Another poster or two made this comparable before but I do see glimpses of Joe Thornton when I see Strome on his game. Don't think he could match Jumbo Joe but Jumbo Lite would be nice.

While I really liked that 4th line last night, the issue is lack of consistency. Some of that is when Hayden tries to do too much or Martinsen is put in situations that he shouldn't be on the ice for. Both need to play simple, heavy games and stick to a script that dictates a defined role as bangers. If they can do this, yes, they complement the pesky Kruger quite well.
- AEL_Fox

I think a Ryan Johansen type is closer to where he ends up. In that he isnt quite a number one but better then most number twos.

He goes to the middle of the ice, has a nice shot and digs well on the boards. And moves well until he has to stop and start a few times and gets visibly tired. But that's fixable and generally speaking he makes good decisions with the puck.

I liked Schmaltz's ability and speed but I like Strome's overall game more if that makes sense.

I think a Ryan Johansen type is closer to where he ends up. In that he isnt quite a number one but better then most number twos.

He goes to the middle of the ice, has a nice shot and digs well on the boards. And moves well until he has to stop and start a few times and gets visibly tired. But that's fixable and generally speaking he makes good decisions with the puck.

I liked Schmaltz's ability and speed but I like Strome's overall game more if that makes sense.
- fattybeef

That's perfect then! Best we've had since Brad Richards in that spot!

Been off the boards for a while. But I am perplexed with the lack of reality here.
What do we want as Hawk fans? This year anyways?
The team is nothing going nowhere. Why would you want this team to win one more game this year and end up 7th from the bottom with no chance at the entry draft sweepstakes? This year is already a total bust. Screw the ticket sales. Ownership SHOULD and NEEDS TO suffer along side of us for the bad bad decisions they made along the way - right Stan! Why should Rocky continue to rake it in when he gives us this to cheer for? Suffer my friend - read em' and weep along side of us. One less serving of caviar for you.
The goal should be to secure the best chance possible at getting number one draft pick. A secondary goal is to rid ourselves of the current upper management. And while we are on our way to last place in the league we should encourage some of our soon to be totally washed up big contract non producing boys to accept contracts somewhere - anywhere - else - if anyone would have them. Hey, they might even get another ring if they accept a move.
Imagine next year with Jack Hughes on a line along with all the up and comers that will be ready by then.
Go Hawks go - lose baby lose! We already know "you can do it".
- Garn.

This guy gets it. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I was rooting for the Penguins last night and will be rooting for every Hawks opponent for the remainder of the season.

It may not necessarily be that Bowman is looking at the wrong thing but maybe he has proposed trades involving D-men but no teams are interested. The ones who call back want to discuss forwards instead. Just a thought.
- AEL_Fox

Just being sarcastic nyquist be nice top 6 rw then kauhn be slotted in bottom 6 .

Strome knows how to play hockey at a high level. I love all the posters that want speed speed speed and just relentlessly ripped on Strome bc of his skating (which looks weird but isn't the worst I've seen in the NHL).

You kind of need to know how to play hockey too to be solid NHL player. That is why the Stalbergs, DuClairs, and Fortins of the hockey world never become anything special. Elite speed but not much else doesn't get you anything.

Sure those types look flashy blowing by opposing Dmen on occasion but without hockey IQ and other skill sets NHL dmen can neutralize a guy that just has wheels.
- bhawks2241

You need a combo of both kinds of guys on your team. Unfortunately, this team is kind of lacking in both areas as of now.

Strome looks like he's coming into his own here in Chicago. I was a big fan of this trade when it went down because Strome fits more of what we needed. A TRUE Center who has a high hockey IQ. Plus we got Perlini who has speed and a quick shot.

I think it could potentially lead to AA getting traded IF they have high hopes of signing a big FA this offseason. If they don't think they can get someone to sign then it makes more sense to have THREE good Centers up the middle. Most of the better Playoff teams have at least three if not four good Centers and are strong up the middle.

I think they are really 1 top 6 forward and a true #1 and #3 D-men away. Problem is with each passing year Keith moves closer to a #3.

If Strome continues to improve and his skating improves this offseason he is every bit the capable high end #2 center. Since coming to the Hawks he is a 45 pt pace player. There are a couple secondary assists he could've had too but didn't. (Where are my favorite posters that called this kid a complete bum, terrible hockey player, and a bust at age 21???? LOL)

The top 6 forward the Hawks are missing is a big physical 2 way winger who can score 30g a season. Those are hard to come by so are true #1 dmen.

I agree the Hawks are a few pieces away but they are huge pieces.
- bhawks2241

Agree on Strome possibly being the 2C that team has coveted for a long while. If he can play 2C, then that leaves 3C being the pivot slot to solidify next season. It's fine that Kampf is there for now with Kruger at 4C. Next year I expect Kampf to replace Kruger at 4C. Default 3C would be Anisimov which isn't bad but the team could do better.

As for a top 6 forward who can pot 30 goals, I'd expect the Hawks to pursue Stone and Panarin. Perhaps Duchene. Don't like the guy's attitude and baggage but he is uber talented.

As for D-men, outside of Karlsson, the only UFA worth pursuing is Stralman. Older but reliable so 1-2 year contract as a mentor to current young blueliners and placeholder for future young blueliners. Lots of maybes on the UFA list (i.e. Gunnarsson, Chiarot, Benn) but not sure if it's just better to stay in house.

Maybe Myers but he'd be pretty expensive.

Just being sarcastic nyquist be nice top 6 rw then kauhn be slotted in bottom 6 .
- Scott1977

Got it.

As for Nyquist, I'd rather stick with Kahun and Sikura as options for RW. Sikura isn't all world but he is a key piece moving forward for the top 9. Let him grow along with Kahun.

That's perfect then! Best we've had since Brad Richards in that spot!
- nickmo2699

I think he's a year maybe two from putting most of it together though. He'll require a bit of patience. The 150-200ish game mark would be when I'd expect a significant upswing if there is going to be one.

Rutta on waivers.

Literally just wrote about this as a possibility. Good guess. He's not the best hockey player.
- Justin Lowe

How does this affect the salary cap? Does a portion of his salary get charged to the cap or does his full salary get buried in Rockford?

I think they are really 1 top 6 forward and a true #1 and #3 D-men away. Problem is with each passing year Keith moves closer to a #3.

If Strome continues to improve and his skating improves this offseason he is every bit the capable high end #2 center. Since coming to the Hawks he is a 45 pt pace player. There are a couple secondary assists he could've had too but didn't. (Where are my favorite posters that called this kid a complete bum, terrible hockey player, and a bust at age 21???? LOL)

The top 6 forward the Hawks are missing is a big physical 2 way winger who can score 30g a season. Those are hard to come by so are true #1 dmen.

I agree the Hawks are a few pieces away but they are huge pieces.
- bhawks2241

In theory...the Hawks land 1 of those pieces in June 2019 at the Draft in Vancouver....and 1 other in July 2019 via Free Agency. Should be an interesting next 8 months in Chicago. Will Bowman be the one making those calls? it sure seems that way, for better or worse. However, he gets a big W already with Strome trade. If Perlini can be a solid 3rd line contributor/possession driver....it's a home run.

Agree on Strome possibly being the 2C that team has coveted for a long while. If he can play 2C, then that leaves 3C being the pivot slot to solidify next season. It's fine that Kampf is there for now with Kruger at 4C. Next year I expect Kampf to replace Kruger at 4C. Default 3C would be Anisimov which isn't bad but the team could do better.

As for a top 6 forward who can pot 30 goals, I'd expect the Hawks to pursue Stone and Panarin. Perhaps Duchene. Don't like the guy's attitude and baggage but he is uber talented).

As for D-men, outside of Karlsson, the only UFA worth pursuing is Stralman. Older but reliable so 1-2 year contract as a mentor to current young blueliners and placeholder for future young blueliners. Lots of maybes on the UFA list (i.e. Gunnarsson, Chiarot, Benn) but not sure if it's just better to stay in house.

Maybe Myers but he'd be pretty expensive.
- AEL_Fox

Depending on how the cap works itself out with trades and the RFAs, if we could walk away with Panarin (say 5/6 year x 8/9M per) and Stralman (2x4?) and keep in tact most of what we have I would say the team has a shot to be fighting for a Playoff spot next year.

I'm not a fan of any of the FAs out there especially for what they will wanna command on the open the market.

I think a Ryan Johansen type is closer to where he ends up. In that he isnt quite a number one but better then most number twos.

He goes to the middle of the ice, has a nice shot and digs well on the boards. And moves well until he has to stop and start a few times and gets visibly tired. But that's fixable and generally speaking he makes good decisions with the puck.

I liked Schmaltz's ability and speed but I like Strome's overall game more if that makes sense.
- fattybeef

Great analysis of Strome. I'd be happy with a Johansen comparable for him. Minus the douchey-ness.

Depending on how the cap works itself out with trades and the RFAs, if we could walk away with Panarin (say 5/6 year x 8/9M per) and Stralman (2x4?) and keep in tact most of what we have I would say the team has a shot to be fighting for a Playoff spot next year.

I'm not a fan of any of the FAs out there especially for what they will wanna command on the open the market.
- Savetheembers33

Tend to agree: get one of Panarin, Stone, or Duchene + Stralman + blue chip #1 draft pick this summer as Enzo mentioned, then the team could be improved quite a bit. At least big steps moving forward.

Remember when many posters the last couple of years were saying what a model franchise Pittsburgh was. Great core, great complimentary players, great speed, great goaltending, great cap management, great coaching. Not looking so good now.

• Martinsen – Kruger – Hayden Line - totally agree with JL. Hayden is a 4th line player. I really do not like him on the power play. He provides a decent screen, but not much else. Martinsen might be the same or better than Hayden in that role on the PP.

• Does Gus have more or less trade value than Kempny had last year? (Traded for late 3rd round pick). I would not let Gus go for less than a 3rd round pick. His cap hit is low and you have him for one more year. Of course I would move Rutta, Manning or Davidson for 7th round picks or a c level prospect.

• AA – get well soon. We need him to be healthy to increase his trade value.

• Joki – not a bad idea to let him play in WJHC.

• Dahlstrom and Sikura – let’s give them 15 to 20 games before we start getting to optimistic or pessimistic.
- -Doh-

Pittsburg still have a chance, they always play better in second half. How did Blackhawks fare in second half even in cup winning seasons, barely holding at 50% if my memory is right. One team might still compete and another competes for top draft picks, probably for the next few seasons.

Your parade planning is premature, Murray is injured, Crawford was very good, end of the story.

Tend to agree: get one of Panarin, Stone, or Duchene + Stralman + blue chip #1 draft pick this summer as Enzo mentioned, then the team could be improved quite a bit. At least big steps moving forward.
- AEL_Fox

The Hawks are in dire need of defensemen. Keith isn't a number one anymore and I'm not sure he isn't a second pairing guy now. After that there isn't much in the way of good experienced defensemen. Some up and coming prospects to be sure, I've been watching Boqvist play allot but I don't think he's not ready to step in next season and be more than a third pairing guy.

If fans start to believe the Hawks are 2 or 3 guys away from being a contender they are going to in for a huge disappointment. I think they are much further away from contending in terms of player acquistion and years.

Depending on how the cap works itself out with trades and the RFAs, if we could walk away with Panarin (say 5/6 year x 8/9M per) and Stralman (2x4?) and keep in tact most of what we have I would say the team has a shot to be fighting for a Playoff spot next year.

I'm not a fan of any of the FAs out there especially for what they will wanna command on the open the market.
- Savetheembers33

Au contraire, there are plenty of solid FAs out there who would be a big improvement over what we have:

Anton Stralman- an underrated two way defenseman who does a little bit of everything and can clean up his own end very well.

Tyler Myers- one of the biggest dudes in the league, never fully lived up to his Calder Trophy trajectory but is a solid bottom four defenseman

Mark Stone- unheralded top line play driving ability. Does everything well, especially defensively. Likely to command top dollars from a team that recognizes his value though.

Marcus Johansen- Decent middle 6 winger who can contribute in any role.

Brock Nelson & Anders Lee- both from NYI. Both hard to quantify away from Tavares/Barzal. Two bigger body guys who can make a living around the net.


There's plenty more guys who would be upgrades over guys like Martinsen, Kampf, and Manning. I don't know who we'll get but I'm excited that we might actually use cap space for once on a decent player.

My opinion on what is needed to be a playoff team next year:

-Top 3 pick in the draft

-Move Seabrook and Sikura to Vancouver for 3rd Round pick and 2 mil retained on Seabrook's hit

-UFA- Panarin (27), Chiarot (27), Simmonds (30) and Gardiner (28)

Saad- Toews- Simmonds
Kane- Strome- Panarin
Cat- (Draft Pick)- Kahun
Perlini- Hayden- Martinson

Keith- Gardiner
Chiarot- Joki
Dahlstrom- Murphy

Crow

How does this affect the salary cap? Does a portion of his salary get charged to the cap or does his full salary get buried in Rockford?
- Taylorst1

I believe $1,025,000 is the amount that’s allowed to be buried. BTW if he isn’t claimed I expect he’ll head back to the Czech Republic.

Au contraire, there are plenty of solid FAs out there who would be a big improvement over what we have:

Anton Stralman- an underrated two way defenseman who does a little bit of everything and can clean up his own end very well.

Tyler Myers- one of the biggest dudes in the league, never fully lived up to his Calder Trophy trajectory but is a solid bottom four defenseman

Mark Stone- unheralded top line play driving ability. Does everything well, especially defensively. Likely to command top dollars from a team that recognizes his value though.

Marcus Johansen- Decent middle 6 winger who can contribute in any role.

Brock Nelson & Anders Lee- both from NYI. Both hard to quantify away from Tavares/Barzal. Two bigger body guys who can make a living around the net.


There's plenty more guys who would be upgrades over guys like Martinsen, Kampf, and Manning. I don't know who we'll get but I'm excited that we might actually use cap space for once on a decent player.
- ObeseOprah

I read where uncle Lou Lamoriello really likes Anders Lee and is working hard to make him happy on the island. I doubt he makes to free agency.

So, a lot of people on here and elsewhere commenting on uncomfortable Toews / Pierre interview. They've always had great chemistry in past.

I'll share a rumor from second half of last season, now that history clearly did not turn out this way. I heard from one of my best sources near the Hawks (from when I blogged during the dark ages) that Stan was going to be out at the end of last season and the Hawks were focused on either Pierre or Brisebois from TB as the new GM. Q supposedly lobbied hard for Pierre -- they are buddies and frequent a spot on York Road in Oak Brook when Pierre is in town.

I have no insights into what (if anything) happened after that; source has gone dark since. Obviously Stan is still around. TB locked down Brisebois by handing him the keys.

But I've noticed Pierre's demeanor involving the Hawks has been strange since then.

Justin or others -- did anyone hear anything like this at all?
- gmurban

I did not hear anything on this. Interesting.

Pierre is a great hockey guy but I think there's a reason he's in between the benches and not working for an NHL team since 1996(!).

I would be surprised if he lands anywhere now.

Brisebois on the other hand. That one makes a lot of sense.

Justin any truth to the recent rumor of keith AA to pitt for kessell? Personally i would not do that trade i think you wait until TDL and see if any other teams could get involved. Keith to toronto makes the most sense or buffalo more because of cap space. And going forward keep kruger hayden Martinsin together simlar to vegas's 4th line. Much needed win last night but still shakey in d zone and giving up 40+ shots against.
- Scott1977

Didn't hear that one Scott.

You can expect to hear/see Keith's name (along with many others) amongst the trade rumours in the next few months.

Remember the rumor that the Blackhawks sent out a league-wide email in the past day or so, looking to undo a couple of recent mistakes.

The source believed the Blackhawks would be willing to accept anything for either of the defensemen to clear the roster and cap space.

Maybe some team called and said how about nothing, waive Rutta and we’ll take him for nothing.
- walleyeb1

Very possible.

Rutta on waivers.

Literally just wrote about this as a possibility. Good guess. He's not the best hockey player.
- Justin Lowe

Another great Stanley signing.

How much more of Stan's excellent adventure is Rocky gonna take?

Strome knows how to play hockey at a high level. I love all the posters that want speed speed speed and just relentlessly ripped on Strome bc of his skating (which looks weird but isn't the worst I've seen in the NHL).

You kind of need to know how to play hockey too to be solid NHL player. That is why the Stalbergs, DuClairs, and Fortins of the hockey world never become anything special. Elite speed but not much else doesn't get you anything.

Sure those types look flashy blowing by opposing Dmen on occasion but without hockey IQ and other skill sets NHL dmen can neutralize a guy that just has wheels.
- bhawks2241

I just wonder with Strome, is it really his speed, or is it his acceleration that everyone notices as being subpar? Because to me, his speed is fine, but maybe he just takes a bit longer to get up to top speed, but it is hard to tell for me. I notice him catching up to opposing players and beating players on the rush, so I really don't see him as that slow...but maybe I just am not paying close enough attention?

Au contraire, there are plenty of solid FAs out there who would be a big improvement over what we have:

Anton Stralman- an underrated two way defenseman who does a little bit of everything and can clean up his own end very well.

Tyler Myers- one of the biggest dudes in the league, never fully lived up to his Calder Trophy trajectory but is a solid bottom four defenseman

Mark Stone- unheralded top line play driving ability. Does everything well, especially defensively. Likely to command top dollars from a team that recognizes his value though.

Marcus Johansen- Decent middle 6 winger who can contribute in any role.

Brock Nelson & Anders Lee- both from NYI. Both hard to quantify away from Tavares/Barzal. Two bigger body guys who can make a living around the net.


There's plenty more guys who would be upgrades over guys like Martinsen, Kampf, and Manning. I don't know who we'll get but I'm excited that we might actually use cap space for once on a decent player.
- ObeseOprah

Sorry, I meant more specifically the defensemen. That is our biggest need but with a handful of high end prospects on the way and Keith, Seabrook, and Murphy already on the books for high dollar amounts I would not wanna over pay for a short term upgrade.

Tyler Myers for example, I would not be shocked to see him get at least 6M if not closer to 7M on the open market. He's a solid Top 4 guy but I wouldn't feel great about putting that much stock into a guy when we could potentially have better prospects on the horizon.

There are tons of elite, to very good, to solid Forwards that will be projected to be FAs at the end of the year that most definitely would be an immediate upgrade to our forwards right now or even over the next two years. We don't have a lot of prospects who have legit Top 6 potential on the horizon (save for POSSIBLY our 1st RD pick this year) so I would prefer to see them (if they are going to spend BIG) spend it on a Forward.