Brassard
- John Jaeckel

I am just not quite sure how a long range investment in Brassard, who was sat down in Columbus for his non-production makes the Hawks closer in the playoffs.

I understand his upside.

I just think if they are really looking for an addition that makes them better now it comes from a different centre, one who has played in all critical game situations.

This sounds like a June move, after you decide where you need a facelift.

Now you want a seamless transition to guy who doesn't need his own coach to get him up to snuff on what happens in this situation or what the tactics are going to be...

Yeah...i wonder if the folks, scouts and GM in Columbus are laughing. Nash has been to the playoffs ONCE and he's been there 9 YEARS.
- philco28

Sure, lets blame Rick Nash for choosing Filatov, Zherdev, Picard and Brule in the draft with selection positions no higher than 8th overall. And how many coaches has he had in those 9 years?

The entire organization is a joke - scouts, GM, President and Owner. Bettman should revoke the entire franchise.

MY THOUGHTS ON NASH, HAWKS:

1) He is a better player than Sharp. Good big man versus good smaller man.

2) The Hawks, at this point, and in this market, would be insane to be seriously making a move for Nash. The teams that pose a real playoff threat to the Hawks (VAN, DET, SJ) can't afford him either.

3) I really think Howson needs to get a 1A goalie from this sell-off, unless he thinks he can get by with a better defense and Sanford. Mason was terrible last night. Still, I think Nash goes in the offseason, maybe to VAN for Schneider or Lack++

Sure, lets blame Rick Nash for choosing Filatov, Zherdev, Picard and Brule in the draft with selection positions no higher than 8th overall. And how many coaches has he had in those 9 years?

The entire organization is a joke - scouts, GM, President and Owner. Bettman should revoke the entire franchise.
- RickJ

See my last post.

MY THOUGHTS ON NASH, HAWKS:

1) He is a better player than Sharp. Good big man versus good smaller man.

2) The Hawks, at this point, and in this market, would be insane to be seriously making a move for Nash. The teams that pose a real playoff threat to the Hawks (VAN, DET, SJ) can't afford him either.

3) I really think Howson needs to get a 1A goalie from this sell-off, unless he thinks he can get by with a better defense and Sanford. Mason was terrible last night. Still, I think Nash goes in the offseason, maybe to VAN for Schneider or Lack++
- John Jaeckel

My main defense of Sharp revolves around the intangible of CHEMISTRY. He's one of the top character players to have worn the Tomahawk in the last 30 years.

Yeah...i wonder if the folks, scouts and GM in Columbus are laughing. Nash has been to the playoffs ONCE and he's been there 9 YEARS.
- philco28

This is why it's dangerous to have Chicago win a championship.... Bears fans are still taking about a team from almost 30 years ago like it exists today.... And hawks fans are going to do the same

who cares what Sharp did 2 seasons ago.... Is he or Nash the better fit NOW? Your team 'as is'.... It's broken. How will you fix it? Nash is definitely better than Sharp without doubt. Is nash the solution, I don't know. I think the hawks brass should first determine what kind of team they want the hawks to be moving forward... (i.e. Big and tough, strong defensively, fast and skilled)

No shhhhhhhhhhit Sherlock...but supposedly GREAT PLAYERS...can lift their teams to the playoffs. The "all world" Nash has been there ONCE in 9 YEARS.

And when Banks played, only a handful of teams made the playoffs...not 16 like in the NHL. Try again.
- philco28

great players can lift their teams to the playoffs?? really? Walter Payton was great, did he do a lot of lifting his teams to the playoffs? No he needed a surrounding cast.
Banks played with half the teams they have now. Try again, son. How did Jordan do when the team was crap? Uh uh uh. I know, when he got help, they won. I am sure others will throw out 50 other guys that will hurt your weak argument.

If you land Brassard at 3.5 for three more years you have your secound line center position set. who cares about a first pick this year Bowman needs to make it happen.
- Dojodan

Yeah, I'm in agreement here. Go get Brassard. Kid's got decent numbers on a bad team, he's a natural center, and his cap hit isn't terrible.

My guess is that the Hawks are trying to get Columbus to take Frolik back, while Columbus wants Stalberg.

Frolik + Pirri + 1st for Brassard should get it done. Or Bickell + Pirri + 1st for Brassard. Whatever, just do it, then get a UFA defenseman and maybe Adam Burish too. Capwise, Brassard's contract replaces Brunette's next year and one of the kids comes up to fill in for Bickell or Frolik.

Kane Toews Sharp
Hossa Brassard Stalberg
Kruger Bolland Bickell/Brunette/Frolik
Hayes Mayers Burish

No discussion / comparison of Sharp & Nash.

Nash is an agile big man with hands.

Sharp is a well honed veteran shooter with an array of shots and looks, who for the sake of his role, cannot be a big active hitter.

Nash is what Brouwer Bourque were trying to be: except he is.

This is why it's dangerous to have Chicago win a championship.... Bears fans are still taking about a team from almost 30 years ago like it exists today.... And hawks fans are going to do the same

who cares what Sharp did 2 seasons ago.... Is he or Nash the better fit NOW? Your team 'as is'.... It's broken. How will you fix it? Nash is definitely better than Sharp without doubt. Is nash the solution, I don't know. I think the hawks brass should first determine what kind of team they want the hawks to be moving forward... (i.e. Big and tough, strong defensively, fast and skilled)
- moylander

Sharp is the better fit now and for the next several years.

The pick is also tied to how many rounds the team gets in the playoffs.

This is a strong thick draft of patially developed guys and in my opion will provide more players who will play "some" games than any other draft.

There is no ready made super star, and Nail Yakupov will come in and help Columbus and play now but I sincerely doubt he is an elite threat even when fully developed. he is just ahead of his class.
After Yakupov you can find fault in the size or production of first 16 guys in the next tier. We can project all we want but many of this bragged on defense class may be NHL players who land as second pairings, and from Grigorenko to Gally to the Swedes, there is some skill but not full tank rounded game.

That Hawk pick falls in the third tier from 17 - 38, and a lot depends upon the mistakes/varying opinions of the teams select in the slost before that pick, there could be a player or group they really like in that grouping. All the NHL teams have already finished their prelininary draft lists and sorts kinda know where things are in terms of possible slottings. So just maybe they have falling in love, and will not fall out of love for players available in deadline trades who they don't feel are good fits.

17. Slater Koekkoek D Peterborough (OHL) 6' 2" 183 LD Canadian
18. Olli Määtä D London (OHL) 6' 2" 198 LD Finnish
19. Damon Severson D Kelowna (WHL) 6' 1" 175 RD Canadian
20. Teuvo Teräväinen RW Jokerit (SM-liiga) 5' 10" 157 LhRW Finnish
21. Scott Kosmachuk RW Guelph (OHL) 6' 0.25" 182 RW Canadien
22. Oscar Dansk G Brynäs IF (SEL) 6' 2" 185 * Swedish
23. Brendan Gaunce C Belleville (OHL) 6' 2" 205 LC Canadien
24. Henrik Samuelsson RW USA U-18 NTDP/Modo/Edmonton WHL 6' 2.1" 192 RW American / Swede
25. Jordan Schmaltz D Green Bay (USHL) 6' 2" 170 RD Committed U. Wisc. American
26. Phil Di Giuseppe LW U. of Michigan 6' 0" 190 LW Canada
27. Brady Skjei D US-Under-18 (USAH-NTDP) 6' 1" 183 LD- U. of Minnesota American
28. Nick Ebert D Windsor (OHL) 6' 0.5" 193 RD American
29. Tom Wilson RW Plymouth (OHL) 6' 4" 194 RW Canadian
30. Andrei Vasilevski G Ufa (KHL) 6' 3" 193 * Russian
31. Ludvig Byström D MoDo (SEL) 6' 0" 190 LD Swedish
32. Dalton Thrower D Saskatoon (WHL) 6' 0" 195 RD Canadian
33. Martin Frk RW Halifax (QMJHL) 6' 0.5" 198 RW Czech
34. Malcolm Subban G Belleville (OHL) 6' 0.5" 183 * Canadien
35. Colten Scissons RW Kelowna (WHL) 6' 1" 182 RC Canadian
36. Tomas Hertl C Praha Slavia (Czech) 6' 2" 194 LC Czech
37. Anton Slepyshev RHLW Novokuznetsk (Rus) 6' 0" 160 RhLW Russian
38. Ville Pokka D Kärpät Oulu (SM-liiga) 6' 0.5" 192 RD Italian-Finn
- wiz1901

Here's my thing, Wiz.

How much difference will there be between the guy chosen at #25 and the guy chosen at #55? How much difference is there in any given draft year? My intuition and recollection tells me . . . often not much.

Further, it's going to be more of what the Hawks have stockpiled in the last two drafts: 2nd and 3rd line guys, 2nd and third pairing guys. Where would they all play?

If you're quibblng over Stalberg/Pirri and a 2nd to Columbus or Stalberg/Pirri and a first for a guy who is tailor made to be your 2C for the next five years, that is penny-wise and pound foolish thinking. Or looking for a convenient excuse not to make a deal.

The "geniuses" who seem to want to give Bowman a pass for not making any deals, because everything is "overvalued," need to be aware of the fact that whining about the price of gas doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to drive your car to work.

Do you want to improve your team for a run this year or not?

The market is what it is. You have a plethora of prospects from your last two drafts— so you are in position to deal prospects or picks now. In Bickell and Stalberg, you have two young forwards who a lot of teams have interest in.

There's really no excuse not to man up and do a deal. None.

I'll get a blog up later today. Posted what I know on the Brassard thing on the main HB page rumor section.

I have confirmation of interest by the Hawks and discussion with the Blue Jackets from two sources. How imminent a trade is and who the players are, I don't know.

I hear the asking price is: a rostered player, prospect and pick. I heard Pirri mentioned specifically as the prospect the Hawks would offer/are offering—but that seemed almost speculative when I heard it.

I think what everyone needs to prepare for is that prices have not gone down, they've gone up. Look at the Zidlicky deal.

The asking price for Roy, Grabovski and Brassard all seems pretty consistent: rostered player, prospect and pick (and I think to win in any of these, the pick is going to have be a late 1st rounder).

At the end of the day, the question is this: do you want to improve this team for a run this year, or do you want to take your chances that the prospects/picks you don't trade away will all develop (which are not high).

The feedback I am getting from 95% of the fans I talk to is Bowman is being way to cautious.
- John Jaeckel

I know that this year's draft is supposedly deeper than it has been in years. If Bowman not wanting to give up his 1st round pick is gumming up the works to get a deal done, why not offer up his 1st round pick in '13, and then kick in a pick (for example, a 4th round pick) in this year's draft to go with it?

great players can lift their teams to the playoffs?? really? Walter Payton was great, did he do a lot of lifting his teams to the playoffs? No he needed a surrounding cast.
Banks played with half the teams they have now. Try again, son. How did Jordan do when the team was crap? Uh uh uh. I know, when he got help, they won. I am sure others will throw out 50 other guys that will hurt your weak argument.
- Leerock

My argument may be weak...yours may be weaker. Just don't hold your breath if you're hoping for Sharp to be dealt.

Here's my thing, Wiz.

How much difference will there be between the guy chosen at #25 and the guy chosen at #55? How much difference is there in any given draft year? My intuition and recollection tells me . . . often not much.

Further, it's going to be more of what the Hawks have stockpiled in the last two drafts: 2nd and 3rd line guys, 2nd and third pairing guys. Where would they all play?

If you're quibblng over Stalberg/Pirri and a 2nd to Columbus or Stalberg/Pirri and a first for a guy who is tailor made to be your 2C for the next five years, that is penny-wise and pound foolish thinking. Or looking for a convenient excuse not to make a deal.

The "geniuses" who seem to want to give Bowman a pass for not making any deals, because everything is "overvalued," need to be aware of the fact that whining about the price of gas doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to drive your car to work.

Do you want to improve your team for a run this year or not?

The market is what it is. You have a plethora of prospects from your last two drafts— so you are in position to deal prospects or picks now. In Bickell and Stalberg, you have two young forwards who a lot of teams have interest in.

There's really no excuse not to man up and do a deal. None.
- John Jaeckel

Well said.

t

If you land Brassard at 3.5 for three more years you have your secound line center position set. who cares about a first pick this year Bowman needs to make it happen.
- Dojodan

I agree....

Let her play. And I can tell you from experience that on the ice playing hockey when girls get older they say much worse things to each other than boys do. Some of it is unbelievable.

And get the girl swinging a golf club, cut down to proper size of course.
- RickJ

Couldn't agree more. I have two girls (5,3). The 5 does figure skating (basic 3) and she is in a learn to play hockey program. The three yr old is doing basic 2 figure skating. They love the ice. They also do gymnastics. Introduce them to lots of activities.

Got one more on the way - not sure if boy or girl but will keep them on the same pattern. Due date is supposed to be just after the hawks lift the cup this year.

My argument may be weak...yours may be weaker. Just don't hold your breath if you're hoping for Sharp to be dealt.
- philco28

I'm not saying I want Nash for Sharp. I was commenting on your lame comment about Nash and lifting his team to the heavens because great players do that.

My argument was spot on, this isn't golf. You need teammates that are worth a damn.