Would rather have Tkachuk fall to 8 than Bouchard. Bouchard screams Cam Barker to me.
- 67hawks


I was thinking Seabrook



Bouchard is a finesse player next to Seabrook.

I put up my new mock draft board on DraftSite with the optimistic hope that Vancouver isn't frightened by Adam Boqvist's end of the season concusssion and still go defense as they planned.
That would drop a forward, maybe Brady...

I think there will be three defenders there and I don't like the options whittled to Dobson and Bouchard IF Boqvist is scary.

Three team say the would trade down, but that doesn't mean squat:
Montreal
Arizona
Vancouver

If Montreal doesn't reach at #3 for Jesperi, I am very afraid Arizona (still looking for a true big centre option) or Detroit(if Quinn Hughes is off the board) take him
- wiz1901

With OEL pretty much resigned they still need Dmen in the system but I could see AZ thinking a Dvorak-Kotkaniemi filling the center position for the next 10 yrs. Pure guess though if Hughes is there at 5 they take him.

What do the Hawks need? Bigger, meaner and hungrier.

More importantly, who is out there in UFA land (where the only parties to a deal are the Hawks and the player) that might be affordable, with the ability to do a short term deal, that will actually fill some real holes in the lineup?

G - Khoudobin, Ward
LW - Roussel, Maroon, Neal, JVR
RW - Stafford
C - Brodziak, Riley Nash, Filppula
D - Sustr, John Moore, Cole

Unless Stan can move an albatross deal, chasing Tavares will just be another stupid money contract with an NMC dangled to snag him, leaving little to no improvement elsewhere on the roster.

Wait a second... why do you want to get rid of him so badly?
- Justin Lowe

His in zone defensive play was extremely poor, and it seemed like he completely checked out when things started getting tough again.

Team needs a reset, and he and Skinner are the two longest tenured players there.

His in zone defensive play was extremely poor, and it seemed like he completely checked out when things started getting tough again.

Team needs a reset, and he and Skinner are the two longest tenured players there.
- BINGO!

Because the Hawks need even more of that....

Justin Faulk.
- BINGO!

What about?

Wrong take re: my view of things. I want the Hawks’ scouting team to be highly independent - not to care what others are doing at all. Having said that there is a huge difference between someone with high-end skill falling because he is perceived as too small like DeBrincat and Point or too much trouble like Saad and Merkley and someone falling because of a recognition of a lack of skill which would be Tkachuk.
- Z3Hawk

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.

66, the three main paths to the NHL is NCAA and Major Junior (OHL-WHL-QMJHL) and Europe. When you play in Major Junior the oldest players are 20 before the season starts. They age out after 20.. When you play NCAA you play against player who are many times 23 or even 24 yrs old.

Randomly I'm posting Union College's roster from last yr. They won the NCAA championship maybe 3-4 yrs back: http://www.hockeydb.com/i...ons/teams/0005862018.html

This is the competition Tkachuk and all players who compete in the NCAA play against. They play against 19 yr old kids and 23 yr old men.
- Mr Ricochet

In North America US College does not impose the same challenges as the CHL. Longer schedule to start with. The quality of hockey is also different. If you are 23 or older and playing US College hockey that is not necessarily a good thing. That these older players are there is not necessarily a positive argument. In any event if the argument is that Tkachuk had dominance at the US College level against older players then single digit 8 goals in 40 games must mean dominance then.

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.
- Mr Ricochet

I agree. Think Ottawa drafts him. Just hoping Kotkaniemi is there at 8 for us.

I know he's not the strongest guy on the team, but I'm assuming here that Schmaltz is the "2C"
- Chunk

If the Hawks went the Fillpula route and AA was still on the club I see Fil as the #2 C, AA the #3 and Schmaltz moved to LW with Kaner at RW. Schmaltz-Fill-Kane.

Hinostroza signed for 2 years.

Hinostroza signed for 2 years.
- Justin Lowe

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.
- Mr Ricochet

For all the reasons you state, even though Wiz's site has Tkachuk falling to 8, I think someone grabs him before Stan is on the draft clock.....

Barker had a very odd Blackhawk career. Taken really high. Never seemed to play with enough confidence. Puck was like a hot potato. When he had it he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. Game seemed to never slow down for him. Never seemed comfortable.
- Z3Hawk

Very nice analysis. Simply said the pro game was just too fast for him in his head, feet and hands, especially his head.

Hinostroza signed for 2 years.
- Justin Lowe

$1.5 mil

BTW we’re at CONTRACTS: 45/50

I don't think the Hawks have the assets to acquire O'Reilly.
AA, Forsling, and the 27th pick probably not enough.
AA, Forsling and the 8th pick maybe.
AA, Jokiharju and the 27th pick probably.
AA, Jokiharju and the 8th pick might be more like it, and may be too much.
- -Doh-

Agreed! But I'm in the O'Rielly camp. Guy checks a lot of boxes for any NHL team.

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.
- Mr Ricochet

You are wrong. Sorry Saad did fall because of character issues. His character issues were discussed ad nauseam. Ad nauseam. They may have manifested themselves in poorer stats his draft year but he didn’t drop because of stats.

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.
- Mr Ricochet

Shame he doesn't have Getzlaf skill.

Huge red flags on his production and absolutely should not be picked in the top 5 this year.

$1.5 mil
- walleyeb1

1.5 per or over both years?

Agreed! But I'm in the O'Rielly camp. Guy checks a lot of boxes for any NHL team.
- Mr Ricochet[/quote

Why is Buffalo trying to move him? Contract? Poor play? Character/team issue?

1.5 per or over both years?
- Return of the Roar

Per year

Per year
- walleyeb1

Overpay....

Saad didn't fall because of any character issues, he fell cuz he had a horse &$!@ draft yr. IIRC he had a knee sometime that yr.

I'm not here to change your mind on Tkachuk or anyone else but you are pretty much the only person I see anywhere saying Tkachuk is short of skill or hockey sense. Kid is skilled in a big package full of unteachable heart and off the charts compete. This kid has Getzlaf nasty, size and compete.
- Mr Ricochet

There are many “hockey people” who have mentioned his lack of skill including Bob McKenzie of TSN.

What do the Hawks need? Bigger, meaner and hungrier.

More importantly, who is out there in UFA land (where the only parties to a deal are the Hawks and the player) that might be affordable, with the ability to do a short term deal, that will actually fill some real holes in the lineup?

G - Khoudobin, Ward
LW - Roussel, Maroon, Neal, JVR
RW - Stafford
C - Brodziak, Riley Nash, Filppula
D - Sustr, John Moore, Cole

Unless Stan can move an albatross deal, chasing Tavares will just be another stupid money contract with an NMC dangled to snag him, leaving little to no improvement elsewhere on the roster.
- Return of the Roar

Isn't Stastny a UFA this summer, or did Winnipeg extend him? I wouldn't mind the hawks signing stastny to short term for the right salary.

Overpay....
- Return of the Roar

24 year old who produced at a 40 point pace last year?

I'd call it a bargain.

What do the Hawks need? Bigger, meaner and hungrier.

More importantly, who is out there in UFA land (where the only parties to a deal are the Hawks and the player) that might be affordable, with the ability to do a short term deal, that will actually fill some real holes in the lineup?

G - Khoudobin, Ward
LW - Roussel, Maroon, Neal, JVR
RW - Stafford
C - Brodziak, Riley Nash, Filppula
D - Sustr, John Moore, Cole

Unless Stan can move an albatross deal, chasing Tavares will just be another stupid money contract with an NMC dangled to snag him, leaving little to no improvement elsewhere on the roster.
- Return of the Roar

I've always been a Khoudobin fan. Top tier backup and can take the #1 spot for a few weeks due to injury.

Same for Roussel. Nice combination of skating and nasty with some skill sprinkled in.

IMO Brodziak is a very good 3C with some size.

Been following the USHL for 10 yrs and Moore is one of the top 5 skating Dmen I've seen and he's 6ft 2in.

JVR is obviously a top 6 talent but if he wants 5 yrs the last 2 could be a problem.

Maroon a typical power forward. Unstoppable for 2 weeks invisible the next 2. But he had a nice 10 points in 17 games when moved late to NJ.