Forsling at the point, shooting and "quarterbacking" with Kane
Kane/Cat on the half walls, play making and one-timers
Saad/Toews retrieving pucks and cycling for tips/one timers and plays down low
- Slofire94

Bingo!

Dzingel could be a decent option. Over the past few seasons the Hawks have been tied to rumors about Nate Thompson, he could be another option. He's not stellar but he's decent on face-offs (56.52%) and he's taken a solid number of draws this season (he'd be #3 on the team after Toews and Anisimov).
- DarthKane

No, he's 33 with another year to run @ $1.65M. The Hawks have enough 4th liners already. They need a center that can play 3rd line - and it ain't Vinny.

No, he's 33 with another year to run @ $1.65M. The Hawks have enough 4th liners already. They need a center that can play 3rd line - and it ain't Vinny.
- RickJ

Is everyone soured on Vinny already? the Rock city Savior? 2 or 3 games and we dont like him anymore?

Or are you just saying he should be playing wing?

No, he's 33 with another year to run @ $1.65M. The Hawks have enough 4th liners already. They need a center that can play 3rd line - and it ain't Vinny.
- RickJ

I agree Vinny is not a Centre ,he should be playing the wing with Schmaltz playing center and Harman on the other wing . I don't know maybe Sharp up with Kane .

Is everyone soured on Vinny already? the Rock city Savior? 2 or 3 games and we dont like him anymore?

Or are you just saying he should be playing wing?
- BlazinMike

It's about consistency. Vinny against Buffalo was different from Vinny against Florida who was non existent.

Is everyone soured on Vinny already? the Rock city Savior? 2 or 3 games and we dont like him anymore?

Or are you just saying he should be playing wing?
- BlazinMike

Vinny is a winger at best, definitely not a center man at the NHL level. I like his speed but going up against big bodies like Florida has, he is out of his element.

Dude, seriously, as one of the girls on this board, I'd rather you not keep using that as an indicator of weakness or poor play. Pretty sure I am tougher than a lot of you.
- pdx2ord

without doubt...

Vinny is a winger at best, definitely not a center man at the NHL level. I like his speed but going up against big bodies like Florida has, he is out of his element.
- RickJ

he was lighting it up on the wing in rck...so Q puts him at center...

i guess the day i become a HOF coach, i will understand these types of moves

Dude, seriously, as one of the girls on this board, I'd rather you not keep using that as an indicator of weakness or poor play. Pretty sure I am tougher than a lot of you.
- pdx2ord

I'm patiently waiting for LBR to step in with some articulate graphs and statistics proving this

....Not to forget Duncan Keith hasn't scored a goal and Seabrook is shooting 1.9%. Losing Shaw left hole when it comes to screeners.

All I know for sure is Kane shouldn't ever be on the point on the power play...If I was an opposing coach I would pay Q to put him there.
- Al

It baffles me why they haven't at least tried Hayden on the PP. Plop his giant frame in front ant let him bury some garbage goals. He's good enough with the puck to not lose it a lot too.

Get the band back together!
Red rover red rover, Johnny Odyua come over
- Slofire94

aw c'mon...not again...well he does have 2 more goals than keith

funny how the trades mentioned here want to trade our sow's ear for another teams silk purse...the fantasy of it all

Dude, seriously, as one of the girls on this board, I'd rather you not keep using that as an indicator of weakness or poor play. Pretty sure I am tougher than a lot of you.
- pdx2ord

I'm sure many girls and womens teams have better PPs than the Hawks. I also recall playing many rat and house hockey games where the women were by far the best players on the ice.

I dont understand this place.

This board clamors for a call up for weeks and weeks, Vinny being the primary name mentioned because of his success in the A this year, and now people are done with him.

Maybe that means Pokka will end up being really good because most people dont like him because he was the trade piece for their favorite speedy D man Nick "Orr" Leddy (even though he was ripped constantly on this board because of his boneheaded-ness while he was here).

Do girls not know how to run a power play? Or am I missing something...
- fattybeef

What is this, 1990? Using girls as a derogatory term is stupid. Tell Hillary Knight she plays hockey like a girl. She'll smoke you.

I dont understand this place.

This board clamors for a call up for weeks and weeks, Vinny being the primary name mentioned because of his success in the A this year, and now people are done with him.

Maybe that means Pokka will end up being really good because most people dont like him because he replaced their favorite speedy D man Nick "Orr" Leddy (even though he was ripped constantly on this board because of his boneheaded-ness while he was here).
- BlazinMike

I like what Vinny brought the first 2 games. I didn't get to see the FLA game. Only thing I don't like is him at C. He wasn't playing C in Rockford. put him on the wing and let him fly. I agree on Leddy. People have serious revisionist history. When he was here, he had speed, and that's about it. His gap was questionable, and so was his positioning. He was a game changer carrying the puck up, but he'd usually just backhand it wide and the play died. He was still figuring out his game and was frequently benched. He had great potential, but a top 2, or even top 4 he was not yet.

What is this, 1990? Using girls as a derogatory term is stupid. Tell Hillary Knight she plays hockey like a girl. She'll smoke you.
- JRoenick97

Sedin Sister's is still a funny joke though

I dont understand this place.

This board clamors for a call up for weeks and weeks, Vinny being the primary name mentioned because of his success in the A this year, and now people are done with him.

Maybe that means Pokka will end up being really good because most people dont like him because he replaced their favorite speedy D man Nick "Orr" Leddy (even though he was ripped constantly on this board because of his boneheaded-ness while he was here).
- BlazinMike

Nobody in here said anything about Vinnie being done. I agree with the other post in that I would rather have him on the wing so he can fly the zone and get after the dump ins. Vinnie is an X factor type player on the bottom 6 come playoff time. Brassard is a PROVEN NHL C who checks alot, if not all the boxes at the #3 C spot.

Dont think anyone said anything about trading Vinnie either. Panik and Kempny are sitting. And in the proverbial Q dog house. Maybe Pokka is up so that Stan/Q can see if he can play at the NHL level. If he can, maybe that means Stan will feel ok making a trade that moves Kempny out.

Sedin Sister's is still a funny joke though
- BlazinMike

Meh.

I dont understand this place.

This board clamors for a call up for weeks and weeks, Vinny being the primary name mentioned because of his success in the A this year, and now people are done with him.

Maybe that means Pokka will end up being really good because most people dont like him because he was the trade piece for their favorite speedy D man Nick "Orr" Leddy (even though he was ripped constantly on this board because of his boneheaded-ness while he was here).
- BlazinMike

You are overreacting I think. Vinny's role will be as a winger who can create some issues for the opposition's defence because of his speed. But as a center going up against much bigger and experienced guys who are very good hockey players, he is in over his head. He will play some in the NHL, for how long who knows? He needs to provide some offence, if he can't he just becomes another little guy who can skate fast.

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. And with that you get plenty of civil servants and government employees who don't spend money on tickets but have their hands out looking for freebies.

Population is big enough at about 1.2 million if you combine city of Ottawa and Gatineau across the river in Quebec. (I'd submit there is far more wealth there than a city like St. Louis or Buffalo or Newark for example).

But the big issues are Owner Eugene Melnyk and where the arena is in Kanata, far from downtown on a slow moving road.

Melnyk sure loved the playoff revenue last year but he won't want to pay Karlsson max money so he will be gone just like Kyle Turris, Zibanajad and others before him. But he is definitely part of the plans for a new arena just off downtown.

But I compare Ottawa to Atlanta and Miami - sh$tty pro sports towns.
- RickJ

My point is for the most part they don't spend to the hilt and there have been questions about Melnyk's finances as well. My point is Ottawa isn't like Montreal or Toronto or any major US market,

If healthy Hammer will most likely be the most sought after player at the deadline.

You are overreacting I think. Vinny's role will be as a winger who can create some issues for the opposition's defence because of his speed. But as a center going up against much bigger and experienced guys who are very good hockey players, he is in over his head. He will play some in the NHL, for how long who knows? He needs to provide some offence, if he can't he just becomes another little guy who can skate fast.
- RickJ

Thats pretty much what he is though. A little guy who can skate fast, until he proves otherwise.

Maybe I am overreacting, and I'm not trying to defend vinny or anything, i just find it very surprising to read the disappointed reviews after only a few games.

Wingles to the box for "getting mugged".
- kwolf68

I watched the game last night, and my comment was "getting the crap beat out of him"

Whatever the final result, tonight will be a big test for this team both mentally and physically. Can the Hawks elevate their compete level tonight to take on the #1 team in the division? Do they have the horses in the stable to be able to match up to the Jets even if they do "try hard"? I'm simply hoping for a playoff style intensity battle where the Hawks keep it competitive. 2 points would be great but playing the right way is the most important thing for me to see tonight.