C’mon bread, why are you raining on the parade, I already have him playing with Nazar and Vanacker on the second line. In all seriousness, he would be a good add to this Hawks team due to his two way game, however I doubt very much that Verbeek would trade him to the Hawks. McTavish to me is a younger version of Bennett, but even stronger.
- Angotti

My biggest interest in McTavish was how well he clicked in the ‘22 WJC with Bedard. Also, no matter how anyone spins it McTavish is a bonafide NHL player while all the Hawks prospects are just prospects at this point. My favourite saying is a prospect and a $1.59 gets me a small Timmys coffee.

C’mon bread, why are you raining on the parade, I already have him playing with Nazar and Vanacker on the second line. In all seriousness, he would be a good add to this Hawks team due to his two way game, however I doubt very much that Verbeek would trade him to the Hawks. McTavish to me is a younger version of Bennett, but even stronger.
- Angotti

I'm a big jerk, that's why. I don't have anything against him, I just think adding him is minor upgrade only, and potentially a losing trade if we are giving up a forward and D with upside.

My biggest interest in McTavish was how well he clicked in the ‘22 WJC with Bedard. Also, no matter how anyone spins it McTavish is a bonafide NHL player while all the Hawks prospects are just prospects at this point. My favourite saying is a prospect and a $1.59 gets me a small Timmys coffee.
- paulr

Would you trade our 2026 1st for mctavish knowing you lose out at a chance to get McKenna? Be interesting discussion but do we really know what mctavish can be right now he is a power forward center that could be pushed to wing .

And if the Hawks were to offer sheet McTavish they lose their 2026 first round and guess who the draft prize is next year? I thought of that too but the only way to acquire him, assuming KD is interested, is to get him via a trade.
- paulr

I thought we determined McKenna won't make it an can't be drafted at the top as he is too short and too light to play in the NHL

Assuming the rules stay the same in next years draft as they were in this years

I thought we determined McKenna won't make it an can't be drafted at the top as he is too short and too light to play in the NHL

Assuming the rules stay the same in next years draft as they were in this years

- vabeachbear

Very true.

- PCA went from talented rookie to an MVP favorite (biggest reason for the performance).
- They acquired Kyle Tucker (MVP-type player) before the season.
- Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki took steps up in their performance this year.
- The bullpen - filled with unheralded names and cheap veterans - has defied all expectations and has been a top-performing unit since the first month of the season.

The NHL analogous of their season would be:
- Frank Nazar turning into Nikita Kucherov next season
- The 'Hawks bring in Auston Matthews in his contract year to make a push (hoping to re-sign him)
- Vlasic and Knight - already "good" players take the ascension next year as Vlasic cements himself as a top pairing defensive D-man and Knight becomes a top-10 goalie
- Depth guys like Crevier, Lafferty, Greene, Slaggert, and Del Mastro all perform above expectations in their roles


The Cubs were further ahead than the 'Hawks, but for the most part everything has come up spades for them this season minus key injuries to their starting rotation.
- TommyHawk

Thanks, thatw as a great explanation...

Anyone else find it funny that Rinzel was considered the long term project, and he now seems at least a year, if not two ahead of KK?

Not trying to knock Korchinski, he's got some amazing traits, but Rinzel was considered to be this project that would take years to be even close to ready for the NHL, and now he's considered one of the top two options for the Hawks blue line while KK is still trying to get strong enough and figure things out.
- Chunk

Different routes.
If you recall KK was a guy I said was climbing and gettiung buzz to go higher than anticipated.
and then he did.
The team that picked him sawa possible shooter mover and generator with Tim.

Rinzel was a much larger kid who hadn't put his feet or defnsive play together, but showed enough offense for someone taking him in the first...that wasn't an outrageous thought at the time.
The kid got to work.

In college he mastered his position and grew into his size and used it.
You remember the line this last seaosn where the hawk announcer mentioned that during one of his initial games, one of the veteran forwards said an opposing player at a faceoff was saying, "who is he?

Rinzel is ice water chill and patient and smart with or without/o the biscuit and KK is still behind his all around game, partailly b/c Rinzel is raelly big besides the chill.

You may think Bedsy end of the season happy exit lockerrom press thing, where he wanted to keep talking positives was about the forwards that arrived, but I think Rinzel's arrival was a very pleasant surprise to hima nd all of us.

That's why it'd be even more tempting for the Ducks not to match the offer
- BetweenTheDots

I am waiting for Bedard's cousin, not any Duck-
I like Mctavish, don't think he is going anywhere unless it yeild them a true need, and it is not going to our garbage.

McTavish is a fine young player, but the fact remains he isn't currently a 1st line player on a good NHL team.
- breadbag

ding ding ding

Nice section in Bleacher Nation the other day quoting Elliotte Friedman and Co...

Sunday marked the final edition of the “32 Thoughts” Podcast for the 2024-25 season. The guys took a full lap around the league to close the books. And they get it. The 2025-26 Blackhawks season is Year One of the rebuild beginning to bear fruit in the NHL. “It is all about how many of their young players grab jobs and how many keep jobs … Only now are they really starting this process.”

Idk about year one but at least they get where the process is at and understand the Hawks aren’t going into this season tanking, or that they are on year 4 or 6 of the rebuild as some fans seem to think.

Nice section in Bleacher Nation the other day quoting Elliotte Friedman and Co...

Sunday marked the final edition of the “32 Thoughts” Podcast for the 2024-25 season. The guys took a full lap around the league to close the books. And they get it. The 2025-26 Blackhawks season is Year One of the rebuild beginning to bear fruit in the NHL. “It is all about how many of their young players grab jobs and how many keep jobs … Only now are they really starting this process.”

Idk about year one but at least they get where the process is at and understand the Hawks aren’t going into this season tanking, or that they are on year 4 or 6 of the rebuild as some fans seem to think.
- HawkintheD

The other thing i have to add is quite a few seem as soon as someone is on the market let's trade for that player. The one constant is there is always someone on the market or unhappy where they are at. In time deals will be made but we don't really know what we have yet. I believe once they have a really good sense of what they have and what they need and begin to get closer to a playoff team is when the trades will happen, like what the Habs and Mammoth did this summer.

You are entitled to your opinion
- Scott1977

Agreed

Frondell making the team this season wouldn’t surprise me. He’s unlike other 18 year olds in that he’s already physically ready and he’s played against men for a season. Add in he’s already a strong two way player and he may be one of the few 18 year olds who’s ready or very close to ready to be able to play in the NHL.
- paulr

Similar to Saadfather?

The other thing i have to add is quite a few seem as soon as someone is on the market let's trade for that player. The one constant is there is always someone on the market or unhappy where they are at. In time deals will be made but we don't really know what we have yet. I believe once they have a really good sense of what they have and what they need and begin to get closer to a playoff team is when the trades will happen, like what the Habs and Mammoth did this summer.
- BetweenTheDots

There's also not much else going on in the hockey world right now. If there is the slightest nugget of information out that player X might be available, it's perfectly normal for fans to discuss that possibility.

What are they worth?
How would they fit?
Long term or short?
etc...

At the end of the day (especially considering what KD said last week) it's likely that nothing happens. 90% of this board is armchair coaching and GMing. The rest is female doging about Reichel. It's very similar to talking about what you would do if you won the lottery. Likely not going to happen, but still fun to chirp about.

The other thing i have to add is quite a few seem as soon as someone is on the market let's trade for that player. The one constant is there is always someone on the market or unhappy where they are at. In time deals will be made but we don't really know what we have yet. I believe once they have a really good sense of what they have and what they need and begin to get closer to a playoff team is when the trades will happen, like what the Habs and Mammoth did this summer.
- BetweenTheDots

That and I just don’t think they have enough regular NHL’ers that have matriculated yet to make some of these trades. Just sounds like most of the teams weren’t looking for prospects or draft capital back in trades and at this point the Hawks aren’t trading some of the players that are likely to be part of their young core like Nazar, Lev or Rinzel.

Other than Bedar those are about the only players that might bring something significant back that fans are clamoring for, so some of these deals don’t likley begin happening til later this season or sometime next.

A little tire pumping for Frondell while the news cycle is slow.

https://www.dailyfaceoff....tors-bruins-flyers-sharks

A little tire pumping for Frondell while the news cycle is slow.

https://www.dailyfaceoff....tors-bruins-flyers-sharks
- Chunk

I have to admit when i watched him i didn't think of Barkov at all, i thought of Hossa.

I have to admit when i watched him i didn't think of Barkov at all, i thought of Hossa.
- BetweenTheDots

How often does your grumpy ass watch Barkov though?

How often does your grumpy ass watch Barkov though?
- Assman22

Project much?

He may be the best version of both Hossa's, plays a 2 way game, can carry the puck with a guy on his back and the lethal shot before the shoulder surgery.

Project much?

He may be the best version of both Hossa's, plays a 2 way game, can carry the puck with a guy on his back and the lethal shot before the shoulder surgery.
- BetweenTheDots

He may have a 2-way game but Hossa on the backcheck was something else. I think the only player (for the Hawks) I've personally seen with that level of backchecking effort was Kruger. I think also Hossa in board battles was another very elite aspect of his game. I'm not saying Frondell isn't going to have a good 2-way game, but gonna be tough to match Hossa in the areas he was excellent, at least without probably getting more mature, stronger and getting at least a couple years of experience.

That's my long winded way of saying it's tough to find exact comparable as these guys are all pretty unique. Frondell might have some similary to Barkov, maybe some to Hossa, and I'm going to add in a little bit of Draisaitl (probably not going to hit that level of offensive production, I'll admit).

Let’s bury this one, once and for all:

Marco D’Amico reports the 23-year-old center doesn’t want to leave the Anaheim Ducks. He also noted teams are reluctant to part with their 2026 first-round picks, which would be necessary as part of the compensation to the Ducks if McTavish were successfully signed away.
"The Ducks have no reason to trade McTavish; they have the cap space to match any offer sheet, and it’s doubtful any team will overpay to get him.”

Let’s bury this one, once and for all:

Marco D’Amico reports the 23-year-old center doesn’t want to leave the Anaheim Ducks. He also noted teams are reluctant to part with their 2026 first-round picks, which would be necessary as part of the compensation to the Ducks if McTavish were successfully signed away.
"The Ducks have no reason to trade McTavish; they have the cap space to match any offer sheet, and it’s doubtful any team will overpay to get him.”
- wiz1901

Killjoy.

Let’s bury this one, once and for all:

Marco D’Amico reports the 23-year-old center doesn’t want to leave the Anaheim Ducks. He also noted teams are reluctant to part with their 2026 first-round picks, which would be necessary as part of the compensation to the Ducks if McTavish were successfully signed away.
"The Ducks have no reason to trade McTavish; they have the cap space to match any offer sheet, and it’s doubtful any team will overpay to get him.”
- wiz1901

The way the compensation schedule is set up, we'll almost exclusively be seeing the type of moves made by STL last summer, where it costs a 2nd to pay $4,680,076. https://puckpedia.com/new...25-2026-offer-sheet-tiers

Most contending teams don't have the money available to offer sheet players in higher tier, as fun as it is to talk about it. But there could come a time when a contending team has a ton of expiring contracts and they decide it's worth gambling away that 28th pick plus.

Nice section in Bleacher Nation the other day quoting Elliotte Friedman and Co...

Sunday marked the final edition of the “32 Thoughts” Podcast for the 2024-25 season. The guys took a full lap around the league to close the books. And they get it. The 2025-26 Blackhawks season is Year One of the rebuild beginning to bear fruit in the NHL. “It is all about how many of their young players grab jobs and how many keep jobs … Only now are they really starting this process.”

Idk about year one but at least they get where the process is at and understand the Hawks aren’t going into this season tanking, or that they are on year 4 or 6 of the rebuild as some fans seem to think.
- HawkintheD

The rebuild began when Hossa's contract hit $1million cash per year and he said "no mas." But management was stubborn.

Let’s bury this one, once and for all:

Marco D’Amico reports the 23-year-old center doesn’t want to leave the Anaheim Ducks. He also noted teams are reluctant to part with their 2026 first-round picks, which would be necessary as part of the compensation to the Ducks if McTavish were successfully signed away.
"The Ducks have no reason to trade McTavish; they have the cap space to match any offer sheet, and it’s doubtful any team will overpay to get him.”
- wiz1901

Looks like we're trading for McTavish.