I thought you were trying to get the jump on Darth.
- 333inthe3rd

Darth will give him a day in full-fledged camp.

Could be some more trades than big signings
- Scott1977

We've got more Defensemen than the North Korean Army.

I think Rodriguez gers traded before anyone else
One player I would like the Hawks to at least inquire about is William Karlsson from Vegas and see one if he is available and two what it cost to trade for him. He could be that bridge and take pressure off of Bedard. Maybe reichel 2026 2nd lowest of the three and 5th might get it done. Vegas needs to move someone out even with petro going on ltri at some point. And need to resign eichel next year.
- Scott1977

Would love to have Karlsson. He is the type of players we need (bring in that winning mentality).

Rodriguez’s salary is only $3 million gives them just over $4million for 6-7 players. Going to need to shed more than that to fill out a roster that’s why Lundell would be a great target. Slot in as 2C on the Hawks. Responsible defensively can score. Would cost FL more to replace him (that is a team friendly contract). I can dream can’t I?

Hope Davidson doesn't try any big brain moves because there is not much left with free agents .
Think we have to play this year out with youth n the veterans we have. Lottery draft one more year

Would love to have Karlsson. He is the type of players we need (bring in that winning mentality).

Rodriguez’s salary is only $3 million gives them just over $4million for 6-7 players. Going to need to shed more than that to fill out a roster that’s why Lundell would be a great target. Slot in as 2C on the Hawks. Responsible defensively can score. Would cost FL more to replace him (that is a team friendly contract). I can dream can’t I?
- Revco38

Lindell would be great but don't think there is anyway Florida will let him go.

Lindell would be great but don't think there is anyway Florida will let him go.
- HamiltonHawk

Speaking of Lundell, this was in the Trib…

“I have good size,” Frondell said. “I know how to use my body when I have the puck. I like to play both offensive and defensive.”

“Barkov’s probably a few inches taller and obviously a little bit heavier now at this point, but they play a similar style,” said Blackhawks amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey. “I would say he’s probably somewhere between a Barkov and an Anton Lundell, like he’s a big, detail-oriented center with a brain.“So he can just shoot a puck. He’s going to be a really special piece for us.”

Lindell would be great but don't think there is anyway Florida will let him go.
- HamiltonHawk

Even though they have what seems like a different salary cap then everyone else, they have to give up someone if you only have 1 mil and still need 6 players, you don't gain anything by getting rid of min earning players. And look at the lengths, most of those guys are signed to 2030-2033. They'll need min earning players for a long time

Give them back their 1st? making it Lundell and Knight for Jones? Still an awesome trade for KD.

Makes you wonder what the Hawks run would have been like if salary cap did back then what its doing now, like they expected it would.

Well since taking off my beer goggles . I am starting to like the 2025 draft a bit more, still disappointed we did not select Martone . After reading very many of the post on here ,feeling somewhat better about the future .Frondell was my 2nd favorite choice ,so am glad he was chosen . Never know Nestrasil may just be the power forward we need he certainly has the size ,and West another huge forward could be a HR . Behm could be ready for a true breakout season .Anyway want to thank the guys and gals on here for great comments ,and getting me off the ledge . Looking foward to seeing plenty young players next year as the Hawks turn the corner to respectability .GO HAWKS !!!!!
- oldduffman

Duff, reading around I do read folks saying KD has earned trust due to his draft record so far and I agree. His first draft was 2022 so the proverbial rubber is really starting to hit the road but there is so much to like from his drafts so far.

We all have preferences and biases but few won't like KD's work to this point. Here are all Hawk drafts: https://www.hockeydb.com/...aft/teams/dr00005218.html

If the last 10 games last yr with all the yooots up is any indication this yr is gonna be fun for the fan, players and management.

Duff, reading around I do read folks saying KD has earned trust due to his draft record so far and I agree. His first draft was 2022 so the proverbial rubber is really starting to hit the road but there is so much to like from his drafts so far.

We all have preferences and biases but few won't like KD's work to this point. Here are all Hawk drafts: https://www.hockeydb.com/...aft/teams/dr00005218.html

If the last 10 games last yr with all the yooots up is any indication this yr is gonna be fun for the fan, players and management.
- Mr Ricochet

I know its still a work in progress, but compare the KD/NM/MD drafts to the last 3 or 4 of the SB regime

I know its still a work in progress, but compare the KD/NM/MD drafts to the last 3 or 4 of the SB regime

- vabeachbear

Idk... That 2020 draft wasn't bad. I AM liking KD's a lot more, but he also had a lot more draft capital after he did the complete teardown.

Almost everyone and their mother have been harping on the fact that Bedard needs to be a more complete player both in Chicago and among outside observers. As you said, good on him for identifying the problem and working to fix it.

The reason that people say he needs better linemates is because he has been asked to carry the majority of the point scoring burden as an 18-19 year old. Having better linemates obviously spreads out the scoring threats so that opponents can't just focus on taking him away.
- Chunk

Yep, and speaking for myself I started screaming for a more complete player, no, to be a hockey player, about Game 25 of his rookie yr not in Game 40 of LAST yr when the national "experts" said so.

The same goofs who fell all over themselves his rookie yr to spout generational player when he was on the red line waiting for a mate to win a puck on the endwall and get it to him and cough 10 times a game with endless odd mans against everytime he was on the ice. .... Oh look, he's at a pt per game, he's great they said. .. To use your examples of how points aren't created equal Bedard wasn't getting Panther type points his rookie yr.

And for sure, a roster that has Foligno skating with Bedard from time to time tells you all you need to know but so does not "meshing" with a TT. On paper when they signed TT I think most Hawk fans thought Bedard had a legit NHL top 6 vet to play with for a few yrs but it didn't work that way and IMO TT ain't to blame for that. And, Donato has proven he no hack either..

Add that the D wasn't exactly triggering play didn't help either or that the lack of talent saw the puck in their own zone much of any game.

Laz can write all the articles on the new Bedard all he wants but all my novice hockey mind needed to see was the kid at his own endwall battling, in a Bedard way of "battling", his very first preseason shift and seeing him below both endlines a couple shifts per game as proof someone got to him that offseason.

15 yrs in the stands watching jrs has taught me that's a very good sign. ...... Let's see what another offseason brings to a kid that learned the hard way that playing jrs hockey in the Bigs never works no matter your skills both real and perceived.

Ok, HockeyBoyz,

I need help (no wisecracks!)

When the folks at Lines.com managed to f everything up in the 2025 draft, they also lost the first round of 2025 I had up.

So I just went to start recreating it.

I have already voiced my disapproval of this new way, because I cannot put up the mock for 2026 UNLESS a team at the slot is also added.
This new “improved” way, means every time I ADD a prospect, it will not save unless I add the team I think picks first, second, etc. too!

So my brain is already stinging with the debacle 2026 there, I cannot try and guess 32 picks except my wishful thinking of Hawks (McKenna) going one and Florida going 32.

I need ALL your help. I would love if everyone would take the time and make a guess at who is bad picking 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 etc and whom is good 32, 31, 30, 29, 28 etc.

I just feel iff you help my brain will reconnect to the upcoming season.
You don’t have to feel like you have to accurate to a fault. Just help me with your lists. You can guess here, in PM, or in my email
- wiz1901[email][email protected][/email]

I am gonna wait a few days before I start hammering the re-write on the 2026 prospects so if I get any help, I will appreciate it.

Who is on a downward spiral?
Which teams are 17-32 and in the hunt.
This is my payback for my quick posts on the Hawk guys this year (and all others).

Thanks, all

Could you just start with the order teams finished this year? Make it so no one moves up, and use the trades for 26 instead of this year, so Utah picks 14, Car picks 29, Hawks pick 2 and 32 with Florida's 1st next year, etc.

Hope Davidson doesn't try any big brain moves because there is not much left with free agents .
Think we have to play this year out with youth n the veterans we have. Lottery draft one more year
- HamiltonHawk

They can't stand pat. They need to pick up somebody in the mold of Jeannot or Pezzetta. Too many young guys without an ICBM to protect them. There will be a reclamation project like Dvorak who will look at the roster and think they have a chance to play with Bedard and resign for 4x4. A veteran defenseman will be signed. Petry/Schmidt type who can sign here for $1 million more per year than anywhere else and get an extra year of term.

Yep, and speaking for myself I started screaming for a more complete player, no, to be a hockey player, about Game 25 of his rookie yr not in Game 40 of LAST yr when the national "experts" said so.

The same goofs who fell all over themselves his rookie yr to spout generational player when he was on the red line waiting for a mate to win a puck on the endwall and get it to him and cough 10 times a game with endless odd mans against everytime he was on the ice. .... Oh look, he's at a pt per game, he's great they said. .. To use your examples of how points aren't created equal Bedard wasn't getting Panther type points his rookie yr.

And for sure, a roster that has Foligno skating with Bedard from time to time tells you all you need to know but so does not "meshing" with a TT. On paper when they signed TT I think most Hawk fans thought Bedard had a legit NHL top 6 vet to play with for a few yrs but it didn't work that way and IMO TT ain't to blame for that. And, Donato has proven he no hack either..

Add that the D wasn't exactly triggering play didn't help either or that the lack of talent saw the puck in their own zone much of any game.

Laz can write all the articles on the new Bedard all he wants but all my novice hockey mind needed to see was the kid at his own endwall battling, in a Bedard way of "battling", his very first preseason shift and seeing him below both endlines a couple shifts per game as proof someone got to him that offseason.

15 yrs in the stands watching jrs has taught me that's a very good sign. ...... Let's see what another offseason brings to a kid that learned the hard way that playing jrs hockey in the Bigs never works no matter your skills both real and perceived.
- Mr Ricochet

Are you implying that you are one of the very few that were saying he was a one-dimensional player when he entered the league? Even people who rightfully marveled at his offense admitted that he was a deficit in his own zone. Ask anyone who even had a discussion about the Calder and they had to explain away his poor defense.

He is exceptional in the offensive zone. He was able to make Kurashev look good for a season. He doesn't seem to have any issues playing with Teuvo on the PP for that exact reason. To pretend that you are one of the few to realize he has holes in his game is silly. Most people just concentrate on the high skills because they are easy to see and the Hawks need more scoring. He's carried the offensive load for the team as an 18-19 year old.

He's realized he has things he needs to work on. He's said as much in post-game interviews during both of his seasons. He's not going to become Bergeron overnight, so he's picked a few things to concentrate on improving and as you have noticed, he's gotten better.

I don't understand why all the disdain for people who just point out he's really good at generating points.

Speaking of Lundell, this was in the Trib…

“I have good size,” Frondell said. “I know how to use my body when I have the puck. I like to play both offensive and defensive.”

“Barkov’s probably a few inches taller and obviously a little bit heavier now at this point, but they play a similar style,” said Blackhawks amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey. “I would say he’s probably somewhere between a Barkov and an Anton Lundell, like he’s a big, detail-oriented center with a brain.“So he can just shoot a puck. He’s going to be a really special piece for us.”
- HawkintheD

Get over it D, Frondell has bust written all over him.

I know its still a work in progress, but compare the KD/NM/MD drafts to the last 3 or 4 of the SB regime

- vabeachbear

Considering where they were drafting and the fact they traded some of the higher picks away, SB didn't do horribly. If Dach wasn't injured, I think you would be able to call that a win (and he'd likely still be on the team).

The only really bad one in my opinion was 2018 where you basically got a jar of warm spit with 2 first rounders (one of them a top 10).

They can't stand pat. They need to pick up somebody in the mold of Jeannot or Pezzetta. Too many young guys without an ICBM to protect them. There will be a reclamation project like Dvorak who will look at the roster and think they have a chance to play with Bedard and resign for 4x4. A veteran defenseman will be signed. Petry/Schmidt type who can sign here for $1 million more per year than anywhere else and get an extra year of term.
- stevefrmglencoe

Well played.

What's John Scott doing these days? The thing that kills me is you see guys like Reaves, and Rempe and they're really poor players. The only notable one who can at least play well is Gudas. Maroon was better before, but last year fighting was pretty much his only use.

I don't like it one bit, but it would not surprise me to see KD sign a depth D for filler, and possibly a middle six F.

Well played.

What's John Scott doing these days? The thing that kills me is you see guys like Reaves, and Rempe and they're really poor players. The only notable one who can at least play well is Gudas. Maroon was better before, but last year fighting was pretty much his only use.

I don't like it one bit, but it would not surprise me to see KD sign a depth D for filler, and possibly a middle six F.
- Chunk

The premise that a player (goon) can protect a teammate is wrong. A goon can beat up an opponent after he’s run your teammate but he can’t prevent it from happening if the opponent is set on running a star player.

And KD drafted his facepuncher, maybe two of them in Ashton Cumby and Parker Holmes. Cumby in particular is a monster, check out YouTube for a fight with Terrell Goldsmith a 20 year old 6’ 4 220 goon who is knocked out cold by 17 year old Cumby.

https://youtu.be/TfOin5q_mgY?si=nLEDSrCjSibEPYX1

The cap going up has hurt a team like the Hawks, especially where they’re at with their rebuild. Teams like the Panthers have resigned all of their top end free agents. With the cap going up even more next year, not sure there will be any significant FA’s make it to 7/1/2026. The good news is that more young players will be ready next year.

What If? The Hawks sign JVR for a couple of years to help the young guys along? He is not the star he once was, but it would be a better signing than a Maroon type player.

Gonna be a boring day not expecting anything KD likes his team. It's gonna be frustrating seeing every other team do something to improve.

The premise that a player (goon) can protect a teammate is wrong. A goon can beat up an opponent after he’s run your teammate but he can’t prevent it from happening if the opponent is set on running a star player.

And KD drafted his facepuncher, maybe two of them in Ashton Cumby and Parker Holmes. Cumby in particular is a monster, check out YouTube for a fight with Terrell Goldsmith a 20 year old 6’ 4 220 goon who is knocked out cold by 17 year old Cumby.

https://youtu.be/TfOin5q_mgY?si=nLEDSrCjSibEPYX1
- paulr

WHAT???? I've been reliably told that goons are required to win a cup.

Gonna be a boring day not expecting anything KD likes his team. It's gonna be frustrating seeing every other team do something to improve.
- BGKarras

Unless he's just playing possum.

Get over it D, Frondell has bust written all over him.
- paulr

Cannot tell if you are being sarcastic. If not, please explain. What would make him a bust (not playing center? Not playing on 1st or 2nd line? ) and why do you think this considering he just played an entire season in an adult professional league and did quite well?

@incarceratedbob
Marchand staying in Florida.. tax free

Haven't seen it anywhere else yet

Edit:
Just saw this
@FriedgeHNIC
Hearing Brad Marchand is closing in on a six-year extension in Florida...just under $32M is the total.

The Panthers pulled it off. Verrrrrrrrrrry impressive
- captainserious

Doubt he'll be playing at 44.