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Another Blackhawk/NHL preseason has come and is nearly gone.
Yawn.
There was a time, and a day, and many years in fact, when Blackhawk preseasons held all kinds of suspense and intrigue. On perennially bad teams, there were always jobs open and hopes pinned on never would-be’s like Pavel “Prehistoric Spongebob… Vorobiev, Mikhail Yakubov, Matt Keith, Remi Royer and their ilk.
But the last few years, barring injuries, the composition of the team that takes the ice for the first regular season game is essentially known.
Sure, Brandon “don’t call me Bollig… Mashinter, Cody Bass, and Pierre-Cedric “The Nacho Man… Labrie fought it out to see who would, well, fight it out, playing 4 minutes a night in Chicago versus “expanded… opportunities in Rockford or elsewhere ion the AHL.
Yawn.
You just hope your stars make it through uninjured, because all around the league, we’ve seen top players go down. So far, so good. A few dings here and there. Nothing to see here, move along.
Hawk fans are hoping Brad Richards regains a half step (or more) playing alongside Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane. So far, meh, so good.
Teuvo Teravainen had a nice little goal the other night in a glorified AHL scrimmage (highly unlikely he gets open like that in the slot in an NHL game in November) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
All is well, and kinda, yawn, right now.
The Hawks made some cuts yesterday and there was one surprising name on the list: defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, the player many suspected would take the roster sopt of either a traded Nick Leddy or Johnny Oduya.
Hmmm. This move made me wonder if Stanley Bowman isn’t playing a little hand of cards, signaling to other NHL GMs interested in either of the aforementioned NHLers that Bowman is prepared to go into the season with both on his roster.
Dunno.
I have heard from a good source that the coaching staff is “in love… with Trevor van Riemsdyk (aka TVR) and that could possibly have something to do with it as well. Bowman is said to be pushing hard for David Rundblad, in order to justify trading a 2nd round pick for him last year.
So maybe Dahlbeck is just a casualty in a quiet internecine civil war. Yes, I said internecine.
You want drama, you got it.
Turn the lights off on your way out, I’m going back to bed.
JJ