Well we will see if they can get to the dance. I don't think they get past either Edmonton or Anaheim. I prefer Ottawa or Edmonton to win the cup
- BGKarras

Nashville is coming out of the West - best D-corps by far of the 3 remaining teams.

Your honor, Exhibit A. A typical Hock fan that comes to Bridgestone. I know you are upset you get Swept but whatever happens Nashville beat Chicago and St. Louis. Life is sweet

Nashville >>Chicago
Johansen> Toews

Go put your new Cubbies gear on and try forget about hockey awhile
- VopatsRash

HEY VOP YOUR SISTER/WIFE WANTS YOU BACK INTHE TRAILER

After the Hawks overtook the Wild for first place a couple of weeks before the season ended the grades would have been much different. The consensus was that this was the deepest defense the Hawks had ever had and the goaltending was good enough to go far. Bowman was heralded for picking up Oduya at a bargain price. Q was complimented for winning the Western Conference regular season title while playing a bunch of rookies. Everyone was feeling this team had a good chance to get to the Cup finals.

They came up short. Choose your reason:
1) Nashville is a damn good team that was playing their best hockey of the year.
2) The Hawks were over confident and did not play with a sense of urgency.
3) The Hawks traditionally start slow and get better throughout the playoffs, but this time they could not get anything going.
4) The Hawks suddenly got old, slow and stupid
5) Etc, etc, etc

Q did not forget how to coach hockey. Bowman and the scouting staff know how to appraise talent. Hindsight is 20/20 and armchair general managing is a breeze. It is easy to criticize.

It is not easy to win in the NHL playoffs. You can look back at the cup winning seasons and see pivotal moments where the Hawks could have been knocked out. Fortunately for the Hawks (with effort, skill, talent, a strong will, and a little luck) those pivotal moments went in our favor. The last two years they did not.

Bowman and Q will remain calm while all around them (posters) are panicking.

There will be a few significant changes this off season. With the salary cap it will be hard to win another cup. But with Q and Bowman the Hawks have two of the best in the business. Almost every other team, if not every other team would not mind having them running their team.

After the Hawks overtook the Wild for first place a couple of weeks before the season ended the grades would have been much different. The consensus was that this was the deepest defense the Hawks had ever had and the goaltending was good enough to go far. Bowman was heralded for picking up Oduya at a bargain price. Q was complimented for winning the Western Conference regular season title while playing a bunch of rookies. Everyone was feeling this team had a good chance to get to the Cup finals.

They came up short. Choose your reason:
1) Nashville is a damn good team that was playing their best hockey of the year.
2) The Hawks were over confident and did not play with a sense of urgency.
3) The Hawks traditionally start slow and get better throughout the playoffs, but this time they could not get anything going.
4) The Hawks suddenly got old, slow and stupid
5) Etc, etc, etc

Q did not forget how to coach hockey. Bowman and the scouting staff know how to appraise talent. Hindsight is 20/20 and armchair general managing is a breeze. It is easy to criticize.

It is not easy to win in the NHL playoffs. You can look back at the cup winning seasons and see pivotal moments where the Hawks could have been knocked out. Fortunately for the Hawks (with effort, skill, talent, a strong will, and a little luck) those pivotal moments went in our favor. The last two years they did not.

Bowman and Q will remain calm while all around them (posters) are panicking.

There will be a few significant changes this off season. With the salary cap it will be hard to win another cup. But with Q and Bowman the Hawks have two of the best in the business. Almost every other team, if not every other team would not mind having them running their team.
- -Doh-

Hold on there with regard to Stan...unlikely he would get another GM job right away if he was shown the door by McDonut.

He might not have elite speed, but its not like he is slow either. What makes this kid effective if his play recognition. Was Dave Andreychuk or Andrew Brunette fast? No, but they put the points on the board. Yes they were bigger than Alex, but they never had a release like Debrincat either. This kid doesn't shy away from getting his nose dirty (unlike the great TT). Watching him away from the puck is awesome, the kid sees what's going to happen long before it does. If you have a guy like Kaner feeding him passes, the puck will find that net a lot more then not. He plays left wing (his off wing) and is vey lethal when he is between the top of the circle and the net. This kid will make this team out of camp and if they trade Panarin he will fit in very nicely on Kane's line. Book it!!!!
- scott.jackson

Gretzky 185 lbs. Yzerman 185 lbs. Mikita 170, Lafleur 185lbs, Denis Savard 175lbs, Nichols 185 lbs, Bossy 185. I am not saying Debrincat will be a Hall of Famer, but when he fills out he should be about 185, and there have been some pretty special players at 185.

Hold on there with regard to Stan...unlikely he would get another GM job right away if he was shown the door by McDonut.
- ElkgroveMcD

I am sure you believe that. Take a look at this list and tell me that none of these teams would much rather have Bowman over their current GM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/...rent_NHL_general_managers

Nashville is coming out of the West - best D-corps by far of the 3 remaining teams.
- RollingPuck

I don't think so. Anaheim and Edmonton are both big, fast, and skilled. It will definitely be a entertaining series. I just don't want those Preds to win that way that moron Rash from Trashville can't run his mouth. Karma those losers will never win the Stanley Cup. Rinne will get exposed like the sieve he is. Phuck Nashville

What's a reasonable resigning contract for Panik?
- walleyeb1

3 years, $6 - $7.5 total. Plus all the free breakfasts he can eat.

I don't think so. Anaheim and Edmonton are both big, fast, and skilled. It will definitely be a entertaining series. I just don't want those Preds to win that way that moron Rash from Trashville can't run his mouth. Karma those losers will never win the Stanley Cup. Rinne will get exposed like the sieve he is. Phuck Nashville
- BGKarras

This.

Rinne is nothing more than an average net-minder in the NHL. He has been perpetually overrated for years now. His deficiencies were masked by Trotz's defense-first systems for years, and this season he has had the fortune of playing in front of one of the best defensive groups in the NHL.

I'm hoping that Alex gets to hoist the cup for the first time in his career, though I wouldn't mind Ottawa or Edmonton winning either.

3 years, $6 - $7.5 total. Plus all the free breakfasts he can eat.
- DarthKane

I hope you're right, but I think he's targeting 3 years; $9 mil. I may be in the minority, but I still think there's room for growth in his game.

Schmaltz took a big hit, knocked out of the game vs Sweden

Schmaltz took a big hit, knocked out of the game vs Sweden
- Stan_Bowman

https://twitter.com/cmore...status/861652410359463937

How long does Hossa hang around playing for $1 mil a year?

I hope you're right, but I think he's targeting 3 years; $9 mil. I may be in the minority, but I still think there's room for growth in his game.
- TommyHawk

Panik has had one decent season and no playoff success. He won't be in much of a position to ask for too much. A 3 year deal would take Panik to age 29 and he still has a shot at another big money deal. Maybe he'll take another cheap one year deal around $1.5 million. Although if I were him I'd cash in as best I could right now.

I'd like to see Panik stick around, he's a very useful forward. Let's hope both sides can come to a reasonable agreement.

https://twitter.com/cmoresport/status/861652410359463937
- Stan_Bowman

That's a late (frank)ing hit. Concussion??

The downside of living in California and working all day is that I'm late to commenting on these great post-season blogs by JJ. Another good one!

I'm not sure this is true or not but it always seemed like this was a "nice to have" kind of year and not a "go win a cup" kind of year and that played out from the top of the organization to the bottom - including the front office, the coaching staff, and each player on this roster. The decision was made, perhaps by default, that it would be a year to play some youth and ride them as far as the team could, which we all know was zero wins in the playoffs. Somewhere along the line, the front office decided to take a risk and hold on to the youth and hope for the best.

They lulled me into going along with it during the year but I was disappointed at the lack of a top 6 LW or even another C - preferably both - at the deadline. It might not have been enough, but it should have won some post season games and positioned the team better for next season. Even so, after the TDL passed, I was willing to get on the bandwagon and hope for another cup run. But that run ended before it started.

2016 ended with some thoughts of a bounce here or there and they could have made a run. Woulda / Coulda / Shoulda picked up another d-man last year, that might have made the difference.

But maybe the FO learned the wrong lesson in 2016. Instead of realizing they needed to make another move, they got hesitant in trading young players because Danault is one they wish they had kept. In my view, as long as this core is together, the future needs to be now!

Hopefully the lesson learned from going 0-4 in the first round is that they need more talent; size, speed, skill, and toughness. And, they need to be aggressive in acquiring it. The FO can't just hope 19, 2, 7, 15, and 16 regain their form and the young guys improve. The team needs more. I hope that is painfully obvious to all of the decision makers.

I was told there would be no math.

(in other words, not sure)
- John Jaeckel

Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford in the first year of SNL - a favorite line of mine that gets blank stares just about every time I use it.

I've seen that deal mentioned elsewhere (Twitter I believe) and it could be a pretty good one. I'd prefer Trouba but Hamonic is signed for just over $3.8 million for 3 more years.

That's just too much for Duchene.

I like your thinking, but I doubt Thornton leaves San Jose.
- DarthKane

Did Thornton and Doug Wilson kiss and make up? Two years ago Wilson was talking smack about why Jumbo lost the C so he was quoted in the papers saying, "I think Doug just needs to shut his mouth. I think that's the bottom line."

I don't think so. Anaheim and Edmonton are both big, fast, and skilled. It will definitely be a entertaining series. I just don't want those Preds to win that way that moron Rash from Trashville can't run his mouth. Karma those losers will never win the Stanley Cup. Rinne will get exposed like the sieve he is. Phuck Nashville
- BGKarras

Edmonton is an exciting team, and I would like to see them raise the cup...BUT, if they do, Tanner will be 100 times more annoying than he already is!

How long does Hossa hang around playing for $1 mil a year?
- walleyeb1

As long as he wants to either way. He's worth $50 million+. It hasn't been about the money for a while.

I still have a hunch he hangs em up after this year.

You're right. No changes needed. Roll with what you got, you really didn't get swept by the Preds, it was all just very lucky.

Did you know you paid Toews $215, 500 a point last year? 5 points buys quite a house, even in Chicago. 15 points and the average man could retire. I know you pay him for his defense but -5 in 4 games.

I wonder who we get in Round 3?
- VopatsRash

How many cups have you won?........... scumbag

You beat us in one series and you have a circle jerk that you won the cup

Panik has had one decent season and no playoff success. He won't be in much of a position to ask for too much. A 3 year deal would take Panik to age 29 and he still has a shot at another big money deal. Maybe he'll take another cheap one year deal around $1.5 million. Although if I were him I'd cash in as best I could right now.

I'd like to see Panik stick around, he's a very useful forward. Let's hope both sides can come to a reasonable agreement.
- DarthKane

Every word of this.

John your article is all over the map. You don't give someone credit for "targeting". It is like saying well I thought about taking the garbage out. "Do or do not there is no try" is how Yoda describes it. It is a no-brainer to think well it would be nice to have Duchene.


- Z3Hawk

fixed

I don't think so. Anaheim and Edmonton are both big, fast, and skilled. It will definitely be a entertaining series.
- BGKarras

And they both give up goals in bunches.

I just don't want those Preds to win that way that moron Rash from Trashville can't run his mouth. Karma those losers will never win the Stanley Cup. Rinne will get exposed like the sieve he is. Phuck Nashville

Meh. Ignore him. Too many people feeding the troll. I'd rather the team that beat us win it all rather than get eliminated right away.

As long as he wants to either way. He's worth $50 million+. It hasn't been about the money for a while.

I still have a hunch he hangs em up after this year.
- John Jaeckel

How much are the penalties if the Hawks trade him, and he retires after any of the next three seasons? Not that I think they will trade him, and I definitely don't want him traded, just curious.