Blackhawks

#3      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Minimal salary increase, too. Could be a steal

Yep. $4.4M for a 2nd pairing guy is pretty good. Also, like that the contract ends (@ 33) before he really slows down.

D is going to be markedly better. The ceiling depends on Jones.

Next piece of business is moving Strome, provided the signals from Toews are good. Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton are the obvious trade partners.
 
#4      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Training camps start in 3 weeks. Really hoping Toews is much more than a shadow of his former self. We should know a lot more on that front soon.

Need at least 2 out of 3 of Nylander, Borgstrom and Gaudette to establish themselves as legit players. Need Dach to take a big step forward. Need Jones to be a consistently good #1 D. I believe McCabe is going to be a great partner for Jones and will allow him to unlock more offense (which was repressed by Columbus/Torts).
 
#5      
Training camps start in 3 weeks. Really hoping Toews is much more than a shadow of his former self. We should know a lot more on that front soon.

Need at least 2 out of 3 of Nylander, Borgstrom and Gaudette to establish themselves as legit players. Need Dach to take a big step forward. Need Jones to be a consistently good #1 D. I believe McCabe is going to be a great partner for Jones and will allow him to unlock more offense (which was repressed by Columbus/Torts).

So many question marks - it's going to be interesting at the very least. Can't wait!

I certainly haven't paid close attention to the ups and downs of Jones' game over the past several years, but he also had his best years statistically with Torts, so I suspect the scoring decline was due more to the team around him (i.e. Panarin moved on) than a stifling system. I'd like to think the Hawks have enough forward talent - particularly if Toews is back and Dach progresses - that Seth's numbers will rise again.

Jones should also be pretty motivated to have a big year and make the Olympic team. Love seeing that announcement today. Hate that the games will be at odd hours...
 
#9      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Gus is back, eh? I don't mind him, actually, assuming he's a bottom pairing power play specialist.

This. He's a stop gap, 'til Kalynuk and C Jones are back. Then he's a pretty good 7th. Rather have him in that role, than one of the kids. When he's in, he'll be QBing PP2, for sure.
 
#11      
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#14      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
it I were in charge, JC would get the islanders game and if they came out flat/got blown out, he’d be fired.
 
#17      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
I was talking to a coworker the other day. I had said end of November... That might be too generous.
I was thinking the same timeline as you, but it’s pretty clear something needs to change and quickly.
 
#19      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
I wouldn't be surprised if Marc Crawford was named interim coach. You have guys like Babcock, Tortorella, Claude Julien, Jacque Martin and a few others I cannot remember.
 
#20      

Shane Walsh

aka "Captain Oblivious"
Cynthiana, Kentucky
Think they could pry Torts away from his new ESPN gig?
 
#21      
I wouldn't be surprised if Marc Crawford was named interim coach. You have guys like Babcock, Tortorella, Claude Julien, Jacque Martin and a few others I cannot remember.

Would the "old" kicking incident be an issue with Crawford? Some of those would probably have high price tags to spend on a rebuilding project.
 
#22      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Would the "old" kicking incident be an issue with Crawford? Some of those would probably have high price tags to spend on a rebuilding project.
Good question…I’d say probably has passed for an interim coach who’s already an AC. Not sure for a permanent hire.
 
#24      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
While they started better tonight, they aren’t finishing strong. Time to make a change at HC.
 
#25      
I honestly believe the Blackhawk’s front office is on the phone now. Colliton will be gone early this season.