>Things I see that are lingering issues that need improvement
>Slot play at both ends
>Hawk Dmen should at least be able to tie-up the sticks of the opponent by lifting their sticks up into the air -- the woodchop down on top of the shaft does nothing -- opponent is still in complete control of his stick
>Hawk forwards as a group seldom screen the goalie or are successful at retrieving rebounds
>Hawks as a team have yet to discover the redirect from the high slot as a weapon
>Some good comments on the power play -- the overall pace of it is snail-like and stale
>Would like to see some PP plays originate from the deep corner along the goal line instead of the half boards -- many, many more passing options
>#2 needs to get it together -- his puck management and passing have been far, far below his "average" game -- same for #4
>#72 needs to shoot the puck a lot more -- looking for the tap-in from a pass too much
>Think this group really needs something new -- could be a player(s), schemes, mental training approaches, or all of the above

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.
- Marlowe

So far, since I've been visiting this site(even before i was actually posting myself), the general consensus from most posters around the latter stage/2nd half of the season has been negative(panic mode), and 50% of the time(2 out of the past 4 seasons) we wound up WINNING THE STANLEY CUP(despite the regular season worries).

Even in 2013 towards the end of the lockout shortened season we had a few worrisome losses and everyone freaked out. Most notably a loss @VAN where we looked small and got beat up by a more physical team.

Saw the same level of panic settle in every season since. Usually right around the same time(January-March). Usually the same crowd, same posters worrying year after year.......almost completely and utterly oblivious to the fact that this is/has been the golden age of Hawks hockey that they are witnessing as they panic.

So far, since I've been visiting this site(even before i was actually posting myself), the general consensus from most posters around the latter stage/2nd half of the season has been negative(panic mode), and 50% of the time(2 out of the past 4 seasons) we wound up WINNING THE STANLEY CUP(despite the regular season worries).

Even in 2013 towards the end of the lockout shortened season we had a few worrisome losses and everyone freaked out. Most notably a loss @VAN where we looked small and got beat up by a more physical team.

Saw the same level of panic settle in every season since. Usually right around the same time(January-March). Usually the same crowd, same posters worrying year after year.......almost completely and utterly oblivious to the fact that this is/has been the golden age of Hawks hockey that they are witnessing as they panic.
- SimpleJack

Well aware of what I am witnessing and have witnessed.

However, unlike those years you have previously mentioned, cup winning years, this isn't a small slide......this has been on going since Thanksgiving with numbers that back it up.

I just have curbed my expectations as this team lacks the 1 true common variable of all the cup winning teams: QUALITY depth

Go back to 2010, 2013, 2015 and even the 2009 and 2014 teams that advanced to the WCF and you will depth scoring up and down the lineup.

This team isn't as bad as 2011, but it is very comparable to 2012 when they lost to Phoenix in round 1 because they couldn't score.

>Things I see that are lingering issues that need improvement
>Slot play at both ends
>Hawk Dmen should at least be able to tie-up the sticks of the opponent by lifting their sticks up into the air -- the woodchop down on top of the shaft does nothing -- opponent is still in complete control of his stick
>Hawk forwards as a group seldom screen the goalie or are successful at retrieving rebounds
>Hawks as a team have yet to discover the redirect from the high slot as a weapon
>Some good comments on the power play -- the overall pace of it is snail-like and stale
>Would like to see some PP plays originate from the deep corner along the goal line instead of the half boards -- many, many more passing options
>#2 needs to get it together -- his puck management and passing have been far, far below his "average" game -- same for #4
>#72 needs to shoot the puck a lot more -- looking for the tap-in from a pass too much
>Think this group really needs something new -- could be a player(s), schemes, mental training approaches, or all of the above
- SnapitUpstairs

>Things I see that are lingering issues that need improvement
>Slot play at both ends
>Hawk Dmen should at least be able to tie-up the sticks of the opponent by lifting their sticks up into the air -- the woodchop down on top of the shaft does nothing -- opponent is still in complete control of his stick
>Hawk forwards as a group seldom screen the goalie or are successful at retrieving rebounds
>Hawks as a team have yet to discover the redirect from the high slot as a weapon
>Some good comments on the power play -- the overall pace of it is snail-like and stale
>Would like to see some PP plays originate from the deep corner along the goal line instead of the half boards -- many, many more passing options
>#2 needs to get it together -- his puck management and passing have been far, far below his "average" game -- same for #4
>#72 needs to shoot the puck a lot more -- looking for the tap-in from a pass too much
>Think this group really needs something new -- could be a player(s), schemes, mental training approaches, or all of the above
- SnapitUpstairs

Well said and I think we are past the point of the special teams units and said players above just fixing things on their own.

Time for coaching to truly impact this team's identity and adapt to what they have vs what they wish they had.

craw was outstanding last night......he made numerous fine stops after unforced TO's...he got beat on ppand pretty nifty play at the end of the third...

wild are not running away with anything...they will have their share of losing hockey in the last 2 months...a correction will come...they ain't that good
- bogiedoc

Beg to differ Bogie...

I see the Wild smoking the Central...even if they hit a rough patch. No other Central club is remotely as deep and talented as the Wild this season.

11 regulation loses in 49 games.
+54 goal differential.
16-5-5 road record

If the Wild stay healthy they're in great shape.

The Hawks OTOH....not so much. I expect most of the remaining 30 games to be rough, which is way too big a patch for anything more than a brief stay in the post season.

The way I see things with Minnesota is that they are basically the same team as the one we beat in the playoffs two years ago. The Hawks basically had to get worse for them to be better and that's it. They aren't winning no Cup with that team.

Well said and I think we are past the point of the special teams units and said players above just fixing things on their own.

Time for coaching to truly impact this team's identity and adapt to what they have vs what they wish they had.
- SteveRain

>Another trend I see top teams using -- taking the opponent's stick "away" -- all over the ice
>So players not only have to puck protect in today's game, but "stick protect" as well
>One of the biggest improvements to the Wild has been their ability to neutralize the other teams' sticks over 200 feet
>Hawks did not have a "playing identity" last year and are still searching for one this year -- and there can be many reasons for that

Well said and I think we are past the point of the special teams units and said players above just fixing things on their own.

Time for coaching to truly impact this team's identity and adapt to what they have vs what they wish they had.
- SteveRain

I think this teams biggest issue (besides losing quality depth players like Saad, Oduya, Shaw and Sharp since 2015), is that they have become complacent. I truly think that the 3x Cup winning Core has become satisfied, and hockey is more like a job. I hope they prove me wrong in the Playoffs, but I don't see the desire to be the greatest in the shift-to-shift play of the entire Core (with maybe 88 as the lone exception.) IMO, Patrick Kane will finish his career as the greatest American-born player in NHL History AND the top point producer for the Hawks organization. He is a treat to watch every night and still seems to have the drive to be the best. I'm not sure I can say the same for 19, 2, 4, and 7.

What we need is Teows/Kane/Pan/ to all play like top 5. And have Keith play like a Norris candidate and Seabs and hammer play like borderline #1's. If that all happens Kruger/Hossa/AA/TVR/Kempny/Campbell/Hartman/Panik/Moose/ I know what I'm going to get and you can win with them if the top 6 play like they have. I think you can survive with Kero/Hino/Des/ motte getting 5-6 minutes a night on the 4th line. What you don't know is how Schmaltz (who I think has looked good even in our losses) maybe he can bump into the top 6.

As far as I can tell we are 1 top 6 away from being good. you can either move Schamltz up and Hossa down

Top 6:Kane, Teows,AA,Pan,schmaltz, (?)
3rd line panik/Hartman-kruger-hossa
4th Panik/Hartman-Moose-Kero/Des/hino/motte

Also Hammer keith is brutal.
Keith-Seabs 23-25
Hammer-TVR 23-25
Kempny-Campbell 10-12

is what I might try or swap Seabs and TVR

this team looks stagnant and complacent, but make judgments after the trade deadline. i commented on the last blog that if there was a time in the season to have this happen, it's now. every issue the Hawks have is glaring. now the ball is in the front offices court to go out and do what's necessary to help this team get better. I still agree with JJ...the Hawks are potentially two players away from being legit contenders.

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

...and what has Tallon done since leaving to suggest he's the great GM the Hawks need?

That ship has sailed and circumnavigated the globe.

The hard cap pretty much dumps in every GM's punchbowl. Not easy.

3 cups and 2 conference finals in the bank is a nice run.

That said...the Hawks do need something of a reboot.

First

I think this teams biggest issue (besides losing quality depth players like Saad, Oduya, Shaw and Sharp since 2015), is that they have become complacent. I truly think that the 3x Cup winning Core has become satisfied, and hockey is more like a job. I hope they prove me wrong in the Playoffs, but I don't see the desire to be the greatest in the shift-to-shift play of the entire Core (with maybe 88 as the lone exception.) IMO, Patrick Kane will finish his career as the greatest American-born player in NHL History AND the top point producer for the Hawks organization. He is a treat to watch every night and still seems to have the drive to be the best. I'm not sure I can say the same for 19, 2, 4, and 7.
- EnzoD

I agree on 88. NO question there.

2,4,7,19,81 have to pick their spots more. Not an excuse but I think/hope they are banking whatever they have left for the postseason. Which is why depth is important and why this team can't score consistently.

That's why that revolving door on line 1 exists because not Hartman, panik, Vinny, Motte, or whoever else he throws in there is a consistent NHL player. You see a glimmer, followed by a thud with each guy who plays with 19 and 81.

You are also back to 3 D. As bad as 51 was here in his 1st stint with offense always on his mind, this stint he's lost a step to be able to skate away from danger and 57/6 aren't an answer for the top 4 either this season. Possibly never......Which is why I chuckle everytime I see the TRADE SEABROOK posts.

IMO, Bowman needs a border line top 4 D man, and top 6 LW with very assets to acquire one, let alone both.

...and what has Tallon done since leaving to suggest he's the great GM the Hawks need?

That ship has sailed and circumnavigated the globe.

The hard cap pretty much dumps in every GM's punchbowl. Not easy.

3 cups and 2 conference finals in the bank is a nice run.

That said...the Hawks do need something of a reboot.
- ArlingtonRob

Hitch as the new coach?

Geez guys do some of you really believe that Q and Hossa are part of the problem? We aren't in a terrible position right now. Q and Hossa have long track records of being great and I am not about to blame them for a small stretch in Jan. where we didn't win every game. The issue is depth I think. You can't just lose players like Shaw, Teuvo, Ladd, and the year before that Saad, Sharp, Oduya and expect to be the same team. Hossa may not be pumping in 40 goals a year anymore but he is not the problem. When you don't have depth it is easy to focus on the top guys defensively. I have a hard time believing two future hall of famers are the problem with the team now.

>Another trend I see top teams using -- taking the opponent's stick "away" -- all over the ice
>So players not only have to puck protect in today's game, but "stick protect" as well
>One of the biggest improvements to the Wild has been their ability to neutralize the other teams' sticks over 200 feet
>Hawks did not have a "playing identity" last year and are still searching for one this year -- and there can be many reasons for that
- SnapitUpstairs

Your 200 ft stick point is spot on. Believe it was Eddie O who pointed out Pavelsky doing it to Toews in the all star game to let a pass go through both of them. Still tells me coaching staff and organization hasn't adopted to new tactics being used.

I wonder how tight this chemistry on this team truly is. They seem disconnected far too often and unengaged.

What doomed this team long term is Seabs contract. It is immovable. How many guys on this team are under paid this year? that are not on ELC. I would say none. AA, Hossa, Hammer Keith, kane, craw panik about right and Overpaid Teows, kruger, Seabs, All the really good teams have way more guys over performing there contract then under. We only have about right and Under.

Well aware of what I am witnessing and have witnessed.

However, unlike those years you have previously mentioned, cup winning years, this isn't a small slide......this has been on going since Thanksgiving with numbers that back it up.

I just have curbed my expectations as this team lacks the 1 true common variable of all the cup winning teams: QUALITY depth

Go back to 2010, 2013, 2015 and even the 2009 and 2014 teams that advanced to the WCF and you will depth scoring up and down the lineup.

This team isn't as bad as 2011, but it is very comparable to 2012 when they lost to Phoenix in round 1 because they couldn't score.
- SteveRain

The 2015 Cup winner had scoring depth up and down the lineup? Really? 2015 Playoff scoring in 23 games. The following 13 players played 192 man games and scored a total of 8 goals. Timmonen 0 goals Bickell 0 goals, Nordstrom 0 goals, Runblad 0 goals, TVR 0 goals, Cumiskey 0 goals, Rosi 0 goals, Oduya 0 goals, Versteeg 1 goal, Desjardins 1 goal. Hjamarsson 1 goal, Kruger 2 goals, Brad Richards 3 goals.

Thank goodness Kane had 11 and Toews 10.

Geez guys do some of you really believe that Q and Hossa are part of the problem? We aren't in a terrible position right now. Q and Hossa have long track records of being great and I am not about to blame them for a small stretch in Jan. where we didn't win every game. The issue is depth I think. You can't just lose players like Shaw, Teuvo, Ladd, and the year before that Saad, Sharp, Oduya and expect to be the same team. Hossa may not be pumping in 40 goals a year anymore but he is not the problem. When you don't have depth it is easy to focus on the top guys defensively. I have a hard time believing two future hall of famers are the problem with the team now.
- kevndevries

Hossa NO
Q YES !!
Let's keep the blender rolling though !! And a terrible PP, and a terribly passive PK, and let's also make sure we continue to pull our goalie with more that 2 minutes left in regualtion. Down by 2 ok......... down by 1, not smart.
And please continue to stress no contact by our defenseman, especially in the crease area. We certainly don't want our opponents to be looking over their shoulder while they're waiting for tap ins. On and On and On.
But let's all wait for Q to tell them it's time to flip the switch..... then we'll see the real Hawks......... won't we !!

The 2015 Cup winner had scoring depth up and down the lineup? Really? 2015 Playoff scoring in 23 games. The following 13 players played 192 man games and scored a total of 8 goals. Timmonen 0 goals Bickell 0 goals, Nordstrom 0 goals, Runblad 0 goals, TVR 0 goals, Cumiskey 0 goals, Rosi 0 goals, Oduya 0 goals, Versteeg 1 goal, Desjardins 1 goal. Hjamarsson 1 goal, Kruger 2 goals, Brad Richards 3 goals.

Thank goodness Kane had 11 and Toews 10.
- -Doh-

Third line of Sharp-Vermette-Tuevo was pretty darn good, IIRC.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/h...biting-low-offers-bishop/

This news isn't a surprise, but so much for a cap increase next year...

Third line of Sharp-Vermette-Tuevo was pretty darn good, IIRC.
- EnzoD

I agree. 11 goals between them is decent for a 3rd line in the playoffs in 23 games. (Plus 2 goals on the power play where they did not play together.)

Was the effort really there? I mean Kane seemed to be trying at both ends. That was the worst I have even seen Hossa play, 72 has disappeared somehow.
I saw more giveaways in the first period then we usually have in a game.

I give the Hawks full credit for being where there are in the standings at this point. All these teams seem to be scoring 4,5 + a night, we are lucky to get 2 or 3. Every game we play in is a one goal game. Now that may be good come playoff time, but for now every game is going to be close.

I just don't see that dominant team of the past. We had the best run I have ever seen in my lifetime, it is just so difficult to sustain that in this salary cap era.

I hope we cant find some magic somewhere, and the big guns start burying the puck again.

Go Hawks!

>Things I see that are lingering issues that need improvement
>Slot play at both ends
>Hawk Dmen should at least be able to tie-up the sticks of the opponent by lifting their sticks up into the air -- the woodchop down on top of the shaft does nothing -- opponent is still in complete control of his stick
>Hawk forwards as a group seldom screen the goalie or are successful at retrieving rebounds
>Hawks as a team have yet to discover the redirect from the high slot as a weapon
>Some good comments on the power play -- the overall pace of it is snail-like and stale
>Would like to see some PP plays originate from the deep corner along the goal line instead of the half boards -- many, many more passing options
>#2 needs to get it together -- his puck management and passing have been far, far below his "average" game -- same for #4
>#72 needs to shoot the puck a lot more -- looking for the tap-in from a pass too much
>Think this group really needs something new -- could be a player(s), schemes, mental training approaches, or all of the above
- SnapitUpstairs

Thank you! Love this move and am terrified when other teams use it.

As you mentioned though, this strategy would require Hawks forwards to be in front/near the net.