Seriously Ryan Hartman?! Who cares .... it was a decent trade... oh sure it is a division rival .... big deal, the Hawks traded Curt Fraser to the Stars (an even bigger rival back in the day) for Dirk Graham - - -

I mean man, it isn't like Steve Larmer deciding he wants out and sits out until he is traded ...

Hartman is a proven NHL player?! Yeh that season and 3/4s have been the stuff of legend. Or maybe just another generic player who can slot in on any line and do about the same thing every game ... which isn't really all that much seeing where the team currently is positioned.

Anyway -- any more trades to come??? Bring em on...

I was thinking about this the other day, in that it is obvious that for some years that the biggest issue of this team is the Stan/Q thing ... One has to go - and I am inclined to make it Stan -and make Q the GM; essentially meaning if he wants all of that control -to the point of basically not coordinating with player moves then maybe he ought to be made to put his money where his mouth is ...

Ok now that the Tdl is done and gone mix reviews in my opinion we now look to the offseason. Is Q here i ll say 50/50 is bowman here, he shouldn't but that's a debate for another time, I'll say 70/30 he stays so what needs to happen in this offseason to make the hawks a playoff team again? Several things towes seabrook kieth and crow all need bounce back years the defense needs revamping need to fine young d man high potential to be top 4 dman sign wingles back need to get bigger and nastier to play against a big blockbuster trade of one of the core needs to happen need hit in this draft and free agency need at least 3 d man another center or two size on the wings and saad to be better its a lot. Justin or anyone else thoughts

David Poile - 15 years in Washington as VP and General Manager and about 20 in Nashville in the same capacity. Stanley Cups - 0.

Nothing more needs to be said. He tries and tries ........
- RickJ

It's all part of his ingenius plan. He's been lying in wait for 35 years now. When he wins the first one, no one will see it coming.

Ok now that the Tdl is done and gone mix reviews in my opinion we now look to the offseason. Is Q here i ll say 50/50 is bowman here, he shouldn't but that's a debate for another time, I'll say 70/30 he stays so what needs to happen in this offseason to make the hawks a playoff team again? Several things towes seabrook kieth and crow all need bounce back years the defense needs revamping need to fine young d man high potential to be top 4 dman sign wingles back need to get bigger and nastier to play against a big blockbuster trade of one of the core needs to happen need hit in this draft and free agency need at least 3 d man another center or two size on the wings and saad to be better its a lot. Justin or anyone else thoughts
- Scott1977

Is that all? Good luck with that!

Still grasping at that debunked myth...keep reaching though
- PatShart

Clearly, with all the NMCs and contracts such as Seabrook's, Bickell's, etc, you have us all convinced of Stan's wizardry. Just keep him away from a fax machine.

It's all part of his ingenius plan. He's been lying in wait for 35 years now. When he wins the first one, no one will see it coming.
- HawkintheD

Lmao

Clearly, with all the NMCs and contracts such as Seabrook's, Bickell's, etc, you have us all convinced of Stan's wizardry. Just keep him away from a fax machine.
- howiehandles

Agreed. Stan should have seen Bickell's impending MS. A real GM would have anticipated that

What about his signing a 2x Norris trophy Dman and Conn Smythe winner to 5mil dollar deal? Or Hossa at 5mil? Hjarll at 4mil? Overpays there too...or was that someone else we thank?

Agreed. Stan should have seen Bickell's impending MS. A real GM would have anticipated that
- PatShart

Through the use of hindsight, all the best armchair GM's and WebMD doctors saw that coming a mile away...only stupid Stan didn't.

Is that all? Good luck with that!
- EnzoD

I m not saying this all happens but it what the hawks need to get back to where they want to be contending for a cup it might take a couple years or more

It seems any talk about Crawford has died down here of late. Saw an interview and some on ice video of him on the recent west coast trip. My immediate reaction was….holy crap, i hope he's back next year. i'm concerned about the goalie situation as much as anything else. And i'm not convinced that he will definitely be back…..at all! He really didn't seem himself in that video. At least i didn't think so. For his sake, i hope he's recovering and will be ok.

IF he does make it back, the next time some jagbag runs him, somebody wearing the Indian Head better beat the living tar out of the clown responsible for it. If they don't, they're just all a bunch of pusses that i'll no longer watch.

What about his signing a 2x Norris trophy Dman and Conn Smythe winner to 5mil dollar deal? Or Hossa at 5mil? Hjarll at 4mil? Overpays there too...or was that someone else we thank?
- PatShart

Keith and Hossa don’t count. Both contracts were extremely front loaded. Great cap hits but let’s not pretend he got them to sign dollar friendly deals. Both got paid handsomely and then some.

It seems any talk about Crawford has died down here of late. Saw an interview and some on ice video of him on the recent west coast trip. My immediate reaction was….holy crap, i hope he's back next year. i'm concerned about the goalie situation as much as anything else. And i'm not convinced that he will definitely be back…..at all! He really didn't seem himself in that video. At least i didn't think so. For his sake, i hope he's recovering and will be ok.

IF he does make it back, the next time some jagbag runs him, somebody wearing the Indian Head better beat the living tar out of the clown responsible for it. If they don't, they're just all a bunch of pusses that i'll no longer watch.
- BobP.

I’ve heard (through many layers of the grapevine so take it with a big grain of salt) that Crawford could very well be done. To your point many have said the lights are on but it seems like nobody is home. I hope that is not the case for not only the teams sake but more importantly his. I think this summer’s moves (ie does Stan trade for a goalie) will validate or debunk that theory.

Keith and Hossa don’t count. Both contracts were extremely front loaded. Great cap hits but let’s not pretend he got them to sign dollar friendly deals. Both got paid handsomely and then some.
- tyweb69

Unless you're signing their checks why would you care about anything but the Cap hit? They were structured at a time that it was all kosher to do it that way, so yes they count.

Keith and Hossa don’t count. Both contracts were extremely front loaded. Great cap hits but let’s not pretend he got them to sign dollar friendly deals. Both got paid handsomely and then some.
- tyweb69

Invalid argument....All that matters is cap hit

Invalid argument....All that matters is cap hit
- dpard

Very much a valid argument. You (or whoever) said that Stan should get credit for getting those 2 and Hammer signed for low cap hits. Well ANYONE could have done that. A great GM would have gotten the twins done for 9.5 and Seabrook for 5.0.

Very much a valid argument. You (or whoever) said that Stan should get credit for getting those 2 and Hammer signed for low cap hits. Well ANYONE could have done that. A great GM would have gotten the twins done for 9.5 and Seabrook for 5.0.
- tyweb69

So your logic is, if I understand correctly, that even though Stan signed those deals, no credit is to be given, because later during his tenure, he signed several deals that you and others, ok most, don't care for. That's rigoddamdiculous.

Well.....it's said and done for this year, the team has a slew of games coming up against big heavy hard to play against teams fighting for their playoff lives. I wonder how many of them will just do " the ole flyby" when it comes to being able to hammering one of these guys with a good hard check. my guess is none. Teams will not give the Hawks a pass, I bet they even push the envelope with the behind the Refs back and after the whistle stuff , hell, some one might even boot the CAPTIAN in the ass on his way to the bench, point is , liberties are gonna come like crazy as the Refs usually put their whistles away this time of the year and let the players decide it??? And some think Sharp is gonna be the man to curb that? These games are gonna be fun to watch, thanks for neutering the team even further Stan? Ya trade Hartman, okay I guess well see on that one, Wingles is gone, Ya bury Bouma ? Whos left to step up in these next 3tough games? Don't tell me Hayden , because 1st of all , it's not fair to put that kid into that role right out of the chute, he's not even up, I guarantee you Bob Murray's Boys will notice that and run these kids right out of the rink. Come on Stan, Some one has to watch these kids backs??!!

Very much a valid argument. You (or whoever) said that Stan should get credit for getting those 2 and Hammer signed for low cap hits. Well ANYONE could have done that. A great GM would have gotten the twins done for 9.5 and Seabrook for 5.0.
- tyweb69

This. Is. Awesome.

As vested as many hawk fans are on this board, it astonishes me to think that for the 4th straight year they want to look forward to next year with Q and core, as if there is some magic to rekindle.

Talk about doing the same thing over and over and expecting something different....
- TrueGrit

Isn’t it time to stop talking about the core - what’s left of it is really Kane, a diminished Keith and a maybe-finished Crawford. Toews and Seabrook have deteriorated to the point where the is no core there - Toews is still serviceable, but not a top Center in the league; Seabrook should be playing limited minutes at 4-6 D. Neither is coming back to what he was.

So - only two (maybe three) left - problem is none of the others have really been replaced. Schmaltz, AdB May be special going forward, Forsling on defense - but not today.

Hartman is an established bonafide NHL player. Draft picks are only draft picks, even first rounders. Some first rounders work out while many do not. You might only get one Kane and hopefully you only get one Kyle Beach. Somebody posted that Hartman wanted out. If that's true then the trade might turn out ok otherwise Bowman has only helped an already strong division rival get even stronger. IMO everything depends on if the player the Hawks got can turn into a serviceable NHL player.
- Savoy

This is a big part of it, but nobody can say the return was junk because there's nothing to base that off. What if the first turns in to a top 6 wing or top 4 D and the big swede comes in as a solid 3C? That's a huge return. The first could also barely sniff the NHL and the swede could never make it past the AHL, we just don't know. The potential is there and the value of the return is pretty good for a struggling 3rd line player.
- JRoenick97

This is exactly the thing though, you need to remember, that yes while it is a risk, the Hawks also could just as well be selling HIGH on Hartman. We don't know if this is his top or if he exceeds expectations. I liken this deal to one we made 2 years ago and it worked out pretty darn well....Shaw to Montreal for two 2nd rounders in with one that turned into DeBrincat. Yes, scouting is the key to these "futures" deals, but if the Hawks scout correctly, they could come out far far ahead on this trade. Only time will tell.

The Toews/Kane era of championships is over, but we have 6 more years with 19 whether we like it or not.
- EnzoD

Ugh.

So your logic is, if I understand correctly, that even though Stan signed those deals, no credit is to be given, because later during his tenure, he signed several deals that you and others, ok most, don't care for. That's rigoddamdiculous.
- HawkintheD

Look they were good deals, great cap hits. But let’s not go stroking his shlong over deals any gm could have made. You and I could have made those deals. I’m not a Bowman hater but I’m not a lover either. I’d say he’s middle of the road, at best. Let’s put it another way, I’m willing to bet, quite a lot, that Stan will never hold another head GM position once he’s relieved of this one.

Very much a valid argument. You (or whoever) said that Stan should get credit for getting those 2 and Hammer signed for low cap hits. Well ANYONE could have done that. A great GM would have gotten the twins done for 9.5 and Seabrook for 5.0.
- tyweb69

Once again, you're mistaken and misguided Ty.
The Hawks were so brilliant in figuring out how to maximize the rules in place, the rules had to be changed.....why didn't some more of the great GMs figure that out?
Please provide a list of the great GMs work of signing key, star players to below market contracts in the cap era AFTER winning multiple cups or the list of key star players let go AFTER winning multiple cups in their mid to late 20's......I'll grab a beer and wait for an answer

Once again, you're mistaken and misguided Ty.
The Hawks were so brilliant in figuring out how to maximize the rules in place, the rules had to be changed.....why didn't some more of the great GMs figure that out?
Please provide a list of the great GMs work of signing key, star players to below market contracts in the cap era AFTER winning multiple cups or the list of key star players let go AFTER winning multiple cups in their mid to late 20's......I'll grab a beer and wait for an answer
- dpard

Um Pronger deal. Kovalchuk. Weber. GM’s did figure it out but I’m sure there were many owners that wanted nothing to do with it because regardless of the cap savings that is some serious coin to spend. Oh and both Hossa and a Keith were signed BEFORE any cup was one.