Last night he started the game with Saad and Dach I believe? The whole team looked off for at least half the game; but Kane looked off all night and that's hardly an untalented pair he began the game with.

So the FO is fleecing the fan base trying to regain the level of competitiveness they enjoyed before the recent downturn? How so?
- HawkintheD

Are they fleecing the fan base? No. Have they attempted to with this roster? Yes.

Calvin De Haan is a great add three shoulder surgeries ago. He was damaged goods and has been since junior. THe Alex Nylander trade....you can put that together with ease. Adding Smith for no apparent reason. Can you imagine if the middle of the ice was 19-77-17-Arty? THat is the deepest this organization has ever been down the middle. I like the carpenter add and obviously Kubalik has been good, but moving Kahun for Maata was a stretch and we now have a 4 million dollar third pairing d-man.

Please explain how this is "regaining competitiveness"? THey are in the same spot as they were last year, not sure whether to buy or sell.

Before last nights game the consensus on the board was that Saad was too valuable to the Hawks at $6 mil. to trade. I only got to see parts of the game, but based on the comments, he now needs to be moved immediately. WTH happened in the game?

Man ADB reminds me of a struggling slugger that can't buy a hit. He needs one of those goals to go in off his arse or something, he is getting the chances.

As much as I love Crow, he can't be the Hawks # 1 goalie without at least someone who could handle 30-40 games in case of an emergency and back to backs.

Luongo had to retire because he was getting injured more regularly (not including those nagging injuries piled up through the years). Quick and Freddy Anderson are getting injured more often. One of the reasons Vegas is in peril of missing the playoffs is Fleury has had to miss games, and Subban is below adequate as a replacement. Price $10 mil. for how many years left? He has missed quite a bit of time the last few years because of injury.

I think teams are going to have to allocate a greater percentage of salary cap dollars to goaltenders when figuring out their cap situation, which seems to be going against the thinking of the advanced stats, capoligist gurus. (AKA Dubas). A part of winning any Stanley cup is good luck and reasonably good health. But I can't see a team win, let alone vie for a playoff spot when the difference in your goaltending between your starter and your backup is so vast.

Then they should watch the end of the OT last night.
- StLBravesFan

No doubt about that. Colliton in response to a Gus question recently, half-heartedly chuckled with his reply. I'll leave it to another alert poster to report what he said. Gus has never once made me chuckle until now.

Agree in part. Saad shouldn't have been looking for signs. He should have shot.
- gabriel

What was Saad thinking? As I have said before the difference between winning and losing in the NHL is razor thin. One play like that, if he shot the puck, would have been HUGE!

What was Saad thinking? As I have said before the difference between winning and losing in the NHL is razor thin. One play like that, if he shot the puck, would have been HUGE!
- -Doh-

Saad's got speed, size, and some grit, but he really doesn't have the hockey smarts or the hands. Strikes me as a valuable role player these days.

My son hunts in Southern Illinois for years for deer with his buddies using rifles. Illinois needs the money.
- spanky

You can use a shotgun with a rifled barrel for slugs. No rifle season in Illinois.

Are they fleecing the fan base? No. Have they attempted to with this roster? Yes.

Calvin De Haan is a great add three shoulder surgeries ago. He was damaged goods and has been since junior. THe Alex Nylander trade....you can put that together with ease. Adding Smith for no apparent reason. Can you imagine if the middle of the ice was 19-77-17-Arty? THat is the deepest this organization has ever been down the middle. I like the carpenter add and obviously Kubalik has been good, but moving Kahun for Maata was a stretch and we now have a 4 million dollar third pairing d-man.

Please explain how this is "regaining competitiveness"? THey are in the same spot as they were last year, not sure whether to buy or sell.
- nickmo2699

Arty? the often injured (again this year) that couldn't win a faceoff? I think the Hawks PK has been much better with Smith this year than Arty has been the last 2 years. I guess Arty could stand in front of the net better than Smith on the PP (although that is debatable), and Smith is a better board player (at least he engages along the boards). Sorry, the way this team is currently constructed, I would take smith over Arty (a $4 mil. dollar 4th line center) any day, even though there is only $500K difference in their salary.

As far as Maata being a $4 mil. third pairing this year, he is averaging 18 minutes a game, hardly third pairing minutes. Again, improved PK, who plays on it? I guess if we are matching where they line up 5X5 with dollars, the Hawks should of kept Dahlstrom.

This morning Tallon said he is looking for a steady defenseman to play with Ekblad, I immediately was thinking Matta. I would go Hoffman and a prospect. I bet there are a lot of teams that would love Olli Matta for thier defense at $4 mil. a year. I liked Kahun also but I think Matta makes a positive difference on this team more than Kahun would of.

I missed the game last night except the last few minutes when Maatta tied it up and the OT - so I can't comment on the entire game ... but ... I thought the Hawks played the worst OT I've seen them play in quite a while. Puck possession is paramount in 3-on-3 as are short shifts. The Hawks failed in both accounts. I'll criticize Kane but he was by no means the only culprit. At one point Kane tried to split the defense with a one on three move that resulted in a turnover and I'm not certain but that may have been the last time the Hawks touched the puck. Then, rather than letting a fresh player take his place Kane stayed on the ice and was too gassed to check Dumba or anyone as the Wild scored the winning goal. Kane is a GREAT player but he's not beyond reproach and criticism and at least for the period of the game I watched - he didn't play very well last night.

Are they fleecing the fan base? No. Have they attempted to with this roster? Yes.

Calvin De Haan is a great add three shoulder surgeries ago. He was damaged goods and has been since junior. THe Alex Nylander trade....you can put that together with ease. Adding Smith for no apparent reason. Can you imagine if the middle of the ice was 19-77-17-Arty? THat is the deepest this organization has ever been down the middle. I like the carpenter add and obviously Kubalik has been good, but moving Kahun for Maata was a stretch and we now have a 4 million dollar third pairing d-man.

Please explain how this is "regaining competitiveness"? THey are in the same spot as they were last year, not sure whether to buy or sell.
- nickmo2699

Anisimov - 35 games - 10 goals (3 on PP) - 3 assists - minus 13 - 14 min TOI
Smith - 46 games - 4 goals - 2 assists - plus 2 - 12 min TOI
Yeah, I do not miss him Anisimov too much. Given the same TOI and same linemates the stats for Smith and Anisimov would be about the same. Smith's cap hit is $1.3 mil less than Anisimov

Smith out there with a minute to go. Slap me.
- Elbows15

Great young out of the box thinking HC?

Well well, I guess it takes more than hiring a coach that has NHL experience, and even wrote a motivational book.

https://www.tsn.ca/sam-re...-are-frustrated-1.1438078

Well well, I guess it takes more than hiring a coach that has NHL experience, and even wrote a motivational book.

https://www.tsn.ca/sam-re...-are-frustrated-1.1438078
- LAHawk

Just read through the OT & post-game posts. Seems like a lot of negative comments about the HC.

Team unprepared for the start
Smith on the ice at end of game while trying for a tie
No Boqvist in OT, even though he’s the #1 PP D-man
Gus on the ice on OT

The 09-10 Blackhawks would still have made the playoffs even if Savard was not fired. If this Hawk team slips into the playoffs, that doesn’t mean Colliton is a good NHL coach. He continues to make ‘interesting’ in game decisions, among other things. And, let’s not forget he’s had exactly 1 winning season of his 6 as HC. His team’s defensive ranking was in the bottom half of the league in all 6 of his seasons.

The guy is holding the team back.

#FireColliton

It's a dumb rule (teams not being able to send a prospect to the AHL), but I've been happy with his progress.

If he'd been floating around half the year and couldn't figure out where to be on the ice, you could see a point for letting him develop somewhere else, but that hasn't been the case.
- HawkintheD

Agreed he's not Nylander.

What was Saad thinking? As I have said before the difference between winning and losing in the NHL is razor thin. One play like that, if he shot the puck, would have been HUGE!
- -Doh-

Very true, like Toews taking a horrible angle in the defensive zone and allowing a wide open shot, or on the PK chasing the puck in the neutral zone and allowing a partial breakaway, shouldn't be chasing the puck in the neutral zone ever on the PK, but they got arrogant because they almost scored short handed. Little things ther difference between winning and losing

Very true, like Toews taking a horrible angle in the defensive zone and allowing a wide open shot, or on the PK chasing the puck in the neutral zone and allowing a partial breakaway, shouldn't be chasing the puck in the neutral zone ever on the PK, but they got arrogant because they almost scored short handed. Little things ther difference between winning and losing
- BetweenTheDots

Agree. There are probably 10 of these "little things" in every game. The winning team probably does 6 of them right and the losing team probably does 6 of them wrong.

Just read through the OT & post-game posts. Seems like a lot of negative comments about the HC.

Team unprepared for the start
Smith on the ice at end of game while trying for a tie
No Boqvist in OT, even though he’s the #1 PP D-man
Gus on the ice on OT

The 09-10 Blackhawks would still have made the playoffs even if Savard was not fired. If this Hawk team slips into the playoffs, that doesn’t mean Colliton is a good NHL coach. He continues to make ‘interesting’ in game decisions, among other things. And, let’s not forget he’s had exactly 1 winning season of his 6 as HC. His team’s defensive ranking was in the bottom half of the league in all 6 of his seasons.

The guy is holding the team back.

#FireColliton
- scottak

And who would you have as coach that is available? Please give a specific name so I can pick apart what he did wrong (in my eyes) that he should not be hired.

I'm thinking 1-4-1.
- DarthKane

a comeback OT loss and this board per usual is in "this team sucks" mode..

Can’t settle for one point against one of the worst teams in the NHL.

Against Boston sure, that’s understandable. But in our position we need both points 100% of the time when playing bad teams. Zero room for error. That one point will be huge down the stretch. We needed it.
- SimpleJack

probably not..to many games left and they will get points they shouldn't...but really this team has been playing really well the last month..9 of 10 games giving up 2 goals or less in regulation...

no team is going to win every (frank)'n vs a lesser opponent as you put it...

a comeback OT loss and this board per usual is in "this team sucks" mode..
- bogiedoc

Ha ha, we were much more positive blowing a 2 goal lead against the yotes and winning the tiddly links battle

Typical Kane
- GPHawksfan

nope...not typical...he had a tough game; yes even the great ones have rare tough outings...thats what makes them great...

nope...not typical...he had a tough game; yes even the great ones have rare tough outings...thats what makes them great...
- bogiedoc

Name one player not named Marian Hossa that plays every game with 100% commitment. Maybe Ovechkin, but I can't think of many more.

Name one player not named Marian Hossa that plays every game with 100% commitment. Maybe Ovechkin, but I can't think of many more.
- LAHawk

#91 on our team puts out 100%, however needless to say, he does not have the talent of OV and Hossa. I don’t want to speculate on why Kane was frustrated, but he was being covered like a blanket last night, like somebody(Doh?) mentioned earlier, they did not give him any time or space, that had to be part of it. It seemed like there was two guys on him at all times. Unless other players step up, this may continue to be the strategy on defending this Hawks team.

a comeback OT loss and this board per usual is in "this team sucks" mode..
- bogiedoc

And Darth is an optimist!

Then they should watch the end of the OT last night.
- StLBravesFan

Seriously, they must still believe that his offensive skills, outweigh the defensive carnage he displays nightly. Nobody I see on this board seems to be buying it. With assets galore, they can't pick up a run of the mill D-man for the remainder of the season as a rental? Especially if as Doh stated, he'll be good as gone next season?

Name one player not named Marian Hossa that plays every game with 100% commitment. Maybe Ovechkin, but I can't think of many more.
- LAHawk