Why Sikura?
- Assman22

Because I think he's a pretty good player. The problem he had last season was the puck wouldn't go in for him. If he gets over that hurdle he can be a very good 3rd line type player - good defensively and if he can put the puck in the net he can use his vision and passing to be a very good offensive player.

I would do that in a heartbeat.
- DarthKane

Beaudin for Caufield?

Because I think he's a pretty good player. The problem he had last season was the puck wouldn't go in for him. If he gets over that hurdle he can be a very good 3rd line type player - good defensively and if he can put the puck in the net he can use his vision and passing to be a very good offensive player.
- EbonyRaptor

Sikura is taboo around these parts.

Sikura is taboo around these parts.
- I Am The Breadman

I really have never been impressed by Sikura. I’d rather see Highmore and Wedin up before Sikura.

Schmaltz with a great end to end play in overtime to set up Stepan for the winner. Another fail by Bowman.

Right but don’t forget Regula in London whom was paired with Boq last season. Stan may derm him Beaudin’s replacement and there are zero top 6 center prospects in the pipeline. We’ll see what happens.
- Assman22

I suggest it is too early to tentatively pencil in Regula. I do not know enough about him plus he had that injury so you hope his skating is still good. He intrigued as a Big Buff type in front of the net on Pp particularly since he has been used sometimes in this manner. When reports say Regula can be an NHL dman but not top pair, hmm how much development time and where is he lacking.

Beaudin is probably the best prospect who understands and thinks defense well
He is likely more a stick checker but will he throw an occasional hip or other type check? He thinks the game well. He had a couple or three star of game already at Rockford.

I understand the paucity of top six caliber centers in the pipeline. However I still vote to not trade Beaudin for a center prospect. I prefer to retain those we have invested in. Another dman prospect to fill the departed skates of Beaudin.....outside of Mitchell anyone else needs more time than both Mitchell and Beaudin. Those two our our hope for best able to play defense well. Trade either and then wait longer for another dman prospect to develop - heck no. How much longer you want bad defense?

I would consider drafting a center plus.we have Dach. Kurasev and R Johnson could become very good #3 andv#4 centers and then too Barrett comes along (but he needs to work on his skating).

Yours is a valid point about the center position therefore I could understand the
keen interest in any centers from prospects to NHL

Why would he retire for us but not Montreal?
- rpeters01

A. I was being sarcastic.

B. I don't care who he is playing for as long as he retires early, and sticks Nashville with the recapture penalty!

Because I think he's a pretty good player. The problem he had last season was the puck wouldn't go in for him. If he gets over that hurdle he can be a very good 3rd line type player - good defensively and if he can put the puck in the net he can use his vision and passing to be a very good offensive player.
- EbonyRaptor

I would second that assessment of Sikura. Has a 200 foot game, keen hockey sense, agility and pace. And as much as this runs counter to the narrative that he is too weak and small, this season he has shown considerable grit and push back to his game.

In Rockford he has been relied upon as a primary goal scorer but I could see him thriving more as a playmaker on the Hawks, especially if he can play with power forwards like Dach and Kubalik as you suggested as a potential 3rd line.

Sikura is taboo around these parts.
- I Am The Breadman

There is a few who like Sikura. I bet Ebony post becomes reality......Sikura will get here or somewhere in the NHL.certainly in the expansion season

Oh and AEL_FOX post explains just why Sikura is able to make the grade

Kind of like Dach living with Seab's, Alex Nylander was extended an offer by Robin Lehner to live with him and his wife and two kids. Dietz wrote a piece on it that's in the Herald today...

Nylander credits Toews, Kane and the coaching staff for getting him to realize the kind of hockey player he could become.

He then paused and gave a stick tap to Lehner. And the thing about the Blackhawks' goalie is he's not going to sugarcoat everything.

If Nylander's not hustling or playing smart without the puck, Lehner's going to let him know about it.

"He has a lot of offensive talent, but it's the other part of the game that he needs to get better on," Lehner said. "Which I think he has. Just doing the small things right; playing defense right.

"Just like any young player coming into the league, have a consistency level. ... That's what secures spots in this league.

Said Jeremy Colliton after the Hawks' 5-1 victory over the Kings: "I don't know how many games (in a row) it's been, but I feel quite comfortable with him on the ice. ... When a guy as talented as he is wants to work, he's going to be a pretty good player. I think that's the case right now."

If the Islanders can rip off 9 in a row with a similar talent profile and no Patrick Kane I feel like the Hawks can do similar. They arent bereft of talent it is just kind of a goofy group especially on D. The Caps have a similar talent pool as well, especially age wise (though Carlson is having a monster year).

I think the talent bar is so flat in the NHL right now that having a good coach and staff can be a big difference maker since it isn't necessarily about accumulating the most talent (yay cap) its about getting the most out of a pretty similar profile then the rest of the league whilst not burning out your stars for the playoffs.

Kane could go on a tear and if Lehner and Crow are playing well then they could flip to over .500 pretty quickly in spite of some of the messiness on the ice. But if he's skating 22-24 mins a night and Keith is +25 the back nine are going to be rough.

Re dump and chase: I think you want guys like Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad to come through the neutral zone with speed and the puck on their blade. The NHL as a whole hasn't dealt with that well the last several years. BUT being able to huck it deep every now and then and not be a complete mess is a useful to have in the toolkit.

Boqvist can make a pass out of the zone which is kind of nice. Can't say they're not interesting.

Beaudin for Caufield?


- DrewDawg

You need to ask?

I really have never been impressed by Sikura. I’d rather see Highmore and Wedin up before Sikura.
- Assman22

I've always been in the Highmore fan club. I can't wait for him to come up. Wedin, I liked him in training camp, so I expect him to get recalled. Sikura should be the first, imo. Everything that Theo said are great reasons. Adding in he hits & good along the boards. Goals will come, they usually do.

Jhawk, put your sarcasm spectacles on, my original post was just a joke. This is all my true feelings.

I've always been in the Highmore fan club. I can't wait for him to come up. Wedin, I liked him in training camp, so I expect him to get recalled. Sikura should be the first, imo. Everything that Theo said are great reasons. Adding in he hits & good along the boards. Goals will come, they usually do.

Jhawk, put your sarcasm spectacles on, my original post was just a joke. This is all my true feelings.
- I Am The Breadman

Highmore, Wedin and Sikura could all be recalled short. It depends on what the team is looking for, top 6 type forwards or bottom 6.

Which team shows up tonight? That is the burning question. Would like to see some consistency start to develop. Hope Lehner gets the call in net once again. San Jose has been really struggling, but then again they were when they came to the UC and got their first win of the season. Don't know from game to game which Hawks team is going to show up.

Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, and Alex Nylander are all 22 years old or younger. Kubalik, Kampf are 24, Saad 27. Probably not make the playoffs, but I think this team will improve throughout the year.

Hopefully Mitchell signs and then I think you have a pretty good young core going forward. So when does Stan (or his replacement) say we are going to do a full rebuild, and to the old core, thanks for the memories?
- LAHawk

Really good point LA. Only issue I see, is there is 1 D-man we know can cut it. Hope the rest of the pipeline is the same!

Schmaltz with a great end to end play in overtime to set up Stepan for the winner. Another fail by Bowman.
- Dieselhead

Is this sarcastic?

Is this sarcastic?
- nickmo2699

Arizona has quietly become a very good team with loads of young talent. Getting Kessel was a very good move by management. Darcy Keumpfer is probably the best goaltender in the league so far this year.

Arizona has quietly become a very good team with loads of young talent. Getting Kessel was a very good move by management. Darcy Keumpfer is probably the best goaltender in the league so far this year.
- LAHawk

So Strome and Schmaltz have both benefited from the trade and Perlini was a throw in to see if he could stick. I dont understand why this was a swing and a miss by Bowman...

So Strome and Schmaltz have both benefited from the trade and Perlini was a throw in to see if he could stick. I dont understand why this was a swing and a miss by Bowman...
- nickmo2699

It is not and we just flipped Perlini for a really nice D prospect.

It is not and we just flipped Perlini for a really nice D prospect.
- bhawks2241

I know, someone mentioned that Schmaltz set up a GWG last night and that it was a fail by Bowman.

I wouldn't trade Beaudin at all right now. Our teams biggest weakness is on the backend (I get we're not scoring goals but that can and should come with chemistry on the lines). This is the same issue we had with trading Joki for Nylander. I get Ryan Poehling looks really good, but the chance of Montreal is not gonna give him up to fix their LHD problems. Perhaps Gus could be a fit for them to clear some of the glut on the backend and they were scouting Rockford for possibly additional pieces in a deal. We'll see.

As far as the team goes, ride out what ya got right now. If they can start to build chemistry and stack points there's no need to fix it. However, if they do struggle some more I think you will see Dylan Sikura get another shot with the team. I get this is a hot button for some people because some thought he could be the "almighty savior" of the team, but in reality if he can be a 200ft 3rd line forward with Dach and Kubalik right where they can hunt pucks down and give opposing bottom pairs problems this would be a great thing for the Hawks. He's been one of, if not, Rockford's best players so far this year. I would like to see him continue to build off of how he's played recently before being called up if they do.

Always been a fan of Highmore's game as well, but at this point the numbers game is not in his favor right now. I hope he does get a shot at some point, but until someone gets hurt or guys start to struggle he's gonna need to keep on playing well and growing his game to force his way into their plans.

I know, someone mentioned that Schmaltz set up a GWG last night and that it was a fail by Bowman.
- nickmo2699

The Boman haters will always hate.

So Strome and Schmaltz have both benefited from the trade and Perlini was a throw in to see if he could stick. I dont understand why this was a swing and a miss by Bowman...
- nickmo2699

It definitely wasn't. Strome killed it last year and Schmaltz was playing well himself until he got hurt. That deal was a win-win move for both teams. Change of scenery was good for both players and teams. The Hawks took a chance on two guys hoping one would pan out and so far Strome has looked good for us (then they got a prospect for Perlini too). Plus the Hawks needed someone who could be a #2 Center behind Toews and Schmaltz wasn't that guy. Strome came in and played that role to almost perfection last year having instant chemistry with Cat and Kane. That's a huge win. Let's hope he continues to grow and develop so he could be our 1-2 punch at Center with Dach for the next decade of Hawks teams.

Highmore, Wedin and Sikura could all be recalled short. It depends on what the team is looking for, top 6 type forwards or bottom 6.
- DarthKane

All 3 are bottom forward talents, no? Move guys like Shaw or Kubalik up before letting one of those pups in the top 6 I think but jmo.