The LA Kings traded Jake Muzzin this week to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 1st rounder, Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi.
There you go Stan, LA's GM Rob Blake just did you a massive solid. By trading arguably his best defenceman this season to a potential Stanley Cup contender in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Blake has tossed in the towel (officially) and has admitted that the "rebuild" is on.
The Kings will continue to sell off pieces where they can and implement a younger lineup that they can evaluate to determine the makeup of their team for the future.
Why can't you admit the same thing Stan?… and John? … and Rocky?
While there has been an improvement as of late, the Hawks are not a good hockey team. Most of us knew this before the season began that there were too many holes on this team to be able to compete consistently all year. Some even predicted the fall of the Hawks a couple years ago. Yet, Bowman and McDonough go up and claim after they fire their HOF coach that they believe they are still a playoff team.
Really? Are we still thinking that, Stan?
As per HockeyReference, the 2018-19 Chicago Blackhawks as of January 29th have a 1.9% chance of making the NHL post-season. The LA Kings, who recently just waved the white towel, are at 1.4%.
I'm not asking Stan to come out and say, "OK, we're trading everyone we can, we're going to go into tank mode and Jack Hughes will be ours."
No. However, it sure would be nice to have Stan come out and make a trade or two and admit that his team is not where he wanted it to be this year, therefore, key members and tough decisions had to be made to as we look towards the future for this team.
… or something like that.
The Hawks and Kings – the tale of two franchises, who teetered on the level of dynasties of recent years are now staring at the daunting task of climbing back up the mountain.
The Kings are being realistic with themselves and their fans. They know this isn't going to be easy, but trading one of their best defenders was the right decision for them.
Stan may not trade the likes of a Duncan Keith but there are still ways he can save face as this deadline nears. All the fans, media and players know it – this season is a write-off. At this point, following in Blake's footsteps with his actions and words will only be viewed as a positive step for Bowman and the organization in the eyes of this blogger.
I will say that Bowman has been doing a nice job with the moves like the Strome trade and sending Manning and Rutta packing but for me, the logical next item to take that action on at this next public appearance is being true to the fanbase.
Whether it be before or during a trade presser with media, at some point, Stan, just say it; say that this team is not only ‘not' a playoff team, but it needs some serious retooling before they can get back into the playoffs.
So, I thank Rob Blake for showing Stan the path and giving him an out for this season. It's up to Stan and the rest of the management to take said out and not only tell everyone what we already know ("this isn't a playoff team") but show them with a couple of smart deadline moves that brings in promising players and picks for this team to get this "retool" on the right path heading into the offseason.
Last minute addition to the blog: read on
Chris Nichols blog. that Elliotte Friedman was quoted saying
"So I think the biggest thing is going to be what is the piece they decide that they can move. Is it Saad, is it something else. But I do think they're going to be looking to breathe new life into their organization."
He went on to say that Toews, Kane and younger players like Jokiharju and DeBrincat are probably the only untouchables at this point in his opinion.
Then Friedman dropped,
"Before Peter Chiarelli got fired, I heard they were talking about something potentially big with Edmonton. But I don't even know if that's still on the map anymore. But I don't know what they would have to give up that would really make Edmonton a ton better.
"So I think it's very tough to say right now, but their best young players sure aren't going anywhere, and their two top guys sure aren't going anywhere.
"And Seabrook has to agree to anything, and so does Keith."
New life? Potential big deals? This is all good news that Stan is working the phones hard and looking for a bigger shake-up to reshape this team.
Buckle up gang, this could get interesting. I will be back if I hear any other trade whispers.
See ya out there,
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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