Ok, then they wouldn't get Dano and a 1st. I would bet that Bickell will not be a Blackhawk after this year's trade deadline.
- coldsteelonice

I think he will be. I think he wont be a blackhawks on opening night 2016.

I think unless they find some total sap to take bickell off their hands without having to eat another bad contract in return with term left, Hawks probably hold on to bickell hoping he can bring something to the table come playoff time.

I dont think Bowman or anyone in the front office wants to start throwing prized pieces (Dano and/or 1st) attached to Bickell just for the sake of moving him

yotes got a nice prospect with the 1st.

i'd argue dalhbeck and vermette actually make them a worse team. both players are pretty terrible.
- Tumbleweed

Vermette at 3.75 mil / per is may not be worth that over the course of the season, but you cannot deny his value and contribution in the short term towards our Cup last year.

Al, I gotta think the cost will be high. A sellers market, StanBowPops&McD over a barrel again with little leverage. ...... Best thing they have going is AZ would probably like to offload some top talent to win the Matthews lottery, an Arizona native.
- Mr Ricochet

Should be interesting because you have some teams looking to make hockey trades before they miss the playoffs and disappoint their fan bases big time...The Ducks are one.

I'm hearing a young Ana. dman could go...They have more coming and can't pay them all. Pretty much anyone including Lindholm but not Fowler could be dealt.
Also hearing Maroon and or Cogliano could be available.

My whispers say they likely go that route before firing the coach...But Murray knows something needs to be done.

Also the Stars are loaded up to win this season and they need help on the blueline too. They will pay up to get the final pieces is my guess.

Should be an interesting 2 months ....And I think January will busy.

I think he will be. I think he wont be a blackhawks on opening night 2016.

I think unless they find some total sap to take bickell off their hands without having to eat another bad contract in return with term left, Hawks probably hold on to bickell hoping he can bring something to the table come playoff time.

I dont think Bowman or anyone in the front office wants to start throwing prized pieces (Dano and/or 1st) attached to Bickell just for the sake of moving him
- FourFeathers773

You are only taking part of the equation. If the Blackhawks can get a legit top line LW like Ladd or E. Staal that helps them this year by offering up a big return for a rental, then I'd shove Bickell down their throat as part of the deal and retain some of his salary to make it more palatable. A 1st, Dano and Bickell for a guy you are not going to sign is not a bad haul. Can they get a better one? Maybe.

If Bowman is feeling heat to make a move now, IMO, these are the only teams willing to dance in the near future based on expectations for this year, current standings in division/conference, possible panic teams (CGY/CBJ) and contract status of roster players possibly available (UFAs unlikely to return or trying to work on new contracts but doesnt look promising):

Arizona
Toronto
Buffalo
Columbus
Colorado
Carolina
Anaheim

Not a very big list and you have to evaluate A) How much those teams have of any Chicago needs B) how willing of dance partners they would be to help Chicago out and what they want from us

The pacific is so crappy this year that while Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton should be sellers of some kind, they are still in the thick of the hunt for a division spot

Colorado could be an option but is less likely. Anaheim is not trading with us. Columbus is a train wreck on D so no help in that department will come from there.

We are pretty much shopping off of Carolina, Arizona, Toronto, Columbus, and Buffalo right now, as is the rest of the league. Which means prices wont be cheap
- FourFeathers773

Flyers have plenty of d who could help the hawks imo...not sure if there is a deal to be mad though

Vermette at 3.75 mil / per is may not be worth that over the course of the season, but you cannot deny his value and contribution in the short term towards our Cup last year.
- Katana777

don't disagree there.

vermette has continued his decline and is not the player you guys had during your cup run last year.

The Hawks and AZ, I'm told, have a "relationship." FWIW. You help me, I'll help you, and it allegedly impacted Tikhonov's release and subsequent claim by AZ.
- John Jaeckel

I think that has shown true in the past...Q is a buddy of Tippett and I never hear a bad word about Don Maloney.

what's the story on runblad? what are the knocks on his game?

Flyers have plenty of d who could help the hawks imo...not sure if there is a deal to be mad though
- rinaldo

I thought about them and then also thought about how crazy snider is about making the playoffs every year and they likely wont trade one of their better dmen that we would need to risk them missing the playoffs too

They will fight until game 82 to try and get in and are close as is

One more tidbit just now. Watch VERY closely if AZ picks up Rundblad on waivers. Could be a domino.

ALSO, there were allegedly some "future considerations" regarding AZ and the timing of Tikhonov's waiver.

Stay tuned.
- John Jaeckel

This is all very interesting with regards to AZ / CHI--

Question for JJ -- is this alluding to a 'timed' waiver placement of a player to assist a'friend' (gm relationship) to make a claim to fulfill 'future considerations'? Wonder if AZ knew all along they were going to re-sign Vermette-- and nowperhaps also NOT going to re sign Boedker--

what's the story on runblad? what are the knocks on his game?
- Tumbleweed

Playing as a defenseman

Playing as a defenseman
- FourFeathers773

yotes already have 3 guys with that issue

Should be interesting because you have some teams looking to make hockey trades before they miss the playoffs and disappoint their fan bases big time...The Ducks are one.

I'm hearing a young Ana. dman could go...They have more coming and can't pay them all. Pretty much anyone including Lindholm but not Fowler could be dealt.
Also hearing Maroon and or Cogliano could be available.

My whispers say they likely go that route before firing the coach...But Murray knows something needs to be done.

Also the Stars are loaded up to win this season and they need help on the blueline too. They will pay up to get the final pieces is my guess.

Should be an interesting 2 months ....And I think January will busy.
- Al

I think a wild card in any trade talk right now is Columbus. They are a complete train wreck and Torts is still terrorizing Johansson (14 minutes last night), a big centerman with bite who will give you 70 points, almost pencil that in. And they need D worse than anyone in this league. I think Johansson is the big prize to acquire this season and he's available.......Anaheim and they are a fit, big time. Think the Ducks are bottom 2-3 in scoring with tons of Dmen at the NHL level and on the way. They gotta make room.

And I agree Nill and the Stars do need D help, and as a fan of the sport I hope they land a top 2 guy and see how far they can go.

don't disagree there.

vermette has continued his decline and is not the player you guys had during your cup run last year.
- Tumbleweed

His surroundings are also quite different, which some could argue has influenced that.

I believe his Cap hit last year was 3.25 or 3.5.... I was in favor of resigning him at a pay cut (2.8 - 3.0), as I felt he had some chemistry with TT brewing, especially as a 3rd line paring.... but when AZ ponied up 3.75 for 2 years, I thought that was an over-payment. His stats so far this year support that assessment.

I think a wild card in any trade talk right now is Columbus. They are a complete train wreck and Torts is still terrorizing Johansson (14 minutes last night), a big centerman with bite who will give you 70 points, almost pencil that in. And they need D worse than anyone in this league. I think Johansson is the big prize to acquire this season and he's available.......Anaheim and they are a fit, big time. Think the Ducks are bottom 2-3 in scoring with tons of Dmen at the NHL level and on the way. They gotta make room.

And I agree Nill and the Stars do need D help, and as a fan of the sport I hope they land a top 2 guy and see how far they can go.
- Mr Ricochet

Agree on Columbus big time.

what's the story on runblad? what are the knocks on his game?
- Tumbleweed

In the defensive zone the game seems too fast for him...Slow on decision making, not a good passer and plays timid.

His surroundings are also quite different, which some could argue has influenced that.

I believe his Cap hit last year was 3.25 or 3.5.... I was in favor of resigning him at a pay cut (2.8 - 3.0), as I felt he had some chemistry with TT brewing, especially as a 3rd line paring.... but when AZ ponied up 3.75 for 2 years, I thought that was an over-payment. His stats so far this year support that assessment.
- Katana777

yotes weren't very good last year either. i think age is just catching up with him.

you guys dodged a bullet there.

In the defensive zone the game seems too fast for him...Slow on decision making, not a good passer and plays timid.
- Al

thanks

boedker will be an ufa. the info from the cap section on this site is incorrect.
- Tumbleweed

Correct. He will be a UFA next season.

yotes weren't very good last year either. i think age is just catching up with him.

you guys dodged a bullet there.
- Tumbleweed

I don't disagree with that. Sometimes a player is a nice piece at one price, and a terrible piece at another price. I think from the Coyotes perspective, they wanted a veteran presence to mentor their younger roster, and hoped that his decline would not be drastic. 3.75 / per for 2 years is too much for what they are getting in return, but they also had plenty of Cap space to fill (actually, they needed to get to the Cap floor if I remember correctly).

Was at the game last night. Have never seen a team so disinterested in playing, not willing to work and just going through the motions. There wasn't a single guy in red last night that looked like he wanted to be there. Maybe 24 and that's about it.

6 years has officially caught up to the group. Tired, tired team.
- acmidd28

This team under Q has done this every year since the first cup. A few years back I thought the team was tuning Q out, but that was shown to be wrong as they turn up the volume come playoff time.

I'm a season ticket holder and have been to ONE game this year. It's beyond old for me.

My hope was with all the turnover this year and rookies and new vets in the lineup it would cure this "regular season atrophy", but it doesn't look like it.

This is all very interesting with regards to AZ / CHI--

Question for JJ -- is this alluding to a 'timed' waiver placement of a player to assist a'friend' (gm relationship) to make a claim to fulfill 'future considerations'? Wonder if AZ knew all along they were going to re-sign Vermette-- and nowperhaps also NOT going to re sign Boedker--
- jb3333

Maybe we will be playing AGAINST Runblad tomorrow night?

Thanks for the info JJ. If Stan can pull off a top 6 LW, I think other teams are in trouble come the playoffs...

Not sure if there is a better place to ask this question, but kinda new, so please direct me if so...but are there any season ticket holders here with 4 300 level tickets they'd be willing to sell for one of these 3 games: Friday Jan 8th vs Sabres, Sunday Feb 28 vs Capitals, Sunday April 3rd vs Bruins. Trying to take my kids to a game and those 3 weekends are the only ones that fit our schedule. Thanks in advance!
- jpetersen5

Check your messages..........

Not sure if I read it correctly, JJ, but were you saying Shaw or TT might go to AZ?

I've always liked Shaw's game and compete. I know this will be an unpopular statement, but I'd rather send TT to AZ than lose Shaw. I think that move would be good for both TT and the Hawks. I'm not sure he can reach the potential they (somewhat unfairly) pegged him at, here in Chicago. I think a system like AZ would compliment his game better and then we'll see if he flourishes.

TT just looks lost here and I'm not sure his compete/heart level is there. Just my opinion, though.

JJ,

Great insight and some very nice players. I like Boedkerr but I am VERY intrigued by the former #3 overall pick Huberdeau. Bjugstad has been out and to maintain a +3 on the Panthers means that he is playing a responsible 200ft game. He would, however, be another pass-first player on a pass-happy team. Mikkal Boedker plays a much more north-south game which is what the Hawks need more of IMO. Also, anything coming to you about the validity of the Phaneuf to the Hawks rumor from this morning??
- EnzoD

Trochek? http://www.generalfanager.com/players/943