Justin Lowe: Fast Five: Make St. Louis Sing the Blues The Blackhawks will be happy to play the villain in their next 2 games vs. the Blues. St. Louis is currently 1-point out of the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

As much as this season has been a disappointing one for the Hawks, this would be a great feeling of accomplishment (I guess) to end the year on a high note.

First

Q should be bounced ,respect what he has help accomplish but it is time for him to ride off into the sunset adios amigo . And for replacement look younger like Sheldon Keefe or former players like Oates or Muller . Sorry but Stan not working alone up front ,but Q has not been a team player with the FO for at least the last 3 years .. Times up Joel . And might as well swallow the pride tonight and the rest of the way ,and lose lose lose . What a stinker of a year , but maybe we get lucky in the lottery

I want them to lose, they are missing elite talent in there system and they traded away a 80 pt scorer for basically Richard panik the real mistake was not going a little higher then 6 mil x 2 and get him signed for 6-7 years. IE something like 7 years 45-48 mil should have gotten it done but Stan (one of my biggest complaints of his) is that he gives Long term deals only to his UFA players and tends to over pay and then forces his younger players on bridge deals and then cannot afford them. The game has left him behind in that regard. People are giving the young guys long term and older guys short term.

I also have liked everything I have seen of Martinsen since the 'Hawks have had much too little grit. Every hockey team needs several muscle shifts each game.

Q should be bounced ,respect what he has help accomplish but it is time for him to ride off into the sunset adios amigo . And for replacement look younger like Sheldon Keefe or former players like Oates or Muller . Sorry but Stan not working alone up front ,but Q has not been a team player with the FO for at least the last 3 years .. Times up Joel . And might as well swallow the pride tonight and the rest of the way ,and lose lose lose . What a stinker of a year , but maybe we get lucky in the lottery
- oldduffman

JL, great write-up as usual!

Over the course of a few months I now come down on the keep Q bounce Stanbo category. This board comes down hard on Q and his line blender, ask your self why he has to crank it to 11. Under performing vets, overpaid vets killing the 2nd and third line with players on the cheap, and trading away players like TT and Danult for no reason and getting nothing in return. Q has made his mistakes running a few D out of town, however in the big scheme, we do not know the locker room drama or said players reluctance to play in the system.

Mr. Jokiharju will be 19 this June (if my math is correct) - meaning that he can play in Rockford next year.

No?

Mr. Jokiharju will be 19 this June (if my math is correct) - meaning that he can play in Rockford next year.

No?
- StLBravesFan

I believe so

'a guy that might be carving out a spot for himself is Andreas Martinsen.

The 27-year old is a UFA after this season, however, wouldn't be expensive to resign.'

4 years, $3.5 per, full NMC, $2M in bonuses for One Goal ads completed.

From the last blog:

Justin and all,

Long time lurker, really, I think first time poster. Love the updates and the banter, both positive and negative.

2 questions I have are:

#1 If you fire Q, who are you going to replace him with? I'm sure skins on the wall mean a lot to players, in terms of respect and all, so if Q is gone, who can actually get that respect from the 'core' and actually get them to perform at an acceptable/career standard level?

#2 If you fire Stan, what actual good, qualified GM would take the job? I doubt that any quality GM wouldn't want to be a part of McDonough's committee of decision makers.

It just seems like we're screwed either way..
- CamRusselsJock

I believe the simple answer to both questions is to hire internally: hire a new coach who the players know already and assumedly like and trust plus hire a new GM who McD already knows and trusts and who is already on that committee of decision makers. More specifically, promote Don Granato and Norm Maciver.

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015

If Kane cried for Savard's firing, what will he do if Q gets fired?

Asking the tough questions, more on Channel 6 at 9.

If Kane cried for Savard's firing, what will he do if Q gets fired?

Asking the tough questions, more on Channel 6 at 9.
- ObeseOprah

You know, he might just say "It's about time we have a coach that sets lines and lets us play and gel together. I'm glad this blender crap is over. "

Mcego bowman Q all should go does wirtz have the stones to do that i don't think so he should and bring in a hockey guy to run the hockey side of the organization i would be ok with promoting norm to gm and granto to coach stevens to run the d and pk and oates to run the fowards and pp. I am torn between the hawks knocking out tje blues from the playoffs or losing the next 3 and solidify and top 7 pick we top end talent and impact players. The last 3 years have been a slow decline in which bowman and company have miss so 1 or 2 of the core have got to be moved this offseason. Nothing matters until crow and towes get back healthy and playing at top level play otherwise next season won't matter those 2 players arw key to the hawks success going forward. So what signings trades are needing in the offseason to get the hawks back in the playoffs. Do the hawks entertain the possibility of trading kane and kieth and get hugh hauls for both. what would those trades look like any ideas?

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015

Life is not fair. No coach lasts forever.

Quotes not working.

Today @ 12:14 PM ET

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015


Life is not fair. No coach lasts forever.



This is very true. However, Q didn't build this roster. Bowman did. Q didn't get stupid overnight. He managed to "gel" and jumble four lines for 3 Cups.

This roster right now has maybe ONE NHL defenseman--Keith--and he's only a shell of his former self. Seabrook is a boat anchor. The other D men wouldn't make the top 6 on a good team's roster this year. That's on Bowman. Not Q.

The Hawks have a Yuuuge goaltending issue. That's on Bowman. Not Q.

Mcego bowman Q all should go does wirtz have the stones to do that i don't think so he should and bring in a hockey guy to run the hockey side of the organization i would be ok with promoting norm to gm and granto to coach stevens to run the d and pk and oates to run the fowards and pp. I am torn between the hawks knocking out tje blues from the playoffs or losing the next 3 and solidify and top 7 pick we top end talent and impact players. The last 3 years have been a slow decline in which bowman and company have miss so 1 or 2 of the core have got to be moved this offseason. Nothing matters until crow and towes get back healthy and playing at top level play otherwise next season won't matter those 2 players arw key to the hawks success going forward. So what signings trades are needing in the offseason to get the hawks back in the playoffs. Do the hawks entertain the possibility of trading kane and kieth and get hugh hauls for both. what would those trades look like any ideas?
- Scott1977

Toews and Crow playing at top level again is a huuuuge question.

You know, he might just say "It's about time we have a coach that sets lines and lets us play and gel together. I'm glad this blender crap is over. "
- powerenforcer

I never made the show as a player, but that's what I would have said. You don't always have the time to look around before you make a play, you just have to know where someone is or is going. And that takes time. Being blended all the time does not support that.

Toews and Crow playing at top level again is a huuuuge question.
- 35Tony0

That's my point if those 2 players do not get back to playing at high level then it will be long next few seasons. Would you listen to offers on kieth and kane if teams come calling and if a trade made sense would you pull the trigger?

Quotes not working.

Today @ 12:14 PM ET

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015


Life is not fair. No coach lasts forever.



This is very true. However, Q didn't build this roster. Bowman did. Q didn't get stupid overnight. He managed to "gel" and jumble four lines for 3 Cups.

This roster right now has maybe ONE NHL defenseman--Keith--and he's only a shell of his former self. Seabrook is a boat anchor. The other D men wouldn't make the top 6 on a good team's roster this year. That's on Bowman. Not Q.

The Hawks have a Yuuuge goaltending issue. That's on Bowman. Not Q.
- tompo1015

When quotes do not work go to the top of the page and click on the title. They will then work for you.

That's my point if those 2 players do not get back to playing at high level then it will be long next few seasons. Would you listen to offers on kieth and kane if teams come calling and if a trade made sense would you pull the trigger?
- Scott1977

No. Both have NTCs, and you don't need to piss off your best two players by making them exercise their NTCs.

I get the whole 'sell while they have value', but I'm not in full rebuild mode. Kane and Keith are the only pillars of this house that haven't rotted, they're the last two I would trade.

Things look grim right now, but if Colorado can go from worst team in memory to wildcard... the Hawks can right the ship next year with some shrewd FA moves and a solid draft. As Mrs. Doubtfire would say: HELP IS ON THE WEY DEAR!!!

That's my point if those 2 players do not get back to playing at high level then it will be long next few seasons. Would you listen to offers on kieth and kane if teams come calling and if a trade made sense would you pull the trigger?
- Scott1977

Absolutely, you must listen to all offers as a GM. For players at the very top echelon, however, the offer must be too good to refuse before you even begin to consider it.

EDIT: case in point, the offer the Bruins received decades ago offering them Phil Esposito.

Quotes not working.

Today @ 12:14 PM ET

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015


Life is not fair. No coach lasts forever.



This is very true. However, Q didn't build this roster. Bowman did. Q didn't get stupid overnight. He managed to "gel" and jumble four lines for 3 Cups.
This roster right now has maybe ONE NHL defenseman--Keith--and he's only a shell of his former self. Seabrook is a boat anchor. The other D men wouldn't make the top 6 on a good team's roster this year. That's on Bowman. Not Q.

The Hawks have a Yuuuge goaltending issue. That's on Bowman. Not Q.
- tompo1015

Kinda of shallow thinking here. Hawks traded away multiple 1st/2nd round picks during the Cup runs to bring in help. That's huge a net loss in the youth pipeline. Did you or anyone else see the collapse of 19, 7 and 20 this year? Players get older and wear down. Our issue is that most of our stud players were in the tank this year. Q's job is to take the roster he has and find the best way to utilize it. Most times he doesn't and falls back to the old boys back pat and new guys in the dog house routine. Murphy is a classic example. Instead of letting him settle in, he has yo-yo'd the crap out of him. It goes beyond this year. Troy Brouwer anyone?

Q has mishandled the roster on multiple occasions to include Trevor Daley who got zero chance and was shipped out. Or the total WTF line up with the Blues in the 2016 playoffs. He figured it out at the end, but it was way to late. This team all year has looked unprepared and had zero compete level. That is on Q. Even with 50 in the net, it would have been a circus with the amount of shots we give up. For better or worse, Q and Bowman were able to make this work to bring 3 Cups. They both have blame for the bad things that have happened. If Q does go, I totally agree that a new GM should be brought in as well.

I'm glad this blender crap is over. "
- powerenforcer

I don't get why people harp on this. If Q finds a line that works, he keeps it. Unfortunately only one line has worked over the past 2 seasons.

Keep in mind the odd 3rd line combos that worked and won us Cups.

Quotes not working.

Today @ 12:14 PM ET

If Q gets fired and Stan keeps his job.....there is no justice.
- tompo1015


Life is not fair. No coach lasts forever.



This is very true. However, Q didn't build this roster. Bowman did. Q didn't get stupid overnight. He managed to "gel" and jumble four lines for 3 Cups.

This roster right now has maybe ONE NHL defenseman--Keith--and he's only a shell of his former self. Seabrook is a boat anchor. The other D men wouldn't make the top 6 on a good team's roster this year. That's on Bowman. Not Q.

The Hawks have a Yuuuge goaltending issue. That's on Bowman. Not Q.
- tompo1015

This stuff might be on Bowman, but what no one ever questions or mentions, is what choices did he ultimately have? For goaltending, he went and got Forsberg, who most were pretty high on, and thought that he could become the backup that was needed. Its all a gamble, and Bowman did what he could to get the players that he needed. Most of it just didn't work out his year.