John Jaeckel: The Inhuman One Sets The Stage

BIG win...Way to go Hawks!!!

What does anyone think about locking down Saad with a 6 year, $24 mil deal?

BIG win...Way to go Hawks!!!
- hawk35

Great overall effort.

1. Bickel best hitting game so far...great energy
2. Shaw at his hard working, grinding best.
3. REALLY impressed by Saad last 3-4 games, over the last year or two you really see the Hossa influence on his great development.
4. Keith is not human.....incredible
5. Crawford solid third period saves when needed
6. Toews, Vermette face off domination
7. Kane is Superman

Even the #5 and #6 D-man were not harmful....

C'mon Saturday, no letdowns then boys....bring it on!!!

ANA wants to keep talking about CHI's D but...

Beachemin has looked downright terrible and slow this series. Outside of the occasional big hit here or there, he has gotten used and abused by the blackhawks stars. On several occasions he has gotten turned inside out by certain guys, on other occasions he has gotten blow by with straight ahead speed

Lindholm? What is the status of him, because he sure got rocked last night and didnt play the last several minutes of the game.

Fowler has been ok, but not good to great.

Despres has been good, but is starting to look worse for the wear

Stoner is useless and got lucky on a goal that shouldnt have counted.

Vatanen is always a threat offensively but we need more of #29 railroading him like last night

ANA wants to keep talking about CHI's D but...

Beachemin has looked downright terrible and slow this series. Outside of the occasional big hit here or there, he has gotten used and abused by the blackhawks stars. On several occasions he has gotten turned inside out by certain guys, on other occasions he has gotten blow by with straight ahead speed

Lindholm? What is the status of him, because he sure got rocked last night and didnt play the last several minutes of the game.

Fowler has been ok, but not good to great.

Despres has been good, but is starting to look worse for the wear

Stoner is useless and got lucky on a goal that shouldnt have counted.

Vatanen is always a threat offensively but we need more of #29 railroading him like last night
- FourFeathers773

Fowler's been very good, otherwise agreed

Mike Milbury had a really on point insight after the game last night.

This game 7 is a defining moment in the history of the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks. If the Hawks win this, like last year, there’s a very good chance that the Cup comes with it.

If they advance and take the Cup, that’s 3 Cups in 6 years, a Legacy, if not a Dynasty, as opposed to just being a team that won two Cups in a given decade.

I said this last year. I’ll say it again. This fact MATTERS to guys like Toews and Keith and Kane. They WANT that legacy. Have no doubt.

Hey, it’s all in the doing. And they were in that frame of mind in game 7 last year versus the Kings and we saw how that turned out.

But I would expect the kind of effort from all three you saw last night yet again in game 7 Saturday.

Shaw is going to be a beast. Kruger. These guys are warriors.

ANA wants to keep talking about CHI's D but...

Beachemin has looked downright terrible and slow this series. Outside of the occasional big hit here or there, he has gotten used and abused by the blackhawks stars. On several occasions he has gotten turned inside out by certain guys, on other occasions he has gotten blow by with straight ahead speed

Lindholm? What is the status of him, because he sure got rocked last night and didnt play the last several minutes of the game.

Fowler has been ok, but not good to great.

Despres has been good, but is starting to look worse for the wear

Stoner is useless and got lucky on a goal that shouldnt have counted.

Vatanen is always a threat offensively but we need more of #29 railroading him like last night
- FourFeathers773

Thisssssssssss

What does anyone think about locking down Saad with a 6 year, $24 mil deal?

I'd take that IN A SECOND. Take it from Bickell and give it to him. There's one problem solved. I can see Saad looking for more than $4mil a year though..

Saad-Toews-Kane

Do not separate.

Fowler's been very good, otherwise agreed
- John Jaeckel

I think he has been streaky, which is why I say ok

He has had some very nice breakout and stretch pass and hustled back to help out a couple of times, but he has also had a couple of invisible games too.

Am I the only one who just got giddy last night watching Toews and Kane playing on the same line again? That is just too much fun to watch

Nothing new here, but Game 7 will come down to who can establish their game for longer periods of time and who will take advantage of the mistakes made by the other team.

The one advantage Q has is that he can generate a preferable match up to anything BB has with the 20-19-88 line with 2-7 at the blue line. Even if BB marches out the Kesler line with Silfverberg and Beleskey, 2-7 CAN get the pucks out of the corners and the speed on that forward line is more than anything the Ducks have. How much will Q use that line is up to him.

BB has the advantage of last change but what will he do with it? He can put his star line of Perry-Getzlaf-Maroon against 11-16-65, get pucks deep and get net front presence against the smaller line. If I'm him, I would put this line against the 10-80-86 line as IMHO, this is the least effective line on the defensive end.

The one intangible in play is no matter what they say, Ghosts of Past Game 7's are in the heads of the Ducks. They can talk about different players, different years, but it's in there. The Hawks MUST SCORE FIRST. If that happens, the air will go out of the building and the "not again" will creep in the minds of not only the fans, but the Duck players.

Fowler's been very good, otherwise agreed
- John Jaeckel

I don't know why he doesn't get much credit. If I'm not mistaken, was he not an Olympian?

Saad-Toews-Kane

Do not separate.
- HawksHype

Agreed. And having Hossa on the Richards line with Bickell provides more power and more defense to deal with Getzlaf and Perry (who BB will likely try to match them up against on Saturday). Kesler cannot be everywhere and having Kane on Toews' wing will hopefully get Kesler running around. It's all about matchups and it seems Q is onto something with reuniting 19-88 and moving Hossa down. The bottom 6 have been great. Hopefully 5/26 will not be bad, which is important since Q can't hide them with preferred mathcups on the road.

Also, faceoffs will be vital. Though the 'Hawks didn't score in the 1st, their domination in the faceoff circles helped them carry possession and momentum in the game. They need to find a way to win draws on the road for the same reason. Can't wait!

Fowler's been very good, otherwise agreed
- John Jaeckel

Was just going to state the same thing. That guy really pisses me off.

I don't know why he doesn't get much credit. If I'm not mistaken, was he not an Olympian?
- DMCsPulledHammy

His hype train was in full force right out of his ELC. After he signed his extension he has slowly regressed, enough that ANA was using him as trade bait and were trying to go after guys like Tyler Myers and were offering Fowler in return

Clearly a PMD, but has not continued to develop and has gotten more a liability defensively in the last year or two.

Nothing new here, but Game 7 will come down to who can establish their game for longer periods of time and who will take advantage of the mistakes made by the other team.

The one advantage Q has is that he can generate a preferable match up to anything BB has with the 20-19-88 line with 2-7 at the blue line. Even if BB marches out the Kesler line with Silfverberg and Beleskey, 2-7 CAN get the pucks out of the corners and the speed on that forward line is more than anything the Ducks have. How much will Q use that line is up to him.

BB has the advantage of last change but what will he do with it? He can put his star line of Perry-Getzlaf-Maroon against 11-16-65, get pucks deep and get net front presence against the smaller line. If I'm him, I would put this line against the 10-80-86 line as IMHO, this is the least effective line on the defensive end.

The one intangible in play is no matter what they say, Ghosts of Past Game 7's are in the heads of the Ducks. They can talk about different players, different years, but it's in there. The Hawks MUST SCORE FIRST. If that happens, the air will go out of the building and the "not again" will creep in the minds of not only the fans, but the Duck players.
- DMCsPulledHammy

THIS.

Quotes not working, but to JJ's point about game 7 being a defining game in terms of the Hawks' legacy - I heard Milbury's comment, and thought this then:

This is probably (hopefully?) not the end of the run - may be a pause next year and the year after, but it seems they're set up for runs at another couple of Cups.

Toews, Kane, Saad, Shaw, Kruger, Hjalmarsson should be good for several more years; Keith, Seabrook should have at least a couple left; TT looks like he should have a decade of very good play; Baun, Paliotta, Pokka, Johns, Panera, Hartman could (COULD) be good contributors in a year or two or three; some others lower down in the "system"....

If Bowman can fill in some needed spaces - and where some of the young prospects miss - they could be annual contendors certainly thru the end of the decade.

What does anyone think about locking down Saad with a 6 year, $24 mil deal?
- FourFeathers773

Too long for too little.

If for that long, my guess is you won't get him for less than $36MM.

If for $24MM, you won't get him for more than 3 or 4 years.

If more of Keith's shots from the point got through, I think he would at least be nominated for the Norris Trophy every year, if not win it. It's really the only criticism I have, that he can't get his shots on goal very consistently.

I can't remember which game it was in this postseason, but he was pinned in his own corner and double teamed, and somehow he made a pinpoint pass to another Hawk to move the puck out. It was a Lidstrom play for sure. Nobody really talks about these plays that much when talking about top defenders.

Too long for too little.

If for that long, my guess is you won't get him for less than $36MM.

If for $24MM, you won't get him for more than 3 or 4 years.
- StLBravesFan

Disagree, that is kind of the pulse and market value. You are gauging too high of a jump for a guy coming off his ELC

One agent thought Saad could get $4 million to $4.5 million on a two-year bridge deal and could give the Blackhawks more of a discount on a slightly longer deal.

http://espn.go.com/blog/n...n-big-for-clutch-playoffs

Mike Milbury had a really on point insight after the game last night.

This game 7 is a defining moment in the history of the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks. If the Hawks win this, like last year, there’s a very good chance that the Cup comes with it.

If they advance and take the Cup, that’s 3 Cups in 6 years, a Legacy, if not a Dynasty, as opposed to just being a team that won two Cups in a given decade.

I said this last year. I’ll say it again. This fact MATTERS to guys like Toews and Keith and Kane. They WANT that legacy. Have no doubt.

Hey, it’s all in the doing. And they were in that frame of mind in game 7 last year versus the Kings and we saw how that turned out.

But I would expect the kind of effort from all three you saw last night yet again in game 7 Saturday.

Shaw is going to be a beast. Kruger. These guys are warriors.
- John Jaeckel

Said no one ever

Fowler doesn't get much credit because he plays in Anaheim. Yes it is sorta the #2 market but it isn't LA. I think this playoff season he is starting to round into form and knocking on the door of the upper echelon of D in the NHL.

Quotes not working, but to JJ's point about game 7 being a defining game in terms of the Hawks' legacy - I heard Milbury's comment, and thought this then:

This is probably (hopefully?) not the end of the run - may be a pause next year and the year after, but it seems they're set up for runs at another couple of Cups.

Toews, Kane, Saad, Shaw, Kruger, Hjalmarsson should be good for several more years; Keith, Seabrook should have at least a couple left; TT looks like he should have a decade of very good play; Baun, Paliotta, Pokka, Johns, Panera, Hartman could (COULD) be good contributors in a year or two or three; some others lower down in the "system"....

If Bowman can fill in some needed spaces - and where some of the young prospects miss - they could be annual contendors certainly thru the end of the decade.
- StLBravesFan

I agree and I said this on the blog yesterday. Just like after 2010, there could be some bridge years before they win another Cup. Younger guys will develop with the big club and gain experience. The cap wil rise and hopefully some more talent is added through smart trades and free agents (staring at you StanBow).