John Jaeckel: The Unusual Suspects

First

What's wrong with Keith???

None of those guys project as line 1 LW. I guess they'll just plug someone there.

- KINGS67

I keep seeing Kings fans really worried about the Hawks this off season and laughing when we miss out on a guy..... You guys should really be worried about your own average squad. Figure out how to get out from under Dustin Brown horrid contract even going in with a good amount of young guys will be to much for the Kings to handle this year.

None of those guys project as line 1 LW. I guess they'll just plug someone there.
- kwolf68

This is what I was afraid of....

He's smart enough to bag out of that meaningless money grab.

this blog should make some regular posters on here happy. I'm glad to hear they'll be given first look. I wonder if either could be 1LW with 19 and 81 or 88.

did your source mention what the coaches are thinking about Richard Panik at all?

JJ, first time on the blog. Another long time lurker! First, I'd like to say thanks for giving me something intelligent to read on the Hawks and any rumors you can pass on. Now that it seems that we’re going to have to fill in the “empty” F slots with our home grown talent. This was just the writing on the wall with the stagnant salary cap. Seems we’ll have to throw the kids in the pool and see if they can swim. So Ice Hogs to the rescue!?!?!?! Love to see what they can do and hope they’re not too much of a detriment to the team while learning. Salary cap era sucks! Keep up the good work!

What's wrong with Keith???
- EnzoD

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=891570

Oy.

Interesting. Here is what i would do:

Use training camp and preseason to select the 2 best players among Schmaltz, Motte, Hinostroza, Hartman, and McNeil(or whoever else might burst onto the scene).

Put one with Toews and Kane/Panarin.

Put the other with Anisimov and Kane/Panarin

Panik-Kruger-Hossa 3rd line(if one of the rookies doesn't work out in the top 6 you have Hossa to swap in)

Desi-Moose-Tootoo/Lundberg 4th line

Roll with this and the rock solid D/goaltending until the team is well positioned to make a move at the TDL to add a legit LW for the playoff run.

I keep seeing Kings fans really worried about the Hawks this off season and laughing when we miss out on a guy..... You guys should really be worried about your own average squad. Figure out how to get out from under Dustin Brown horrid contract even going in with a good amount of young guys will be to much for the Kings to handle this year.
- HawksGuySince85

You guys are so thinned skinned, even emojis get you agitated. Calm down little guy. I never said Kings weren't in a bad situation or not. I just think it's funny how all of you think you an get any player out there because of Toews and Kane. Everyone else is laughing.... For the record, EVERYONE knows how horrible Browns contact is. Mistakes happen. It is what it is now

At some point guys like McNeill and Hartman will need an extended look. It makes sense for McNeill to get a shot, if for no other reason that the Hawks saw fit to re-sign him this summer. A cap hit of $600K certainly gives him a leg up on some of the competition.

What's wrong with Keith???
- EnzoD

Really bad hangnail.

You guys are so thinned skinned, even emojis get you agitated. Calm down little guy. I never said Kings weren't in a bad situation or not. I just think it's funny how all of you think you an get any player out there because of Toews and Kane. Everyone else is laughing.... For the record, EVERYONE knows how horrible Browns contact is. Mistakes happen. It is what it is now
- KINGS67

How is it funny that a group of fans of a successful team with a track record of adding talented players via FA get together and talk about how they want to add other talented players?

Nobody is laughing.

What is happening though, is jealous/salty fans of other teams are trolling the Hawks because of their own insecurities/immature states of mind. Thank you for further proving this, as if your comments in the Vesey to NYR thread weren't enough.

John Jaeckel: The Unusual Suspects
- John Jaeckel

great movie

How is it funny that a group of fans of a successful team with a track record of adding talented players via FA get together and talk about how they want to add other talented players?

Nobody is laughing.

What is happening though, is jealous/salty fans of other teams are trolling the Hawks because of their own insecurities/immature states of mind. Thank you for further proving this, as if your comments in the Vesey to NYR thread weren't enough.
- SimpleJack

>McNeil made his NHL debut this past season vs the Canes
>Flew in for one game to join the Hawks in Carolina
>Team-wise, Hawks were on fumes and some players were battling flu-like symptoms
>Hawks effort was non-existent and Mr. McNeil fit right in
>As in no-impact at all, no energy, made zero difference on the ice
>Can't recently recall a Hawk making his NHL debut and doing nothing on every shift
>Hartman at least leveled a Devil in his first game
>Am surprised the Hawks resigned McNeil -- would be delighted to be wrong about what he can do at the NHL level

I keep seeing Kings fans really worried about the Hawks this off season and laughing when we miss out on a guy..... You guys should really be worried about your own average squad. Figure out how to get out from under Dustin Brown horrid contract even going in with a good amount of young guys will be to much for the Kings to handle this year.
- HawksGuySince85

Don't feed the troll. Thx.

>Hartman at least leveled a Devil in his first game

- SnapitUpstairs

Danius Zubrus. Flipped him upside down with that hit. All 6' 5" 225 lbs of him.

I think the hawks should target a few leaf players this training camp. The leafs will have probably 3 or 4 nhl quality players that will not make the team. Players like josh leivo and peter holland would look good on the blackhawks.

Danius Zubrus. Flipped him upside down with that hit. All 6' 5" 225 lbs of him.
- EKB13

Hopefully that's not the highlight of Hartman's career.

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=891570

Oy.
- Hank_Greenberg

Hey Hank...think it's more of a precaution...wish all of the Hawks wouldn't play in this series which I think will be on ESPN3 - more great coverage by the Eastern Seaboard Network...

As far as the kids at this point - they have no other choice after Vesey chose the Garden and Hudler going to Dallas...once again Nill takes Stan to the woodshed. Maybe that's not how it played out, but it reads that way...

You certainly have to give Bowman credit for emptying the cupboard last spring to try to get one more Cup, but he failed to get the one piece they needed a #4 Dman. I really liked Danault and hated seeing him moved. Ladd was solid, led the team in hits in the series against the Blues, but you knew going in you were going to lose him at the end of the season and had already given up Dano to get him.

Meanwhile losing Shaw and Saad in successive offseasons are both killers for this team moving forward.

So we are where we are at this point. And we'll get to see if 'the kids can play'...
ready or not...it certainly will be interesting watching the team here to start the season...

Given the current situation, I'm fine with giving an extended evaluation to McNeill and Hartman. It's time to fish or cut bait.

2 questions:

1) Could McNeil center the third line, bump Krugs to 2nd line with Kane and Panarin, and move AA up to 1LW?

2) With an influx of rookies, do you think Q would schedule practices for the young guys, and have the vets on a rotating schedule? If they had all the young guys practice, and threw in Toews, Hossa and Keith, the next practice you could have AA, Kane and Seabrook, etc. That way the vets don't get burned out, but the young guys can learn the system.