They need to get Duclair back to how he was playing his rookie year in AZ when he had 20 goals. The AZ GM also hinted that there were some character issues which would explain why the Hawks got the better player and cap space. Hopefully Q figures out how to motivate him.
Blackhawks '17-18
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
So far 3-2 in this pivotal ten game stretch that will make or break their season after Glass stands on his head to secure a 2-1 win over the Jets.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
There is a reason why he's on his third NHL team at the age of 22. Maybe he'll put it together in Chicago. Hope so. Young and fast won't matter if he's putting up 10 goals a year as a highly skilled forward. Time will tell.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Third team, yes, with a large caveat. He was traded from the Rangers to AZ his rookie year at the deadline. AZ most definitely wanted him. As to AZ: do they really count as a legit NHL team?
Totally agree that Duclair's first years in the League haven't gone to plan. That said, he's 22, has 191 GP, has obviously experienced adversity, has good skills, elite speed, and should be extremely motivated. Yes, time will tell. I like the Hawks chances here. Good debut last night.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Oh forget it. 3-3 now in this stretch after a horse crap effort against Detroit at home. They've already lost 3 out of 5 home games in this stretch of 8 out of 9 at home. No playoffs this year. Just as well, they couldn't beat Vegas or Nashville or whoever they would play anyway.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Weak, weak sauce. Why Q went w/Glass is beyond me. That said, this loss was a team effort.
Reports are coming out saying the Crow may be out the rest of the year with "vertigo-like symptoms". This is NOT good.
Shane Walsh
aka "Captain Oblivious"
- Cynthiana, Kentucky
Hopefully he makes a full recovery, even if it does take the rest of this year.
The effects of all the salary dumps are really starting to show up now. Hopefully this team can get faster in the off season, but this one appears to be over.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Bowman has rebuilt the team over the past year. Much younger and faster already. Pretty shockingly younger, but I don't have the stat in hand. The thing the new guys don't have is NHL experience. Plus, the remaining core is in decline (sans Kane). Some (Seabs) a lot more than others. No need for rentals, let the kids play.
As to Crow, definitely sounds serious. Have to play Forsberg a lot and give Berube a shot too. Need to figure out if either of these guys are starter material.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I thought I saw Bowman say last year they only had 4 players under 25 on the roster, today it's something like 13. It will be an interesting next few years. How will the young players develop? Will Q still be there? How will the guys like Toews and Keith be sent out to pasture? Will Crawford still be good when the Hawks are contenders again?
If nothing else, I know it's easy to be critical of your favorite sports teams, but we should acknowledge the great run this group has had the past ten years. I've been a Hawks fan since 1980, and this is by far the best run of quality seasons I've seen put together. We may never see the likes of it again.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Courtesy of Hawkoholic on the Hawks HF board:
Should try and trade as many UFAs as they can. I doubt they try and trade Sharp, as he is likely to retire a Hawk and doesn't want to move. Trade Kempny for whatever you can get, same with Bouma. I would like to see Wingels back next year, so maybe a handshake agreement that we trade him with intentions of him coming back. Try to sign Ruuta to a 2 or 3 year deal, and if he doesn't sign trade him too. Stay the course otherwise, no point trying to trade for a goalie unless it's really cheap.
Wholeheartedly agree with this.
Should try and trade as many UFAs as they can. I doubt they try and trade Sharp, as he is likely to retire a Hawk and doesn't want to move. Trade Kempny for whatever you can get, same with Bouma. I would like to see Wingels back next year, so maybe a handshake agreement that we trade him with intentions of him coming back. Try to sign Ruuta to a 2 or 3 year deal, and if he doesn't sign trade him too. Stay the course otherwise, no point trying to trade for a goalie unless it's really cheap.
Wholeheartedly agree with this.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
https://www.the-rink.com/2018/01/17/corey-crawford-saga-takes-bizarre-turn/
Interesting...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Wow this team is in free-fall.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
the championship window has closed on this team. Awesome run for sure. Time to dismantle and try again. Keep Kane for sure. I would be inclined to keep Schmaltz and Debrincat, too. Anyone else is fair game to be traded, if they waive their NTC and someone is willing and able to take on some of those salaries. See what you can get.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Forsling down, Anisimov in. Wasn't expecting the Forsling move, but in light of his D the past few weeks, it's the smart move. Don't want to wreck a 21 yo D man with a lot of potential. Getting very close to tank time. Good thing they're playing a weak sister tonight!
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Couldn't score in a bordello. Embrace the tank. Maybe they'll luck out and get Dahlin. Trade Hossa's contract and whichever young players AZ wants (beside Schmaltz & Forsling) for Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Kick Q upstairs at the end of the season and have Colliton (Hogs coach) take over.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Who in the hell would trade for Hossa's contract? I would be more interested in moving Keith and Toews if possible before they have no trade value.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Poor teams. Player payroll must meet or exceed the floor. Hossa's on LTIR (technically, year to year). His contract carries a cap hit of $5.275M/yr, but he's only paid $1M/yr. Hence, his team saves $4.275M/yr. There's 3 more years left on his contract after this season. That's worth something.
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I think Hossa is already on LTIR for the season, is he not?
Outside of that, there are a lot of moving parts this year.
There are a lot more younger players this year. I think I recall seeing ~14 players under 25, whereas last year it was single digits, maybe 5.
You have continued decline of "The Core" (except Kane, because duh).
Crawford has fallen into the same alternate dimension as Ozzie Smith in the Simpsons.
Quenneville continues to do whatever it is he does.
I think that there were a lot of signs that this team was fading last year (before the playoffs) regardless of the getting the #1 seed in the West. It is strange in the sense that I feel a lot of people are looking at this upcoming off-season as a start to rebuilding, but I think it has already begun with the influx of younger players (Schmaltz, Hinostroza, DeBrincat, and to an extent Duclair, Kempny, and Hartman). Giving those players (specifially the first three) an extra year to get bigger/faster/stronger will be huge. I mean, even Saad is only 25. EDIT: I forgot about Murphy,
too. Who they got for Hjalmarsson
While The Core continues to contribute less, in the ideal world the role players mentioned above take a big enough step forward next year to almost hide the cracks that are starting to become apparent with the older group of players.
Hopefully Crawford is able to come back at some point and play at the same level (or close to it) either this year or next. At this point though I wouldn't rush anything with him. He should have a few more years of good-very good production and there is no reason to put those years in jeopardy for a run at the #8 seed.
I might go full meatball here, but I think Quenneville needs to be replaced. He's a really good coach, but I think the Hawks are staring at a scenario in the near future that Q has shown he isn't the best at always handling (younger players not named Kane or Toews).
I don't believe that Bowman will be a buyer and chase this year at the risk of throwing away the future (I hope he doesn't). But I also believe that with all the NTCs the team won't necessarily be a seller this year.
Overall, there are definitely some concerns for next year (and further down the road) and regarding the window being closed, but I think this team is still built to win.
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I hadn't read this before I posted, otherwise I would have just linked it because it is much better written than what I did but along the same thought.
Season is slowly slipping away. Where is the team that scored 15 goals against Pittsburgh and Columbus to start the year? That feels like an eternity ago.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
The Hawks finish 4-5-1 in this ten game stretch of eight home games and two road games against Ottawa and Detroit. It felt worse than that. They really needed to go 8-2 or 9-1 imo to have stayed in the playoff hunt. It's not impossible for them to make it, but it will take a heckuva run in these last 35 games or so.
Back-to-back wins spanning the All-Star break. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think this team can make a run at the 7th/8th seed even without Crawford (be a lot easier with him). The lines appear to be in a good place to where they are getting contributions from all of the lines (not necessarily all the same night which is still an issue, but each one can provide something at least).
Sharks lost, Stars should lose, and Avs are down early. February and March should be interesting.
Sharks lost, Stars should lose, and Avs are down early. February and March should be interesting.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
It's nice to see the back to back road wins sandwiched around the break but I don't think barely slipping into the playoffs does anything for the organization moving forward. I just don't see them beating the Preds or Vegas in a seven game series.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Can't discount the luck element, officiating and the hotness element. Hawks have 30-odd "playoff" games, just to get into the playoffs. If they make it, yeah, they'll be the underdog, but they have a chance. Obviously, they have a big hill to climb.
Skaters they're icing now can really move. We'll be stronger with Sikura and Hayden. 4th line looking VG. Have to get the PP working, Saad producing and a lapse-free (or close) version of Keith.