i agree with all this...January was better...but with all that they still can't compete vs the better teams...

look at that division...every team at least 5 games above .500...aves on roll


stars on a roll
preds continue to play well
jets are much improved
blues stumbled of late but they will get a top 3 spot...

this is what we foresaw a few years ago...the hawks would peak and the other teams would get younger and better...
- bogiedoc

I believe that. I remember when all the fans were yelling to worry about tomorrow tomorrow, do what's necessary to go for it all today. Well, here we are. It's encouraging to think there is a coach in Rockford having a positive effect, but it's bound to be rough sledding for at least a while. I said on this site a few years ago a real fan still buys tickets to support the inevitable re-tooling. I'm curious to see how that works out iin the near future.

Some people take things very seriously I guess. If we aren't making the playoffs (which isn't for sure either way yet), I'm still gonna watch how the young guys progress and see how the team is going to gel for next season. Bottom line, Hockey is entertainment and I like watching it.
- JRoenick97

You could keep an eye on two rookie NYI forwards who recently have beem lighting it up. Barzal was a great boards player in junior. Imagine if we somehow drafted or traded for such talent. Alright careful what you smoke in that pipe less you are daydreaming about power forwards like Brady Tzchuyk (sic). Seriously IF (emphasis added) we are in the lottery or land a pick close to first overall.......would Bowman.......should Bowman trade (fill in the blank) for the right to draft one helluva great power type scoring forward .....who will easily surpass the accomplishments of his family name

Maybe I should smoke that pipe so I too can dream big. This is the lottery I want to win!

Understandable. I'm just not sure the level of negativity is necessary. And that's not in reference to you specifically, but as a whole in the fanbase. The Hawks are a team in transition and a lot of players are still adjusting to their roles, especially on defense.

But there are very clear reasons for optimism with this group:

1. The possession game is returning, and so is 5-on-5 scoring, which were two major downfalls last year.

2. The defense has allowed a lot of shots, but have also shown flashes of great potential. Forsling, Oesterle and Murphy have all shown that they have the potential to be top 4 defensemen.

3. The young forwards are very dynamic and will ease the transition for veteran players into less minutes and less taxing roles.

4. They're still in this thing.The positives have outweighed the negatives for the month of January until the Detroit game. 1 goal losses to Minnesota and Vegas are not bad losses. Those are tight games against good hockey teams. It's part of the growing pains for young players. Expecting the Hawks to be immune to that kind of thing is odd.

5. Their Rockford development is working and it's working very well. Guys that are getting sent down are fixing their games and when they come back, they're contributing. This is by far the most important positive, because this is a team positioned for Cup contention for the next few years even if they miss the playoffs this year. There won't be a big time rebuild here. The team will rely upon restocking from within and becoming cost controlled.


There are negatives too, most of which will likely be solved by a fresh voice in the room. I love Quenneville and always will, but it may be time to shake things up if they don't make the playoffs this season. The PP, as you say, has been a complete disaster for a long time. If they were a top 5 PP team in the league this year, we wouldn't be talking about whether they could get back in the playoff race. They would likely be leading the division. That is how volatile the conference is right now.

Anyways, I went on for longer than I anticipated. I should probably look like I'm doing some work for awhile haha.
- Hawks_49

To me critical is not being negative, its more of having an honest evaluation of a player/s/team that is performing poorly.

You imagine a coaching staff saying, hey guys you are doing great keep up the good work? It's always good to have positive reinforcement but it doesn't help anyone in the big picture.

You could keep an eye on two rookie NYI forwards who recently have beem lighting it up. Barzal was a great boards player in junior. Imagine if we somehow drafted or traded for such talent. Alright careful what you smoke in that pipe less you are daydreaming about power forwards like Brady Tzchuyk (sic). Seriously IF (emphasis added) we are in the lottery or land a pick close to first overall.......would Bowman.......should Bowman trade (fill in the blank) for the right to draft one helluva great power type scoring forward .....who will easily surpass the accomplishments of his family name

Maybe I should smoke that pipe so I too can dream big. This is the lottery I want to win!
- jhawk59

If the Hawks miraculously won the draft lottery, Rasmus Dahlin is a 27 minute per night 200ft NHL Dman in probably 1-2 seasons. The guy is a stud and will be a force at the Olympic Tournament for Sweden. Tzchuyk would be a fantastic addition, as well. Unfortunately, I foresee the Hawks finishing between 15-20 in the overall league standings to finish the season, thus giving them a mid-round pick that will likely not be an impact player in the NHL for a few years.

Understandable. I'm just not sure the level of negativity is necessary. And that's not in reference to you specifically, but as a whole in the fanbase. The Hawks are a team in transition and a lot of players are still adjusting to their roles, especially on defense.

But there are very clear reasons for optimism with this group:

1. The possession game is returning, and so is 5-on-5 scoring, which were two major downfalls last year.

2. The defense has allowed a lot of shots, but have also shown flashes of great potential. Forsling, Oesterle and Murphy have all shown that they have the potential to be top 4 defensemen.

3. The young forwards are very dynamic and will ease the transition for veteran players into less minutes and less taxing roles.

4. They're still in this thing.The positives have outweighed the negatives for the month of January until the Detroit game. 1 goal losses to Minnesota and Vegas are not bad losses. Those are tight games against good hockey teams. It's part of the growing pains for young players. Expecting the Hawks to be immune to that kind of thing is odd.

5. Their Rockford development is working and it's working very well. Guys that are getting sent down are fixing their games and when they come back, they're contributing. This is by far the most important positive, because this is a team positioned for Cup contention for the next few years even if they miss the playoffs this year. There won't be a big time rebuild here. The team will rely upon restocking from within and becoming cost controlled.


There are negatives too, most of which will likely be solved by a fresh voice in the room. I love Quenneville and always will, but it may be time to shake things up if they don't make the playoffs this season. The PP, as you say, has been a complete disaster for a long time. If they were a top 5 PP team in the league this year, we wouldn't be talking about whether they could get back in the playoff race. They would likely be leading the division. That is how volatile the conference is right now.

Anyways, I went on for longer than I anticipated. I should probably look like I'm doing some work for awhile haha.
- Hawks_49

The problem with the offense is that it is very inconsistent.

Total goals, not 5X5 - they've scored less than 3 in regulation 23 times in 45 games - more than half - puts a lot of pressure on the defense and the goalie when they need to give up only 0 or 1 to win in regulation.

And there have been 5 (IIRC - I looked at it about a week ago) streaks where they have scored 2 in 3 games or 2 or 3 in 4 games (like the most recent streak).

They can't keep doing that - especially if the goalies are going to be Forsberg and Glass.

If the coach has too many toys to play with and can't make up his mind, its the job of the GM to remove those extra toys. Remember when Q kept trotting John Scott out there, just because he could. And then he was gone because somebody had seen enough. First thing Bowman needs to do is ditch one of the 8 defenceman on this roster. And then he can look at removing at least one forward so that Hayden can be recalled. If that means dumping Bouma or Jurco or Sharp so be it.

The standings tell everybody that there's no 'tomorrows' left, they need to decide on their best 20 guys and run with them every night and hope the team gets hot and start pealing off wins.
- RickJ

this 8 dman exp needs to end....i suspect it has to do with contract waivers...but what a waste...and the one dman who had pretty good numbers and getting shots through is in RCK mr fanzen...i know he is a plodder but he keith seemed to play well together...

trade him or play him...what hell are you saving him for...are they looking to deal kempny so they want to hold CF in reserve...i guess that's possible...

they have to get the 3 games at home or at least 5 of 6 points....they poop the bed these next 3 games at home...

I think players performance while wearing the "C" or "A" is overrated. Seabrook was a leader on the team before he wore the "A", take it away and he'll still be a leader. If he's the type of guy that plays better because he's officially an alternate captain then he's really not a leader at all. I don't think that's the case with Seabs. But I agree that something needs to be done. Maybe some off ice work (physical or mental), and maybe Q deploys Seabrook differently until he finds his game again.
- DarthKane

How do you look at deployment? Outside of situational (PK/PP) and total minutes played, is there a way to look at how his play has changed over the past three seasons? A website perhaps?

i have thrown in the towel with this team....since clinching the WC in late march....

they are a marginal .500 team that can't compete and win in their division and WC....their record vs teams ahead of them (11 and counting now) is awful...

i have documented their inability to get leads let alone win vs the better teams...

1. they don't show up for most games
2. for 2 years it was pick a name for toews LW; now its pick a name for RW
3. young d guys are getting great exp; look good sometimes and then terribly exposed other times
4. two inexp goalies...
5. its win 3, lose 2, win 1, lose 2...one more lose 4 of 6 and they are burried...

play the kids...move bouma and sharp...i like wingels...and see if this core has any leadership left with out craw; from what i have seen...my guess is no...

something is off with keith...i suspect at somepoint he is going to let lose publically...

living or dieing game to game with this team is over for me...

the detroit game spoke volumes of where they are at and where they are going...and thats NOWHERE
- bogiedoc

You are not alone. Tons of people were down on the Hawks last January, jumped on the bandwagon when they started playing well in February, were raving about their chances entering the playoffs, and jumped of the bandwagon when they were handled by the Preds. Now some will be saying the Hawks are crap again, Q and Bowman are idiots, ......until they put together a few wins in a row and get back in race.

I am not sure which way the Hawks will go. They could be crap the rest of the year. Or Anisimov comes back, one of the backup goalies plays well or Crawford comes back, the Toews line heats up, DuClair starts producing, Kampf keeps getting better, they make a trade for decent 3/4 Dman......... then maybe they are not crap.

As for me I will follow and cheer just as intently as ever and hope for the best. I think Q and Bowman are good and I hope they keep them through this rebuilding process.

Jacob Trouba is supposedly still on the trading block. He should be getting a $4-5mil AAV on his next contract. Do you aggressively pursue Trouba?? Big, physical, offensive skills, young, and can skate well. What do you think it takes to acquire Trouba via trade? With the emergence of Morrisey and Myers with Buff and Enstrom still in the fold, he appears to be the odd man out and has been disgruntled with the organization recently....

Seems to me that no matter what the direction taken is the solution is the same.

Need to get tougher up front. Speed and skill are not enough.

The lack of a consistent forecheck and offensive pressure not singularly focused on perimeter passing/pure skill play takes the pressure off of the D and the goalie by tilting the ice to the offensive zone.

19, 20 and fill in the blank ALL need to play tough down low, in the slot and around the crease. Perimeter play does not suit their game. Kane's line will produce even more if the Toews line can get on their horse.

The bottom six is vastly improved as well. and will likewise be even more valuable in relation to the play of the top six.

The defense is IMHO vastly improved, and likely kudos to Ulfie for that.

Whether this happens via trades, drafting, free agency, development does not really matter. The success formula for what is needed on the ice is the same - skill, speed AND toughness.

Seems to me that no matter what the direction taken is the solution is the same.

Need to get tougher up front. Speed and skill are not enough.

The lack of a consistent forecheck and offensive pressure not singularly focused on perimeter passing/pure skill play takes the pressure off of the D and the goalie by tilting the ice to the offensive zone.

19, 20 and fill in the blank ALL need to play tough down low, in the slot and around the crease. Perimeter play does not suit their game. Kane's line will produce even more if the Toews line can get on their horse.

The bottom six is vastly improved as well. and will likewise be even more valuable in relation to the play of the top six.

The defense is IMHO vastly improved, and likely kudos to Ulfie for that.

Whether this happens via trades, drafting, free agency, development does not really matter. The success formula for what is needed on the ice is the same - skill, speed AND toughness.
- Return of the Roar

Do you trade Nick Schmaltz or Alex Debrincat for a young Power Winger/Center?

Do you trade Nick Schmaltz or Alex Debrincat for a young Power Winger/Center?
- EnzoD

If they are moving anyone, I would prefer they move Debrincat all other things equal. Cat has a ton of talent, but I like Schmaltz better for the long-term. Specifically, I like what 8 brings as far as a swing center option.

A power winger/center is the antithesis of what Debrincat offers this team. While I think Cat has NHL-talent, this team already has a few too many super-smurfs.

This is on the assumption that the team we trade with doesn't care between 8 and 12. I think 8 probably brings back more than 12 however.

If they are moving anyone, I would prefer they move Debrincat all other things equal. Cat has a ton of talent, but I like Schmaltz better for the long-term. Specifically, I like what 8 brings as far as a swing center option.

A power winger/center is the antithesis of what Debrincat offers this team. While I think Cat has NHL-talent, this team already has a few too many super-smurfs.

This is on the assumption that the team we trade with doesn't care between 8 and 12. I think 8 probably brings back more than 12 however.
- TexasHawk

Agreed. I would include either 8 or 12 in a trade for a Power Winger/Center OR a big, mobile young Dman like Trouba,Hanafin, ect....

Jacob Trouba is supposedly still on the trading block. He should be getting a $4-5mil AAV on his next contract. Do you aggressively pursue Trouba?? Big, physical, offensive skills, young, and can skate well. What do you think it takes to acquire Trouba via trade? With the emergence of Morrisey and Myers with Buff and Enstrom still in the fold, he appears to be the odd man out and has been disgruntled with the organization recently....
- EnzoD

Sign me up for one Trouba. He's slot in anywhere in the top 4 immediately.

Do you trade Nick Schmaltz or Alex Debrincat for a young Power Winger/Center?
- EnzoD

Tough question. I keep ADB. He has a skill you can't teach and will find an opening to use it and if someone sets him up there's nothing the D can do about it. Schmaltz has more skills, but I think he's more likely to be less effective, especially in the playoffs.

Do you trade Nick Schmaltz or Alex Debrincat for a young Power Winger/Center?
- EnzoD

I do not think you trade any centers with unknown upside until/unless you can identify a guy who is a definite upgrade.

Agreed. I would include either 8 or 12 in a trade for a Power Winger/Center OR a big, mobile young Dman like Trouba, Hanafin, etc...
- EnzoD

If they are making a move, I think a center probably would be a higher priority trade target. The organization has a decent amount of defensive depth (although not a true lock-down, Norris-candidate).

Outside of Toews, and surprisingly Kampf, there simply are not many players on the team now who can win a key faceoff. Even in Rockford, that depth just is not there. Anisimov is a talented guy, but he does not bring the faceoff % you want in a top-two center. He definitely has a spot in the top 6 but as a left winger.

If they are making a move, I think a center probably would be a higher priority trade target. The organization has a decent amount of defensive depth (although not a true lock-down, Norris-candidate).

Outside of Toews, and surprisingly Kampf, there simply are not many players on the team now who can win a faceoff. Even in Rockford, that depth just is not there. Anisimov is a talented guy, but he does not bring the faceoff % you want in a top-two center. He definitely has a spot in the top 6 but as a left winger.
- TexasHawk

Hard to argue with you. If 8 is pegged for 2C, does that make 15 expendable? He is pushing 30, injury prone, and slow-footed at $4.5mil AAV. That is a lot of cap space for a 3C, especially with the emergence of Kampf as a viable 3C and Wingels at 4C. I'm thinking 15 is Stan's best trade chip to address Defense or Power Forward needs on the roster. Anyone here watch the CHL, and specifically Jokiharju?? He is absolutely dominating the WHL and was Finland's #1 D at the World Juniors (and they have several Top Rated D prospects). I think there's an outside chance he can make the Hawks next year.

If they are making a move, I think a center probably would be a higher priority trade target. The organization has a decent amount of defensive depth (although not a true lock-down, Norris-candidate).

Outside of Toews, and surprisingly Kampf, there simply are not many players on the team now who can win a key faceoff. Even in Rockford, that depth just is not there. Anisimov is a talented guy, but he does not bring the faceoff % you want in a top-two center. He definitely has a spot in the top 6 but as a left winger.
- TexasHawk

Schmaltz has increased his FO% form 30.9 to 40% this season. 40 is bad, but a 10 percent increase is pretty good. If they can get him consistently up above 48%, that is huge.

Do you trade Nick Schmaltz or Alex Debrincat for a young Power Winger/Center?
- EnzoD

Schmaltz - no. DeBrincat - yes. Both will likely be very good NHLers, but I think #8 will be the better of the two.

I would also include DeBrincat in a package for Trouba. Somebody suggested Trouba's next deal would be around $4.5 million, I think it will be closer to $5.5 - $6 million.

Agreed. 100%. Although the cost to acquire Hutch, who is a pending UFA, would be minimal.

Forsberg was acquired for a reason, I say let him play.
- DarthKane

Of course, that reason was to play 15 games a year and sit on the bench wearing a Blackhawk baseball cap.

Schmaltz has increased his FO% form 30.9 to 40% this season. 40 is bad, but a 10 percent increase is pretty good. If they can get him consistently up above 48%, that is huge.
- JRoenick97

The timing to trade either Schmaultz or ADB might come fortuitously leading up to the draft WHICH IS AFTER SIKULA HAS EMERGED. I hope so.

I do not think you trade any centers with unknown upside until/unless you can identify a guy who is a definite upgrade.
- Return of the Roar

So may be the timing is better the trade deadline 2019.
I like to see the input by then from Highmore and Fortin.

And the possibility of the input from a 2018 #1.

Sign me up for one Trouba. He's slot in anywhere in the top 4 immediately.
- JRoenick97

Maybe Chevy surprises and trades Buff, keeps Trouba

Hard to argue with you. If 8 is pegged for 2C, does that make 15 expendable? He is pushing 30, injury prone, and slow-footed at $4.5mil AAV. That is a lot of cap space for a 3C, especially with the emergence of Kampf as a viable 3C and Wingels at 4C. I'm thinking 15 is Stan's best trade chip to address Defense or Power Forward needs on the roster. Anyone here watch the CHL, and specifically Jokiharju?? He is absolutely dominating the WHL and was Finland's #1 D at the World Juniors (and they have several Top Rated D prospects). I think there's an outside chance he can make the Hawks next year.
- EnzoD

Is strength an issue. Is he a rag doll like Gus when Gus was here. That might be the bigger issue