Based on what I have seen from Scotty Darling, Im ready to let CC go. CC played fantastic in the playoffs and still has legit trade value. Move him for a 3/4 D. I dont move Panik or Hartman. Both Panik and Hartman are solid big wingers who hit and can finish. Both also skate well. I have heard 7's name mentioned as a possible guy to move, but that contract in combo with what looks like a decline in 7's play will be a bastird to move.
- z1990z

Who fills Seabrooks minutes on the blue line? 3rd line winger or Top 4 D, I hope Stan knows the more vital piece...

Dumb question - what really happens if the hawks are over the cap at the start of the season? Does Bettman throw a hissy fit or are their real repercussions?

Dumb question - what really happens if the hawks are over the cap at the start of the season? Does Bettman throw a hissy fit or are their real repercussions?
- riozzo

Hawks go play in the KHL. I'd bet my entire life savings (not much thank you Ohio State University!) they'd win at least one game in the KHL playoffs with the same roster and level of play they showed against the stomach vile yellow (absolutely awful jersey) Predators!


Edit: Lol idk what happens man but they played like they need an International Ice Surface.

Legit question, can Datsyuk come back to the NHL this year or next? 40 yr old Datsyuk is probably still better than Anisimov...lol

I think this early exit gives SB the impetus to make significant an impacting changes. It obvious there really is no "core" any more. Just a handful of players that may have a few years of high level hockey left. That said we should rebuild as much as possible as quick as possible.

In an ideal world trading off Toews, Keith, Seabrook, Ansimov and Crawford for NHL ready draft picks and others may be one way to dump cap space quickly and get on the path to a fast rebuild.

Keeping the likes of Campbell, Oduya, Roszival out of Q's reach and giving him only high potential 'D' rookies to work with also forces the issue.

Then losing the AC that is responsible for the PO and PK is also a step in right direction. Also whomever is responsible for the perimeter play should go too. If that means Q then so be it, he should be let go.

Oh and whoever is enamoroured with drafting smurfs should be let go. I guess SB should fire SB.

No trolling here, just a story...

I'm a Preds fan, used to live north of Nashville. I was in the arena in Feb 2006, we shut out the Hawks that night 6-0. The Hawks were not that good back then. Neither were we, though we gaining our playoff infancy for a couple of years. Fast forward to 2010, we lost to the Hawks in the playoffs, Martin Erat's blind pass still galls to this day.

When that playoff series was over, I adopted the Hawks as the team I'd follow the rest of the way. I had done this the prior year too in 2009. The company I worked for then was headquartered in Oak Brook. I'd make frequent trips to the home office and on one visit, I dropped by the Oak Brook Mall and bought a Hawks jersey, home red, #10 Patrick Sharp. I collect jerseys and was happy to add this on to my collection.

Call me a a playoff fan, bandwagon jumper, I really don't care, but I had so much fun following the Hawks in the 2nd round, WCF and the Finals. A part of the story that is special to me was, my wife was sick with cancer, going through tough times and those contests, some late a night, were a great diversion for me as a care giver.

So the other night, as the Preds were finishing up game four, while being excited for Nashville, it did strike me with some sadness to see Toews, Kane, Hossa, Seabrook, etc. in the closing minutes. I recalled the excitement from 2010 and how much fun it was to be a hockey fan and see the Hawks roll on. There was a time, though temporary, the core of the Blackhawks were my team! It also reminded me of the great accomplishments the Hawks have captured in seven years. Something every true Hawk fan can always have, those Cups are yours forever!

I wanted to share this because lets face it, hockey is the greatest sport there is, we are all fans. Spirited, passionate, sometimes out of line and over the top, but we love our teams and enjoy their efforts. I hope the Preds stay consistent in the next round and push as far as they can go. There is nothing like playoff hockey! Congrats to the Blackhawks for all wins and Cups over the years.

Lastly, the NHL has not heard the last of the Blackhawks.
- jlhtn18

You said it, hockey is simply a diversion. Health is real life. I hope your wife and family are well. ....... And indeed, enjoy the diversion that hockey provides as your team moves forward.

I think this early exit gives SB the impetus to make significant an impacting changes. It obvious there really is no "core" any more. Just a handful of players that may have a few years of high level hockey left. That said we should rebuild as much as possible as quick as possible.

In an ideal world trading off Toews, Keith, Seabrook, Ansimov and Crawford for NHL ready draft picks and others may be one way to dump cap space quickly and get on the path to a fast rebuild.

Keeping the likes of Campbell, Oduya, Roszival out of Q's reach and giving him only high potential 'D' rookies to work with also forces the issue.

Then losing the AC that is responsible for the PO and PK is also a step in right direction. Also whomever is responsible for the perimeter play should go too. If that means Q then so be it, he should be let go.

Oh and whoever is enamoroured with drafting smurfs should be let go. I guess SB should fire SB.
- fvineze

Very interesting observation I had not thought of. Gotta think on that a bit. Is there a "core" as we've known it anymore?

[quote=Antz96]He is a great dman, and a likely HOF player when it's all said and done, but Duncan Keith has some of the worst offensive instincts of any hockey play I've seen. In the ozone he stops moving his feet when he gets the puck. All he can do is telegraph his slap to the nearest player. Whomever the lucky recipient of his pass has zero time to react because he has a forward baring down on him. He is where the offense dies.

Is there an NHLer with a weaker or less accurate shot? Opposing teams give him time and space because he is not a threat to shoot.

2 rushing the puck on the power play? Do you think he's making a drop pass to Kane? Yup, nobody saw that coming, especially the opposing team.


He is a great player. We don't win cups without him, but he should be stapled to the bench for the


JJ - Thank you for another great subject post and for all of your great work. You provide wonderful Hawk insight and entertainment. And thank you for also confirmimg what I posted during the Nashville series that Duncan Keith should not be the first option that drives the Hawk power play. He is not a great offensive D-Man.

Antz' post regarding Keith is almost identical to what I posted after another scintillating Hawks powerless play performance during the series and I was lambasted by JR and others who still don't know what sport they are watching sometimes. Yes Keith is a great defenseman, but please get him off any future Hawk powerplays. Other than he use to be able to skate, he cant shoot straight, he fumbles too too many passes back to him, and he is not deceptive with the puck. He would be much better off shooting wrist shots toward the goal where they are accurate and can be tipped.

Good luck Stan, you are going to need it !

Nice piece JJ

Yesterdays press conference was as phony as it gets. McDonut paraded Stan out there with talking points he wrote not Stan..."Joel and I are going to work together to not let this happen again." Of course Q is going to be the coach next year...he is owed $18M on his extension and as much as McDonut would consider getting rid of him I am sure at some point Rocky puts his foot down.

Big bold moves are needed. Doubt Panik is back as someone is going to pay him $2.5-$3M. They need to move at least two big contracts just to have enough room to fill the 23 man roster. Bonuses are going to kill them again this year with over $3M contributing to the 17/18 cap. It feels like they are going to have to move 3 guys making over $4M/year in order to retool the team.

Who fills Seabrooks minutes on the blue line? 3rd line winger or Top 4 D, I hope Stan knows the more vital piece...
- EnzoD

Im not saying we need/have to trade 7. Just playing on the fringe of the "changes are coming" mantra from Stan. Im not overly sold that our D was that slow. Watching the Blues D? I dont see track stars out there. The biggest difference is the Blues D hammers forwards in their end when it comes to puck battles. We dont.

That heavy play disrupts other teams. We allowed the Preds to skip, dance and sing all over our end with zero resistance from our D. This stick check crap has to stop. Dont know what the answer is this summer. Its part Q, part roster problem. In terms of players with trade value? CC, DK, 72, 15. Look at who's left in the playoffs.. Look at the Sens. A solid D team. Good netminder and a HEAVY playing style. The league has drifted that way.

Can Q change up and say its time to bring some wood into our game? We have guys that can do it. Need that guy in the Binnie's commercial to tell them go get it.

John Jaeckel: Bowman sets right tone. Now what?
- John Jaeckel

Great read JJ.

Remember when Bill Torrey said his biggest regret managing the Islander dynasty was not moving out some of his great players soon enough (or words to that effect)?

Stand pat at your own peril Hawks organization. Worshipping sacred cows for too long leads to long term decline. The refusal or inability to compete in this series and subsequent loss should make the diagnosis an identified disease not just a few annoying symptoms that can be treated painlessly with a couple of aspirins.

This 23 man roster is not good enough, fast enough, big enough or tough enough. Gonna take some time but it can be fixed. Fail to address it and you will likely become another version of the current Vancouver Canucks.

Very interesting article and comments. I don't expect the Hawks to teardown this team as much as many fans are asking. Chicago has its challenges like most teams in the NHL. It was a disappointing end to your season but the Hawks were one of the best teams in the regular season so no need to blow it up. Enjoy your Summer.

Speaking of the Hawk's power play, I think a successful power play should be quarterbacked from behind the net. Gretzky made a living back there. If you had Kane or Panarin behind the goalie, could you imagine the havoc they could cause ?
All the opposing defenders have to turn their heads to watch where the puck is/was
( including the goalie ) giving the other four offensive players options to cut to the net for a quick feed or rebound. If the defense blankets the four offensive players in front of the net , the man with the puck is free to wrap around or skate it to the crease. You wouldn't have Duncan Keith "blasting" the puck off of a defenders shin guards or 12 feet wide of the net off he glass. If a D-Man challenged the puck behind the net, Kane could swing the puck to the player going uncovered by the challenging
D-Man for an open pass to other players breaking in. The defense would have to constantly be rotating to cover an open man instead of sitting in the box.

John fantastic read as always...

Its good to see that Virginia McCaskey and now McD are both p-ssed...lol...

So Stan came out yesterday and looked like the kid that had been called to the principals office (McD) and then promised to make it all better. That remains to be seen...he's going to have to make some serious moves this summer. Based on his track record the last three offseasons and TDLs can you actually trust this guy to fix it? I don't.

As you mentioned,

"The other fallacy that the fan base should probably stop clinging to is that you can get equal or greater value back for any of the great Hawk players or prospects in a trade—an idea held most dear by those who also think Bowman is an Infallible Genius."

The Bowman fan boys think the Hawks will easily get more for the aging vets with the big contracts...its not going to happen. Every other team knows what position the Hawks are in and is going to make them add sweeteners in every deal. Provided you can actually get a guy to waive (see Crawford, Corey to Calgary).

On the coaching end...this team had no pushback whatsoever in that series and that's extremely alarming. There was nothing there. Has Q lost the room? Is there an underlying problem?

As far as assistants - could this be similar to when Mike Haviland was let go a few seasons back? Will Q bring someone in that can actually run a powerplay...we all remember how mgt. tried to force Barry Smith on him. It's just inconceivable that with all that talent they can't score with the man advantage. As you mention you've got have a PP QB.

Can Q show more patience with the kids especially on the backend because that's where the fix needs to start. Kempny should have been playing a lot more this year and a lot sooner than game 4 in this series.

Talking about it and actually doing something are two totally different things. The draft should be very interesting with McD looking for headlines and press.
- DK002

And this is where a good, shrewed, aggressive, smart GM would be able to create a market for whoever (whomever?) he is trying to move.

Get 2/3/4 teams competing for an asset and they won't be concerned about the Hawks' "weak" situation, but about their own teams - and the return will be much better than what Bowman has recently seen.

Get them early - at the drafts, before free agency sets too many rosters and the competition is limited. The longer into summer Stan goes before moving, the less potential trading partners remain.

Great read JJ.

Remember when Bill Torrey said his biggest regret managing the Islander dynasty was not moving out some of his great players soon enough (or words to that effect)?

Stand pat at your own peril Hawks organization. Worshipping sacred cows for too long leads to long term decline. The refusal or inability to compete in this series and subsequent loss should make the diagnosis an identified disease not just a few annoying symptoms that can be treated painlessly with a couple of aspirins.

This 23 man roster is not good enough, fast enough, big enough or tough enough. Gonna take some time but it can be fixed. Fail to address it and you will likely become another version of the current Vancouver Canucks.
- RickJ

IMHO this is why the New England Patriots (btw, I despise them) are the greatest sports franchise in the last 15 years. They have the ability to know when one of their better players is in decline or will seek too much contract and the stones to move on from them. There are no sacred cows in Foxboro and don't kid yourself into thinking that if they could get multiple first round picks for Brady they wouldn't do it.

IMHO this is why the New England Patriots (btw, I despise them) are the greatest sports franchise in the last 15 years. They have the ability to know when one of their better players is in decline or will seek too much contract and the stones to move on from them. There are no sacred cows in Foxboro and don't kid yourself into thinking that if they could get multiple first round picks for Brady they wouldn't do it.
- DMCsPulledHammy

Maybe that press conference Stan gave yesterday was meant to say that? I would tell these players that yes you have brought Cups to Chitown, but we are paying you redonkulous cash. Produce or be gone. Its a show me business in pro sports. For players, coaches and the GM.

I am not privy to the internal stuff and how injured key players were, but from my armchair it seems like they need a new coach. If the front office wants to change the culture, that is probably the best way to do it. Q is a HOF coach, but the way the team looked this series, it was like seeing a bad marriage before somebody finally files.

As for overhyping rookies and prospects, same thing happened with MCD when he was with the Cubs. Corey Patterson was going to be the ultimate 5 tool center fielder if the hype was to be believed.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Ilya Kovalchuk wants to return to the NHL.
Kovalchuk left the New Jersey Devils at the end of the 2012-13 season to play in his native Russia by 'retiring' from the NHL. The sniper is only 34 years of age and had 417 goals and 816 points in 816 games before bolting to the KHL. He may or may not return to New Jersey and if not, a team will have to pay the Devils a pretty penny. "The New Jersey Devils own his rights, he could sign and play for them no problem," said Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada. "If he wants to play for somebody else, technically all the other NHL teams would have to approve it. But here's the way that this I think is going to work: if he doesn't want to play for New Jersey or if New Jersey doesn't want him playing for them, and neither the agent nor the team is commenting on this, I think whoever gets him is going to work out either a sign and trade with New Jersey or they’re going to trade for his rights."

Pretty sure he played on the same line as Panarin in Arty's last KHL season and they were a lethal duo. How much for his rights NJ?!

IMHO this is why the New England Patriots (btw, I despise them) are the greatest sports franchise in the last 15 years. They have the ability to know when one of their better players is in decline or will seek too much contract and the stones to move on from them. There are no sacred cows in Foxboro and don't kid yourself into thinking that if they could get multiple first round picks for Brady they wouldn't do it.
- DMCsPulledHammy

Agreed, the Pats are the model of winning isn't everything, its the only thing.

And they are led by a cruel, heartless SOB who will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport.

Stanbo making a commitment to everybody being better including himself means nothing, they are just words. His old man was a lot closer to Belichek than he will ever be. Show me Stan!

Opinions on what they mean by this?

"The 'country club' atmosphere needs to go, which is a good thing."

Does that mean more and harder practices? No more chummy relationship between the FO and the players? Clique-y behavior within the team? Fewer perks for the team, like the team-provided breakfasts that wowed Panik? Fewer forced fun team PR events?

Could be read a lot of different ways. Depending on how that change manifests itself, could be damaging to team morale (which seems to be a problem anyway) and/or deterrent for FAs deciding where they want to go.

Agreed, the Pats are the model of winning isn't everything, its the only thing.

And they are led by a cruel, heartless SOB who will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport.

Stanbo making a commitment to everybody being better including himself means nothing, they are just words. His old man was a lot closer to Belichek than he will ever be. Show me Stan!
- RickJ

Has a point. Every other contender has elevated their game to beat Chicago's game plan. Teams like Nashville and EDM ran circles around what used to be the fastest team in the league. Other teams made adjustments and now Q needs to make his own adjustments.

Special teams should be top tier not middle of the pack. FO% is important more for possession teams like this one than others or else you're always on the other end of pond. And I for one, agree with the "country club atmosphere has to go" mantra. Stop thinking/acting you're the best team on the planet and start playing like you're the best team on the planet.

Post from previous blog thread: did any of the self professed with brilliant hind sight gms on this blog see

1. panik (formerly Jeremy Morin) and hartman combining for 40 goals and 80 pts? I sure as hell didn't.

2. Hossa with a bounce back year with 26 goals? I sure as hell didn't

3. this team going 24-4-2 from feb-mar (usually a mediocre stretch for them)? I sure as hell didn't

so now stanbow has raised the bar of saying changes are coming and they will never let a pred type series wipe out a happen (how can he control that)...and already we have post after post of rabid speculation of trade scenarios...

but with an aging core in their thirties (keith, seab, hossa, craw) with untradeable contracts other than craw's and the rest of the core approaching 30 all with 120 plus hard tough playoff games behind them..

how does stanbow make any changes that are a net positive right away...i don't see it

he is not going to get a keith or seab like dmen in their twenties, hossa may play one more year and then they have to deal with recapture penalty, craw might be replaceable if they keep darling, but does he bring back in a trade...cap relief...maybe a pick and prospect..

my worthless and ignorant opinion says this:

>>need to see panik and hartman have repeat years and become playoff contributors
>>need to see a couple young dmen emerge next year
>>toews must somehow find a way to return to the toews of 3-4 years ago
>>AK72 need to perform again but playoff performance must get turned up a level or 2
>>some of these young guys like hino, smaltz and hayden need to become next years panik and hartman and produce...
>>keith rekindles the firebut he has been asked to do way to much; he will never return to the Con Smythe keith
>>hopefully seab does not lose another step: he got beat alot this year

playoff powerplay is overrated...hell the bruins won a cup going 6 for 60 in 2011

so fire asst coaches...fire the video coach...fire the guy who tapes sticks...big deal

i see no trade of a core with those contracts thats going to be a net positive next year...they have shed salary just field a roster next year..

I loved Hartman his year. Agitator, finishing ability both physically and putting the puck past the goalie. Fantastic season and blew away my expectations...BUT, Stan needs to fill the 4D position and you don't get a quality Playoff ready (or close) Top 4 dman for Pokka and Motte....sell high maybe on either one of Panik, Schmaltz, or Hartman!
- EnzoD

The Hawks need cost controlled depth forwards, that's exactly what Hartman and Schmaltz are. Plus, what would you expect in return for those guy? Shaw landed 2 second round picks, those guys will return considerably less.

Schmaltz disappointed in the playoffs, but he's worth keeping around and have him continue his development. I read that Hartman was sporting a cast after the playoffs, that explains why his performance dropped off. I picture Hartman as a consistent 15-20 goal scorer, let's keep him.

Panik could be the odd man out based on his contract situation. He could be dealt to get help on defense. I don't think Panik (or any of the other guys you mentioned) will bring back a top 4 defenseman, but Stan might be able to get a 3rd pairing guy with potential.

Opinions on what they mean by this?

"The 'country club' atmosphere needs to go, which is a good thing."

Does that mean more and harder practices? No more chummy relationship between the FO and the players? Clique-y behavior within the team? Fewer perks for the team, like the team-provided breakfasts that wowed Panik? Fewer forced fun team PR events?

Could be read a lot of different ways. Depending on how that change manifests itself, could be damaging to team morale (which seems to be a problem anyway) and/or deterrent for FAs deciding where they want to go.
- pdx2ord

i am with you have no idea of the specifics on this...to me this is just reactionary rhetoric...they got 109 points and #1 seed with this so called country club culture...

The Hawks need cost controlled depth forwards, that's exactly what Hartman and Schmaltz are. Plus, what would you expect in return for those guy? Shaw landed 2 second round picks, those guys will return considerably less.

Schmaltz disappointed in the playoffs, but he's worth keeping around and have him continue his development. I read that Hartman was sporting a cast after the playoffs, that explains why his performance dropped off. I picture Hartman as a consistent 15-20 goal scorer, let's keep him.

Panik could be the odd man out based on his contract situation. He could be dealt to get help on defense. I don't think Panik (or any of the other guys you mentioned) will bring back a top 4 defenseman, but Stan might be able to get a 3rd pairing guy with potential.
- DarthKane

yes..i think you risk it and sell high on panik..move him and let someone else give him a 3 year 8-9 mildo contract for his 40 point season...i just don't trust him, he produced in a contract year...now what...

Yea. O. K. I get your point. You're not happy. I don't think any fan of this team is. The only thing I think Stan is guilty of is overpaying these guys for winning 3 cups after the fact. Perhaps everyones expectations are too high. The deck, (cap ) is stacked against them. I like our shoes. We won 3 cups. The sharks are out. The wilds are out. The Canadiens are out. How many cups do they have this decade? I'm glad I'm not in their shoes.

It took Laviolette 7 years to figure out how to beat us. We all knew how. Boring hockey. Hockey that I thought the league was phasing out but, the way they have directed the refs to call the playoffs, apparently not.

The only problem I have, as I'm sure all Chicago fans do, is lack of effort. I can handle getting beat. (Props to Nashville, they locked us down and made the most of their opportunities ) but I can't live with a 4 game effort like I witnessed. Perhaps some of these guys should retire if they're that disinterested.
- hocktock

Boring is in the eye of the beholder


Everyone of those games was exciting, most were close, and just a lot of sour grapes from most of you. Not just beat, let's call it a thrashing. No soup for you. No goals on your home ice for an entire series for you, no Chelsea Dagger.

Final stats in the Series Johansen vs Toews-most of it head to head

Ryan- 1goal, 5 assists Plus 7!
Toews- 1 goal 1 assist -Minus 5!

Johansen is 5 years younger, on the right side of 27, on a much better contract, has lead his team to the second round for the second year in a row

Toews- has probably the worst contract in the NHL. 2 first round exits in a row. 1 goal in last 11 playoff games, both first round losses.

So in the past Toews was a great player. Heck look at his Individual awards ( all really team awards voted on by the Press). Hell the press gave him a top 100 all time voting but don't get me started. We live in the present and in the present Johansen has passed him and is likely to be a better player in the future as Johansen is younger and still improving.

So- Howdy Doody as passed Toews - hard to believe but watch the games.