John Jaeckel: How About Next Year?

Firrrssssttttttt.

This team will be very good in 2013 2014 .

Who in their new division will compete with them for the top spot ? With the scum headed East the Hawks don't have to be as good as they were last season to win their division and then the Rockford kids that do make the team have a whole regular season to grow further and get ready for a Cup defense.

Hey good morning, John -- can you go back and fix the blog. Methinks you put in Michael Frolik as a retainee when I'm sure you meant Michal Roszival.

Depending on recovery times from injuries, that will dictate the start the Hawks have. I do not see the same streak they started this year with since they will not be as rested, but this is a similar team to last lear, sans a speedy PK heart and soul guy. That is why I would love Stan to sign Larose. Have you heard if there is still interest there JJ, or a new target?

Thanks for the insight

Not very many teams have strong seasons after an appearance in the stanly Cup final. I think Boston is in trouble at the start of next year. Big changes and a really beat up team.

Chicago appears to have handled the off season much better. First few months of season will be tough as everyone ramps up their game against the Champs. But, they should be able to pull it together and make a good run in the second half.

Often Stanley Cup finalists run out of gas in the second half of the season. This coming year I think the problems will come in the first half because of the very short summer and the hard play of every playoff series.

Don't forget that the Olympics hit this season. How will the travel/wear down of those games effect the team, especially if 2,4,7,10,16,19,27,50,81&88 play for their respective countries. Going to be a tough season to win a back to back.

Repeating is going to be very difficult. The team has to over come the 'cup hangover', a shorter summer because of the long playoff run and the offseason demands on their time, I'm not convinced key veterans like Roszival and Handzus will have the hunger to sacrifice themselves for another long deep playoff run. Add to that every game will be difficult as 29 teams in the league will be gunning for the 'champs'.

I agree Bolland can be replaced by Kruger and or Shaw. Frolik's penalty killing time will be hard to replace but maybe Shaw is a candidate to fill that role, he skates almost as well, he has the same energy, he is more physical but does he have the smarts or can he learn them? Stalberg added some serious speed giving other teams 3rd and 4th lines fits, I think he can be replaced with a Rockford replacement. The losses of those players opens up talk about chemistry concerns. But my biggest concern for the team is the need for some additional size and grit to allow Toews, Sharp and Hossa to not have to do all the mucking and grinding in the corners and along the boards. Talk of a dynasty hinges on four main players, Toews, Hossa, Keith and Kane. If Toews continues to be the preeminent grinder absorbing the punsihment he has been, his career will be be shortened considerably and any talk of a dynasty ends.

As a fan, I'm rooting for the Devils to win it, unrealistically of course. Realistically, I think the Leafs might actually take it, depending on Reimer and Clarkson.

The way I see it (outside of the hige 2C question mark) , Hossa has to be healthy, Bickell has to play at least between his RS & PO levels, CC can't get injured to a point he misses more than a couple games a crack, Bickell needs to become a net presence on the 1st PP unit, and an EFFECTIVE replacement for Fro on the PK must be found. It was Fro's speed along with the motor and tough defensive play that made him so effective. Ben Smith won't cut it, unless they start scoring consistently on the PP.

This assumes the D plays at a continued high level.

The 2C auditions promise to make the 1st 25 or so games really "interesting."

My gut (or possibly indigestion after a long weekend) says Nordstrom is the guy to make it out of camp and play regular minutes this year.

My gut (or possibly indigestion after a long weekend) says Nordstrom is the guy to make it out of camp and play regular minutes this year.
- QStache

Maybe. If he can put on some weight.

I'm thinking Kruger ends up as the #2 center, and Morin, Smith and Hayes make the Hawks out of Camp.

We need to start talking about a "5th center", not "2C". Whenever the talk is about 2C, it is described as a big team hole, unable to be filled by a rookie (Pirri or other).

But in reality, the way Q moves his lines around, we are talking about a "5th center". Pirri or some other rookie can fill that role.

I love the vision of Zues centering Sharp and Hoss. Smart, opportunistic, seasoned line will cause all sorts of trouble. Any speed concern is overcome by smarts and experience.

I'd like to see Krueger get some 2C time, see if he has that upside. If we are going to test Krueger, who better for training than Sharp and Hoss. Sharp ability to take some faceoffs for Krueger is a plus.

I liked Shaw at wing on the 3rd line, which has the plus of a second draw man on the line for draws in our zone. But he can certainly center the 3rd and 4th lines. I'd like to see him for a couple games at 2C, though his energy seems ill suited for that role.

Q will mix and match and find the right combination. Then when he finds the right combination, he will mix and match some more.

If Pirri makes the team, he will be our "5th center". That feels pretty comfortable to me.

John Jaeckel: How About Next Year?
- John Jaeckel

http://m.thn.com/?content...ction=columns-rory_boylen

Maybe. If he can put on some weight.

I'm thinking Kruger ends up as the #2 center, and Morin, Smith and Hayes make the Hawks out of Camp.
- EKolb13

I don't have high hopes for either Morin or Hayes. Neither skates well enough to really stick with this team. I like Smith for the third line. I'm thinking Nordstrom was a Scottie-influenced pick and he would be defensively responsible. Again, not based on anything more than a gut reaction on 7/8.

Short offseason, injury recovery, Olympics are all challenges they need to overcome. It'll be nice if some rookies like Pirri, Smith, etc. can come in and produce right away. It is asking a lot but that would make life a little easier.

I'm curious to see who emerges from the prospects camp this week. Hawks have had a lot of success the last few years taking guys who stood out then turning them into solid NHL players. Leddy, Saad, Shaw to name a few. I won't mention Kane and Toews since they were basically head and shoulders above the rest when they appeared in 2007.

I don't know. It's so hard to think about next year, even if it is closer than you think. ( Aren't final payments for season tickets due in 2-3 weeks? Seems like I get an invoice from them every other month....)

I guess my two biggest fears toward a cup defense are 1) the loss of speed. and 2) the safety of familiarity. I wasn't calling for sweeping changes or anything that grand, but new blood brings new energy. Will the arrival of Pirri, Ben Smith and possibly one other really bring that? I mean they've all played with the Hawks before...

Yeah it was Stalberg and Frolik, but the Hawks speed, especially on lower lines was a decided advantage. Now it isn't. That will be somewhat of a factor.

Bt then again, division III is not gonna offer a lot in the way of competition. The Wild aren't there yet, the Blues are never going to get there. and who else really scares you?

Ahh, but we have 8 weeks before any real arguments need to take place now don't we.....

I think the lack of a good 2C will give a lot of trouble to the hawks. A good 2C easily makes a big difference in the team. It that 2C happens to be excellent in PK, you guys are in business.
I suggested a couple weeks ago on a different thread how I think plekanec would be an awesome fit. I still believe he would improve the team a lot (not that they need to, the thought of it is quite scary for the other teams haha).
Before the playoff started, I suggested something along Plekanec + 1st + Diaz for Seabrook. I admit that after his playoffs performance, the value did change a little, but I think it's still not far from being possible.

realistically, it would be tough to repeat even if you brought back everyone from last year's team. i think comparing next year's roster to last year's roster, there won't be a big difference in talent but my biggest worry will be health. specifically, hossa who will have a short offseason recovery followed by 82-game grind plus olympics before playoffs even begin.

Second Line Center
Grabowski
Problem Solved

Everytime Patrick Kane does something retarded in offseason the Hawks win the Cup. Maybe, the key to next season is to workout a scenario where he drunkenly punches a baby.

When's the new sked coming out ?

If Pirri doesn't make it out of camp and it's Toews, Kruger, Shaw and Zues down the middle they have an issue. We know Zues can't hold up for a full season, he should get plenty of rest maybe play 50 games. Who plays C when he's the 13th forward? Ben Smith?

I think Stan's banking on a C like Nordstrom, Pirri, Danault, McNiell to make it to give them flexibility down the middle. Either that or that PK specialist to replace Frolik should be a C/W like Powe, Tim Brent, etc.

Second Line Center
Grabowski
Problem Solved
- PEIHawkFan

agreed but with what $ ?

agreed but with what $ ?
- mrpaulish

Too much. Move on.

Very good clear an objective piece. Last time there was no chance of a repeat and it was a minor miracle to make the playoffs. This time is much different.