SOOOOO CLOSE to the season starting......


My Opening Night Lineup Projection:

Saad-Toews-Panik
Sharp-Anisimov-Kane
Hartman-Schmaltz-Wingels
Bouma-Kero-Jurco

Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Seabrook
Forsling-Rosival ( )

Crawford
Forsberg

SOOOOO CLOSE to the season starting......


My Opening Night Lineup Projection:

Saad-Toews-Panik
Sharp-Anisimov-Kane
Hartman-Schmaltz-Wingels
Bouma-Kero-Jurco

Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Seabrook
Forsling-Rosival ( )

Crawford
Forsberg
- EnzoD

Hopefully Jurco finds his hands and you can swap him and Wingels.

Love Tommy Wingels, but Schmaltz deserves better than that.

I hate these lists. Go back and look at one from 5 years ago. Ummmm, no, didn't turn out that way.
- John Jaeckel

Yeah, I look at past lists recently and it's pretty abysmal. One year I believe Saad was the only prospect who made it and is still on the team (albeit, he was traded away for 2 seasons before being reacquired). Another year the top 10 prospects included Crawford and Hjalmarsson, both critical members of the recent Stanley Cups. Besides Crawford and Saad, Hartman and Schmaltz are the only ones who have made the roster and are still with the team.

Prospects on those lists included guys like Beach, Aliu, Morin, Clending, Hayes, Pirri, Brophey, Skille, Makarov, blah blah blah. Speaking of blah, Drew LeBlanc (le-blah) was a top prospect one year, too. Meh.

I hate these lists. Go back and look at one from 5 years ago. Ummmm, no, didn't turn out that way.
- John Jaeckel

They're showing Jokiharju with 3 years until the Show: being only just 18, is he going back to the Winterhawks for another season?

He's averaged .26 points per game, so about 21 or 22 points per season.

18 seems acceptable in a 4th line role.
- BINGO!

It will depend on who is on a line with Kruger. Kruger with Hossa, Frolik, or a not-ruined-yet-by-concussions Ben Smith and Kruger had enough finishers on make good on his passing ability (his pass-assist rate was always pretty high on the Hawks). Kane double shifting with him also gets him a few to a handful of points a season. Play him with Desjardins-Garbutts of the world and he only get something like .10 PPG (2015-16).

I assume Kruger will play with Nordstrom a decent amount and they worked well together when Nordstrom was with the Hawks. Some Hawks fans are indeed remembering his low goal totals and one subpar year (where he was injured / missed half the season).

It will depend on who is on a line with Kruger. Kruger with Hossa, Frolik, or a not-ruined-yet-by-concussions Ben Smith and Kruger had enough finishers on make good on his passing ability (his pass-assist rate was always pretty high on the Hawks). Kane double shifting with him also gets him a few to a handful of points a season. Play him with Desjardins-Garbutts of the world and he only get something like .10 PPG (2015-16).

I assume Kruger will play with Nordstrom a decent amount and they worked well together when Nordstrom was with the Hawks. Some Hawks fans are indeed remembering his low goal totals and one subpar year (where he was injured / missed half the season).
- L_B_R

Yeah, Expectation is he'll play on a line with Nordstrom and Brock McGinn or Josh Jooris.

Hey JJ - I've read two article recently on BlackhawkUP

https://blackhawkup.com/2...rious-contenders-2017-18/

both reporters (i am using the term loosely).... write that the Hawks team speed has decreased from last year to this year. Hadn't you been writing that the Hawks team speed has increased from last year in all of your analysis? Frustrating to read crap that is so blatently wrong (not JJ, but the writers at Blackhawkup.com

Thx JJ

Yeah, Expectation is he'll play on a line with Nordstrom and Brock McGinn or Josh Jooris.
- BINGO!

Do you expect Lindholm to play center or wing this year? And line 1 or 2?

Do you expect Lindholm to play center or wing this year? And line 1 or 2?
- AEL_Fox

He's probably a permanent RW at this point with our added C depth.

Looks like

Skinner - Rask - Lindholm
Aho - Staal - Williams
TT - Ryan - Stempniak
Nordstrom - Kruger - McGinn

If anybody is moving to C it'll be Aho or Teravainen.

SOOOOO CLOSE to the season starting......


My Opening Night Lineup Projection:

Saad-Toews-Panik
Sharp-Anisimov-Kane
Hartman-Schmaltz-Wingels
Bouma-Kero-Jurco

Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Seabrook
Forsling-Rosival ( )

Crawford
Forsberg
- EnzoD

You could be right. I think a little differently for the forward lower lines and 3rd D pairing:
Hayden-Schmaltz-Hartman
Bouma-Dauphin-Wingels
Kero extra forward

Franson Forsling (Franson signing on day 2 of the season before the first game after Hossa and Rosival are LTIR'd)

Hey JJ - I've read two article recently on BlackhawkUP

https://blackhawkup.com/2...rious-contenders-2017-18/

both reporters (i am using the term loosely).... write that the Hawks team speed has decreased from last year to this year. Hadn't you been writing that the Hawks team speed has increased from last year in all of your analysis? Frustrating to read crap that is so blatently wrong (not JJ, but the writers at Blackhawkup.com

Thx JJ
- glennjpawlak22

I've seen both those articles too and both seem to think that Panarin is faster than Saad, but I'm not buying it. More agile and elusive maybe, but pure end to end speed, Saad seems like an upgrade. Seen enough times that Saad got on top of the D really quickly. I also think that the difference between those two may be a bit of a non-issue as the bigger factor is likely in the bottom 6 and on D.

I hate these lists. Go back and look at one from 5 years ago. Ummmm, no, didn't turn out that way.
- John Jaeckel

True, But look...... the list is 10 players long every year. In normal years maybe 2 players make the jump to the NHL. Each year some players have moved up to the NHL and others are replaced on the list. So just playing the percentages the odds are pretty small of having many players for any team jump from the list to the NHL. Of course if you are drafting low or if you are in a rebuild mode and have traded some of your veteran players for prospects the odds are better.

@dcmahiban 22m22 minutes ago
More
Cody Franson has signed a PTO with the #Blackhawks, I’m told.


There you have it. PTO until day 2 and then contract?

@dcmahiban 22m22 minutes ago
More
Cody Franson has signed a PTO with the #Blackhawks, I’m told.


There you have it. PTO until day 2 and then contract?
- TyCamScore

- DarthKane

haha. Not many options out there.

I'm thinking it's a cheap, 1-year deal.

Best case scenario for me is that Franson solidifies the 3rd pairing with his experience and Q still plays Kempny and Forsling... A LOT, so those guys get experience/they see what they have in them.

This seems plausible as they brought in Franson who is a RH shot. So if anything he'll take minutes away from Rutta and Rozy.

Hmmm, same logic as last year. Yet he was around, and he played some. It's not like, as diminished as he is now, he's that much worse than he was last year, because that was pretty much immobile and running on fumes then.

If he's hurt, or not at "full" capacity, he can't play, that is not disputable.

And I don't dispute the waiver draft avoidance logic either, except why were he and Tootoo signed and not others? Why? Because if they ended up having to keep them, they're guys Q doesn't hate having in some role.

It's rarely completely black and white or a simple explanation. As much as we want to put everything in a simple sound byte.
- John Jaeckel

One reason was because the draft was before the FA period. Trying to get players would have cost assets to acquire. Both were signed for cheap and were known quantities. Some times the simplest explanations are the correct one. Rozy MIGHT play a handful of games if healthy. People thinking they are banking on him are off the mark, imo.

@dcmahiban 22m22 minutes ago
More
Cody Franson has signed a PTO with the #Blackhawks, I’m told.


There you have it. PTO until day 2 and then contract?
- TyCamScore

haha. Not many options out there.

I'm thinking it's a cheap, 1-year deal.

Best case scenario for me is that Franson solidifies the 3rd pairing with his experience and Q still plays Kempny and Forsling... A LOT, so those guys get experience/they see what they have in them.

This seems plausible as they brought in Franson who is a RH shot. So if anything he'll take minutes away from Rutta and Rozy.
- TyCamScore

One positive about Franson. He will make people appreciate TVR.

@dcmahiban 22m22 minutes ago
More
Cody Franson has signed a PTO with the #Blackhawks, I’m told.


There you have it. PTO until day 2 and then contract?
- TyCamScore

If it's as low enough to be buried fully, this is fine, I guess.

Might suggest the Hawks don't have another d-man trade/pick-up planned though, even from Vegas.

He's probably a permanent RW at this point with our added C depth.

Looks like

Skinner - Rask - Lindholm
Aho - Staal - Williams
TT - Ryan - Stempniak
Nordstrom - Kruger - McGinn

If anybody is moving to C it'll be Aho or Teravainen.
- BINGO!

Isn't there a Canes' blog you can post your line-up in?

If it's as low enough to be buried fully, this is fine, I guess.

Might suggest the Hawks don't have another d-man trade/pick-up planned though, even from Vegas.
- L_B_R

Burying him, now there is an idea.

Isn't there a Canes' blog you can post your line-up in?
- TTtime

I was asked where Lindholm would play.

Also, no.

haha. Not many options out there.

I'm thinking it's a cheap, 1-year deal.

Best case scenario for me is that Franson solidifies the 3rd pairing with his experience and Q still plays Kempny and Forsling... A LOT, so those guys get experience/they see what they have in them.

This seems plausible as they brought in Franson who is a RH shot. So if anything he'll take minutes away from Rutta and Rozy.
- TyCamScore

He MUST be better than Rosi.
And it's a PTO so he needs to earn a roster spot.
I'm in the why not? camp.

He MUST be better than Rosi.
And it's a PTO so he needs to earn a roster spot.
I'm in the why not? camp.
- matt_ahrens

No, he really isn't. The guy has been on teams that NEED D-men and both Tor and Buff said, oh hell no.

One positive about Franson. He will make people appreciate TVR.
- TTtime

I highly doubt that...TVR sucked, not sure why people liked that kid whatsoever. Franson HAS to be an upgrade over him and Rosy (who is as done as done can be). Plus at 6'5 and 224 lbs, he's not a smurf thank God, and hopefully can lay a decent hit.