Pittsburgh Penguin fans are certain they got the better of the Rob Scuderi-Trevor Daley trade.
LA Kings fans seem to feel the same way about the Scuderi-Chrisitan Ehrhoff deal.
Where does that leave Hawks fans?
You might not know how to feel about Ehrhoff, but one thing’s for sure—the team is going to see how big a role he can play in the weeks 9and possibly months) to come.
Specifically, I heard this morning the Blackhawks intend to see if Ehrhoff “can replace 52 (Erik Gustafsson) as #4.…
Speaking for myself, I’d feel a lot better about Ehrhoff if this were 2011. But, alas, it’s not, and I honestly haven’t seen enough of him the last couple of years to really have an opinion. Bu this I know. Daley wasn’t as bad as some Hawk fans made him out to be. Nor was Scuderi as bad as some Penguin fans made him out to be.
Conversely, neither Daley nor Scuderi may be as good as their respective teams’ fans are making them out to be now.
Still with me?
What I’m saying is, defensemen, in my opinion, tend to get pretty savagely picked apart by fans. It’s a tough job, and even the best in the business, as Hawk fans regularly witness on their own blueline, have breakdowns from time to time. Fans also can be, ummm, blindly optimistic about their own guys.
I do also agree that sometimes, the system and the expectations of the coaching staff will suit one player’s strengths better than another’s.
Will that hold true for Ehrhoff, an experienced puck mover for sure, in Joel Quenneville’s system?
We will find out soon enough.
Where that leaves the Hawks is interesting. Last year, the Hawks went through the final two rounds of the playoffs with a bottom 3 of Kimmo Timonen, David Rundblad, and Kyle Cumiskey (with a little bit of hobbled Trevor van Riemsdyk).
This year, assuming Michal Rozsival stays healthy, you are looking at him, van Riemsdyk and Ehrhoff/Gustafsson, with Jay Harrison as your likely #8.
So while there is a downgrade form Johnny Oduya to Ehrhoff or Gustafsson at #4, the 5-8 depth is better than it was a year ago. Maybe a lot better.
And those of you assuming Viktor Svedberg is #8, maybe. But Harrison was probably not just a throw in on the Andrew Ladd deal. He’s won a Stanley Cup (with Carolina) and last year played in 55 NHL games, getting 3 goals and 6 assists and going -1 with Carolina and Winnipeg.
And as March turns to April, generally speaking, experience tends to matter more for the Chicago coaching staff.
The same rationale applies to the last minute deal with Anaheim for Tim Jackman, who in all likelihood doesn’t play a single game for the Hawks, much less in the playoffs. But he is insurance. Like Harrison: big, nasty, experienced. Ditto Matt Fraser, the other piece in the Ladd deal.
Anyway, that’s how I hear it (and see it).
Back with a Detroit preview tomorrow,
JJ