John Jaeckel: Did Stanley Press All The Right Buttons?

First .... Wanna bet Kane plays game 1 ... Round 1 ...

No mention of TT last night , might of been his best game all around ... Is it me or does TT look to be a better passer than Kaner ????

Definitely could see a little step in everyone's feet last night and it was definitely fun to see how Vermette and Timonen play their game. I think this is a very exciting time for the team and definitely feeling better than I did last week when Kane went down.

First .... Wanna bet Kane plays game 1 ... Round 1 ...
- HurriKane

yes.... I bet that he will not.....

I felt sad seeing timonen away from the flyers, but happy to see him playing for my hometown team. Bittersweet. Hope he does well.

I felt sad seeing timonen away from the flyers, but happy to see him playing for my hometown team. Bittersweet. Hope he does well.
- benjichronic

He is a true pro, always has been. Once he gets his feet under him and acclimated to the system he'll be the last of our worries.

When is the earliest that Kane can come back and not have the salary cap issues? Is it the start of the playoffs?

yes.... I bet that he will not.....
- ChicagoDave

I don't know ... 12 weeks seems a little extreme when some previous players with similiar injury came back in 6 weeks or so ... Dont forget they screwed and glued it back together ... Glue should be dry by then ...

I think last night's game was one of those rare, perfect timing moments...Having two of the three newly acquired players in the roster helped reinvigorate the team/fans, playing a weaker Canes team (I mean no disrespect) and at home on top of everything. Great win for the organization as a whole: team, front office, fans, etc.

First .... Wanna bet Kane plays game 1 ... Round 1 ...

No mention of TT last night , might of been his best game all around ... Is it me or does TT look to be a better passer than Kaner ????
- HurriKane

WAY too early to compare TT with Kane, positively or negatively. But he sure does make some clever passes and plays. I was impressed with how he was going to the hard areas of the ice, along the boards in front of the net etc.

Toews looked the "happiest" (for lack of a better word) in the post game interview I've seen him all season. I think the psychological impact may be better than anything. I feel good about things.

When you say DesJardin isn't here yet, do you mean that he had not reported to Chicago yet? If so, how can it be that Ben Smith played for the Sharks last night and DesJardin isn't even here yet? Any Chance DesJardin ends up in Rockford?

Thought Vermette and Timonen both looked so-so but that's understandable. Both had some nice passes and some nice plays in their own zone but like JJ said they seemed a little lost out there. Should be up to speed after a few more games, maybe a little longer in Timo's case, but I think both were great additions. Three players that I thought had great games last night were Sharp, Bicks, and Nordstrom. Sharp had a jump in his step that I haven't seen from him in a while. I think Kane's absence maybe has Sharp trying extra hard to make up for the loss of Kane's offense. We may very well see Sharp start putting up some serious points in the next stretch of games here. Granted it was against a weak opponent but overall the team looked great last night. Let's hope we can keep it going!

When you say DesJardin isn't here yet, do you mean that he had not reported to Chicago yet? If so, how can it be that Ben Smith played for the Sharks last night and DesJardin isn't even here yet? Any Chance DesJardin ends up in Rockford?
- TheJerk

Pretty simple. The Hawks game started an hour and a half earlier than the Sharks game. Ben Smith left immediately after getting traded and still barely made it to the SAP Center for the game - didn't even have time to participate in warmups. Desjardins literally could not have made it to the Hawks game in time.

Pretty simple. The Hawks game started an hour and a half earlier than the Sharks game. Ben Smith left immediately after getting traded and still barely made it to the SAP Center for the game - didn't even have time to participate in warmups. Desjardins literally could not have made it to the Hawks game in time.
- BreakoutHockey

from what was reported....Benny got a police escort to the game....bypassed traffic


http://www.mercurynews.co...scores-win-over-canadiens

great post as usual, this got me real fired up for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Crazy playoffs start next month. I think hawks have 19 regular season games left? Its gonna be a wild ride

Probably a good thing the Hawks have only 3 games over 11 days. Should give the new hires some acclamation time. The Hawks this season have lowered themselves to meet the doormats of the league, we see those teams 9 times in the last 18 games. 5 or 6 of those may be motivated to lose. Is it just me but do the Hawks still look a little awkward? Carolina, Edmonton and Phoenix are a tonic but we will see how the Hawks really measure up against the New Yorks

Pretty simple. The Hawks game started an hour and a half earlier than the Sharks game. Ben Smith left immediately after getting traded and still barely made it to the SAP Center for the game - didn't even have time to participate in warmups. Desjardins literally could not have made it to the Hawks game in time.
- BreakoutHockey

I get that, but the way JJ said it made it sound like DesJardins still isn't here. Just curious if that's the case.

Being one who is sometimes OVERLY critical of Bowman, I applaud his moves this past week. I can't really harp too much on any of the moves. Timonen to me still has me a bit worried as I hope it pans out......

However, I am not going to lose sleep over losing Dahlbeck. I also think that Bowman has a LOT of feelers out there for the guys he will target to move in the offseason and knows what he will get back. Truth be told if this team advances far, that 1st round pick plumments to almost a high 2nd round pick....and I am OK with that.

To me, the risk he took is finally what I have been looking for. He saw the holes in this roster and added veteran players with huge upsides and some nasty to help them navigate the west.

For the last 18 games I am hoping Q settles on lines and gets the 3 new guys up to speed. Eddie O mentioned it took him about 7-10 games to feel comfortable so I think that's fair when evaluating Vermette, Timonen and Desjaurdin.

From there, I don't see a huge difference in facing Nashville, STL, Winnipeg, or Minny. All are tough and have their strengths and weaknesses. The team I will keep a close tab on is the damn Kings. God willing they won't make the playoffs, but that is still the champion and until they lose......they are worthy of their accolades.

I also think that these 3 moves signal that if Kane CAN go come late 2nd round or 3rd round, the management won't hold him back. These 3 moves proved they are all in and I hope to see showtime again this spring.

It´s easy to judge after the season if Stan did press on right buttons or not. But even if Hawks won´t win Cup this year I give credit to front office for trying. They did they part and now it´s time for players and coaches to do theirs.

WAY too early to compare TT with Kane, positively or negatively. But he sure does make some clever passes and plays. I was impressed with how he was going to the hard areas of the ice, along the boards in front of the net etc.
- paulr

here's the thing I keep getting back to......I don't know if TT is worth having up for the playoffs.

Hear me out...baring an injury where do you slot this kid?

23-19-81
10-80-20
65-91-29
11-16-13/42

Figure depending upon the matchup, Q will throw Bickell up with Toews/Hossa to offer the protection and hoping playoff Bryan Bickell comes out. that moves Versteeg down with Richards, who he has had a LOT of success with this season, and Shaw. This team will need Sharp to get going to have any chance of winning 8 games.

So again...I just don't see a spot for Teuvo come playoff time. As good as he looked last night, he looked very bad on Friday night against a playoff team he was pressured into a bad turnover and knocked off the puck. I just see more of the same coming against the Blues or Preds or whomever. Tons of potential but his body has to catch up to where his skill and mind are at. Unlike Kane, he hasn't been able to display the ability of avoiding checks or being able to contribute lacking physical immaturity.

Nordstrom or Carcillo on the bottom line would help this team IMO.

It´s easy to judge after the season if Stan did press on right buttons or not. But even if Hawks won´t win Cup this year I give credit to front office for trying. They did they part and now it´s time for players and coaches to do theirs.
- MjulQvist

Agreed. This team has just as good of a shot to come out of central as anyone else. that's all we can ask for. Stan addressed just about every need. Between TVR, Rozsival, and Rundblad, no reason Q can't hide that weakness assuming the other 5 guys are healthy and playing well.

Personally I would love to see TVR paired with Oduya on the bottom line, and let Timonen play with Hammer, assuming 44 is back up to where he was last year.

Being one who is sometimes OVERLY critical of Bowman, I applaud his moves this past week. I can't really harp too much on any of the moves. Timonen to me still has me a bit worried as I hope it pans out......

However, I am not going to lose sleep over losing Dahlbeck. I also think that Bowman has a LOT of feelers out there for the guys he will target to move in the offseason and knows what he will get back. Truth be told if this team advances far, that 1st round pick plumments to almost a high 2nd round pick....and I am OK with that.

To me, the risk he took is finally what I have been looking for. He saw the holes in this roster and added veteran players with huge upsides and some nasty to help them navigate the west.

For the last 18 games I am hoping Q settles on lines and gets the 3 new guys up to speed. Eddie O mentioned it took him about 7-10 games to feel comfortable so I think that's fair when evaluating Vermette, Timonen and Desjaurdin.

From there, I don't see a huge difference in facing Nashville, STL, Winnipeg, or Minny. All are tough and have their strengths and weaknesses. The team I will keep a close tab on is the damn Kings. God willing they won't make the playoffs, but that is still the champion and until they lose......they are worthy of their accolades.

I also think that these 3 moves signal that if Kane CAN go come late 2nd round or 3rd round, the management won't hold him back. These 3 moves proved they are all in and I hope to see showtime again this spring.
- SteveRain

I think you're spot on.

And I hope that nobody from the Blackhawks speaks to anyone on the score or CBS until they change their behavior ....that was despicable ......no annoncement needed....just tell them you're busy

First .... Wanna bet Kane plays game 1 ... Round 1 ...

No mention of TT last night , might of been his best game all around ... Is it me or does TT look to be a better passer than Kaner ????
- HurriKane

Didn't Ovechkin bust Campbell's collarbone and didn't Campbell come back way early? If I remember the story correctly they had him drinking some crap that made him wanna puke but supposedly helped the bone heal quicker. If the Hawks locker room is anything like our kitchen I bet that stuff's still kickin' around the back of the fridge.

Still not thrilled about Timonen. Last night didn't calm my fears about him