Been saying for three years now that the Hawks are nowhere near out of cap hell.

The cap problem is why this team will not have a chance to contend until the 19/7/2/50 deals are off the books.

It is also why no decent GM or coach would touch this team with a 100 foot pole. Even if some decided to consider it, they will be plagued with the same issue Q and JC face now - not enough NHL caliber talent accompanying a fast fading core of former elite players.

Finally, it is why any decent player left on the team, or available in free agency would never consider staying or coming here.

The desire to make a media splash by signing 19/88 to their $10.5MM deals sooner than the RFA deadline required, a month before the Looney collapsed bringing the era of flat cap growth, proved to be the nails in the coffin for the future. To this day I find it hard to believe that a guy as wealthy as Wirtz doesn't have someone in his umbrella corp that watches markets and can forecast things. Proof again that you don't re-sign free agents until the deadline.

Until some of the albatross deals expire or get moved it is going to be more of the same - reclamation projects, "crafty veterans" a year or more beyond their expiration date, and an increasingly ineffective "core" of players whose disinterest, lack of heart, and trips to the penalty box drag the whole team down with them.
- Return of the Roar

Been saying for three years now that the Hawks are nowhere near out of cap hell.

The cap problem is why this team will not have a chance to contend until the 19/7/2/50 deals are off the books.

It is also why no decent GM or coach would touch this team with a 100 foot pole. Even if some decided to consider it, they will be plagued with the same issue Q and JC face now - not enough NHL caliber talent accompanying a fast fading core of former elite players.

Finally, it is why any decent player left on the team, or available in free agency would never consider staying or coming here.

The desire to make a media splash by signing 19/88 to their $10.5MM deals sooner than the RFA deadline required, a month before the Looney collapsed bringing the era of flat cap growth, proved to be the nails in the coffin for the future. To this day I find it hard to believe that a guy as wealthy as Wirtz doesn't have someone in his umbrella corp that watches markets and can forecast things. Proof again that you don't re-sign free agents until the deadline.

Until some of the albatross deals expire or get moved it is going to be more of the same - reclamation projects, "crafty veterans" a year or more beyond their expiration date, and an increasingly ineffective "core" of players whose disinterest, lack of heart, and trips to the penalty box drag the whole team down with them.
- Return of the Roar

He does Stan is an economics guy from Notre Dame. He should have some knowledge of that or at least have enough sense to hire someone who does.

The whole Canadian economy is based on a few commodities. Most business school grads know that

re-sign Lehner for 5 or 6mil? Have you been watching his postgame interviews? I doubt he re-signs to be a part of this sh1tsh0w. top 3 goalie UFA this coming offseason are Holtby, Crawford and Lehner. A better team will sign him for 6mil at least.
If he does re-sign, SB probably have to throw some money. I'm guessing 8mil+

Take ANY GM and go thru the history of trades and contracts and you are gonna find some stinkers. Name me a GM with a clean record.

Since Bowman was named GM in 2009, all but 3 teams have turned over GM's, some multiple times. Wilson, Murray and Poile are the only ones still in their positions pre-Stan, and none of those 3 has won a cup.
- TheTrob

I agree they all have stinkers, including Stan. The Seabs deal is ugly, Wilson has 3 that are worse. Poile has been very good, but he traded for Turris and signed Dutch. Also has Josi on the books until 39 at $8M.

People here think they will fire Stan, and find a GM who gets everything right.

The grass is always greener buddy!
- paulr

Always.

Even the great builder, Dale Tallon, this past summer signed a 31 y.o Sergei Bobrovsky to a 7yr, $70mm contract.

Uncle Dale really should wear a hat to keep the sun off his head.

I agree they all have stinkers, including Stan. The Seabs deal is ugly, Wilson has 3 that are worse. Poile has been very good, but he traded for Turris and signed Dutch. Also has Josi on the books until 39 at $8M.

People here think they will fire Stan, and find a GM who gets everything right.
- mohel

Not sure how you fire a guy who is losing because his players got old, like it's his fault. Especially now that most here admit whether they realize it or not Stan has less dumb moves than the other guys.... Ergh...

I agree they all have stinkers, including Stan. The Seabs deal is ugly, Wilson has 3 that are worse. Poile has been very good, but he traded for Turris and signed Dutch. Also has Josi on the books until 39 at $8M.

People here think they will fire Stan, and find a GM who gets everything right.
- mohel

I just think after a certain amount of mistakes you need to be held accountable.

We have a putrid roster. The GM put this roster together. He failed. Time to make a change and move on.

Tyler Cameron: "What If" the Blackhawks flame out?

Let's kick this one off with a few notes from Thursday's game vs. the Arizona Coyotes.

* Bad
* Bad
* Bad

Did I cover it all?

Let's now look at what this team could look like if they completely flame out. Who gets moved? Who might stay?
- Tyler Cameron

Dylan Strome is going to get $5.5M on a new deal? Tyler, you must have been up very late last night and started dreaming at the keyboard. Unless he goes on some historic Mario Lemieux type scoring run in the next 50 games there isn't a chance in hell that he pulls that kind of money out of Chicago. He will take a $4M bridge deal and pretend to like it. Very disappointing season so far for Strome. I can see why Tocchet launched him.

Always.

Even the great builder, Dale Tallon, this past summer signed a 31 y.o Sergei Bobrovsky to a 7yr, $70mm contract.

Uncle Dale really should wear a hat to keep the sun off his head.
- Rota's Rooter

he also had both Khabi and Huet's contract at the same time, along with Campbell's 7mil caphit

Anyone else think the Hawks should simplify their game? Although they've seemed to make adjustments to the man on man in the D zone, the forwards are still playing a variation of the man to man. Young players are trying to learn positioning as it is, this seems to be adding fuel to the fire.

I don't think its a coincidence that the 3rd and 4th lines have had the most consistent success this year by playing a simplified game.


How about the dreaded transition game out of their own zone? In the rarity when they can backhand the puck up the boards and out of the zone, the opposition gets it back and re-enters the zone. Nothing about this strategy screams in control. It seems more like a desperation attempt to fight another day. However, they end up exhausting themselves out.

I hate complaining but damn this is painful to watch.

Not sure how you fire a guy who is losing because his players got old, like it's his fault. Especially now that most here admit whether they realize it or not Stan has less dumb moves than the other guys.... Ergh...
- rpeters01

I think he has as many dumb/bad moves as any GM since 2014/15. Toews/Kane contracts. Seabs contract. Bickell contract. All the NMCs. The Panarin trade. Losing TT. The Danault trade. The Schmaltz trade. Losing Hinostroza, Kempny, TVR, DuClair, Raanta, etc. The Kahun trade. The Jokiharju trade. It goes on and on and on.

How can you say “it’s not his fault guys got older”? Like he didn’t know Seabs was already old and only going to get older? Why sign him to that long of a term? With a NMC?!?!?

Why is he not to blame? If not him then who? And please don’t say our current roster situation was inevitable, or that this is all just bad luck because of the cap.

Not sure how you fire a guy who is losing because his players got old, like it's his fault. Especially now that most here admit whether they realize it or not Stan has less dumb moves than the other guys.... Ergh...
- rpeters01

You fire him if (when) you believe that he is a maintainer rather than a builder - someone who can fill in around a good proven core with complementary players, keeping a team on top for a period of time as pieces inevitably fall off - rather than someone who can start at the bottom and, in a reasonable period of time, bring a team to the top.

Jerry Kraus was fired when Reinsdorf finally understood that his GM was the former - filling in around Jordan and Pippen and being a good contributor to 6 championships - but when that ended (not ignoring his contribution to that part of the picture, too) he was completely unable to return the franchise to the top.

Kraus-Jackson, Bowman-Q - as many conflicts as existed within the pairings, they were poles who successful won titles when presented with a core of high quality talent to develop and build around. Neither of the pairings - none of the four - is the right one to be involved in a rebuild (although Stan’s ability to do so may be in doubt).

When Rocky / McD begin to believe that Stan isn’t the right GM for what the Hawks are going through now....

The guy who has Karlsson (29), Vlasic (32) and Burns (34) for 5+ more years at a combined cap hit of $26.5M? No (frank)ing way.
- mohel

What deal is worse? Seabrook or Burns based on their current play.

How many sell offs has Wilson done? Guy has missed the playoffs 1 time under his watch....and considering where his 1st round picks have been....pretty damn good.

As hawks fans we can't throw stones at anyone's cap issues....we have Toews, Keith and Seabrook locked up until at least 2023...for a combined 27.8

Dylan Strome is going to get $5.5M on a new deal? Tyler, you must have been up very late last night and started dreaming at the keyboard. Unless he goes on some historic Mario Lemieux type scoring run in the next 50 games there isn't a chance in hell that he pulls that kind of money out of Chicago. He will take a $4M bridge deal and pretend to like it. Very disappointing season so far for Strome. I can see why Tocchet launched him.
- RickJ

lets hope he doesn't make his bonus metrics...

I just think after a certain amount of mistakes you need to be held accountable.

We have a putrid roster. The GM put this roster together. He failed. Time to make a change and move on.
- SimpleJack

Explain how the GM, any GM, was going to rebound from the "glory years" and make the team a contender within 5 or 6 years? Also factor in the fact the full process of the salary cap has never happened and there's no blueprint on how to rebuild quickly after being successful for a decade.

I think he has as many dumb/bad moves as any GM since 2014/15. Toews/Kane contracts. Seabs contract. Bickell contract. All the NMCs. The Panarin trade. Losing TT. The Danault trade. The Schmaltz trade. Losing Hinostroza, Kempny, TVR, DuClair, Raanta, etc. The Kahun trade. The Jokiharju trade. It goes on and on and on.

How can you say “it’s not his fault guys got older”? Like he didn’t know Seabs was already old and only going to get older? Why sign him to that long of a term? With a NMC?!?!?

Why is he not to blame? If not him then who? And please don’t say our current roster situation was inevitable, or that this is all just bad luck because of the cap.
- SimpleJack

Don[t be negative or female dog around here.....they don't like that.

Amazing deals.....amazing trades, and when you make a point they'll point back to Dale Talon in Florida which has zero relevance to anything.

What deal is worse? Seabrook or Burns based on their current play.

How many sell offs has Wilson done? Guy has missed the playoffs 1 time under his watch....and considering where his 1st round picks have been....pretty damn good.

As hawks fans we can't throw stones at anyone's cap issues....we have Toews, Keith and Seabrook locked up until at least 2023...for a combined 27.8
- SteveRain

It's 3-0 in cups you left that out.

he also had both Khabi and Huet's contract at the same time, along with Campbell's 7mil caphit
- squishy24

Yea but with Khabibulin you could always barter cases of Stoli in exchange for salary.

What deal is worse? Seabrook or Burns based on their current play.

How many sell offs has Wilson done? Guy has missed the playoffs 1 time under his watch....and considering where his 1st round picks have been....pretty damn good.

As hawks fans we can't throw stones at anyone's cap issues....we have Toews, Keith and Seabrook locked up until at least 2023...for a combined 27.8
- SteveRain

I'd say with three cups in 10 years we can throw all kinds of stones.

It's hilarious to read the same people hammering Stan for Seabrook's deal actually wanting a guy who has three contracts that will be worse.

#spoiledbrattempertantrum
- mohel

It’s even more hilarious watching you call out another teams GM for handing out bad contracts....and then defend Stan Bowman at the same time.

Don
- SteveRain[t be negative or female dog around here.....they don't like that.

Amazing deals.....amazing trades, and when you make a point they'll point back to Dale Talon in Florida which has zero relevance to anything.

female doging is fine if the whoe story is told.

What I don't care for is telling half the story, like Wilson is doing as well as Stan because he hasn't missed the playoffs without pointing out the Hawks are have 3 cups to SJ's zero.

I say can the coach bring in someone competent and see what happens.
This team is lost in the o zone and on defense and look lost and frustrated.
the penguins were a crap show until they got rid of the coach then back to back cups it can happen.

I'd say with three cups in 10 years we can throw all kinds of stones.
- paulr

i agree, ill take 10 years of basement dwelling for those 3 cups. i didn't think id see one let alone 3 in my lifetime.

It’s even more hilarious watching you call out another teams GM for handing out bad contracts....and then defend Stan Bowman at the same time.
- SimpleJack

Other than Seabrook's contract what other horrendus contract(s) has Bowman handed out?

I just think after a certain amount of mistakes you need to be held accountable.

We have a putrid roster. The GM put this roster together. He failed. Time to make a change and move on.
- SimpleJack

Definition of a temper tantrum. An executive has to constantly ask whether his employee is up to snuff, when compared to possible replacements. Would (s)he be better off hiring x to replace y? I'm asking who is x? And why are they better than Stan?

Btw, is it possible that a poor roster is also part of the rebuild plan?