I like Schmaltz. But he does not spend much time in the dirty areas. (in front of the net and in the corners). He is not good at winning faceoffs or board battles. He is not a natural shooter/scorer/sniper. I would like to see him on the 3rd line LW with a physical center that does go into the dirty areas and wins faceoffs and a RW power forward who has a shoot first mentality (like Hartman was).
- -Doh-

Not every forward can be 6’4” and s shoot first speed demon. Schmaltz just completed his first full NHL season with over 50 points. He plays with great speed and defensively sound. Schmaltz is off to a great start in his career and there’s no reason to believe he won’t grow and improve.

Rockford wins tonight... clinches playoff spot!

They are flying now and could actually make some noise with all of the veterans and reinforcements they just received from the Hawks.

One guy the Hawks might want to target, Justin Faulk: https://www.sportsnet.ca/...defencemen-three-seasons/

He's still a tremendous defenseman, despite losing some PP time to other young standouts like Slavin and Hanifin.

Carolina has a glut of defensemen: Fleury, Slavin, Pesce, Hanifin, Fleury.
They also have decent depth besides that: TVR, Dahlbeck
They also have a decent pipeline of other dmen on the way: Jake Bean (13th overall 2016), Roland McKeown (50th overall 2014)

Faulk's numbers have taken a hit even since Slavin, Pesce, and Hanifin have taken bigger roles in the last 3 years, largely due to reduced PP time.

The Hurricanes will want forwards, and despite this being the Hawks' smallest weakness, it's still a weakness. Maybe a package of Nashville 1st, Duclair, and one of the other young forwards does the trick, maybe you need to add more picks.

Faulk is underutilized in CAR right now, so his value is down. He can go back to a #1 defenseman in the right situation, and at $4M per year he's on a great deal. CAR has to pay RFA's Lindholm, Hanifin, and TVR this offseason.
- ObeseOprah

Faulk is an excellent idea. Top 4 dman, reasonable cap hit for 2 years so he won’t get in the way of re-signing the team’s key young forwards. Make the deal, as long as the price is reasonable.

Rockford wins tonight... clinches playoff spot!

They are flying now and could actually make some noise with all of the veterans and reinforcements they just received from the Hawks.
- Justin Lowe

The little piggies are going to the playoffs!!!

The Faulk idea is a good one, I would think the Nashville 1st and a guy like Hino gets that done.

I'd also take a good long, long look at Calvin De Haan. He'll want and fetch around 4.5 aav but he plays a heady game, moves the puck, and will guard the paint.

I think the Blackhawks should try to dance with Vegas at center. They're absolutely loaded with depth there. Erik Haula good be a good get, wins draws, plays up and down, and can score. I wonder if Vegas takes Sikura and Anismov for him? We could also go into the toy box and take a pass on a guy like Oscar Lindberg, he started hot but cooled off and then got hurt. He plays like Haula but score less, he's also on an expiring contract. Hes probably not. 2C but I think he upgrades us/gets us cheaper at 3C.

Thiughts?

The Faulk idea is a good one, I would think the Nashville 1st and a guy like Hino gets that done.

I'd also take a good long, long look at Calvin De Haan. He'll want and fetch around 4.5 aav but he plays a heady game, moves the puck, and will guard the paint.

I think the Blackhawks should try to dance with Vegas at center. They're absolutely loaded with depth there. Erik Haula good be a good get, wins draws, plays up and down, and can score. I wonder if Vegas takes Sikura and Anismov for him? We could also go into the toy box and take a pass on a guy like Oscar Lindberg, he started hot but cooled off and then got hurt. He plays like Haula but score less, he's also on an expiring contract. Hes probably not. 2C but I think he upgrades us/gets us cheaper at 3C.

Thiughts?
- Bjm84

Vegas is also loaded on 2nd pair Dmen.

The Faulk idea is a good one, I would think the Nashville 1st and a guy like Hino gets that done.

I'd also take a good long, long look at Calvin De Haan. He'll want and fetch around 4.5 aav but he plays a heady game, moves the puck, and will guard the paint.

I think the Blackhawks should try to dance with Vegas at center. They're absolutely loaded with depth there. Erik Haula good be a good get, wins draws, plays up and down, and can score. I wonder if Vegas takes Sikura and Anismov for him? We could also go into the toy box and take a pass on a guy like Oscar Lindberg, he started hot but cooled off and then got hurt. He plays like Haula but score less, he's also on an expiring contract. Hes probably not. 2C but I think he upgrades us/gets us cheaper at 3C.

Thiughts?
- Bjm84

I know he’s a depth forward but I’d rather not give up on Vinnie. I think a first + would work, maybe Forsling?

The Faulk idea is a good one, I would think the Nashville 1st and a guy like Hino gets that done.

I'd also take a good long, long look at Calvin De Haan. He'll want and fetch around 4.5 aav but he plays a heady game, moves the puck, and will guard the paint.

I think the Blackhawks should try to dance with Vegas at center. They're absolutely loaded with depth there. Erik Haula good be a good get, wins draws, plays up and down, and can score. I wonder if Vegas takes Sikura and Anismov for him? We could also go into the toy box and take a pass on a guy like Oscar Lindberg, he started hot but cooled off and then got hurt. He plays like Haula but score less, he's also on an expiring contract. Hes probably not. 2C but I think he upgrades us/gets us cheaper at 3C.

Thiughts?
- Bjm84

Lindberg is an interesting case, he has about three years of almost full seasons in the NHL, but he's already 26 years old. He's averaged 11 minutes per game, which is pretty bad, but also shows that his point totals would go higher with more deployment.

He starts a little more in the Offensive zone over the last three seasons, but still has under 50% Corsi and Fenwick scores. He averages more than 1 hit per game, but doesn't block many shots. He's about even on Takeaways/Giveaways.

He averages 25 points over an 82 game span at 11 minutes per game. Give him an average TOI per game (15 minutes) and he'd have and he'd have 34 points over 82 games. Give him some power play opportunities and that could be 40 points.

The guy has not been trusted by Vignault in NYR or Gallant in Vegas. Gallant is much more forgiving of young mistakes than Vignault, but 11 minutes per game makes me wonder why at 26 someone hasn't started to blossom. He's supposed to be in the prime of his career, and will start the inevitable decline at age 29 that happens to all players except the outlier freaks.

If we can get him for very little, sure take a flier on him. Otherwise this looks like a a poor possession player that can't beat out younger guys for full ice time.

Agree on Toews handling of the puck, it was severely lacking this year. It felt like he just bobbled and fumbled the puck way to often for a player of his caliber, and it is true that he lead all Blackhawks forwards with giveaways this year. I don't think that it is absurd to think that Toews lost 10-15 points this season due to uncharacteristic puck bobbling.

If that is truly one of the things hurting in his game then hopefully the Blackhawks have noticed it, because I feel that stickhandling is one of the easiest hockey skills to improve with practice. Old guys rarely have speed, but sometimes they do have some serious handles. I'm not saying Toews is an old guy, but I just feel that stickhandling is one of those skills that can be maintained as a player ages. To me this is strangely reassuring, because I feel like if Toews dedicates some of his training time this offseason to improving his handling of the puck, he will see a meaningful improvement in his offensive game next year.

Interesting side note, Nick Schmaltz is credited with 86 TAs this year, the next best Blackhawk is Toews with 53. That is a seriously impressive statistic, and something that I love about Schmaltz' game. Whenever I watched the Blackhawks this year and someone picked the pocket of an opposing player, I said to myself "I bet that's Schmaltz", and most of the time it was. I'm glad to see this observation bears out in these TA/GA stats. I really like Schmaltz and I think if he can try to force himself to shoot more in the offensive zone, then he will be a really good to great 2 way player who puts up 65-70 points. Hopefully a centerman if he can improve on the faceoffs.
- LaheysBRandy

It's no secret that Kane and Toews have had a very competitive, albeit supportive, relationship since they got to Chicago. Before the games, Toews spends a long time just stick handling in the corner (usually when Kane is doing the same nearby). I wonder if he's been trying too hard to emulate Kane and it's causing unforced errors. There are not many who could keep up with Kane in that area.

Toews has mentioned getting back to a simpler game. Maybe he has recognized the issue.

One guy the Hawks might want to target, Justin Faulk: https://www.sportsnet.ca/...defencemen-three-seasons/

He's still a tremendous defenseman, despite losing some PP time to other young standouts like Slavin and Hanifin.

Carolina has a glut of defensemen: Fleury, Slavin, Pesce, Hanifin, Fleury.
They also have decent depth besides that: TVR, Dahlbeck
They also have a decent pipeline of other dmen on the way: Jake Bean (13th overall 2016), Roland McKeown (50th overall 2014)

Faulk's numbers have taken a hit even since Slavin, Pesce, and Hanifin have taken bigger roles in the last 3 years, largely due to reduced PP time.

The Hurricanes will want forwards, and despite this being the Hawks' smallest weakness, it's still a weakness. Maybe a package of Nashville 1st, Duclair, and one of the other young forwards does the trick, maybe you need to add more picks.

Faulk is underutilized in CAR right now, so his value is down. He can go back to a #1 defenseman in the right situation, and at $4M per year he's on a great deal. CAR has to pay RFA's Lindholm, Hanifin, and TVR this offseason.
- ObeseOprah

I'm surprised Leddy wasn't one of the top 23. Dpending on what it takes to acquire him, I think Faulk would be a great add. Canes need offense, maybe Sikura +...

Rockford wins tonight... clinches playoff spot!

They are flying now and could actually make some noise with all of the veterans and reinforcements they just received from the Hawks.
- Justin Lowe

Great experience for the young kids on that team.

Rockford wins tonight... clinches playoff spot!

They are flying now and could actually make some noise with all of the veterans and reinforcements they just received from the Hawks.
- Justin Lowe

Go IceHogs! This bodes very well for the 'Hawks in the future.

The Faulk idea is a good one, I would think the Nashville 1st and a guy like Hino gets that done.

I'd also take a good long, long look at Calvin De Haan. He'll want and fetch around 4.5 aav but he plays a heady game, moves the puck, and will guard the paint.

I think the Blackhawks should try to dance with Vegas at center. They're absolutely loaded with depth there. Erik Haula good be a good get, wins draws, plays up and down, and can score. I wonder if Vegas takes Sikura and Anismov for him? We could also go into the toy box and take a pass on a guy like Oscar Lindberg, he started hot but cooled off and then got hurt. He plays like Haula but score less, he's also on an expiring contract. Hes probably not. 2C but I think he upgrades us/gets us cheaper at 3C.

Thiughts?
- Bjm84

I doubt the Hinostroza would be enough along with the first. He's not very good.

If the Bruins win a playoff series or re-sign Wingels, the 5th round pick we received becomes a 4th.

Wingels has been on 4 teams in the last 2 seasons, please stop penciling him in the Hawks lineup for next year. He turns 30 tomorrow, he's a solid bottom 6 guy but he's not the answer to the Hawks issues (See: 75% of this season).

To anyone who has watched them play, Bouchard or Dobson and why? As much as I like Wahstrom at 7/8 I think they will go D
- EnzoD

Bouchard has an NHL frame (he's a big kid) and allegedly skating ability now. Should be pretty close to the NHL.

Here is a scenario say Carolina which I believe is at 11 or 12th and the hawks get the 5th overall pick in the lottery and Carolina needs offense and likes wahstrom or tkachuk and are willing to give the hawks Hayden Fleruy their 1st a 2nd and Nicolas Roy would you make that trade?
- Scott1977

They cant get five. They can get 1, 2, 3 or 7, 8, 9

*NEW* blog up: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=92271

The Hossa contract should simply stay where it is. It is not marketable. Further, the 'Hawks are a first-class organization and they take care of their own. $1 million per year for a few more years is all money Hossa well earned. The day that contract is completed, #81 goes up to rafters for the ages.
- 35Tony0

Nah. They need to move that money so they can win another Cup or two in the next 3 years.