Face the Mirror – if the Hawks trail off

If they trail off? Are you kidding me!

The team is 27th overall with two games in hand over 3 teams and could be easily the 30th team. So in reality we are one off at being the worse team in the league. Not to mention coming off being dead last in our division last year.

Anybody else drinking the Kool-Aid?

Baffles my mind. What does it take to realise this team is just not very good on most nights and is now a bottom feeder. Simple mathematics.

Anyone thinking otherwise is creating a PR spin or is simply delusional.

Said it once, said it a thousand times like a broken record perhaps but this team is going nowhere with those big contracts still on the books....otherwise wash, rinse, repeat.

And Bowman has to go. He does not have the tools or capacity to turn around this franchise.

The current formula is not working and has not worked for many years.

On your last sentence, that should definitely be being looked at if they feel he’s not the right guy.

I wasn’t close to the RFD situation at all, but a lot of people here and other places never seemed to happy with Dent. It begs the question, was he allowed to stay too long?
- HawkintheD

The Hawks had a long list of highly thought-of prospects (highly thought-of at least by the Hawks) spend time in Rockford - maybe they were mostly just bad under any development system - but I’m not sure any really developed into NHL contributors.

They can’t go down that road again: too many good prospects there (or probably will be there).

This is now the future of the team, given the aging core and the lack of talent otherwise on the big team.

The Hawks had a long list of highly thought-of prospects (highly thought-of at least by the Hawks) spend time in Rockford - maybe they were mostly just bad under any development system - but I’m not sure any really developed into NHL contributors.

They can’t go down that road again: too many good prospects there (or probably will be there).

This is now the future of the team, given the aging core and the lack of talent otherwise on the big team.
- StLBravesFan

Yeah, agree and that was kind of my point or half formed opinion. Can’t really recall any players that truly developed there under Dent.

Most of the better ones, like Shaw, Saad, and a few others never really spent much time there...which really leaves essentially only Hartman, Vinnie and Gus who are in the NHL unless I’m missing someone.

Yeah, agree and that was kind of my point or half formed opinion. Can’t really recall any players that truly developed there under Dent.

Most of the better ones, like Shaw, Saad, and a few others never really spent much time there...which really leaves essentially only Hartman, Vinnie and Gus who are in the NHL unless I’m missing someone.
- HawkintheD

Danault in Habland.

But exactly - what COULD (not necessarily would) the likes of Pirri, Morin, Pocka, others have become with better development in Rockford?

From Scott Power (The Athletic) "Again, where would the Blackhawks be without Crawford? On Friday, they could have allowed six or seven goals in the first period. Crawford was given the option to take the rest of the night off after the first period, but he chose to stay in net."

A: South of LA...with no chance

"Even with Crawford being Crawford, the Lightning lit up the Blackhawks for four goals — the first coming 29 seconds in — on 19 shots on goal in the first period. Friday’s first and the Lightning’s 33-shot period in Chicago last month have to be in competition for the Blackhawks’ worst periods of the season. The Blackhawks fought back and showed some life Friday, but there was too much damage to recover from. That’s been a trend the past few games."

Tampa is very big, quick and aggressively offensively: the hawks turned over got caught watching the bolts move the puck and forced crawford to face at least 10 A+ chances.

“Corey held us in, kind of abandoned him for a period or so,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “He gave us a chance to crawl back into the game and make it a game. But you can’t chase it and expect to win, and that’s what we’ve done the past few nights. I thought when we had a little streak there, four games getting points, we were difficult to score on. We made teams work for their chances. We can be better than that. We allowed ourselves to stay in games and give ourselves a chance to win and get points where the past few nights we’ve fallen behind early, been chasing the game the whole night.”

And there is your major issue with this hawk team over the past 2 seasons: play a decent game or 2 the goalies stand on their head and they get some wins. Then they regress to who they are and go on one those 2 pt in 5 games streaks...

Face the Mirror – if the Hawks trail off

If they trail off? Are you kidding me!

The team is 27th overall with two games in hand over 3 teams and could be easily the 30th team. So in reality we are one off at being the worse team in the league. Not to mention coming off being dead last in our division last year.

Anybody else drinking the Kool-Aid?

Baffles my mind. What does it take to realise this team is just not very good on most nights and is now a bottom feeder. Simple mathematics.

Anyone thinking otherwise is creating a PR spin or is simply delusional.

Said it once, said it a thousand times like a broken record perhaps but this team is going nowhere with those big contracts still on the books....otherwise wash, rinse, repeat.

And Bowman has to go. He does not have the tools or capacity to turn around this franchise.

The current formula is not working and has not worked for many years.
- Hawkster

ask the smart guys in the front office...hell if i know.

I know there should be line-up changes and 19 and 88 should be separated, but has anyone seen the line-ups for today?

I know there should be line-up changes and 19 and 88 should be separated, but has anyone seen the line-ups for today?
- I Am The Breadman

No Luongo or Trochek is all that matters. If they can't win tonight don't expect another win until, well maybe January.

No Luongo or Trochek is all that matters. If they can't win tonight don't expect another win until, well maybe January.
- RickJ

Wouldn't mind Ekblad taking the night off either, haha.

Don't know if it was discussed already, but if Stan is gone (sooner the better), who replaces him? Anyone has a name in mind? “without bias” is crucial, I am worried the Hawks will turn to someone within their circle and we will see only a sidestep instead of a move forward.

- stonefire

Yzerman if he is still available...otherwise someone who is not a retread.

Under man to man you don’t just throw out what side of the ice the D-Men play on. Man to man may allow more agressive stepping up and puck challenges deep. However, this isn’t done in a vaccum. You don’t want a D-Man caught up-ice nor do you want both D-Men caught on the same side leaving the front of the net or the far post open.
- Z3Hawk

Thanks for the insight. Makes sense. I would prefer that as well in a man-to-man defense: no matter what, never have both defenders in the same area of the ice and never leave your goalie unprotected (as long as you still know where your man is at all times and can prevent any backdoor plays).

The problem with Fortin is he has not earned it. He hasn’t scored at all since playing in the Q. Should have had to prove he could score at Rockford before being given an NHL chance. Speed is a great asset if it is combined with other assets but he seems to only have speed.
- Z3Hawk

Fortin seems to me like they brought a dragster to a road course. Might be the “fastest” car on the track but woefully out of place.

Did not hear anything on Seabrook at all.

Sounds like there are more whispers than normal though about somenmoves coming. I haven't heard any specifics though.
- Justin Lowe

That sounds right to me. From what I read online, the talk about trading Seabrook were from bloggers and reporters asking "what if the Hawks traded Seabrook" or saying "the Hawks should trade Seabrook" -- i.e. more so topic of conversation to hypothesize rather than actual rumor of something being discussed in NHL boardrooms.

I don't get that vibe from this leadership group at all. Where's that rudderless ship GIF when you need it, lol. This team has been in free fall mode for the last couple of years and the solutions management has provided consist of trading away decent NHL depth for futures, then signing 7th defensemen and 13th forwards. How many on this current Blackhawks roster would have dressed for the Lightning last night? My guess is maybe 5 or 6? Nobody from our bottom 6 or second and third pairings, that's for sure.

There were some pretty special and talented Blackhawks teams from the 70's to the early 90's that came up just short. The will and skill of this current group don't compare. Unfortunately, the Cup window for this group is closed.
- Davewn

Agreed. Seem lifeless after the first 15 seconds or so of the game and then just see the same stupid mistakes or miscues or misses game after game.

I know some teams — primarily baseball that I know of — used to institute “kangaroo courts” to call attention to bad plays, stupid plays, etc. — to help reinforce the need to change. I’d like to see a team rule that would fine Schmaltz every time he gets into the house and fails to shoot... or anyone missing the net from inside the dots.

As a fan, seeing the same dumb things over and over just makes it seems like the issues aren’t being address and that no one cares.

The problem with Fortin is he has not earned it. He hasn’t scored at all since playing in the Q. Should have had to prove he could score at Rockford before being given an NHL chance. Speed is a great asset if it is combined with other assets but he seems to only have speed.
- Z3Hawk

I had the same reaction to Fortin's callup: he didn't really earn it, at least compared to others in Rockford. Fortin was not noticeable in the 4-5 games he played for the Hogs before his callup while forwards like Highmore, both Sikura brothers, and even Schroeder and Broadhurst were busting their tails creating offense.

If Fortin was actually producing and making a difference by using his blazing speed to be a disruptive force like say Athanasiou or Zucker, then I wouldn't care so much about him leapfrogging other prospects. Save for a few games you can count on one hand, he has been inconsequential.

I would add Frolik to that group...and Bolland for sure.
- HawkintheD

Stop adding names to this list....you’re making me cry!

No Luongo or Trochek is all that matters. If they can't win tonight don't expect another win until, well maybe January.
- RickJ

They had Bjugstad centering L2 last night. Wish the Hawks could exploit something like that. Reimer has been really bad this yr and with the short travel it sets up well for the Hawks, if there is such a thing.

Reports are he is using speed and positioning to do what he needs to do in defensive end.
- Z3Hawk

Speed and positioning to manage gaps and skate the puck out of trouble will be the cornerstone of Boqvist's defensive game so something good to build upon.

If he can add an element of using his body to separate the puck from the carrier like Jokiharju has shown he can do and what I observed Beaudin and Krys do during prospect camp (albeit against peers, not NHLers), then that would be a great weapon to add to his utility belt and make him a more complete player.

Justin or to the panel what needs to happen not only this year but going forward besides firing bowman and company? What trades signings etc..

From Scott Power (The Athletic) "Again, where would the Blackhawks be without Crawford? On Friday, they could have allowed six or seven goals in the first period. Crawford was given the option to take the rest of the night off after the first period, but he chose to stay in net."

A: South of LA...with no chance

"Even with Crawford being Crawford, the Lightning lit up the Blackhawks for four goals — the first coming 29 seconds in — on 19 shots on goal in the first period. Friday’s first and the Lightning’s 33-shot period in Chicago last month have to be in competition for the Blackhawks’ worst periods of the season. The Blackhawks fought back and showed some life Friday, but there was too much damage to recover from. That’s been a trend the past few games."

Tampa is very big, quick and aggressively offensively: the hawks turned over got caught watching the bolts move the puck and forced crawford to face at least 10 A+ chances.

“Corey held us in, kind of abandoned him for a period or so,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “He gave us a chance to crawl back into the game and make it a game. But you can’t chase it and expect to win, and that’s what we’ve done the past few nights. I thought when we had a little streak there, four games getting points, we were difficult to score on. We made teams work for their chances. We can be better than that. We allowed ourselves to stay in games and give ourselves a chance to win and get points where the past few nights we’ve fallen behind early, been chasing the game the whole night.”

And there is your major issue with this hawk team over the past 2 seasons: play a decent game or 2 the goalies stand on their head and they get some wins. Then they regress to who they are and go on one those 2 pt in 5 games streaks...
- bogiedoc

In response to a question yesterday about why Crawford was still in net after the hawks went down 3-0, I suggested that it was to prevent him from taking the skate of shame and would just get teleovwd during the intermission

I was surprised when he started the second, but I thought it was because he gave a sh*t and felt he was the team’s best chance to possibly come back. I thought Crawford showed a lot yesterday and was one of the few on the ice making a solid effort

Don't know if it was discussed already, but if Stan is gone (sooner the better), who replaces him? Anyone has a name in mind? “without bias” is crucial, I am worried the Hawks will turn to someone within their circle and we will see only a sidestep instead of a move forward.

- stonefire

Honestly, I would expect Rocky and McD to stay internal and go with Maciver or MacIsaac. Preference is to Maciver. Rumor is that he's intelligent but Stan doesn't listen to him. MacIsaac comes off as a Stan yes man.

No time to breathe for the Hawks as they take on Florida tonight.

Can Ward is expected to be in net and I wouldn't be surprised if Jokiharju, Hayden and Martinsen enter back in as well.

If it were me I would split Kane and Toews up and create more balance. Kabe also looked very disinterested last game, he needs to stay focused.

I like Keith and Seabrook separated as well. I would go back to Keith-Joki and then Forsling-Seabrook. Gustafsson's minutes and role needs to decrease IMO.

The Hawks organization as a whole is taking a beating right now as Rockford got thunped 7-2 last night. They try to do better hockey tonight vs. The Admirals.

Is Derek King the right man for the job down there? I've heard that the Hawks might be looking to bring someone else in. They are in evaluation phase there.
- Justin Lowe

Not sure, they seem to have quality Dmen and the goalies should be adequate
but it's probably the forward core lacking, same as up here.

Stan has been absolutely horrible at restacking the shelves from
top to bottom. EOS

I like Keith and Seabrook separated as well. I would go back to Keith-Joki and then Forsling-Seabrook. Gustafsson's minutes and role needs to decrease IMO.
- Justin Lowe

Those D pairs would be much better. Gustafsson needs a stay-at-home partner. Manning for now, then Murphy once he is ready to play again.

Then, honestly, Gustafsson should sit once in a while leaving Murphy and Manning as a defensive only 3rd pair.

I guess there's Rutta as well if the team happens to carry 8 in the backend (not preferred but may happen).

It is great to hear he is scoring and acclimating to NA ice. How is the defensive side of his game?
- I Am The Breadman

Bread, the very very very very best a Hawk fan can hope for is Bovquist to be near adequate in his zone. His best chance at being defensive is in the neutral zone using his feet, stick and IQ to stop/muddy an entry cuz once the puck is in his zone he has never ever ever ever shown any ability defensively that I've seen.

No expert, have seen the kid 5-6 times and some clips but I would use words like abomination and hideous to describe his Dzone play/positioning/effort/reads. ...... Kid is a young 18 yrs old, is in the best spot to develop (can't say that if/when he gets to Rockford), is physically talented and has a long ways to go as far as developing.

My hope is he develops into a Tyson Barrie and I don't care how long that takes. That would be just fine for this fan.

I know there should be line-up changes and 19 and 88 should be separated, but has anyone seen the line-ups for today?
- I Am The Breadman

also 2/7 need to be kept off the pp, try 28 or 42 directing it.

20-19-8
88-15-12
84-62-40
29-64-16

not that the bottom 6 matter, but if the top 2 click a bit
with this combo, it might loosen up the bottom 6