Doubt it.... But who knows.
- BGKarras

Yeah no way...I mean Sharpie was no Stan Mikita or Savvy.

Just not quite a HOFer

To anyone who has watched them play, Bouchard or Dobson and why? As much as I like Wahstrom at 7/8 I think they will go D

To anyone who has watched them place, Bouchard or Dobson and why? As much as I like Wahstrom at 7/8 I think they will go D
- EnzoD

The cupboards are stocked with young forwards and not so many defensemen. At this stage of the draft you take the best player available, regardless of position. However, if the Hawks view a forward and a defenseman equally I expect they’d draft the d-man.

The cupboards are stocked with young forwards and not so many defensemen. At this stage of the draft you take the best player available, regardless of position. However, if the Hawks view a forward and a defenseman equally I expect they’d draft the d-man.
- DarthKane

I'm calling the Hawks winning #2 in the lottery and taking Zadina. Dahlin would be epic though. Talk about a prescription cure for what ails the Hawks....

I'm calling the Hawks winning #2 in the lottery and taking Zadina. Dahlin would be epic though. Talk about a prescription cure for what ails the Hawks....
- EnzoD

Here is a scenario say Carolina which I believe is at 11 or 12th and the hawks get the 5th overall pick in the lottery and Carolina needs offense and likes wahstrom or tkachuk and are willing to give the hawks Hayden Fleruy their 1st a 2nd and Nicolas Roy would you make that trade?

Here is a scenario say Carolina which I believe is at 11 or 12th and the hawks get the 5th overall pick in the lottery and Carolina needs offense and likes wahstrom or tkachuk and are willing to give the hawks Hayden Fleruy their 1st a 2nd and Nicolas Roy would you make that trade?
- Scott1977

Probably, but can't imagine Carolina would do that.

Thanks Justin for a great year of blogs.

I like our team. It doesn't shock or dismay me that players get older and slower. (It's not Q or Stans fault that Sharpie and Hoss got older and retired. This is life.) Winning the Cup is not easy. It's not a cartoon show. We won it 3 times. THREE! I'm more upset that we didn't win in 2011, 12 and 14. At any rate. Thanks for taking the time to entertain us and stir the pot. It can't pay as much as the moments away from your loving family cost you. Hug the wife and beat the kids. God bless us. Every one.

GO HOCKS
GO HOGS
Go Avs
Go Stan

Seconds, seconds. If the Broncos’ bus is just a few seconds slower to the intersection the Semi passes across. If the Semi is just a few seconds slower the Broncos’ bus passes across. For both the Broncos’ bus and the Semi great numbers of planted trees around a farm obscure vision. There was no ability to react or anticipate a mistake as neither can see the other. When the Semi misses the stop sign collision is unavoidable and instant.

The Broncos were travelling to Nipiwan. My family has travelled this very highway, past this very intersection, on our way to Nipiwan, many, many times. This is actually a situation where there simply are no words. Whatever words that are used no matter how powerful seem insufficient. The stick on the porch with the porchlight on honours those that did not return home due to loss of life or injury. A stick is on our porch and our porchlight is on.

Here is a scenario say Carolina which I believe is at 11 or 12th and the hawks get the 5th overall pick in the lottery and Carolina needs offense and likes wahstrom or tkachuk and are willing to give the hawks Hayden Fleruy their 1st a 2nd and Nicolas Roy would you make that trade?
- Scott1977

Its impossible for us to get the 5th pick unless we make a trade we can get 1,2,3 and 7,8,9,10. thou the odds of 3 teams moving up from behind us is about 5% our most likely spots in order are 7, 8,1,2,3,9, 10,

Thanks everybody for the kind words. It's been a blast and excited to chat over the upcoming months to see how Stan and Co. are going to put a better product on the ice next year.

Great to see some Hawks head to the WC and others making the right decision to stay.

USA - Kane (C), Debrincat, Murphy and maybe Schmaltz
Slovakia - Jurco

Some other maybes include - Gustafsson (SWE), AA (RUS), Rutta (CZE).


Would be nice to see some Hawks on Team Canada, but more than ok with Toews and Keith sitting it out.

I will have a breakdown tomorrow on some of the interesting points from "locker clean out day" yesterday, but really excited hearing a lot of the guys talking about finding that fire again and pumped to get training for next season already (Toews, Keith, Seabs) and sounds like Saad and Debrincat are staying in Chicago to train which is amazing.

Thanks Justin - nice work sir.



Sharp? I like Sharp - but I liked Larmer better and his number isn't up there -so no, not yet... maybe not ever. Still a great player, especially over some pretty lean years.

Its impossible for us to get the 5th pick unless we make a trade we can get 1,2,3 and 7,8,9,10. thou the odds of 3 teams moving up from behind us is about 5% our most likely spots in order are 7, 8,1,2,3,9, 10,
- kmw4631

If we stay at 7, and NYI stay at 10 and 12, Do you think it would be possible to trade our 2 firsts for theirs? If not, what sweetener would we have to add?

Thanks Justin. Filled those big shoes of JJ well!

Thanks to all of you for great discussion.

It's funny being a spectator all of the championship years and then finally participating in a down year.

I'm hopeful for next year. Think the stars will rebound, the youngsters will play well, we'll sign a good D or 2 plus a decent goaltender and the draft will be fruitful.

Article on what happened with the Canadiens - so much of this I think could apply to our team and the effort (or lack thereof) we witnessed.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...nadiens-fans-hope-season/

To anyone who has watched them play, Bouchard or Dobson and why? As much as I like Wahstrom at 7/8 I think they will go D
- EnzoD

I'm torn between the two, although most draft boards have Bouchard above Dobson. Dobson seems to have a little more defensive ability right now, but Bouchard definitely is a little better with the puck on his stick. Bouchard is stronger, but Dobson's frame could lead to him being a monster in a few years. Either one would be a great addition if we can't get at Dahlin or Boqvist. These are the prototypical defensemen available after Dahlin and Boqvist's super-dynamic rover type dmen.

Evan Bouchard, D, 6'2", 192 lbs.
The third defenseman in the top ten, Evan Bouchard is a departure from the Dahlin/Boqvist phenotype and the first Canadian covered. Bouchard's biggest attribute seems to be his all-around ability, as opposed to Dahlin and Boqvist's game-changing offensive capabilities.

Bouchard has spent the last three seasons on the London Knights, and the last one as the captain after the departure of Rob Thomas. This season has been an explosion of points for Bouchard, going from 44 points in 68 games the previous year to 87 in 67. Bouchard getting top billing on a potent London team has helped him rack up points on the power play and enjoy important minutes on the top penalty kill.

Bouchard is not the dangling, NHL18-skill stick type of player like Dahlin or Boqvist. But Bouchard does venture into the offensive zone and display more traditional offensive abilities like a potent wrister and very powerful slap shot. His shooting percentage hovers around 11%, so his high goal totals could actually translate to a decent amount of goals in the NHL. He leads the OHL in shots on goal by defenseman, as well as goals by a defenseman.

Although he wears #2, he's more comparable to Brent Seabrook than Duncan Keith. He's a righty and plays the right side, and at 6'2" can use his frame in the defensive zone and along the boards. He joins the rush and will sneak in to the dot for one timers when plays are just getting started.
One area where he does compare with Keith is his headiness, he has the ability to look off defenders and fake shots/passes to open up new lanes. His calmness with the puck on his stick gives him a leg up on many defensemen in this draft.

Bouchard's poise, solid offensive play, and hockeyIQ all point towards a solid NHL career, but his one drawback is his skating. The most important thing that scouts first look at is 'can the kid skate?'. Luckily Bouchard can skate, once he gets moving. His acceleration takes a few strides before he hits his top speed though. In the NHL, where time before contact is a fraction of junior leagues, this could bite Bouchard. Having a slow first step can lead to plenty of issues in your own zone.

Maybe Bouchard's poor acceleration can be fixed by a good skating coach and more time, and luckily for him it's not coupled with other issues like size, compete level, or hockeyIQ.

This shot reminds me of one defenseman who's celebrating his 1,000th game tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxXcv2_IRRA#t=1m1s

Bouchard has some question marks around his game, and that will increase with each pick as we move further down the board. Each player will become less and less of a sure thing. There are tools to work with here though: solid IQ, good shot, size.

Best case scenario: Brent Seabrook, Seth Jones
Worst case scenario: Cody Franson, Cody Ceci
Plausible scenario: Matt Niskanen, Jacob Slavin


Noah Dobson, D, 6'3", 179 lbs.
Another defenseman in a D-heavy draft, Noah Dobson is a right-shooting Canadian defenseman currently playing in QMJHL for Acadie-Bathhurst Titan. Dobson might be the first defenseman we've covered who has his defensive ability actually touted. Most of the others have been highly dynamic offensive threats, with varying degrees of vulnerability on protecting their own end.
Dobson's height and positioning have caught the eye of scouts in several reports, and this should bode well for a team looking for a reliable two-way dman.

Dobson's offensive abilities are not lacking, he has a bomb of a slap shot and a serviceable wrist shot. He walks the line well in the offensive zone, and can be creative to keep the play alive when pinching. He looks comfortable on the left or right point when the forecheck is established. His one-timer has helped him pot 17 goals this last season. His 69 points in 67 games translates to 21 points in the NHL, using Vollman's .25 conversion factor extrapolated over an 82 game span. This seems misleading for a dman though, as their point totals are highly correlated to the amount of PP time they receive.

Dobson's deadliness from the point and top of the dots is readily apparent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZFszNblc-I

Dobson is willing to block shots, and his long reach and active stick give him a leg up on some of the other shorter defenseman in the category of 'hard to play against'. He's willing to be physical, but at 179 pounds stretched out on a 6'3" frame, there will need to be some significant bulking up to keep any aspect of that game feasible. Dobson's biggest critique is his slightness of frame, but that should be improved over the next couple of years.

While Noah is less of a superstar defenseman than some of the previous entries, he might be the most likely outside of Dahlin to become an everyday NHL defenseman.

Best case scenario: Alex Pietrangelo, Seth Jones
Worst case scenario: Jonas Brodin, Andrew MacDonald
Plausible scenario: Colin Miller, Jeff Petry

Here's a link to all of the write ups I have so far: http://www.hockeybuzz.com...post_id=18641257#18641257

Here's a link to all of the write ups I have so far: http://www.hockeybuzz.com...post_id=18641257#18641257
- ObeseOprah

Sorry, here's the correct link: http://www.hockeybuzz.com...post_id=18641257#18641257

12. Barrett Hayton, C, 6'1", 185 lbs.
The second pure center we've covered, Barrett Hayton is a Canadian lefty who has spent two seasons in the OHL playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. This last season he had 60 points in 63 games. This is not in the top 50 of the OHL scoring, with guys who have already been drafted dominating most of the top 50, but Evan Bouchard (#7 overall for us) is 8th overall in scoring for the OHL. Perhaps Hayton's 'just good' scoring numbers are the result of him being younger than a lot of his competition.
Hayton has the ability to win puck battles, as well as board battles. His two way play has been noted by Bob McKenzie, which goes a long way. He has a knack for disrupting other players' puck control, and winning the puck back: https://www.youtube.com/w...tch?v=aX2gN8LQd_A#t=2m37s

Hayton has some solid offensive moves, and many of his highlights feature him curling and dragging. He leans towards passing more than shooting, but can rip it when needed.

A lot of Hayton's playing time has come with a top OHL point producer, Flyers' prospect Morgan Frost. Hayton gravitates toward the net, and a lot of his points come from in close around the goalie.

He projects to be anywhere from #10-20 overall, as there's a line of centers to be drafted starting right around pick #10.

Best case scenario: Claude Giroux, Ryan O'Reilly
Worst case scenario: Curtis Lazar, Riley Nash
Plausible scenario: Kyle Turris, Sam Reinhart

Thanks for a great season of writeups, JL, and for giving us a place to argue about Q, Stanley, Seabrook, and Toews.

I'm getting my GM armchair reupholstered. Should be good to go before the draft.

I am ok with both Q and Bowman coming back. They are not perfect, but they have had a lot more successes than failures in the last 10 years.

I think every single person on this board would like to see Q reduce his blender setting from crush to stir. Maybe early on in this season management realized it would be a wasted year and chose to try every possible combo of forwards and defenders in all situations. If so "mission accomplished". But longer term I would like to see Q choose some combinations out of camp for the top 3 lines and the top two D pairs and play them together for about 20 games.

If Crow and Toews are not healthy next year, nothing else really matters. The Hawks will not make the playoffs. (I do not see either them going on LTIR to start the year, and even if they did we could not use their salary this summer.)

If Toews, Kane and Saad played 82 games as a line would they score about 80 goals. Would Toews score 70 points. I think they would and he would. Toews would also play in all situations, be among the leaders in faceoff %, with a very healthy plus minus. A good to great first line center.

I am not suggesting that line combination. I think Toews and Kane should play on different lines if the Hawks want some balanced scoring.

But my point is that he needs a scorer/sniper on his RW. Saad is a power forward. He is not a sniper/scorer/shooter. Expecting him to be Panarin is miscasting. Toews is a 200' player, all situations, playmaker, leader, good in the faceoff, and has good offensive skills. Toews was at his best playing with Kane or Hossa on his RW. I know people are clamoring for a top defender. But we should not overlook the need for a 1st line RW.

The 2nd line starts with Kane. He makes anyone he plays with a better scorer. Anisimov, Schmaltz, Vermette, Richards. It does not matter. He is a generational player. I would keep him on the 2nd line with AA and put Debrincat on the LW. Debrincat is a shooter, scorer, and all though he is short he is not soft. Schmaltz is not suitable because he does not shoot enough and does not go into high traffic areas or win board battles. It is just not in his makeup.

Schmaltz could center the 3rd line with a power forward (Hayden?) and they need to find a sniper/shooter for his other wing.

On D the only guy I cannot stand is Oesterle. He just not have it in him to take the body or block shots. He roams/floats around in both zones. He lack courage, toughness or something along those lines. I call him "chicken man". He is softer than TT playing a position that demands toughness. Maybe he should start next year at Rockford as LW.

I hope they can move Hossa' contract in the Summer for a 3rd round pick and a b level prospect. The team taking the contract is basically buying a 3rd round pick for $3mil (the balance left on his contract). I know teams do not need his contract to hit the cap floor. But many will have excess room they will not use under the cap ceiling. The floor does not matter. The ceiling does. He can be traded back in just less than 3 years and retire as a Blackhawk.

But my point is that he needs a scorer/sniper on his RW. Saad is a power forward. He is not a sniper/scorer/shooter. Expecting him to be Panarin is miscasting. Toews is a 200' player, all situations, playmaker, leader, good in the faceoff, and has good offensive skills. Toews was at his best playing with Kane or Hossa on his RW. I know people are clamoring for a top defender. But we should not overlook the need for a 1st line RW.

The 2nd line starts with Kane. He makes anyone he plays with a better scorer. Anisimov, Schmaltz, Vermette, Richards. It does not matter. He is a generational player. I would keep him on the 2nd line with AA and put Debrincat on the LW. Debrincat is a shooter, scorer, and all though he is short he is not soft. Schmaltz is not suitable because he does not shoot enough and does not go into high traffic areas or win board battles. It is just not in his makeup.

Schmaltz could center the 3rd line with a power forward (Hayden?) and they need to find a sniper/shooter for his other wing.

On D the only guy I cannot stand is Oesterle. He just not have it in him to take the body or block shots. He roams/floats around in both zones.

I hope they can move Hossa' contract in the Summer for a 3rd round pick and a b level prospect. The team taking the contract is basically buying a 3rd round pick for $3mil (the balance left on his contract). I know teams do not need his contract to hit the cap floor. But many will have excess room they will not use under the cap ceiling. The floor does not matter. The ceiling does. He can be traded back in just less than 3 years and retire as a Blackhawk.
- -Doh-

Agreed on Oesterle, he should just be Brookbanked until he can be a middling defenseman.
Disagree on Toews, his '200-foot' game is misleading because his offensive zone play is terrible. He has mishandled more pucks than any other Hawk I watched this season, and he led all Hawk forwards in giveaways https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/te...ago-blackhawks/statistics.

He is just not the Jonathan Toews we know with the puck anymore, he boots it, has it slip under his stick when deking, or just overhandles it. It's a sad realization but it's true.

Agreed on Hossa's contract, although we will not get anything for it, we will have to give.

Agreed on Oesterle, he should just be Brookbanked until he can be a middling defenseman.
Disagree on Toews, his '200-foot' game is misleading because his offensive zone play is terrible. He has mishandled more pucks than any other Hawk I watched this season, and he led all Hawk forwards in giveaways https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/te...ago-blackhawks/statistics.

He is just not the Jonathan Toews we know with the puck anymore, he boots it, has it slip under his stick when deking, or just overhandles it. It's a sad realization but it's true.

Agreed on Hossa's contract, although we will not get anything for it, we will have to give.
- ObeseOprah

The Hossa contract should simply stay where it is. It is not marketable. Further, the 'Hawks are a first-class organization and they take care of their own. $1 million per year for a few more years is all money Hossa well earned. The day that contract is completed, #81 goes up to rafters for the ages.

Hey Justin just wanted to say thank you for continuing JJ's Legacy here and giving us Hawks fans a place to kill time at work and talk hockey!