Put Orr on the back end with Pilote. Remember, he DID play 18 game with the Hawks!!! Scored something like 23 points while skating on one leg too. Best player EVER. That guy was just unbelievable. Hell, TWO scoring championships by a D-man. Nobody else has even one......crazy good!!!
- hawk35

I posted a while back about Orr being the best player I ever watched and that no one else even comes close. And this was during pre-expansion before talent was diluted to produce more teams. Other posters poo-pooed that and started throwing out other names like Lemieux, etc. Obviously they never saw Orr play.

Too bad medical practices in those days butchered knees rather than repair them as today. I played rec hockey with an ex-NHLer from that era and his knees looked like road maps.

If Orr could have played another 10 years he could have carved out records that would still stand today. I think he was done by age 28 which is prime age for players today.

BTW I am not a Bruins fan and never been one.

Has there been an outdoor game where Patrick Kane has been a factor, contributor? It just seems like he gets shut out/down a lot of the games. Just cannot recall.
- resqmed99

No, and Kane actually got injured at one of those farces. I hope I never have to witness the Hawks participating in one of those again.
This is closer to road hockey than NHL quality. Guys like Hayden should be out there instead of lightweights like Sikura. I also would rather have seen a defenceman like Manning out there over a Forsling. Crappy ice cancels skill.

Been chirping on this for a LONG time.

Their issues start up front, because when you don't roll four lines of solid forechecking, you are chasing all night. When opposing teams see that, they feel comfortable activating their defensemen in the O zone.

Throw in the combination of aging and inexperienced D corps and it just gets worse. Forsling - I was never impressed with. He has a few good games and then reverts to clown shoe mode.

I will say that Murphy and Dahlstrom are a huge upgrade - just paying too much for Murphy as a third pairing guy.

All of this combines to give up 40 shots a night, and that means to give up two goals or less, your goalie has to have a .950 SVPCT or better.

This a a rookie tryout camp for the rest of the season, and the playoffs are a pipedream.

#embracethetank
- Return of the Roar

Murphy hasn't been overpaid for what he has done since returning form injury IMO. He isn't playing like a 3rd pairing guy and isn't playing in our 3rd pair. Right now, he is basically our #3 guy behind Keith/Gus. You aren't going to get better than what he is doing right now for less money, unless you luck out with a young guy on an ELC.

Possible trades for the hawks imo:
Keith to toronto for kasperi 1st and 3rd
AA 4th to Columbus for Anderson
Kruger to team that needs center depth and cup experience for a 6th
Ward to vegas for a 3rd if he waves his nmt
Other than that kunitz Rockford or to a contender as a depth forward 7th pick maybe. Thoughts any trade ideas welcome. One team i would look at to trade with is buffalo they 3 1st round picks.

Possible trades for the hawks imo:
Keith to toronto for kasperi 1st and 3rd
AA 4th to Columbus for Anderson
Kruger to team that needs center depth and cup experience for a 6th
Ward to vegas for a 3rd if he waves his nmt
Other than that kunitz Rockford or to a contender as a depth forward 7th pick maybe. Thoughts any trade ideas welcome. One team i would look at to trade with is buffalo they 3 1st round picks.
- Scott1977

I like it. Idk if Keith gets that return.

I like it. Idk if Keith gets that return.
- nickmo2699

Desperate teams do desperate trades.

Their window is closing and this will be the year where they have the most cap space.

I bet we'll have to retain 1.75 million of Keith's Salary to make it work.

*NEW* blog up: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=96895

Sorry for the delay... I included a lot of tidbits and mailbag questions in here.

He is really killing this team right now. As 6.8 million dollar 6 dman. That's nauseating to think about.
- nickmo2699

I get the complaints about the contract. Sitting here in my GM armchair, a front office does have to make some kind of effort to reward the loyal core, and to send a message to the rest of the team and to the league that this is a team that takes care of its guys. If they lowballed him on that offer, what happens after that? How many GMs are brilliant when it comes to managing the cap? We see it every year, a team flies too close to the sun, and the wings eventually melt.

Imagine being a King fan now, and seeing that Kovalchuk, Dustin Brown, and Paneuf are all next to impossible to move. And Quick has four more seasons after this one on his deal. We're just female doging about one contract, for the most part.