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RUMORS
The rumors continue to swirl around Johnny Oduya being in play.
Not too terribly much new to report, except another name getting some play is that of Patrick Sharp.
Sharp's "story" is interesting because, in addition to some scuttlebutt about conflict with teammates, I've heard a surprising amount of feedback from fans and especially season ticket holders with a good deal of player access that Sharp has a "personality problem," is "too aloof," etc.
Now this all has to be taken with a huge grain of salt. It's all hearsay. That said, when you hear it over and over, it does make you pause and wonder.
Further, Sharp is 32, highly paid and coming off a less than stellar playoffs. Though that, I'm hearing, might be due to having played with a shoulder separation.
THOUGHTS
On Patrick Kane.
I have been hearing for months that Kane's re-signing in Chicago is not nearly the slam dunk that Jonathan Toews' is.
But if I had to bet today, Kane's next contract has him in Chicago.
That said, my personal belief, based on all I've heard, is that Kane loves the spotlight (and that is not all bad), and as such, he doesn't necessarily like being the #2 guy in terms of who's perceived as the straw that stirs the drink.
Does Kane want to go just anywhere? Doubtful. But personally, I could see Kane wanting to perhaps, in a daydream, return home to Buffalo as the cornerstone of a rebuilt Sabres club. Will that happen? Again, I doubt it, but you never know. There is a lot of money riding on Kane staying in Chicago. And money usually talks.
On Ryan Kesler.
The story I heard in late February/early March was that when Kane retuned from Sochi, he lobbied Hawk management to make a move on his Olympic teammate and linemate, Ryan Kesler. I was told that Stan Bowman did talk to then-Vancouver GM Mike Gillis, names were exchanged and Kesler did express a strong desire to play in Chicago—as in Chicago would be #1 on his list.
I also heard Bowman and Gillis agreed to table the discussion until before the draft. Vancouver now has a new GM, but the arithmetic of Kesler staying in Vancouver (or not) remains the same. The Canucks pretty much need to rebuild; Kesler is a traceable chip. And he fits the Hawks' needs like a glove.
On the 2013-14 Blackhawks.
The Hawks go into the offseason probably in search of another center, but the good news is, they found one this past season. Marcus Kruger dispelled two myths this past season. The first that he should be at wing and not center. Kruger dramatically improved the weakest part of his pivot game this past season, face-offs, and now can truly be counted on by Joel Quenneville.
The second myth is that he is "concussion-prone." The fact is, Kruger takes too many hits. But, he keeps getting up.
Brandon Saad has now established himself as a top scoring threat.
And although I take any official tweet of the Blackhawks with a block of salt, the line of Andrew Shaw, Saad and Kane just might be something the Hawks can go to war with next season.
That could just as easily be posturing meant to improve the Hawks' trade stance with other teams—and they really do want to acquire a more natural #2 Center than Shaw is. But we'll see.
The Hawks were a very, very good but slightly flawed team this past season. And that's the thing. Over the course of an 82 game season and 3-4 rounds of playoffs, flaws are going to be exposed.
I'll be back with more soon.
JJ