I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have no idea how he is going to pull any of what we think he needs to do (and probably what HE thinks he needs to do) off. Standing pat and not trading anyone does not bother me right now, but I recognize it is a high risk with little chance of paying off in a deep Cup run unless the whole team suddenly gets hot.
- hpk90

I agree. If it's a band aid, I don't know if adding a 1LW will cure all that ails this team in the short term.

The trade to be made may need to be looking at the long term. A little shake up to the core or trading from depth may make sense.

I am firm believer of looking at 1 year at a time, and in no way I'm writing this year off, but I just dont' realistically see most of the warts on this team clearing up by adding just 1 guy.

In a lot of ways this team reminds me of the 2011-12 team.

This team has been on cruise control during the regular season for a long time. When the ELITE core was still in their 20s, they could coast through most games and still get at least 1 point (or 2). Hawks could not get the puck out of their own zone for at least 5 consecutive shifts before the GWG. Sharks are the bigger, faster and deeper team. Panarin has been a ghost since his contract extension, Seabrook and Campbell have been train-wrecks defensively and the list goes on and on. Patrick Kane once again was a force at BOTH ends of the ice with numerous back-checks and he should've drawn at least 2 penalties that were not called on offensive chances. 88 continues to be the most consistent Blackhawk player and is showing why he was the Hart Trophy winner last season.

Hossa is an old man by NHL standards, and has lost whatever jump/finishing he had the first 20 games of the year. This team needs a major shakeup to have any realistic chance at winning the Cup this year. The Core has become far too top-heavy, complacent, and old. Also, was Marcus Kruger a healthy scratch last night? Either way, Moose and Kero are more effective offensively than Kruger, cost 1/3 the cap-hit, and are no slouches on the defensive side of the puck.

I've only been watching the Hawks for the last 10 years which I think is a lot less than most of you...

Yesterday's team looked engaged, but impotent. However... I've learned that games in January and February are never indicative of playoff performance. Just ask the Blues, Canucks, Preds, Wild, Ducks, Kings and Sharks teams in the recent past...

I'm going to skip the drama. Wake me up in April.

This team has been on cruise control during the regular season for a long time. When the ELITE core was still in their 20s, they could coast through most games and still get at least 1 point (or 2). Hawks could not get the puck out of their own zone for at least 5 consecutive shifts before the GWG. Sharks are the bigger, faster and deeper team. Panarin has been a ghost since his contract extension, Seabrook and Campbell have been train-wrecks defensively and the list goes on and on. Patrick Kane once again was a force at BOTH ends of the ice with numerous back-checks and he should've drawn at least 2 penalties that were not called on offensive chances. 88 continues to be the most consistent Blackhawk player and is showing why he was the Hart Trophy winner last season.

Hossa is an old man by NHL standards, and has lost whatever jump/finishing he had the first 20 games of the year. This team needs a major shakeup to have any realistic chance at winning the Cup this year. The Core has become far too top-heavy, complacent, and old. Also, was Marcus Kruger a healthy scratch last night? Either way, Moose and Kero are more effective offensively than Kruger, cost 1/3 the cap-hit, and are no slouches on the defensive side of the puck.
- EnzoD

I understood Kruger to be sick last night.

Agree on Panarin, Seabrook and Campbell. Kane is the only guy, offensively, that is a threat.
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to Hossa--he's earned it. He always seems to be able to elevate his game when he has to.

The division is over. Wild are deep & the Bowmans have handed out way to many horrible contracts & have this team a total mess!

Bring back Tallon ASAP!
- Goalie-33

Bout time some one agrees! There are those here that if Bowman said here, drink this koolaid and then go down on to the Dan Ryan and crap, they would say What flavor should I drink,then how high and where.
Stan Bowman was best served when it came to numbers, not trades and other personnel moves. Leave that to a hockey guy like Tallon.
When this falls apart and Rocky has to pick up the phone and call Dale and ask him to come back, ( which because of bullheaded pride of some will probably never happen), I'd be curious tohere Dales answer.
It has happened in other sports before and even on a coaching level in the NHL.

I understood Kruger to be sick last night.

Agree on Panarin, Seabrook and Campbell. Kane is the only guy, offensively, that is a threat.
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to Hossa--he's earned it. He always seems to be able to elevate his game when he has to.
- tompo1015

And Hossa is nearly 38 years old. He should not (and cannot) be expected to carry the load offensively. Anything can happen in a 7 game series, but I don't see the Hawks (as currently constructed) beating San Jose to get out of the West. Minnesota and every other team still have to prove it in the Spring, but San Jose looks to me like the most complete team in the West. They have size, speed, skill, experience, youth, and a big solid goalie in Jones. That blocker save on Hartman was HUGE!

The offense has dried up. Their PP is impotent. Is this a team-wide offensive slump?

This team has been on cruise control during the regular season for a long time. When the ELITE core was still in their 20s, they could coast through most games and still get at least 1 point (or 2). Hawks could not get the puck out of their own zone for at least 5 consecutive shifts before the GWG. Sharks are the bigger, faster and deeper team. Panarin has been a ghost since his contract extension, Seabrook and Campbell have been train-wrecks defensively and the list goes on and on. Patrick Kane once again was a force at BOTH ends of the ice with numerous back-checks and he should've drawn at least 2 penalties that were not called on offensive chances. 88 continues to be the most consistent Blackhawk player and is showing why he was the Hart Trophy winner last season.

Hossa is an old man by NHL standards, and has lost whatever jump/finishing he had the first 20 games of the year. This team needs a major shakeup to have any realistic chance at winning the Cup this year. The Core has become far too top-heavy, complacent, and old. Also, was Marcus Kruger a healthy scratch last night? Either way, Moose and Kero are more effective offensively than Kruger, cost 1/3 the cap-hit, and are no slouches on the defensive side of the puck.
- EnzoD

You need to join me in realizing they aren't a top team. Curb the expectations.

And speaking of D trainwrecks, how about #2 last night? Can't locate a loose puck on goal 1 in front of CC that Marleau snipes in, and then has Jumbo beat him to loose puck off the boards that slides over to Hertl who beats Hammer and.....game set match.

We can blame all the rookies or this guy or that guy.........but hawks top players were mostly non existent last night and hurt this team just as much, if not more, then the rookies.

And Hossa is nearly 38 years old. He should not (and cannot) be expected to carry the load offensively. Anything can happen in a 7 game series, but I don't see the Hawks (as currently constructed) beating San Jose to get out of the West. Minnesota and every other team still have to prove it in the Spring, but San Jose looks to me like the most complete team in the West. They have size, speed, skill, experience, youth, and a big solid goalie in Jones. That blocker save on Hartman was HUGE!
- EnzoD

At Hossa's age, I think he picks his spots. He's the ONLY guy I can agree with for 'mailing it in", in January/February. If he needs to coast, to conserve what little he has left in the 38 year old tank, for the playoffs, that's fine with me.

I'm more concerned with the loss of a (few) steps with Campbell and Seabrook.,,,and the ongoing odd play from Keith.

But, I agree this team isn't even CLOSE to being the equal of San Jose. If the payoffs started today, the Sharks would beat the Hawks in 5. And, the Wild is pretty damn good, too. I'm not confident this team--today--can beat the Wild in a 7 game series.

6 behind the wild; wild have 3 games in hand; hawks play them 2x in minn in feb with 30 games left...

the wild will cool off but they need to play .500 or worst for the hawks to have a chance and the hawks have to beat them the next 2...ummm no..

congrats to the wild they win the division...the hawks know this to....

expect to see continued meh uninspired hockey from our heros...

preds 9 behind the hawks...to inconsistant to catch even a meh hawk team...

ding dong the wicked blows are dead...

If the playoffs started tomorrow I would make Minny the clear favorite to come out of the West. After that it would be a crap shoot, anyone could knock off anyone. Having said that, even though Minny is the clear favorite right now, I would take the field against Minny. A hot goaltender could carry any of the top 8 teams to the Finals. Dubnyk could just as easily have a so so series (or worse) and Minny could get bounced.

I am ok with Bowman standing pat. I am also ok with Bowman going all in (Duchene). I would have a problem with a middling approach. Give up too much future (Debrincat, Forsling, #1 picks) to only get a little better in the present.

The offense has dried up. Their PP is impotent. Is this a team-wide offensive slump?
- EbonyRaptor

Top two Power Play units for the Hawks last night were:

#1 Toews--Panik--Campbell--Hartman--Hossa
#2 Seabrook--Keith--Anisimov--Kane--Panarin

both looked horrible, and really not a fan of using Panik and Campbell on any Power Play

Yea so Hossa wasn't going to shoot 19% all season and will probably finish the season with 25 goals which is a very good number by any standard. He could crack 30 if he goes on a nice little run. More goals than JVR and I dont think there is an argument about who plays with better players or not.

I don't think its fair to complain about Panarin or AA at this point. Its a long season and they've been consistently very good.

Keith has been off which is one of the bigger problems.

They literally started 4 rookies at forward and the one line that was all rookies got clocked. Forsling just came up and the Campbell TVR show is fun to watch.

Anyway, there is a margin of error and the Hawks were on the wrong side of it last night. If they split the rest of the month, I don't think that would be a total failure but expecting them to win every night or put on a quality display of hockey is just unrealistic if you look at the roster.

Wow! Perspective folks - it's the Jan/Feb doldrums. They are letting the rookies / young guys get some seasoning and the vets aren't playing to the level we expect during the playoffs. Seems like a pretty normal Feb 1 to me. Are they right now as constituted (and playing) a team that is likely to make a deep playoff run? No. Is it the end of the world? No. Is it likely that this is the same team we'll see come April? No. Just because they've lost 3 in a row doesn't mean anything. Other than they've lost 3 in a row. Now is not the time to go straight to def con 1 and panic. I'm waiting to see where we are 4 weeks from now and then again at the beginning of April. I reserve the right to freak out then.

6 behind the wild; wild have 3 games in hand; hawks play them 2x in minn in feb with 30 games left...

the wild will cool off but they need to play .500 or worst for the hawks to have a chance and the hawks have to beat them the next 2...ummm no..

congrats to the wild they win the division...the hawks know this to....

expect to see continued meh uninspired hockey from our heros...

preds 9 behind the hawks...to inconsistant to catch even a meh hawk team...

ding dong the wicked blows are dead...
- bogiedoc

Predators had multiple injuries, and their key players (not 3-4 liner such as Kruger), such as PK Subban and Neal were out for considerable time. They recently started to get string some wins in a row, till predictable loss to Penguins. Sadly, I would take them over Hawks when they are healthy in playoffs, even if Hawks add 1LW or even 2 pieces.
Either way I do not know why bother this year, probability of even depleted metro team beating western conference winner (likely one of the Sharks, Wild, Preds or Duck) is pretty high IMO.

You need to join me in realizing they aren't a top team. Curb the expectations.

And speaking of D trainwrecks, how about #2 last night? Can't locate a loose puck on goal 1 in front of CC that Marleau snipes in, and then has Jumbo beat him to loose puck off the boards that slides over to Hertl who beats Hammer and.....game set match.

We can blame all the rookies or this guy or that guy.........but hawks top players were mostly non existent last night and hurt this team just as much, if not more, then the rookies.
- SteveRain

Like I've said for the last 15 months.....the Hawks won 3 Cups by being the best TEAM! Not by having 4 stars and a bunch of rookies. Hockey is a team sport and the inflated contracts for several players have stripped this team of impact player after impact player. The only way for them to win is if 19, 88, 2, 4, 7, 50 +72 play at AMAZINGLY high level.

Again, anything can happen in the Playoffs, but I like San Jose to come out of the West again. I was rooting for the Sharks last year. I like Marleau, Jumbo, Burns and Pavelski and I hope those guys can get a Cup. Should be interesting to see what Stan does to keep this team competitive moving forward.

Yea so Hossa wasn't going to shoot 19% all season and will probably finish the season with 25 goals which is a very good number by any standard. He could crack 30 if he goes on a nice little run. More goals than JVR and I dont think there is an argument about who plays with better players or not.

I don't think its fair to complain about Panarin or AA at this point. Its a long season and they've been consistently very good.

Keith has been off which is one of the bigger problems.

They literally started 4 rookies at forward and the one line that was all rookies got clocked. Forsling just came up and the Campbell TVR show is fun to watch.

Anyway, there is a margin of error and the Hawks were on the wrong side of it last night. If they split the rest of the month, I don't think that would be a total failure but expecting them to win every night or put on a quality display of hockey is just unrealistic if you look at the roster.
- fattybeef

this is not the 2013-2015 hawks; this is not the caps, pens or even the blujackets; but some what surprisingly they are good enough in a lousy WC this year; and they can probably beat any WC team in the playoffs...

but in just about every statistical category they are a meh; middle of the pack

goaltending kept them afloat but that has slipped the last 12 games or so...

I do love the January team implosion posts every season.

Yea so Hossa wasn't going to shoot 19% all season and will probably finish the season with 25 goals which is a very good number by any standard. He could crack 30 if he goes on a nice little run. More goals than JVR and I dont think there is an argument about who plays with better players or not.

I don't think its fair to complain about Panarin or AA at this point. Its a long season and they've been consistently very good.

Keith has been off which is one of the bigger problems.

They literally started 4 rookies at forward and the one line that was all rookies got clocked. Forsling just came up and the Campbell TVR show is fun to watch.

Anyway, there is a margin of error and the Hawks were on the wrong side of it last night. If they split the rest of the month, I don't think that would be a total failure but expecting them to win every night or put on a quality display of hockey is just unrealistic if you look at the roster.
- fattybeef

well said and your last paragraph is how I am approaching the rest of this season. Playoffs included.

Like I've said for the last 15 months.....the Hawks won 3 Cups by being the best TEAM! Not by having 4 stars and a bunch of rookies. Hockey is a team sport and the inflated contracts for several players have stripped this team of impact player after impact player. The only way for them to win is if 19, 88, 2, 4, 7, 50 +72 play at AMAZINGLY high level.

Again, anything can happen in the Playoffs, but I like San Jose to come out of the West again. I was rooting for the Sharks last year. I like Marleau, Jumbo, Burns and Pavelski and I hope those guys can get a Cup. Should be interesting to see what Stan does to keep this team competitive moving forward.
- EnzoD

Agreed when they have depth, but quality depth doesn't come cheap unless your young guys hit or you find diamonds in the rough. Even then when they do hit they want to be paid. It's not just the top guys who absorb all the money, when the 2nd and 3rd waves of players on the team want to maximize earnings you have to move on.

Just wait until panarin's next deal. He will be up there as well.

I don't think they are good enough to beat the Wild AND the Sharks in back to back series. I just don't see it. Those teams are deeper and depth in the playoffs is good for advancement. I have zero faith in this depth wining them games on the road when the top guys get checked to death.

I do love the January team implosion posts every season.
- JRoenick97

I prefer the enshrining of every hawks prospect and how they are HUGE assets when trading for PROVEN stars in the NHL.

Long live Dano, Teuvo, Dahlbeck, Morin (x5) to name a few.

I prefer the enshrining of every hawks prospect and how they are HUGE assets when trading for PROVEN stars in the NHL.

Long live Dano, Teuvo, Dahlbeck, Morin (x5) to name a few.
- SteveRain

And to the future: Schmaltz, Motte, Forsling, DeBrincat, etc. One of which will surely be gone if we make a trade.

And to the future: Schmaltz, Motte, Forsling, DeBrincat, etc. One of which will surely be gone if we make a trade.
- JRoenick97

Ha.....this blog will ignite again once another sure fire can't miss prospect is jettisoned.

Hossa is an old man by NHL standards, and has lost whatever jump/finishing he had the first 20 games of the year. This team needs a major shakeup to have any realistic chance at winning the Cup this year. The Core has become far too top-heavy, complacent, and old. Also, was Marcus Kruger a healthy scratch last night? Either way, Moose and Kero are more effective offensively than Kruger, cost 1/3 the cap-hit, and are no slouches on the defensive side of the puck.[/quote]

Unfortunately I think this is a pretty accurate assessment. I also would include Q as part of the problem. It looks to me that his old school approach just isn't working any more and many of the veteran players have basically tuned him out. His constant line juggling and head scratching use of personnel, and his inability to put together more effective PP and PK units are inexcusable for a team with this much talent. I agree a major shakeup may be in order and should likely include a new, younger, more innovative coach. It worked out pretty well for the Penquins last year.

Like I've said for the last 15 months.....the Hawks won 3 Cups by being the best TEAM! Not by having 4 stars and a bunch of rookies. Hockey is a team sport and the inflated contracts for several players have stripped this team of impact player after impact player. The only way for them to win is if 19, 88, 2, 4, 7, 50 +72 play at AMAZINGLY high level.

Again, anything can happen in the Playoffs, but I like San Jose to come out of the West again. I was rooting for the Sharks last year. I like Marleau, Jumbo, Burns and Pavelski and I hope those guys can get a Cup. Should be interesting to see what Stan does to keep this team competitive moving forward.
- EnzoD

A this point in time you are right (although I believe that Hossa is included in that group and has not fallen off as much as you said).

I don't like the philosophy they use right now. Everything is very stationary now (The PP, PK, OZ set-up). 2,4 together are brutal to watch at times. And for the love of Pete, stop with the "soft entry" B.S!