John Jaeckel: New "Fourth Line" Delivers in Denver

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So , adding a real LW would be nice. But is anyone else concerned with the D ? I am .

It would probably be easier to add a Lw than a defenseman though. Cheers everyone

Thanks John

That was a big time, dare I say goal scorers goal by Hinostroza last night

That was a big time, dare I say goal scorers goal by Hinostroza last night
- BURDA13

Love that dudes speed

Notre Dame alum who graduated in '15 here. How's Vinnie doing? Always loved to watch him play in under grad but never expected him to be an NHL contributor. Thought he had career top 6 AHLer written all over him, but it seems like his name has been coming up a lot lately. Would love to see him succeed.

So now we know it wasn't the wingers holding Toews back.

Still think, come playoff time, Hinestroza size will hamper him. But putting up six goals with none of them coming from PAK Line or Toews line, is a great thing to see! Loved the Rasmussen, Desi and Shmaltz line too.

Another blog on this site is suggesting the Hawks are pushing hard to get Vanek from Detroit. He is having a pretty nice season for a lousy team 12G 18A. His cap hit is only 2.6m, and he is a LW. I think he probably has more left than Iginla, who is actually a RW.

While watching the game last night, it's pretty obvious that the veterans are pressing. They don't seem to be gathering any energy from the 1st and 2nd year players. Schmaltz looked great in the first period. Hino and Kero were flying and causing havoc. But the vets just look slow. They look like the rookies, thinking about every pass and every shot. Forcing cross ice or stretch passes (except Seabrook's to Hino last night, that was nice to see). Being tentative clearing the d-zone. It's weird to see from the Blackhawks and not sure how they are going to get over that.

I think the 'hawks are good enough to overcome the glaring FO deficiency, and even the shot deficiency. But, I think they are going to have to get back to a short passing game or even just carrying the puck in, because the long passes just aren't working right now. Or the trust level isn't there.

That being said, it was fantastic to see Schmaltz shooting first and Hino and Kero with some chemistry and energy.

By the way, those angling for a Jarome Iginla acquisition, take note: he was on the ice for the last 4 Hawk goals.

Not an impressive stat considering he only had just over 8 minutes of ice time. He is definitely not an option considering his cap hit.

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So , adding a real LW would be nice. But is anyone else concerned with the D ? I am .

It would probably be easier to add a Lw than a defenseman though. Cheers everyone

Thanks John - Mr Paulish
The problem isn't the D, it's the forwards accepting passes and moving the puck up the ice.

At one point in the 2nd period, Richard Panik was the target of 3 passes from the D-zone to the neutral zone on one shift. Each time, he coughed up the puck and COL reentered the zone. He's not the only one. Kane, left shot playing RW, receives passes from the D while facing his own net, and gets smothered by a opposing forechecker. Happened at least a half dozen times against MIN and WASH. And they're not the only ones. All the forwards have been guilty, including Toews and Hossa.

One of the biggest challenges this year has been the forwards ability to receive a pass and move up ice, especially along the boards.

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So , adding a real LW would be nice. But is anyone else concerned with the D ? I am .

It would probably be easier to add a Lw than a defenseman though. Cheers everyone

Thanks John
- mrpaulish

I am concerned.... 51 doesn't have much in the tank and 7 hasn't looked right for over a year...perhaps his new contract has influenced his play. He seems a tad lethargic on the ice.

I am concerned.... 51 doesn't have much in the tank and 7 hasn't looked right for over a year...perhaps his new contract has influenced his play. He seems a tad lethargic on the ice.
- ChicagoDave

agreed! Seabrook hasn't looked great at all for a while and considering his cap hit it's hurting big time

Kids are fitting in well on the bottom 6. Hopefully Stan sees that this team really isn't a Stanley Cup contender and doesn't mortgage one of these promising rookies for an expiring contract. I get the one goal thing and fan loyalty but at some point in time you have to see the decline and start realizing that this is indeed a transitional season.

Will Seabrook contract turn out to be the biggest albatross deal for the Hawks? $6.9m for the next 7 years!

I am concerned.... 51 doesn't have much in the tank and 7 hasn't looked right for over a year...perhaps his new contract has influenced his play. He seems a tad lethargic on the ice.
- ChicagoDave

Morning Dave. Seabrook looked like their best defenseman in the first 15 games or so when he was with Kempny. Now, who knows what happened now, but it seems as if he took half a step back. Keith playing crappy too. Hammer had some good stick checks yesterday, TVR had a decent game, Campbell got beat a couple of times but was ok. Keep Kempny playing... he is learning. Still makes a bad pinch here and there, but his awareness is pretty good. He has the tools to be a good defenseman. All he needs to do is play and learn.

If Landeskog is available as rumoured, I can see why. He was not much of a factor last night and that performance must be typical of his play this season looking at his stats.

If the Hawks are interested in him, that is a big cap hit over a long term for a meh player.

I like Kempney too, but he was badly abused a couple times last night. Probably just a product of misjudging his gaps at the NHL level...he's still learning, but I do like his game a lot...we gotta be patient with him and he'll be fine.

If healthy, I still think this Defense is among the best in the NHL, it's just our team can't possess the puck anymore like it once did. Part of a "good defense" is an offense that drives possession, which is something the Hawks absolutely no longer do, at least consistently.

Will Seabrook contract turn out to be the biggest albatross deal for the Hawks? $6.9m for the next 7 years!
- Cmonalready

He will be our first free buyout candidate after the next negotiation round.

Moving Seabrook will be a sign the Hawks are rebuilding. When he goes I expect another core player or two to go.

i really don't like the D pairs...

2-7 should be together
4-57 are the next pair
51-42-32-6 rotation for pair 3 (may get torched some)

i wanted 51 with 4, but 51s not up to what we was.

Moving Seabrook will be a sign the Hawks are rebuilding. When he goes I expect another core player or two to go.
- kwolf68

Not gonna lie it's kind of hard to imagine seeing number 7 getting traded. I'll reserve my final judgement on his playoff play and demeanor.

The Hawks D ain't perfect but that looked like mostly just an off night for the group. Seabrook has been having a rough stretch pretty much since his injury. I think he needs rest and that will likely be a big thing if the Hawks can bank some points now...rest for the vets before the playoffs start.

Before anyone gets too down about the Hawks play, consider that Crawford has been struggling, but the Hawks are 6-4 in their last 10. Only a few teams better over their last 10

Minny 7-2-1
Anahiem 7-1-2
Edmonton 6-3-1

Hawks have been pretty average lately, but aside form Minny going on that tear they had, nobody in the west has really done that much. St Louis doesn't look like they are going to catch up with how they are playing...they might even lose their spot to Nashville or Dallas if they don't do something soon.

Last night only showed that our bottom 6 (which included one HOF'er) were way better than one of the worst bottom 6's in the NHL. Meaningless game as far as being a measuring stick, and often hard to watch.

I would not take Iginla if they kept most his salary and traded him for McNeil and Svedberg. I am not that high on Vanek either. I like Sharp but they would have to keep most of his salary and even then I would not give up much (McNeil, Svedberg, 3rd round pick).

I am not sure if Campbell needs more playing time or less. But watching him now reminds me of why I was not too disappointed to see him go to Florida in 2011.

Hartmann - Could grow into marginal 2LW
Kero - Could grow to be Kruger-like 3C or 4C. A little more offense than Kruger, a little less defense and at the dot.
Hinostroza - Probably an NHL player. Decent winger to have on the roster as a bottom 6, 12th/13th forward. Can be moved up and down line up situationally if needed.
Schmaltz - Similar to Hinostroza. Probably an NHL player. Decent winger/center to have on the roster as a bottom 6, 12th/13th forward. Can be moved up and down line up situationally if needed.
Kempny/Forsling - Defensemen take more time to develop. You can see some potential and when Kempny gets comfortable with NHL game and when Forsling gets more experience and his body fills out they could be top 4 defenders.

Iginla should not even get consideration. He's not a top 6 forward at this point, and he doesn't play LW.