys. And that MEANS making hard choices.
- kwolf68

You would think SB had a plan for this?
I am still going with this: he has a Plan A, the salary cap rises and there is no issues. Everything will work out and the deals will be like steals in a few years. This guy doesn't learn and likes the cap hell. if that is the case, he better find better scouts and work on getting super coaches in the minors.

Johansen>Toews. At half the cost.
- VopatsRash

Lets not start talking dumb now. He got the better of him this series. Nothing more nothing less.

I would trade Crawford because you can get something for him .You don't lose to much with Darling being the # 1. Expose Seabrook to expansion draft or trade with adding a Smaltz to the deal . .You clear up 12.875 million 5.2 to Panarin .Deal Kruger 3+ million freed up . Hope to get Darling for 3 million .That leaves you 7+ million to get some younger D men . We are lacking spend and size on the Back end . I offense we need improvement on face offs . My thoughts?

It's pretty simple why we lost this series. It wasn't age, lack of effort, a stubborn coach or a hungry opponent. IT WAS THE REFS!!!! If they just didn't miss that DOG penalty in game 1 we would have had a 5 on 3 allowing us to work on our perimeter passing skills. Even though we wouldn't have scored it would have paid dividends in future games resulting in crisper passing, etc.

As a fan of hockey, I can appreciate a great team and that's the Hawks. They deserve a mulligan from fans/media etc for the last 10 years. Keeps yo heads up!

Root for Rangers now lol
- Slimtj100

You got it go Rangers!!!!