Tyler Cameron: The trip that broke the camel's back
Before the Hawks ventured to Western Canada, I knew this would be a make or break.

It would lead them directly to the doorstep of the NHL trade deadline and their performance would be an indicator of what the Hawks did going forward.

FIRST

Anyone see the Flames/Ducks game last night. How does Bob Murray still have a job?

The real standings.

_____________ GP PTS PTS/G
Blues_________57 74 1.298 1st Cen
Av's__________56 72 1.286 2nd Cen
Stars_________ 57 71 1.246 3rd Cen
Canucks______58 69 1.190 1st Pac
Oilers________ 57 66 1.158 2nd Pac
Flames_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Knights_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Preds________ 56 61 1.089 WC
Jets __________58 63 1.086
Wild _________57 61 1.070
Yotes________ 60 64 1.067
Hawks_______ 57 58 1.018
Ducks________57 53 0.930
Sharks________56 52 0.929
Kings_________58 45 0.776

Based on these results you will need a minimum of 1.089 pts per game. So 82 games x 1.089 = 90 pts. The Hawks have 25 games left and have to get 32 points. So 15W- 8L – 2 OTL. They have to win or tie in regulation 17 of the of their last 25 games.

Sell wisely Stan.

I can't believe how bad the West is compared to the East. The Hawks should sell but honestly is there much to sell that would get them anything significant. I don't want to trade Saad just for the sake of making a trade. (and who replaces him)With the west being so bad and some Improvement from Dcat and Strome and some younger players improving the Hawks could easily make the playoffs next year.

Happy Friday Tyler. Chicago's season was lost in the first 2 months just like last year. The hole Chicago dug itself with the losses , chemistry , consistency early on as well as a inexperienced head coach made it virtually impossible for this team to climb out of the playoff picture .

I'd like to see Stan trade off as many players as he can to secure top draft picks , high end prospects.

Lehner , Crawford , Gus, saad , Smith , murphy and Maatta, keith Let the kids play and see what kids step up and who either needs more time.

The window to win a cup is closed. With Seabrook potentially coming back next year Chicago is for the next 4 years in limbo

In my mind, Blackhawks' braintrust should be and is formulating the pieces of the team going forward. Working to identify the players who will contribute when they are ready to contend again. I would think the NMC players will all be here though their contracts. I would feel confident Dach and Boqvist will soon be mainstays and improve their performance.
Who are the guys getting regular minutes this year they decide to move on from, and what will the return be? How long will it take for chemistry to develop with the new roster? (IMHO, that only sporadically happened this year due to injuries)
And how much of an eye should the braintrust have on the upcoming expansion draft, because they will likely lose a player they do not want to lose.
Still pretty darn confident they'll get back up the mountain during the Kane/Toews years.

I think if you cannot sign Lehner you have to seek offers for the UFA's. Gus, Crow, and Lehner. Crow has NTC and NMC. I would not be surprised to see none of them traded at the TDL. I see Lehner signing elsewhere this summer and Crow signing for another year for $4mil. Sad to say if Lehner signs elsewhere and Crow signs cheap I can see them justifying signing Gus at $2.5 mil for 3 years. The net effect is that your two goalies plus Gus this year are $12.2 mil. Next year with Crow and Lankinen or Delia and Gus it could be $8.mil. So a $4.2 mil savings. I would rather see them trade Lehner and Gus at the TDL and sign Crow, Lankinen and Mitchell.

Other than that I see the Hawks being pretty quiet at the TDL.

FIRST

Anyone see the Flames/Ducks game last night. How does Bob Murray still have a job?
- LAHawk

He's better than Bowman. After all Bowman sucks, I don't have any proof or anecdote to backup my assertion as it's not required here, I just know deep in my heart that Bowman sucks. If Murray loses his job the Hawks would be crazy not to fire Bowman and hire him because I know deep in my heart that Murray would be a great GM in Chicago.

FIRST

Anyone see the Flames/Ducks game last night. How does Bob Murray still have a job?
- LAHawk

There's zero expectations for the Ducks to be good, so...

The real standings.

_____________ GP PTS PTS/G
Blues_________57 74 1.298 1st Cen
Av's__________56 72 1.286 2nd Cen
Stars_________ 57 71 1.246 3rd Cen
Canucks______58 69 1.190 1st Pac
Oilers________ 57 66 1.158 2nd Pac
Flames_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Knights_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Preds________ 56 61 1.089 WC
Jets __________58 63 1.086
Wild _________57 61 1.070
Yotes________ 60 64 1.067
Hawks_______ 57 58 1.018
Ducks________57 53 0.930
Sharks________56 52 0.929
Kings_________58 45 0.776

Based on these results you will need a minimum of 1.089 pts per game. So 82 games x 1.089 = 90 pts. The Hawks have 25 games left and have to get 32 points. So 15W- 8L – 2 OTL. They have to win or tie in regulation 17 of the of their last 25 games.

Sell wisely Stan.
- -Doh-

Pretty sure you can stop posting these updates.

The context BINGO is that a good portion of this board think Stan should be launched because the Hawks haven't made the playoffs in the past 4 years, and has made the worst trades in the history of any General Manager on the face of the earth.. Murray, has been GM of the Ducks since 2008, was the Hawks GM from 97-99, and has no cups.

I keep asking who should replace Bowman, and the answer is generally anyone, and if Rocky cared about his bottom line (which is laughable because the Hawks are but a shiny toy in his portfolio), he should of launched him yesterday.

I think if you cannot sign Lehner you have to seek offers for the UFA's. Gus, Crow, and Lehner. Crow has NTC and NMC. I would not be surprised to see none of them traded at the TDL. I see Lehner signing elsewhere this summer and Crow signing for another year for $4mil. Sad to say if Lehner signs elsewhere and Crow signs cheap I can see them justifying signing Gus at $2.5 mil for 3 years. The net effect is that your two goalies plus Gus this year are $12.2 mil. Next year with Crow and Lankinen or Delia and Gus it could be $8.mil. So a $4.2 mil savings. I would rather see them trade Lehner and Gus at the TDL and sign Crow, Lankinen and Mitchell.

Other than that I see the Hawks being pretty quiet at the TDL.
- -Doh-

You make some excellent points. I'm torn between resigning Lehner and trading him. His return via trade would hopefully bring value back, keeping him hurts Chicago with eating up a lot of salary and Chicago is nowhere near for the foreseeable future becoming a contender with Lehner here.

There's zero expectations for the Ducks to be good, so...
- BINGO!

Funny, same thing here.

Sell Sell Sell.

Load up the buck wagon and let's head into town with the Clearance Sale sign.

I can't believe how bad the West is compared to the East. The Hawks should sell but honestly is there much to sell that would get them anything significant. I don't want to trade Saad just for the sake of making a trade. (and who replaces him)With the west being so bad and some Improvement from Dcat and Strome and some younger players improving the Hawks could easily make the playoffs next year.
- HamiltonHawk

That's the way I'm thinking.

The guys you would want to move (Gus for instance) really aren't that good and probably won't bring back much of a return. I mean, other teams have scouts and eyes too. They see the flaws just like we see them.

I know some think the Hawks could move one of the goalies but, unless a playoff teams' #1 goes down who's going to trade for either when they're both potential UFAs? I just don't see which team would be that desperate to give up any significant assets for either one. If they really want one of them they can just wait for 7/1/2020 and make their best offer then.

While not great, you still would hate to see a player like Saad moved since they have no one to replace him. But, he still has a tradeable contract and may be one of the few players that can get a fairly good return. Hell, no one wanted to see Hjalmarsson traded but, he was one of the few tradeable contracts they had at the time.

I can't see too many moves to be made. Some Rockford help brought in, maybe some mid to late round picks acquired. Hell, maybe Gus traded to someone for the mythical "future considerations".

The real standings.

_____________ GP PTS PTS/G
Blues_________57 74 1.298 1st Cen
Av's__________56 72 1.286 2nd Cen
Stars_________ 57 71 1.246 3rd Cen
Canucks______58 69 1.190 1st Pac
Oilers________ 57 66 1.158 2nd Pac
Flames_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Knights_______59 66 1.119 3rd Pac/WC (tie)
Preds________ 56 61 1.089 WC
Jets __________58 63 1.086
Wild _________57 61 1.070
Yotes________ 60 64 1.067
Hawks_______ 57 58 1.018
Ducks________57 53 0.930
Sharks________56 52 0.929
Kings_________58 45 0.776

Based on these results you will need a minimum of 1.089 pts per game. So 82 games x 1.089 = 90 pts. The Hawks have 25 games left and have to get 32 points. So 15W- 8L – 2 OTL. They have to win or tie in regulation 17 of the of their last 25 games.

Sell wisely Stan.
- -Doh-

The Hurricanes have the 11th best points % in the NHL and are not in a playoff spot.

The Coyotes are in 22nd, and ARE in a playoff spot.

That's the way I'm thinking.

The guys you would want to move (Gus for instance) really aren't that good and probably won't bring back much of a return. I mean, other teams have scouts and eyes too. They see the flaws just like we see them.

I know some think the Hawks could move one of the goalies but, unless a playoff teams' #1 goes down who's going to trade for either when they're both potential UFAs? I just don't see which team would be that desperate to give up any significant assets for either one. If they really want one of them they can just wait for 7/1/2020 and make their best offer then.

While not great, you still would hate to see a player like Saad moved since they have no one to replace him. But, he still has a tradeable contract and may be one of the few players that can get a fairly good return. Hell, no one wanted to see Hjalmarsson traded but, he was one of the few tradeable contracts they had at the time.

I can't see too many moves to be made. Some Rockford help brought in, maybe some mid to late round picks acquired. Hell, maybe Gus traded to someone for the mythical "future considerations".
- Rota's Rooter

I'd give you something for Lehner if you wanted a half-price Mrazek for a back-up for a couple years.

That's the way I'm thinking.

The guys you would want to move (Gus for instance) really aren't that good and probably won't bring back much of a return. I mean, other teams have scouts and eyes too. They see the flaws just like we see them.

I know some think the Hawks could move one of the goalies but, unless a playoff teams' #1 goes down who's going to trade for either when they're both potential UFAs? I just don't see which team would be that desperate to give up any significant assets for either one. If they really want one of them they can just wait for 7/1/2020 and make their best offer then.

While not great, you still would hate to see a player like Saad moved since they have no one to replace him. But, he still has a tradeable contract and may be one of the few players that can get a fairly good return. Hell, no one wanted to see Hjalmarsson traded but, he was one of the few tradeable contracts they had at the time.

I can't see too many moves to be made. Some Rockford help brought in, maybe some mid to late round picks acquired. Hell, maybe Gus traded to someone for the mythical "future considerations".
- Rota's Rooter

Actually I can see Stan making some small moves to improve on Rockford's playoff chances. Let the kids get some pro playoff experience in the A.

The Hurricanes have the 11th best points % in the NHL and are not in a playoff spot.

The Coyotes are in 22nd, and ARE in a playoff spot.
- BINGO!

Actually if you look at the real standings (see my post) the Yotes are not in a playoff spot.

You play in a tough division like the Central. A pretty good team will miss the playoffs. Look at the Atlantic. Two strong teams and 6 weak ones. Look at the Pacific. You can make the case that there is not a strong team in the Pacific division.

Here are the real standings for the East
_____GP Pts Pts/GP
Bruins 58 82 1.414 1st Atl
Lightning 58 81 1.397 2nd Atl
Caps 57 79 1.386 1st Met
Pens 55 74 1.345 2nd Met
Islanders 56 72 1.286 3rd Met
Blue Jackets 58 71 1.224 WC
Flyers 58 71 1.224 WC
Canes 56 67 1.196
Leafs 58 68 1.172 3rd Atl
Panthers 57 66 1.158
Rangers 56 62 1.107
Sabres 58 60 1.034
Canadians 59 61 1.034
Devils 56 52 0.929
Senators 57 49 0.860
Wings 59 32 0.542

The Hurricanes have the 11th best points % in the NHL and are not in a playoff spot.

The Coyotes are in 22nd, and ARE in a playoff spot.
- BINGO!

I have no sympathy for the Canes if they cannot get more points than the Blue Jackets or the Flyers.

That's the way I'm thinking.

The guys you would want to move (Gus for instance) really aren't that good and probably won't bring back much of a return. I mean, other teams have scouts and eyes too. They see the flaws just like we see them.

I know some think the Hawks could move one of the goalies but, unless a playoff teams' #1 goes down who's going to trade for either when they're both potential UFAs? I just don't see which team would be that desperate to give up any significant assets for either one. If they really want one of them they can just wait for 7/1/2020 and make their best offer then.

While not great, you still would hate to see a player like Saad moved since they have no one to replace him. But, he still has a tradeable contract and may be one of the few players that can get a fairly good return. Hell, no one wanted to see Hjalmarsson traded but, he was one of the few tradeable contracts they had at the time.

I can't see too many moves to be made. Some Rockford help brought in, maybe some mid to late round picks acquired. Hell, maybe Gus traded to someone for the mythical "future considerations".
- Rota's Rooter

100% agree with your 1st two paragraphs. Gus may return a 4th round pick or a B level prospect to even out the contracts between the teams. But the acquiring team would really have to be desperate.

As for Lehner where would he go? Many of the top cup contenders like BOS, WSH, TB, PIT, STL are set in goal at this time. The other teams in contention like COL, DAL, VAN, TOR, NSH, FLA, NYI, Vegas have decent goal tending and will go with what brought them here or don't have the cap space. Bubble teams like CBJ, CAR, PHI, WPG, EDM and CGY probably won't spend the capital in the form of a #1 pick or top prospect just like Bowman, who's GM'ing a bubble team isn't going to be a buyer at the TDL.

Didnt see the Flames/Ducks, but did watch the Avs and Caps game. Geezus we have so far to go to build this team into a playoff contender. Watching that game last night was incredible. Size, speed, skill, nasty all wrapped up into one. For both teams. Yeah we need a total rebuild to go with that new HC/GM thing.

I feel posters are having unrealistic expectations for Crawford next year. He’s done well this year as a 1b but does anyone expect him to be able to play that starters role, 60+ games a year. If he manages to stay healthy again, which is a gamble with his history, and plays a more realistic 40 games, who’s starting the other 40? We’re struggling to contend with a legit starter in lehner, what happens when there’s a rookie or career back up playing half the games?
If you’re unwilling to pay a goalie like lehner starting goalie money then you better be willing to accept marginal goaltending. How quickly we all forgot the ward Delia tandem last year.

Didnt see the Flames/Ducks, but did watch the Avs and Caps game. Geezus we have so far to go to build this team into a playoff contender. Watching that game last night was incredible. Size, speed, skill, nasty all wrapped up into one. For both teams. Yeah we need a total rebuild to go with that new HC/GM thing.
- z1990z

I see the same thing when watching NHL games that don't involve the Hawks.

I'm almost in awe when I see any team that can have puck possession, complete 3 passes at speed and get a shot off.

I feel posters are having unrealistic expectations for Crawford next year. He’s done well this year as a 1b but does anyone expect him to be able to play that starters role, 60+ games a year. If he manages to stay healthy again, which is a gamble with his history, and plays a more realistic 40 games, who’s starting the other 40? We’re struggling to contend with a legit starter in lehner, what happens when there’s a rookie or career back up playing half the games?
If you’re unwilling to pay a goalie like lehner starting goalie money then you better be willing to accept marginal goaltending. How quickly we all forgot the ward Delia tandem last year.
- BMoreHawks

Crawford has never played 60 regular season games in a year. But he has played 57 to 59 in 6 different years. His injuries were restricted to 2 specific injuries. He has been healthy and played well (probably not elite) this year. .911 save % and 2.89 GAA with pretty shoddy defense in front of him. Lehner is only .921 save % and GAA 2.87. Sure he has the chance of another concussion or recurring symptoms of a concussion. But Lehner or any other goal if they are run over can suffer a concussion too. Or they could get some other type of injury. If he is healthy I think 55 starts is reasonable. Then you get Lankinen and or Delia 27 games as his backup. It is unlikely they are cup contenders next year. anyway If Lankinen or Delia play well in their starts than you have Crow's heir apparent (and probably at a low cap figure). If not you look elsewhere.