Kane did not settle - there was legally absolutely no case.
- Z3Hawk

Imagine if htis had happened in the MeToo movement era!

Many draft sites have Boqvist already dropping out of the top 10. I think you're right that the concussions may be a reason for his stock dropping.
- AEL_Fox

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...ghly-skilled-first-round/


Has the Hawks taking Hughes at 8 with Wahlstrom still on the board.....and Bode Wilde at 27

Nobody won there, and I just think as rightful as it is to charge somebody IF evidence is there for a charge, it's also rightful to charge somebody with false claims because I'd bet there are people out there....cough....Dan Bernstein......who think Kane is a rapist and wont' come off that view point. As soon as that whole thing was brought forward Kane's reputation took a hit and he lost fans he will never recover .
- SteveRain

Kane’s and his Lawyers end game was to just have the matter finalized from Kane’s end. They didn’t press for false claim charges or take any civil action as that would have kept this absolutely crazy matter in the public eye. For Kane and his Lawyers the win was having it over with and out of the news.

Many draft sites have Boqvist already dropping out of the top 10. I think you're right that the concussions may be a reason for his stock dropping.
- AEL_Fox

His fancy stats, not readily available at the Jrs or Euro level, are really really poor in relation to the other top 10 rated Dmen available for the draft. Most are related to exits, he has no inclination for his own zone, but not exclusively so.

So you take his 2 concussions in the past calendar yr, his atrocious D zone play, his poor showing as a pro in 15 games in the SHL as a pro, his ok results in the top Swedish jr league, his slight build, a 2 yr but probable 3 yr timetable to make the NHL and there are questions.

There is no doubt his toolkit is elite in the last 75 feet but there are also a lot of concerns. My hope is he goes before the Hawks at 8. If that happens IMO there is a very good chance a Wahlstrom or Tkachuk is there at 8.

Rumorbreak has Tavares agreeing to an 8-year $11.25/yr extension.

Imagine if htis had happened in the MeToo movement era!

- resqmed99

Wouldn’t have made a difference long-term - still need actual evidence of wrongdoing. It may not have been officially MeToo at the time but believe me there were scores of idiots coming out of the woodwork pre-convicting. I know as I kept telling them that there was no actual evidence and how stupid they were.

I think they’re making a bigger deal out of this than it is. I hear it’s just a conference call in for reporters.
- walleyeb1

It's the same conference call he does most years and many GMs do. The only reason it was of note is because they were going to discuss Crawford. And by discuss, Bowman meant say the same thing he said at the end of the season: "We expect Corey to be back. We don't have any reason to think that's not going to happen."

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...ghly-skilled-first-round/


Has the Hawks taking Hughes at 8 with Wahlstrom still on the board.....and Bode Wilde at 27
- EnzoD

Doubtful that Hughes falls to 8 but have said all along if he does and Wahlstrom is also on the board the Hawks take Hughes.

Wilde is a physical beast and at 6ft 4in 200lbs skates like a 170 pounder and loves to hit. IIRC he's only played defense for 3 yrs so is still learning the position. Pronman:

Michael D: How much do you think the recent news surrounding Bode Wilde (college de-commitment, shunned from USA camp) will affect his draft value?

Some teams have Bode Wilde top 20, some teams have him as a no-draft prospect. Not because of the recent news (I think he didn’t get into the school), but because it’s a buildup of what’s been suspected about the kid’s work ethic/maturity.

Imagine if htis had happened in the MeToo movement era!

- resqmed99

MeToo actually started in 2006 - it just became popular as a hashtag last year. Not that it matter because Kane wasn't ever even charged, so the NHL stance likely wouldn't be any different no matter the movement. No charges = no suspension.

Corey Crawford progress update:

Bowman: "We expect Corey to be back..."

Mentioned Crawford could have an update on his own status at the convention.

Arthur Staple

So yes, it’s not official but it’s confirmed: Barry Trotz will be the next coach of the #Isles. Lots more to come.

His fancy stats, not readily available at the Jrs or Euro level, are really really poor in relation to the other top 10 rated Dmen available for the draft. Most are related to exits, he has no inclination for his own zone, but not exclusively so.

So you take his 2 concussions in the past calendar yr, his atrocious D zone play, his poor showing as a pro in 15 games in the SHL as a pro, his ok results in the top Swedish jr league, his slight build, a 2 yr but probable 3 yr timetable to make the NHL and there are questions.

There is no doubt his toolkit is elite in the last 75 feet but there are also a lot of concerns. My hope is he goes before the Hawks at 8. If that happens IMO there is a very good chance a Wahlstrom or Tkachuk is there at 8.
- Mr Ricochet

You mention his NHL timetable at 2 or 3 years. Boqvist mentioned in an interview I saw that he thought he had much to learn and hoped to challenge for a position in the NHL in 2 or 3 years. Hardly a ringing endorsement of yourself - not very confident. There were some earlier on saying he was close to Dahlin.

Lear:

Stan Bowman: "We're not close to doing a deal right now, before tomorrow... I can't say for sure that we'll be making significant moves."

Corey Crawford progress update:

Bowman: "We expect Corey to be back..."

Mentioned Crawford could have an update on his own status at the convention.
- walleyeb1

On the supposed secrecy: "There’s no gag order. We handle Corey’s situation as we've handled every other player. We never go into specifics on injuries."

Blah, blah, blah:

Stan Bowman: "It’s difficult to predict the magnitude of changes going forward. All I can say is it’s our job to try to improve the team in the short term and keep in mind the long term, as well."

Hilarious:

Bowman on current group of & adding D-men: "If we can find a way to improve our team, we're gonna look at that. I was impressed with how Dahlstrom & Forsling performed in the (AHL) playoffs. But before we get to camp, we'll have some discussions"

Doubtful that Hughes falls to 8 but have said all along if he does and Wahlstrom is also on the board the Hawks take Hughes.

Wilde is a physical beast and at 6ft 4in 200lbs skates like a 170 pounder and loves to hit. IIRC he's only played defense for 3 yrs so is still learning the position. Pronman:

Michael D: How much do you think the recent news surrounding Bode Wilde (college de-commitment, shunned from USA camp) will affect his draft value?

Some teams have Bode Wilde top 20, some teams have him as a no-draft prospect. Not because of the recent news (I think he didn’t get into the school), but because it’s a buildup of what’s been suspected about the kid’s work ethic/maturity.
- Mr Ricochet

If Hughes is available to Hawks at 8 Hawks take him in a heartbeat. Sportsnet has very connected guys - doesn’t mean they will be right as to actual Draft positions but it now seems obvious that after #1 and #2 there is great volatility in the top 10 or 15. HUGE FUN!!!

Hilarious:

Bowman on current group of & adding D-men: "If we can find a way to improve our team, we're gonna look at that. I was impressed with how Dahlstrom & Forsling performed in the (AHL) playoffs. But before we get to camp, we'll have some discussions"
- walleyeb1

Bowman is just saying what every GM says - they won't talk about free agents yet, they like their guys, etc etc. He's not going to come out and say he definitively wants to sign someone because that could push another GM to try to grab them first.

If you drill down on Zadina’s numbers he was effective in Halifax in the Q over 1 season but the year before was totally ineffective in Pardubice with only 1 goal and 1 assist in 25 games.
- Z3Hawk

Doesn't mean anything. He was a 17yr old playing 4th line minutes on a terrible team. There are rules in Czech extraleague to force teams to include U18 players in the lineup, but most of them don't see much ice in the games because coaches don't trust them in the first place. That is exactly the reason why he left for QMJHL.

If Hughes is available to Hawks at 8 Hawks take him in a heartbeat. Sportsnet has very connected guys - doesn’t mean they will be right as to actual Draft positions but it now seems obvious that after #1 and #2 there is great volatility in the top 10 or 15.
- Z3Hawk

Hughes was really impressive at Worlds in his somewhat limited role. He got to pick his stall and specifically choose next to Kane because he wanted to learn from the best. BarstoolChief is the biggest advocate of adding size and nastiness to the team and yet watching Hughes at the end of the year and Worlds made him a believer that Hughes will be great.

Honestly, the Hawks should get a good player no matter what.

For me personally, I am just sick of the "talking points" or propaganda this organization has evolved into. This team hasn't won a playoff series since they raised the cup. IF the mantra truly is "One goal" and that "one goal" is to contend for a championship yearly, well over the last 3 years......I would argue only 2015-16 iced a team with a roster that could have made a run SHOULD they have beaten another beast in STL.

I was ripped last year for calling out the Hawks warts by many, and glad they finished 1st overall in the west, but were exposed promptly by Nashville.

Hawks panic and deal their best overall defenseman and their 2nd best overall player and what did they get back? A retread who looks as interested as the moronic "bros" who parade around in their t shirt jerseys and stand up to go take a leak during the play...…..and "captain America" Connor Murphy who is a turnstyle.

The Hawks got worse....and supposedly brought in some D man whisperer in Ulf Samuelsson, who BTW may be my 2nd most hated NHL Player behind Konstantinov, and what D man truly progressed? They traded Kempny. What did ULF bring?

So today when Stan comes out and lauds how much talent will be there at 8, well....great......but HOW are you going to close the growing gap between your team and the top teams in the league? Your vaunted core has a 3 yr shelf life left, maybe, and if you can't realistically see yourself competing...….TO me......you blow this whole thing up....you build around Kane, make him captain, and trade off guys to acquire picks/prospects, and move along.

Instead I fear they will put another band aid on this sinking ship, much like 2016-17, and 2017-18 and that has gotten them all of ZERO playoff wins. That is the definition of insanity..
- SteveRain

Hey Rainman...this pretty much sums it up - 15-16 the year of the lost 4th dman that Bowman failed miserably to get while his priority was hangin' on to Runny. Don't forget the Danault fiasco either - nothing like trading a promising young center for hot garbage. I for one really liked the Ladd move and thought he Hossa and Kruger formed a formidable line in that series. But the lack of defensive depth killed the Hawks.

Jump to last offseason and two bad trades for the sake of making them and no backup goalie. I'm really interested to see what Stan does here with his job on the line. Does he sacrifice and like you say try to put a band aid on this thing...he's got to make several moves starting with defense. And what about Crawford?

In your heart of hearts even if the Hawks get some help here does what's left of this core have another run left in them? Crawford can carry this team, but what's his status? They need a new Pres. of hockey ops to come in with a fresh eye and start building it back up. Someone like Lou. We'll see what Stan has in store here in the next couple of days.

Hughes was really impressive at Worlds in his somewhat limited role. He got to pick his stall and specifically choose next to Kane because he wanted to learn from the best. BarstoolChief is the biggest advocate of adding size and nastiness to the team and yet watching Hughes at the end of the year and Worlds made him a believer that Hughes will be great.

Honestly, the Hawks should get a good player no matter what.
- L_B_R

"the Blackhawks have traded the 8th pick for a player to be named later and future considerations..."

Hilarious:

Bowman on current group of & adding D-men: "If we can find a way to improve our team, we're gonna look at that. I was impressed with how Dahlstrom & Forsling performed in the (AHL) playoffs. But before we get to camp, we'll have some discussions"
- walleyeb1

Realistically, do you expect him to say anything else? He's not going to say "we have 3 significant holes on defense that must be addressed immediately". No GM in their right mind would.

Bowman (much like Q) has mastered the art of saying something while saying nothing.

Isn't ROR a royal @ss bag?

I watched that final of US vs Canada and vs a depleted team on both sides I didn't notice ROR a helluva lot.
- SteveRain

I've actually heard the exact opposite. His dad is an a$$-bag (See the 'character' letter he wrote to the Avalanche), and his brother is probably a coat-tailer, but Ryan busts his ass.

The first two years in Buffalo, he was the first to arrive and last to leave the rink for every practice. He'd work with younger guys on certain skills, and was generally the hardest working guy on the team.

This last year he made a comment about 'losing the love for the game' because Buffalo was so disheartening again, but I kind of don't blame him. I'd love to have him on the Hawks, just not for $7MM. He's a great possession player and the team is always better when he's on the ice.

I’ve never understood the criticism in regard to the PR/politics/poker game...whatever you want to call it.

I’m not sure what some people expect him to say...

There’s a pretty good chance we’ll suck again this year. Move along, nothing to see here.
- HawkintheD

Yeah buddy I agree with you... Unfortunately we as fans have to deal with it.