When it comes to Bowman i fully understand the criticism he gets, and its deservedly so. He's done an awful job, these past 4-5 years especially, and its been all downhill since then. So its not hard to place the blame on the front office for why this team has fallen so far.

The Toews contract

The Bickell contract and subsequent loss of Teravainen

The Seabrook contract

The Leddy trade

The Sharp trade

The Panarin trade

It's become an EXTENSIVE list of bad moves involving BIG MONEY AND BIG NAME TALENT.

This doesn't compare to the positives people throw out there every now and then. Who's the best player on those lists? Oduya?

These are all-star caliber players we're missing out on/trading for bags of chips/keeping long term for massive overpays.

Its not even a debate. The man has failed at his job(Bowman), and the front office has been terrible. No way around it at this point. All you can do is hope for the best and hope for change sooner rather than later assuming all continues to go south with this core/coach/FO.
- SimpleJack

Knock him all you want, but his decision making led us to three cups period. Everyone focus on his decisions like they are each an individual decision? When it's really a big picture decision.

Okay let's say we don't pay Toews or like the past owner gets into a feud with his star players and drives them away. To me it's worth it since i get to continue to watch Kane finish his career here. The past owner would of driven those 2 players away probably would of never agreed to sign Hossa so...

We really don't know how things unfolded, the people behindthe scenes do and that's why i believe Q and Stan have till the new CBA to improve this team.

Btw what really hurt him was the stagnant cap.

The league knows his job is on the line and I doubt fellow GM's are in line to help save his job. My question for the group here: What would we need to part with to get the rights to William Nylander? Would he be a piece worth exploring? I play hockey down in Dallas with a few guys from Toronto and they make it sound like of the young 3 (Matthews Marner Nylander) that Nylander would be the odd man out.
- nickmo2699

I think Duncan Keith gets a king's ransom for a playoff contender. I actually thought they might do a move with TOR last spring but maybe they didn't feel they were close enough

Still would like to know what Lance Bouma did so wrong as a fourth line grinder? Dahlstrom and Edjsell, ......soft as putty!
- wonthecup10

Yeah, while he certainly threw his weight around and backed up teammates, he had no skill whatsoever. He is what I call a dead-puck ender...when he gets it its going to the other team. If you are looking for grit that can play, Wingels is 10 tiimes better!

You know me too well Rick. Exactly!! Chris Kunitz may be an old man by Pro Sports standards, but I appreciate the way he plays the game. I like the signing of Kunitz bc these young no-check league players on the Hawks will see this “old man” out there running people and getting dirty on the ice. Hopefully his attitude can be contagious.
- EnzoD

Hey EnzoD we actually agree here! Your insight is much respected! Kunitz while not the biggest plays the biggest with heart and passion, team-first all the way. He can play up and down the line and has proven that with the Pens. Sure he lost a step or two but he was not cracking that Lightning Top 6. Best on ice character for hawks!

Who wants the Blackhawks to get Slava Voynov?

Watching that team in the playoffs rarely i saw a 2 on 1, or a breakaway chance against, in Blackhawks games this past year i saw at least 1 a period, and i watched a lot of games last year
- BetweenTheDots[/quote

It happened a lot with Keith out there (BTW sure HOF) due to a couple of things: his D Partner (or lack of) and his cheating on reads. Those same reads in years past he blew up the play and most of the time made the right reads while "cheating" but not last year.

Also due to Seabs lack of good transitioning and dead head speed!

Who wants the Blackhawks to get Slava Voynov?
- scottak

#StanBowmanEffect

Who wants the Blackhawks to get Slava Voynov?
- scottak

No. Not even a little bit. It would be a stupid move.

Knock him all you want, but his decision making led us to three cups period. Everyone focus on his decisions like they are each an individual decision? When it's really a big picture decision.

Okay let's say we don't pay Toews or like the past owner gets into a feud with his star players and drives them away. To me it's worth it since i get to continue to watch Kane finish his career here. The past owner would of driven those 2 players away probably would of never agreed to sign Hossa so...

We really don't know how things unfolded, the people behindthe scenes do and that's why i believe Q and Stan have till the new CBA to improve this team.

Btw what really hurt him was the stagnant cap.
- BetweenTheDots

You're hot today. The cap actually went down from what Bettman & Daily "educated guessed" it would be. And then remained stagnant. Not to go all PE on ya, but I wouldn't doubt that wasn't exactly a bad guess.

Okay let's say we don't pay Toews or like the past owner gets into a feud with his star players and drives them away. To me it's worth it since i get to continue to watch Kane finish his career here. The past owner would of driven those 2 players away probably would of never agreed to sign Hossa so...

- BetweenTheDots

The mistake in this thinking is that there are enough people willing to watch a guy or two play, when in fact the seats and merch are only sold when the team is winning.

Personalities never trump results.

The fatal flaw in the SB era was the way too early, and way too rich deals given to 19/88. They are about to make the same mistake with Schmaltz, adding another layer of questionable thinking as we don’t know what his proper role is yet, and we don’t know if last year was a flash or a signal of things to come. At least with 19/88 you had a book of stats and a Cup to back their deals up.

People arent going to pay $160 for two seats, $35 for parking, and $10 for a beer to watch a team that doesn’t have a chance to make the playoffs in a league where half of the teams make it in.

My thought it Stan knows this team is going to be bad and has been trying to convince MCD, SR B, Wirtz and Q that we need to blow it up and keep Kane and anybody under 25. They powers to be Veto'd the ID and told him to sign some band aides. W

Who wants the Blackhawks to get Slava Voynov?
- scottak

If you want your team to have character it has to start at the top. I don't care if he's superman on skates, you don't sign a guy like that if you want to honestly say your team has character.

If you want your team to have character it has to start at the top. I don't care if he's superman on skates, you don't sign a guy like that if you want to honestly say your team has character.
- 6628

To plays devils advocate.. If you were charged with that and those charges were later dropped? Would you want to be labeled a bad person the rest of your working career? Just saying. Nobody knows what really happened there. Not saying sign the guy either.

No. Not even a little bit. It would be a stupid move.
- Marlowe

I think Voynov is toxic. Would not want him on my team even if he was the missing link to a Cup.

To plays devils advocate.. If you were charged with that and those charges were later dropped? Would you want to be labeled a bad person the rest of your working career? Just saying. Nobody knows what really happened there. Not saying sign the guy either.
- z1990z

Unfortunately so many domestic abuse cases in society that I can't keep track. Were charges dropped?

I think Voynov is toxic. Would not want him on my team even if he was the missing link to a Cup.
- phantasmo

Which he is not. No way this org would want Voynov. Let alone trade for him.

Unfortunately so many domestic abuse cases in society that I can't keep track. Were charges dropped?
- phantasmo

I think so. Its a case similar to Varlarmov with the Avs. Charges dropped for whatever reason. How many people ripped Kane when the rape case came out? Charges dropped. Really in Kane's case, no charges were ever filed.

Unfortunately so many domestic abuse cases in society that I can't keep track. Were charges dropped?
- phantasmo

Charges were not dropped. He served jail time and got the charges expunged. Very different things. And no way this marketing driven org touches that player.

For the first time in 13 years I no longer have to worry about Cam Ward.

So thank you for that.

To plays devils advocate.. If you were charged with that and those charges were later dropped? Would you want to be labeled a bad person the rest of your working career? Just saying. Nobody knows what really happened there. Not saying sign the guy either.
- z1990z

I know his wife had to go to the hospital. He played for the Kings and they have said they would trade him if he was allowed to come back. Abusing yourself with drugs... is one thing. Abusing someone else is another. There are at least a few ladies on this site. Perhaps they can give a perspective on being a woman who gets bounced around by her husband who happens to make millions.
Look at Shaw, all everyone knows is he called a ref a gay slur and his lips were read on national tv and it wasn't too much longer he wound up in Montreal.

For the first time in 13 years I no longer have to worry about Cam Ward.

So thank you for that.
- BINGO!

Yea, but you have to worry about Darling now.

The mistake in this thinking is that there are enough people willing to watch a guy or two play, when in fact the seats and merch are only sold when the team is winning.

Personalities never trump results.

The fatal flaw in the SB era was the way too early, and way too rich deals given to 19/88. They are about to make the same mistake with Schmaltz, adding another layer of questionable thinking as we don’t know what his proper role is yet, and we don’t know if last year was a flash or a signal of things to come. At least with 19/88 you had a book of stats and a Cup to back their deals up.

People arent going to pay $160 for two seats, $35 for parking, and $10 for a beer to watch a team that doesn’t have a chance to make the playoffs in a league where half of the teams make it in.
- Return of the Roar

This town is more forgiving than you think. I've been to quite a few Blackhawks games and the one person that gets the biggest ovation at the UC is Rocky, every time i go.

Rocky gets way more respect because his willingness to spend the extra money to have a championship team. Winning and losing is important but so is an owner who wants to win based on their actions not their mouth.

So I'm going to be patient with them because they earned it and allowed me to enjoy 3 SC and nothing more exciting than 17 seconds, lost my mind and voice that day.

Would you be okay if this was the top 6 d pairing opening night?

Keith - Faulk
Murphy - Manning -
Forsling - Seabs
- SoftServe

That 3rd pairing could be dangerous. I'd love to see Forsling develop into the d-man we want him to , but I don't see that happening.

Keith - Faulk
Murphy - ???
Manning - Seabrook

I still think the team needs another top 4 d-man. Maybe one of the current guys can fill the void but that's a big ask.

To plays devils advocate.. If you were charged with that and those charges were later dropped? Would you want to be labeled a bad person the rest of your working career? Just saying. Nobody knows what really happened there. Not saying sign the guy either.
- z1990z

The charges were not dropped - a judge dismissed his conviction after his probation was supposedly completed. He plead no contest so he wouldn't have go to trial. He got a short stint in jail, had to pay a fine, and undergo domestic abuse counseling and community service. The judge who dismissed the conviction did so because he believed Voynov met the terms of his probation, though the US DA did say it was impossible to know since they couldn't monitor him in Russia.

You're thinking of Varlamov - charges against him were dropped due to insufficient evidence. That was not the case with Voynov where the DA had plenty of evidence to bring charges and get Voynov to take a plea even without the wife's cooperation.

Yea Beav.

Everyone knows every Canadian can be traced back to a Sutter. Ya Red Arse !


Hope all is well pal.
- mrpaulish

Living the dream on the coast, and you?