There is nothing wrong with the coach. Nothing. It's all bowman. It's not bad trades it's industrial strength bad trades. Oh by the way Panarin is leading Columbus with 38 points making stan the biggest fool in history exactly as I said would happen many times on this board.
- Savoy

Saad may total 38 points in 82 games at this pace. I gotta say I was happy about the trade, but both Toews' and Saad's inability to create any offense with the puck has resulted in a $16.5 million 3rd line.

Saad may total 38 points in 82 games at this pace. I gotta say I was happy about the trade, but both Toews' and Saad's inability to create any offense with the puck has resulted in a $16.5 million 3rd line.
- EnzoD

Those 2 haven't been outstanding but #20 has sure turned into the Lance Bouma of finishing skills. I've lost track of how many breakaways Saad has had and nothing.

Cost Controlled is the worst insult I've heard for making a trade and being stupid enough to downgrade the heck out of your team while you are at it. Ask bowman if the the tickets are cost controlled. How about the hot dogs? Nothing is more insulting than mgt talking to fans like they are stupid.

Cost Controlled is the worst insult I've heard for making a trade and being stupid enough to downgrade the heck out of your team while you are at it. Ask bowman if the the tickets are cost controlled. How about the hot dogs? Nothing is more insulting than mgt talking to fans like they are stupid.
- Savoy

It was also a reaction to the SOFT AS COTTON team that Bowman has assembled. If Bowman would've drafted/signed some power forward types, there would have been no reason to reach in desperation for a 6'2" power forward in Saad. Hindsight is 20/20 definitely applies on this trade as it appeared to be a pretty even swap at the time, and I think Saad will improve the rest of the season. If Saad was producing at or slightly above his career pace, nobody would be complaining. However, 20 is having his worst NHL season to date. Imagine, with better cap management over the years the Hawks would have both Saad and Panarin.

Cost Controlled is the worst insult I've heard for making a trade and being stupid enough to downgrade the heck out of your team while you are at it. Ask bowman if the the tickets are cost controlled. How about the hot dogs? Nothing is more insulting than mgt talking to fans like they are stupid.
- Savoy

Losing Panarin is not why this team is struggling.

Justin, thanks for another well written blog.

The Hawks made changes to be harder to play against, but that part just didn't seem to translate. They give up shots and chances to easily.

Last year at 5v5
CA/60 - 58.95
SA/60 - 33.43
GA/60 - 2.54
SCA/60 - 29.36
HDCA/60 - 12.29

This year at 5v5
CA/60 - 55.08
SA/60 - 30.37
GA/60 - 2.05
SCA/60 - 27.15
HDCA/60 - 10.88

Pretty much 10-20% across the board worse in terms of attempts against, chances against, shots against, goals against. This team needs to clean up defensively. In the stat categories above, the Hawks are bottom 5-10 in the NHL. The high danger chances against is the one that is alarming to me.

I know stats don't tell everything, but this does paint a bit of a picture. I know it is in fashion to blame Toews because of his contract, but his line has at least matched up against top players and done well defensively. Just wish they could make the extra effort to score. They get chances but can't convert.

Line 2 generates offense, but man they also get hemmed into their own end way way too much. I personally want to see Schmaltz go back to wing. Can Kane play with anyone? He seems to be good when playing with Schmaltz but not so great playing without.

5v5 Kane on ice with Schmaltz
GF 24
GA 16

5v5 Kane on ice without Schmaltz
GF 11
GA 16

They should put AA back at 2C with Kane/Schmaltz on the wings. The Hawks have been finding out what they have in the bottom 6 and on D and they need to move forward with the ones that can play consistently. This season might be lost with the Hawks on the wrong side of the pack, but the difference between being on one side of the pack or the other is small. A handful of games and situations that cost them. I think they still need to sort out the D in terms of playing the tough minutes. No easy task.
- breadbag

The D parings I have no clue . Up front I would have Debrincat with Kane AA ,Schmaltz with Hartman and Vinny . Ducliar on the top line for what it worth .And the 4line back to were it was with Bomma Hayden Winggles . I might bring Franson back just for his PP contributions .That is all ..

Losing Panarin is not why this team is struggling.
- JRoenick97

True, but it is why they aren't as entertaining.

True, but it is why they aren't as entertaining.
- EnzoD

Oh yea - watching him get his goal to get the performance bonus was the best thing I saw. Sorry, regular season means squat!

True, but it is why they aren't as entertaining.
- EnzoD

Winning is entertaining....they would still be losing with Panarin.

There is nothing wrong with the coach. Nothing. It's all bowman. It's not bad trades it's industrial strength bad trades. Oh by the way Panarin is leading Columbus with 38 points making stan the biggest fool in history exactly as I said would happen many times on this board.
- Savoy

Wow, 38 points. Just what the team needs is another perimeter player. Panarin might even score 20 goals. Without Saad the team would have another spot on the roster where someone probably in-experienced would be trying to shutdown the other team's top players. The team's weakness would probably be even worse, but we'd get a few more PP goals to look pretty on a couple highlights. Time to move on.

Winning is entertaining....they would still be losing with Panarin.
- DarthKane

Winning is the MOST entertaining, but at least scoring highlight reel goals while losing is more enjoyable to watch for me. The 2 goals per game this team has scored, basically on Kaner's back, has been tough to watch.

Here's to hoping the Kempny-Murphy pairing becomes the shutdown piece they are lacking since Forsling-Rutta fell off a cliff!

Here's to hoping the Kempny-Murphy pairing becomes the shutdown piece they are lacking since Forsling-Rutta fell off a cliff!
- JRoenick97

That's quite possible. I think Murphy playing regularly now with Forsling's demotion will be a great side effect.

Here's to hoping the Kempny-Murphy pairing becomes the shutdown piece they are lacking since Forsling-Rutta fell off a cliff!
- JRoenick97

That would be outstanding.

Wow, 38 points. Just what the team needs is another perimeter player. Panarin might even score 20 goals. Without Saad the team would have another spot on the roster where someone probably in-experienced would be trying to shutdown the other team's top players. The team's weakness would probably be even worse, but we'd get a few more PP goals to look pretty on a couple highlights. Time to move on.
- breadbag

38 points at essentially the midway mark of the season is pretty dang good. Take out the Pittsburgh game and what is the Hawks' goals/game average? Barely over 2 I'm guessing.

Fourth line is not legit 4, no one on that line really hits. I guess it's fast and I do like Kampf a lot. This may be Sharp's last ring at the bell. Still not sure what Vinnie did to get demoted and what Duclair has done to get promoted. Guess Q has to play Stan's latest toy. I am patient with Duclair the talent is there, but figured he'd have to work his way to the top line.

Three of next 4 against TB, Toronto and Nashville with Detroit sprinkled in. A bad stretch there and the team is probably done. After that Vancouver who looked pretty good last night in a loss to the Jets and a good Calgary team. Team is going to have to go on some sort of decent run against LEGIT teams to be in the conversation. If they don't, Hawks will be out of this well before the TDL.
- kwolf68

On any other NHL team right now would either Vinnie or Duclair be truly a top 6 forward? I don't think so. It's what Q is left to work with.

That's quite possible. I think Murphy playing regularly now with Forsling's demotion will be a great side effect.
- DarthKane

I agree. I didn't think he deserved a seat after that one bad pinch. Guys make mistakes. Rolling 8 d-men sucks.

On any other NHL team right now would either Vinnie or Duclair be truly a top 6 forward? I don't think so. It's what Q is left to work with.
- Rota's Rooter

They might be. Both are unknowns so far. Vinnie was playing well.

Losing Panarin is not why this team is struggling.
- JRoenick97

Cost control cannot be taken lightly. I believe I should sacrifice our best players 2 or 3 years early because I am certain that nobody will retire or be injured or otherwise not be on this team for any of a thousand other reasons and I can predict this future precisely so
I'm going to break up one of the highest scoring lines in the entire league because we win too many games. I'm going to get a nice (not great) player in return as well as a minor league goalie. I guess the message I'm sending is that I will show everybody that I favor 19 way over Kane. In fact I favor 19 over the good of all the other players on this team. But don't worry we will have another highest scoring line in about 30 to 45 years as long as there is a different gm. Then I'm going to ship Darling off because there is no chance whatsoever that Crawford will ever need a replacement but just to be sure I'm going to give away our best shutdown defenseman and get back a minor league defenceman and a forward who was not even in Arizona's top 15 prospects.

They might be. Both are unknowns so far. Vinnie was playing well.
- JRoenick97

This team is rebuilding on the fly, that means some of the young guys (i.e. Duclair and Hinostroza) will get opportunities to show what they can do. They otherwise might not get top 6 minutes, but the club needs to take a chance and see what they have in these guys.

Cost control cannot be taken lightly. I believe I should sacrifice our best players 2 or 3 years early because I am certain that nobody will retire or be injured or otherwise not be on this team for any of a thousand other reasons and I can predict this future precisely so
I'm going to break up one of the highest scoring lines in the entire league because we win too many games. I'm going to get a nice (not great) player in return as well as a minor league goalie. I guess the message I'm sending is that I will show everybody that I favor 19 way over Kane. In fact I favor 19 over the good of all the other players on this team. But don't worry we will have another highest scoring line in about 30 to 45 years as long as there is a different gm. Then I'm going to ship Darling off because there is no chance whatsoever that Crawford will ever need a replacement but just to be sure I'm going to give away our best shutdown defenseman and get back a minor league defenceman and a forward who was not even in Arizona's top 15 prospects.
- Savoy

Hammer was on the downswing and is consistently hurt or bad in AZ. That trade wasn't nearly as bad.

This team is rebuilding on the fly, that means some of the young guys (i.e. Duclair and Hinostroza) will get opportunities to show what they can do. They otherwise might not get top 6 minutes, but the club needs to take a chance and see what they have in these guys.
- DarthKane

I agree and I like it. Likely won't happen for us, but the Pens had great success with that model... and having goalies bail them out big time.

I also really like Gustafsson getting a shot. He was the lone bright spot last game.

I totally agree with your point, Justin, that this team does not have an identity. The other big loss was Hossa, of course.

But the decline of 7, 19, and 2 are also major losses. That's the big elephant in the room with regards to the future of this team, what happens to those guys? Maybe someone takes Keith but Seabrook and Toews are nearly untraceable now unless the Blackhawks retain salary, which seems like a mistake. Better to keep them and see if the CBA gets reopened and try to dump them after that. In the meantime, maybe they find the fountain of youth. But where do they fit? Who leads this team? It's a big problem. Sure, it's nice to have so many guys under 25, but will any of them be able to lead this team to a Cup or two some day? I'm skeptical.

Hammer was on the downswing and is consistently hurt or bad in AZ. That trade wasn't nearly as bad.
- JRoenick97

I like that trade, and I like to low-risk/high-reward trade for Duclair. At what point does Q separate Saad and Toews? Schmaltz and Toews had a great stretch of hockey together last year. If the offense continues to stagnate, I'd go with this....

Schmaltz-Toews-Duclair
Saad-Anisimov-Kane
Debrincat-Kampf-Hartman
Sharp-Wingels-Hayden

I like that trade, and I like to low-risk/high-reward trade for Duclair. At what point does Q separate Saad and Toews? Schmaltz and Toews had a great stretch of hockey together last year. If the offense continues to stagnate, I'd go with this....

Schmaltz-Toews-Duclair
Saad-Anisimov-Kane
Debrincat-Kampf-Hartman
Sharp-Wingels-Hayden
- EnzoD

I like that second line. It reminds me of Saad - Handzus - Kane that did pretty well a few years ago.