rooting hard for the Go Kings Go ! tonight ! Lets go Kings
- mrpaulish

The Kings will gain points on us when we face them. In the meantime I can see us maybe beating Montreal tomorrow but the schedule after that looks brutal.
By the New Year there will be nothing to play for because even last place overall will be a given. Perhaps the Canucks may pose a bit of a challenge to make at least that aspect interesting.

And one is 10 years younger than the other.

I doubt that any sensible GM would trade a 18 year old potential top-5 in the league defenseman for a 30 year old top-5 in the league wing.
- StLBravesFan

One on his ELC, the other making $10.5M. For all this talk of trading this core guy or that, they all make a ton of money and, with the exception of Crawford, are signed for a loooooong time and he is coming off a serious injury. There will be some moving pieces involved with moving any of them.

Edited to add: Oh yeah, they all have NMC's as well

Personally, I view Stan neither a martyr nor a puppet master, just a guy that's painted himself into a corner with a roster of his own creation. This past off season, he sold McD and Rocky on the premise that a healthy Crawford and positive regression back to normal for most of his core would lead this team back to the playoffs. Occam's Razor- this is what the front office has said all along, even to this day. My bet is he thought Q had lost the room and his boy wonder would turn things around.
- Davewn

I'm not so sure that he's the only one pulling the strings. My guess is that there's a few someones pulling his strings as well. He's just the one who eventually might pay the price.

I'm not so sure that he's the only one pulling the strings. My guess is that there's a few someones pulling his strings as well. He's just the one who eventually might pay the price.
- 6628

You have more experience with the organization, but....

My guess (only a guess) is that the GM makes the decisions - but he must clear the important ones (and maybe even too many of the unimportant ones) with McDonough.

thanks for the info. Not sure why someone else seems to be busting you n##s over this
- BobP.

Totally agreed. Stopped looking at the standings; it’s like looking at the obituaries. I appreciate these updates because I find it too painful to do this kind of math for a team I have so thoroughly enjoyed watching.

The NHL is still a 1 goal league. It may now be a 4-3 or 5-4 league instead of the 3-2 of years past. The last 2 nights prove that out. Hawks played better (NOT great). After the 1st 10 minutes in ANA, pretty good. And they hit 4 posts. Win that one and maybe a little confidence improves last night’s result.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still major roster upgrades to be made, but a team with 88, 19 & 2 is much closer than a team with no future HOFers on it. A impact player from next summer’s draft, a key FA signing, a couple of the young D take the next step, one of the Rockford forwards moves up, DCat & Strome take the next step, and they become part of the playoff mix.
- scottak

Great post, last paragraph is dead nuts..

I still say StanBow knew he was far far away from even a decent roster as evidenced by his not even sniffing FA 's like JVR. He knew and saved that cap money while adding guys for a yr that have skated an NHL shift without being a total embarrassment. ...... Either Stan is one of the few people on earth that will do the right thing even if it means he'll lose his job, wasting money on the JVR's of FA, or he was told your job is safe, do the unspoken rebuild.

Now the problem of moving the unmovable due to NMC's under the guise of the above......... I had not thought of this but a poster asked could it be that firing Q, bringing in a coach younger than the core to lose with this horrid roster be a way of getting the core to waive and say get me out of here?

No way of knowing for sure but it does make sense. You give this any credence?
- Mr Ricochet

You might be right about Stan having a transition plan - but the way it’s been executed up to this point leaves a lot to be desired. Some more “in the know” observers have suggested that there was disagreement amongst the front office on if/when Q should be fired - and the way it was finally done lends credence to the speculation. Essentially, Stan wanted to replace Q far before it actually happened (e.g. after ‘17-Nashville, or ‘18-missed playoffs) but McD wouldn’t green light it. Finally, it took a five-game losing streak, Q forgetting to put a man in the penalty box, etc. for McD to acquiesce to the move.

Again, it’s speculation, but it’s certainly one of the more plausible explanations for how the timing of firing Q couldn’t have been more bungled. But when you have a team president who just learned what offsides was about ten years ago, I don’t give him the benefit of doubt.

Can somebody give a brief overview of the upcoming 2019 draft class...I know hughes is a generational type talent...but, what about the next tier, is the class generally seen as great...guys like Kappo? etc...

Just want to understand if the Hawks don't get lucky and get the #1 pick what other players are available...

Thx

And Kane may be willing to waive his NMC to play in his hometown. As much as I'd hate to see any of the core moved it has to happen for the Hawks to move forward.
- paulr

As long as Kane and Keith stick around the Hawks are going to be stuck in these doldrums.

Climate change is the biggest fraud of all time. Nothing wastes more human potential then investing one destiny then surrendering their God Given gifts to the alter of the Globalist Cabal.
- TrueGrit

PUT THE KEYBOARD DOWN SLOWLY, AND WALK AWAY. JUST WALK AWAY.

Can somebody give a brief overview of the upcoming 2019 draft class...I know hughes is a generational type talent...but, what about the next tier, is the class generally seen as great...guys like Kappo? etc...

Just want to understand if the Hawks don't get lucky and get the #1 pick what other players are available...

Thx
- Beaks99

Kakko is a wing and may be the one player who displaces Hughes as the #1 pick - depending how their seasons play out. The next group include some centers with good size - Dach, Cozens, and Lavoie. There's several other very talented players that are either wingers (Caufield, Podkolzin) or centers 6' and under (Newhook, Suzuki, Krebs)

Bottom line if the Hawks pick in the top-5 they will either get Hughes or a future #1 center.

any of the current bottom 10 teams currently are possible contenders for ending up in the bottom 2. As they are all capable of horrible losing period like the hawks are enduring (3 wins in their last 20 games). Plus with all the 3 point games picking a bottom two is fools game. Unless the hawks pull a something like an 8-10 game pt streak...they appear destined for a bottom 4 finish.

and now stanbow is desperately looking for a GM to bail him out of his two horrible signings: rutta and manning to free up cap space...good luck he may have to just waive them for give them away maybe get a new zamboni in return...

Can somebody give a brief overview of the upcoming 2019 draft class...I know hughes is a generational type talent...but, what about the next tier, is the class generally seen as great...guys like Kappo? etc...

Just want to understand if the Hawks don't get lucky and get the #1 pick what other players are available...

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...rospect-rankings-october/
Thx
- Beaks99

Forsling put on IR and Murphy activated off IR.

Forsling put on IR and Murphy activated off IR.
- EbonyRaptor

Sorry Forsling is hurt but now Stan has a couple of weeks to assess Murphy before he needs to move a defenseman.

Did you see the goal scored by Noel for Rockford last night? The gif is only a few seconds long and the camera is pretty far away but it looks like Noel breaking in holding his stick as a lefty, then pops the puck to the right side of the defender and switches his stick so he holding it like a righty and shoots and scores. I don't recall seeing anyone do that before - at least not at high speed while going around a defender.

Sorry Forsling is hurt but now Stan has a couple of weeks to assess Murphy before he needs to move a defenseman.
- matt_ahrens

It will be good to see Murphy back to playing - and interesting (or maybe frustrating) to see how JC deploys him. I expect his TOI to be limited in the first few games.

any of the current bottom 10 teams currently are possible contenders for ending up in the bottom 2. As they are all capable of horrible losing period like the hawks are enduring (3 wins in their last 20 games). Plus with all the 3 point games picking a bottom two is fools game. Unless the hawks pull a something like an 8-10 game pt streak...they appear destined for a bottom 4 finish.

and now stanbow is desperately looking for a GM to bail him out of his two horrible signings: rutta and manning to free up cap space...good luck he may have to just waive them for give them away maybe get a new zamboni in return...
- bogiedoc

They aren’t up against the cap right now, so I can’t see how that’s motivating Stan to make a deal. It’s more likely to pick up some minor prospect, low level pick, and/or roster flexibility.

Why doesn't Toews just step up his Leadership?

Isn't he a Top 100 player of All-Time? Wasn't it his leadership alone that won the Hawks those 3 Cups?

Mark Messier Leadership Award indeed (if underperforming and missing the playoffs is your benchmark for leadership)

any of the current bottom 10 teams currently are possible contenders for ending up in the bottom 2. As they are all capable of horrible losing period like the hawks are enduring (3 wins in their last 20 games). Plus with all the 3 point games picking a bottom two is fools game. Unless the hawks pull a something like an 8-10 game pt streak...they appear destined for a bottom 4 finish.

and now stanbow is desperately looking for a GM to bail him out of his two horrible signings: rutta and manning to free up cap space...good luck he may have to just waive them for give them away maybe get a new zamboni in return...
- bogiedoc

Ruuta and Manning are short term contracts and we have no immediate Cap relief needs.
Our future is hampered by the long term big dollar anchor contracts. These contracts will hamper future UFA signings and renewing contracts of developing young talent for a long time. Buyouts are so expensive on those contracts that you might as well play those players through the duration of those contracts.

Can somebody give a brief overview of the upcoming 2019 draft class...I know hughes is a generational type talent...but, what about the next tier, is the class generally seen as great...guys like Kappo? etc...

Just want to understand if the Hawks don't get lucky and get the #1 pick what other players are available...

Thx
- Beaks99

Don't remember the website names, but if you use the Google machine, search for 2019 NHL draft prospects and links to several articles will be referenced.

Why doesn't Toews just step up his Leadership?

Isn't he a Top 100 player of All-Time? Wasn't it his leadership alone that won the Hawks those 3 Cups?

Mark Messier Leadership Award indeed (if underperforming and missing the playoffs is your benchmark for leadership)
- RoloTahmasee

WTF? Toews has been probably their best player this season. He is not the problem there.

any of the current bottom 10 teams currently are possible contenders for ending up in the bottom 2. As they are all capable of horrible losing period like the hawks are enduring (3 wins in their last 20 games). Plus with all the 3 point games picking a bottom two is fools game. Unless the hawks pull a something like an 8-10 game pt streak...they appear destined for a bottom 4 finish.

and now stanbow is desperately looking for a GM to bail him out of his two horrible signings: rutta and manning to free up cap space...good luck he may have to just waive them for give them away maybe get a new zamboni in return...
- bogiedoc

Don't understand how Stan is given so much rope. Maybe Q's time was up and he deserved to be shown the door, but Stan's roster construction is a reason the Hawks are what they are today.

Now the latest move, desperately trying to get rid of Manning and Rutta, just months after recognizing them as NHL caliber defensemen and signing them to what are now questionable $2M contracts. Granted not much money in the big scheme of things, but a head scratching decision.

I also wonder what other GM's think of Stan. By sending out this league wide mailing, if true, to attempt to unload these two, I would think that Stan's leverage is reduced. Any return will be minimal, not that I was expecting a great return.
Maybe this is common practice?
.

Don't understand how Stan is given so much rope. Maybe Q's time was up and he deserved to be shown the door, but Stan's roster construction is a reason the Hawks are what they are today.

Now the latest move, desperately trying to get rid of Manning and Rutta, just months after recognizing them as NHL caliber defensemen and signing them to what are now questionable $2M contracts. Granted not much money in the big scheme of things, but a head scratching decision.

I also wonder what other GM's think of Stan. By sending out this league wide mailing, if true, to attempt to unload these two, I would think that Stan's leverage is reduced. Any return will be minimal, not that I was expecting a great return.
Maybe this is common practice?
.
- boilermaker100

Stan knows they have minimal trade value
Stan will probably place one or both on waivers... giving them away for free
By sending out a league-wide email, the better teams can start minor bidding in order to "jump" up the waiver wire if they're actually interested in depth for a cup-run, where as the worse teams know they're far more likely to get them for free if they wait.
Another reason to do it is to swap contracts for a minor leaguer, some teams don't want to add to their 50 contracts unnecessarily, but will give AHL fodder or a B prospect back to have more contract flexibility in the future, pre TDL

Climate change is the biggest fraud of all time. Nothing wastes more human potential then investing one destiny then surrendering their God Given gifts to the alter of the Globalist Cabal.
- TrueGrit

https://youtu.be/Zgk8UdV7GQ0