Kane, DeBrincat Lead Blackhawks Past Hurricanes
So what exactly are we supposed to make of this group of Chicago Blackhawks? For as much as everyone was willing to take their shots at the roster when the season began, this team has become entertaining and competitive.
And frustrating at the same time.
Sebastian Aho gave Carolina a lead 75 seconds into the game. The powerful Carolina offense looked like it might be ready to take the game over early.
A parade to the penalty box for Carolina opened the door and the Blackhawks blasted through it.
Mattias Janmark tied the game with a power play goal at 3:17 into the first.
Phillip Kurashev and Dominik Kubalik picked up the assists.
Kubalik gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead with a power play of his own 11 minutes later.
Janmark and Nicolas Beaudin were credited with the helpers on this goal.
Chicago wasn’t done. With seven seconds left in the period, Andrew Shaw scored a power play goal to make the score 3-1 in favor of the home squad.
Patrick Kane and Kubalik picked up the assists.
When the dust settled, Kubalik and Janmark had two points each. The Blackhawks out-shot the Canes 13-5 in the period and had three power play goals to show for the opening 20 minutes of action.
Confidence was high.
Then the second period started.
Nino Niederreiter scored 42 seconds into the second to cut the lead to one.
Eight seconds later Andrei Svechnikov tied the game.
Carolina scoring twice in 50 seconds to start the period was bad, and the Canes didn’t let up on the gas. But Lankinen settled down and made some big saves to keep the game tied at three.
The visitors out-shot the Hawks 17-9 in the second period and the game was tied heading to the third.
So… which Blackhawks team would show up for the final 20 minutes?
After taking a penalty on the opening shift of the period, Kane emerged from the box and gave Chicago the lead with a fortunate goal.
Carl Soderberg picked up the assist on Kane’s goal, his first point with the Blackhawks.
Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last three minutes. Brock McGinn was left all alone and unloaded a shot that beat Lankinen for a fourth goal.
The Blackhawks weren’t helping Lankinen out much. They were getting their collective asses kicked at the dot all night and Carolina had plenty of space to work with the entire night.
But the Hawks didn’t go away.
At 12:22 into the third, Alex DeBrincat scored his first even strength goal of the season to give Chicago the lead again.
Pius Suter and Kane were credited with the assists.
Kane had three points, but took a second penalty in a bad spot late in the third period. Branden Hagel, who had a really good short-handed breakaway opportunity during Kane’s penalty early in the period had another good chance on this penalty kill. He’s been impressive.
Hagel was without his stick for an extended period on the late penalty kill but still managed to block a big shot. The Hawks killed off the penalty to maintain a one-goal lead.
Carolina emptied the net with 80 seconds left in regulation. In a scary moment with 54 seconds left, Calvin de Haan made a strong, clean hit on Martin Necas in the corner of the Blackhawks’ zone. Necas was upended on the play and his head bounced on the ice as he landed. He needed help getting off the ice.
As the Canes scrambled to come up with a tying goal, a loose puck found Kane who hit DeBrincat with a clean breakaway pass. DeBrincat scored into the empty net for his second of the night; the primary assist gave Kane four points on the night.
The final shots on net favored the Blackhawks 35-34. Carolina won 62 percent of the faceoffs, however, an issue that continues to be a concern.
DeBrincat was terrific. In 21:27 he had a team-leading six shots on net and was also credited with two blocked shots, four hits and two takeaways.
Ian Mitchell skated 13:57 with two blocked shots and one hit.
Dylan Strome won only seven of 21 faceoffs but contributed in other areas. He put four shots on net and blocked three shots.
Chicago’s penalty kill was perfect against four Carolina power plays and they scored on three of their five advantages in the game.
The Blackhawks now have points in eight of their last nine games and head to Dallas an interesting team.
MORRISON
February 4, 2021 at 7:58 pm
Lots of good posts on Defensemen. This here is what we want so that poeple arnt in over there heads. Be 3rd pair if thats where you fit for now. Not agsint other teams top lines and stuff. Trickle effect so its proper experience.
TIM W.
February 4, 2021 at 7:52 am
Nobody is saying give up on Boqvist.I am just saying let him develop his skating and ability to play at the NHL level without him being tossed around and constantly in a defensively poor position.It is not going to do him much good being embarrassed at the NHL level.If Beaudin,Kalynuk,Regala,Mitchell,etc. are more mature and developed let them play ahead of Boqvist.Watching Beaudin for a few games definitely shows that he should be ahead of Boqvist.
MORRISON
February 4, 2021 at 9:51 pm
Dont get cocky kid. Lankenin is 3-1-3? and Blackhawks are 4-1-4 since first few games.
Playing all tiers of teams top 5 mid tier and bottom 10ers. Basically split every two game thing except for TB/first two games out.
PP #1 in league on yrs like these when we were dynasty/nope. PK was top 5 every yr though/dynasty yrs.
Wow…DCat again win the game for the Hawks .Keith played 27 minutes.Kane 4 pts …really nice game to watch …kids playing well…
Wtached 2nd when seeing we were up 2-1 and scored before 1st. Saw 3-1 go 3-3 in a flash so turned off after 2nd and win.
Need a couple more elites from draft and the wave is coming.
We get some more elites and the wave could be Jaws from north Maui.
Exciting game, fun to watch
PK was really good again, Hagel is quickly becoming a regular on that unit. Lankinen was very good down the stretch – nice to see everyone overcome adversity.
I often expressed frustration with Dcat’s defense last year. It appears he knew it was a real weakness and has focused on improving. I have seen him interviewed a few times this year and I am impressed with his drive. He clearly wants to be a star in the league and it’s nice to see him get off to a good start this year, Oh yeah Kane’s goal was pretty sick.
Keith … 2 hits …2 block shots…. pp 4m 11 Short h. 4 m 23 … 27.53 ice time or half the game on the ice . Seams to me that Colliton believe he can do the job ,but some hockey guru fans here think ….. lets trash him again .
So. fun. to. watch.
Major stick taps to Duncs who skated in his 1150th game. Is he a Norris candidate anymore? Nope.
But he still shows flashes of brilliance–he didna few times tonight. Any defender skating that much is incredible, especially all those playoff minutes and all in one sweater. What a beast!
Solid game and pushback from the Hawk forwards.I tried to go back and find out what Kurashev did to get nailed to the bench.I thought he was playing well.What the Hell has happened to the Canes Doogie Hamilton???WOOF.A lazy dog all night.Mitchell and Beaudin keep getting better.Hagel and Suter were impressive and active the whole game. The Hawks don’t have any quality centers right now so they are going to get horsed at the dots.Forwards are helping and have to keep at it.
Tim – I also wondered about Kurashev. I don’t know the specifics but his line was on for the quick first and second goals at the start of the first two periods. JC also said they specifically talked about starting strong in the second. I’m sure it will be used as a teaching moment.
Beaudin will probably get some grief that his first NHL point was a result of a whiff on his one timer!
I need to go watch paint dry just to balance out my equilibrium. Mercy! The boys sure are exciting. Gives me some optimism our puppies can hunt with the big dogs. Just think how well we could do if we could win our fair share of faceoffs and not have to start 2/3 of possessions chasing the puck.
Hawks are outclassed 5v5 but special teams and goaltending make them competitive.
I know we’re not supposed to like getting 2 points in the standings – but I don’t give a damn – that was fun and I liked it and I won’t apologize for it.
Go Hawks!!!!
Love this team’s work ethic.
Brandon Hagel, 6th round pick of Buffalo, went unsigned Chicago nabbed him and his buddy Reece Johnson who went undrafted because of shoulder issues.
Hagel has been a tremendous find and Johnson is trending in the right direction for sure.
Great to see Dylan Strome shoot the puck more. His goals will come.
As I seemingly repeat after every Hawk effort : Mattias Janmark : way better than advertised.
4-4-4 during a full rebuild minus Toews and Dach. Pretty Amazing. Great to see. The kids are something.
You tell them, ER! Many of us want all the points we can get. It’s why we watch. We don’t watch to obsess over draft picks.
Hagel needs to start racking up some points, but he was awesome on the PK. It was a shame he missed the net on the breakaway. A shorty for a first NHL goal would be awesome. The second chance was not completely unimpeded, but he made a great effort.
Glad to see DeBrincat firing away. Also, it appears that the model for two on ones is for the puck carrier to take the shot if there is any doubt about getting the pass through. There were some two on ones where that happened. They didn’t score, but they were quality opportunities. Besides, there’s always a chance for a rebound. I remember Kane and Kureshev both taking shots.
It seemed as if in the early games that Strome had killed his demons on face-offs. Unfortunately, they have returned.
My neighbor watched the game for the first time this year and commented, “These guys are really fun to watch.”
Glad to see Lank get a win even though he gave up 4. He did not let the goals get to him. He was good in the second half of the game, even after giving up 2 in 8 seconds.
If we want something to worry about, it should be 5 on 5 goal production. But it is so much fun to have a smoking PP that we can fret about 5 on 5 tomorrow.
@STEFANIE
27 minutes after 1150 games later. Wow. A BEAST, indeed.
ER – the boys sure are exciting. Far from what games 1-4 led us to expect. There will probably be some downturns to come, but the teams definitely overperforming expectations
I noticed that there were several times that pucks ended up around Lankinen’s crease but were quickly cleared by Hawks, could have easily been at least another half-dozen dangerous scoring chances if not
Beaudin continues to impress – particularly with a couple nice recoveries after defensive slip-ups, didn’t get down on himself and jumped right back into the play – he will make mistakes, but ‘shake-it-off and find-your-man’ is a critical step for further growth
It’s just too bad Hagel didn’t get to reap the rewards for another strong, smart, high-energy game
It hasn’t been a great two game series from the Hawks at the dot but Staal has always been a 55-56 percent faceoff win center and Trocheck isn’t far behind him..with two centers that are annually above 50 percent from the dot, it was a tall order for the Hawks without Toews. The same way it would be a tall order for St. Louis if O’Reilly was out for the year or Boston if Bergeron was. The Hawks will just have to do the best they can at the dot this year.
Now the positives..both special teams were impressive tonight..the pp continues to generate chances even on the shifts where a goal isn’t scored..and the pk looked really good tonight against a team with high end forwards and dmen who love to fire shots on net. Hagel should be a permanent fixture on the fourth line and the pk..not only does his motor never stop, but he’s the type of guy who finds a way to go into corners and come out with the puck-the ability to keep puck possession is vitally important when killing penalties or occupying top lines in his fourth line role..excited to see Hagel-Kampf-Entwistle one day..jeez, that line could end up being a handful..
And lastly, what a difference to an offense when there are multiple players trying to head to the net on every shift..Shaw, Strome, Suter, Kurashev, etc..the Hawks are really doing a good job of getting on top of the goalie and getting into the blue paint, whether 5v5 or on the pp..add Dach to that mix when he’s healthy and you’ll have multiple players who can screen, redirect pucks, etc while Kane, Cat, Kubalik, and YES NYLANDER fire away. Granted, Nylander may be relegated to pp time only until we can assess how his compete level looks lol, but at least we know he can fire the biscuit.
PS-Anyone know what it might take to re-sign Janmark??..he’s looking more and more like the type of player who you can add to any of the four lines and he’ll give you a net positive..not sure what the analytics look like for him so far, but I’m a fan. And I love those type of swiss army knife players who can play up and down a lineup.
Bit of a heart stopper but a great win
Beaudin, Hagel, Kurashev, Suter and Lank continue to impress
See the line JC had out on the GWG – 88 24 and 12 that’s a small line but they got the winner so stick taps to Colliton for that as well as having the sense not to overplay that line – I think they had one more shift where predictably they couldn’t get the puck out of the D zone and that was the last we saw of them together
Also the winning goal was 5 on 5 and the Hawks hung with CAR for chances 22 -23 for CAR I believe
Gotta also give JC credit for what was a special team win
Liking the chemistry on this team – that CD an make up for shortcomings in other areas
Kane gave another stick tap to Colliton for getting the players to buy into a culture of playing hard every shift. I’ve heard Kane compliment Colliton several times now.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m seriously considering writing up a petition to sensor Kane. We can’t let that insubordination continue unchecked. Before you know it Kane will say something nice about Stan and who knows what will happen then. No, we’ve got to nip this in the bud immediately.
Who’s with me … ;-)
Great win for the guys, congrats to Keith on 1150 games and who know how many millions of minutes in ice time. No quit, could have easily got down at start of both 1st and 2nd periods. A Scotty Bowman way to win, give him a strong pp and a hot goalie, he liked his odds. Big saves by Lankinen again, no chance really on 3 of the goals.
Think Kurashev wasn’t having his best game defensively was why Suter moved up and him down. Liked how they handled the last 7 minutes or so of the game and limited the Canes opportunities to tie it. Pk looking really good, Hagel playing exceptional. Kampf likely earning another contract, won some big fos down the stretch and maintaining his 56 or 7 % on the dot, to go with strong pk and 4th lines tough defensive play 5 on 5 against top scoring lines mostly. Kane and Debrincat both giving Colliton credit for motivating the youngsters work ethic to the level they are playing at. See how they handle the next test against the Stars.
Over the past decade, my wife and I have made an inside joke of pointing out the exceptionally few moments when Kane aggressively back checks or exerts himself in serious d-zone play, and we both chuckle and enjoy the rarity — but Kane noticeably amped up his version of a 2-way effort tonight, too — he had his man tightly covered on the point at a couple key points, and snuck in a good stick lift so the puck got out of the zone when the Canes were buzzing again in the third
More signs of buy-in, I think
Nice win against a good team.
I was reading a quote from DeBrincat and Kane about how there is “buy in” to play the way that JC wants them to play. I’m not sure how to react to that, I suppose I should find the full quote and get the full context of it, but it made me wonder if there wasn’t buy in before? Regardless, it’s nice to see the players and the coach on the same page now, the results are fun to watch.
Hardworking team. Overachieving team. Resilient Team. Lots to like.
Am I the only one secretly cheering every time Shaw and Janmark score a goal because it might make either or both of them more attractive at the trade deadline? I am enjoying the Hawks compete and play, but the Hawks have a talent gap to fill and those two might look attractive enough for a team to maybe part with a Danault esque prospect for one or more of them. Just saying, if Shaw can help the Hawks get to another Cup by being traded, I’m good with that.
I really liked how Lankinen responded to the early goals in the first and second periods. He seemed to have a short memory on those and came up with some really big saves, especially in the second. This is a good sign.
Another fun game to watch, it was really gratifying to see how relaxed DeBrincat looked after netting that empty netter. Nice ending to a nice game.
@ER, lol.
Again, what an exciting game! This team is so much fun to watch. Let’s get on to the analysis. First, that was the best game that I have ever seen DeBrincat play. He was all over the ice, creating, winning battles, and scoring. Kane was excellent. Kubalik is starting to fit better with Strome, and Suter needs to play with creative and offensive minded players. It’s a waste to play him with Shaw and Kampf. One through ten again, and even though no one scored a five or below, the defense sans Keith and Zadarov struggled at times to clear the zone and forced Lankinen to make unnecessary saves.
DeBrincat (9)
Kane (9)
Kubalik(8)
Lankinen(8)
Keith (8)
Zadarov(7)
Janmark(7)
Hagel(7)
Soderberg(7)
Strome(7)
Suter(7)
Tim W
Agree- what happened to the Great Doogie Hamilton- WOW, he was my 3rd star of the game – for Hawks. If he continues to skate like that he will be sitting next to Seabrook in 2-3 years.
Love Hagel- kid works, is smart, and pretty darn quick
Love Beaudin- super cool w puck, very agile/elusive w puck in own end.
I agree- Suter needs to play w skilled players. Hawks just don’t have enough skilled forwards right now with 19 and Dach out. So one of 23/24 will be stuck w Non Skilled guys for now.
Agree with everyone about Suter getting better quality of teammate
How about moving Shaw to 4th line and Suter into Shaw’s spot
Soderberg was a little better I thought and good on the PK so in addition to Shaw and Janmark upping their value as TDL candidates include Soderberg hopefully
So I am a total nerd. Decided to look up total TOI Duncan has. (thanks hockey-reference.com)
After last night, his minutes are 28,755. That equates to nearly 20 DAYS of ice time in a Blackhawks sweater!!! His reg. season career average is 25 minutes; playoff average is 27 minutes.
Holy mother eff.
(and now my brain–and yours–is full of more useless hockey info)
:)
Cheers, guys.
Like the hustle and not getting down when the Canes tied it. They are an enjoyable watch. Hopefully 21 / 22 season the Barn will be rockin….
Is Dach coming back this year?
Hope Toews is doing well.
is Seabrook done ? 2 Hip and a shoulder surgery
So can someone explain why the power play is so good this year even though they don’t have their top faceoff guy and overall top center on it?
With Lankinen rising to the task, this team is much better than I was expecting. This is the first time in years that special teams don’t look to be a concern. And they are doing with all but a few of the veterans they’ve leaned on so much. This is exciting!
And I have to give it to the coach. Things seem to be headed in the right direction.
Pucklogic, one thing i see on pp is they are not standing around like a bunch of robots like before. Seem to be letting the players make the pp, instead of a set pp that tries to make the players.
Gotta like the way this team is trending, the drafting and what they built with the players acquired over last few years are really stepping up their development this season. Although mot a defensive juggernaut, the overall committment to 200 ft. hockey is very noticeable. Hoped this year would be a type of year that was a year in Colliton’s wheelhouse, last few games that has shown promise and credit to Colliton for them playing hard as a team and not individuals.
Time to give Lankinen a rest, he’s earned it. Kid is really showing up and that’s with a “not so great” defense in front of him (but getting better, and better than last year). Beaudin sometimes shows he’s a rookie (and that’s ok) but I like his poise. Kids are showing us something and maybe that’s starting to rub off on the vets. Kane looks rejuvenated a bit. DeHann hit was clean, just unfortunate fall. What the hell is wrong with me?! I’m being positive and the kids are impressive and getting better with confidence. Weird territory for me. Hell I might even say something nice about Bowman….nahhhh, not yet anyway.
We got us the goalie (does he have a nickname yet?), good rookies, good vets and good coaches. Who’d a thunk the Blackhawks would be this fun to watch? Don’t worry about the winning, that’ll come. Experience and Draft picks are more important now.
Props to Kane for supporting Colliton. I love that that burns some of you ;)
This team is lead by the enthusiasm of the younger players, just the way it needed to be. When Dach comes back, hopefully with full function of that wrist it will be his team. And the exciting thing is it looks like some parts will also be developing.
Kane is buying into the energy and the results.
To Aurora Hawk
Check the previous thread.
NHL stats confirm Jokiharu TOI.
Not bad for a ‘rotating depth guy’.
Use them for your references, not a Buffalo newspaper that uses opinion for fact.
Question for you:
You want Nylander or Jokiharu?
You have seen Nylander ‘s game and NHL stats give you Jokiharus TOI.
If you say Nylander you are not being truthful.
BTW:
Full disclosure:
The Sabres have played 10 games.
Jokiharu has played 7 and is a -2 averaging the aforementioned 17-18 minutes TOI.
Have not researched 92’s avg TOI, but we know from the difference between winger and defenseman, it will not be close.
Toss in a desire to play to my namesake, and his TOI is probably even less.
You guys are talking about Sister.
Had anyone noticed for a guy who does not look that big and mean, he goes to the front of the net and stays there?
Whenever there is a loose puck in front of the paint, there he is.
His game in his own end needs work, but the guy is earning his stripes.
It is interesting, isn’t it, when a player makes a comment about buying into the coach’s approach?
As @Miroslav highlighted, is this new? Why now and what happened? Why not last year?
I also find it interesting that “buying into” is occurring while Toews is sidelined. At minimum, he will return to a different environment than when he left. Should be energizing for him too.
Sorry:
Suter not Sister.
Damn smart phone
To Perimeter Player
I liked Joki. I like Beaudin and Mitchell about the same way I liked Joki.
Whether I prefer Joki or Nylander? I don’t care. Joki was expendable and replaceable as is now apparent. We have other players playing his position who are better already. I think that’s the point you miss, among others. He was replaceable and has been replaced with better players.
Nylander…I’m still hopeful, but he’s also on his way to become replaced by better players. The way of the jungle, which is how it should be.
In the end, the trade was cost neutral to the Hawks to acquire high-upside talent. It’s a big nothing-burger. And, I like the idea of acquiring underperforming talent from other franchises. It worked pretty well for Kubalik.
So my instruction to Stan, when he picks up my phone call, keep doing it.
Regarding PP success
1) like Ian said– a lot more player movement/flexing to open passing lanes/ and interchanging positions
2) getting Puck to middle more- w/ Automatic reads. If lanes are closed- puck Has to go to middle- quickly/automatic. Shaw/Suter/Strome all filling that spot
3) reversion to the mean– they will NOT continue on this pace forever
4) less Keith shots from the point– so More puck retrievals
PK– Hagel breaks stick- and has sense to NOT chase the play- but basically act as 1st goalie – 40 feet out -mirroring the Puck to goal
When was the last time both special teams were good at the same time? It’s been a while and it doesn’t happen often. Even through the glory years it was usually one or the other, but rarely both at the same time.
Course, this is only 12 games into the season and things can change dramatically before seasons end … and probably will to some extent because the PP will almost certainly regress from the ridiculously high 37.8% it’s at right now. Averaging more than 1 PP goal per game (14 PP goals in 12 games) is a WOW factor for sure.
The PK was not good to start the season giving up 5 goals in the first 4 games for a PK of 67%. But since then have given up only 3 goals in 8 games on the PK and have the season average up to 81%, which is not great but trending in the right direction.
A useful special teams metric is to add the PP% and PK% together and if the sum is greater than 100 – it means the team’s combined special teams is better than average. For the Hawks: 37+81=118 – which is much better than average. While that metric shows the Hawks doing well on special teams – it only shows efficiency ratings – not how those special teams contribute to goals for and against which determine wins and losses.
Having a blazing hot PP doesn’t help much if your team doesn’t draw many penalties and likewise if you have a great PK efficiency rate but take twice as many penalties as your opponent – the result will be losing more games than winning. The Hawks are middle of the pack on drawing penalties with 37 (14th) and one of the worst at taking penalties with 42 (6th). That’s a -5 on special team opportunities, however due to the outstanding combined special teams efficiency they are a +3 in PP goals scored (14) versus PK goals given up (11).
All in all, their special teams are a big factor in this early season success – maybe the biggest factor although Lankinen may have something to say about that.
TOI…while the Sabres blue line has been ravaged by COVID, you would expect TOI for healthy players to increase, no??
McCabe is the latest blue liner for Buffalo placed in COVID protocols after Risto and Montour. (Buffalo has over 14 players in COVID protocol. Seems like a lot .)
Joki is a fine player, but let’s not foolishly pretend increased TOI means anything when the Sabres first and second pairing have been ill.
Colliton has a different approach and it works when you listen to him
Colliton move the Rockford team from bad to one of the best team the year he was there but ha was working with kids who had no ego like many NHL players so that’s the reason they work the way JC ask and the result was great .
Since arriving with the Hawks many players didn’t want to try is way of coaching
I remember Toews not really happy with his way of coaching from the start.
Finally without some Toews ,Seabrook ,Saad, and other older players …the new kids decide to listen to their coach and believe in his way of playing the game .
So for you guys who are asking why the power play works without some big names it’s just because the kids trust the coach who trust the kids and they are having fun the kids don’t analyze the coach work they just listen and do what the coach ask them to do and Kane realize that ‘’ Fudge ´´´ it’s working and we have fun playing hockey
How many guys here are or where against JC from the first day .?can you guys give him his chance to show what he can do ? … Kane is seeing him work and Kane is opening his mind plus he sees that the kids are buying the coaches approach.
Hopefully when Toews ( if he come back to play with the Hawks ) come back I just wish that he get in the new system.
Love my young Hawks Who are having fun playing hockey with a good attitude.
Joki missed last 4 games with upper body injury, so covid had no impact on his toi.
The emergence of a 2nd pp unit the last few games has had a huge impact on pp success as well. The % would have dropped considerably in last week without their contributions. EB actually the pk has only allowed 8 goals to date, making a plus 6 difference for pp. When other teams are afraid to take penalties because of a hot pp, playing tentative vs the Blackhawks more relaxed taking late penalties last 2 games and pk bailing them out, that had a big impact on flow of the game. Not saying late penalties ok, just mean how your special teams are playing has a bigger impact on the game overall than just how many penalties you draw or take. When other teams feel they can’t win the special teams area it plays on their minds and can effect their 5 on 5 game as well.
Joki missed last game not last 4 sorry.
Just to be clear Joki missed 2 games with upper body injury and played Saturday, then sat out 2nd half of back to back Sunday because of injury. Also he has played alot of 2nd pairing with Montaur. The trade is what it is, i was a big fan Joki, didn’t like how was used after Q fired but time to move on, not a deal that is a game changer for either team. Joki is a fine dman for Sabres, best to him. Nylander likely gets a 1 year deal next season to try and show something hopefully he steps up.
Thanks Ian – good catch. I knew that when I posted 5 goals against in the first 4 games and only 3 in the last 8 games – but had a brain-skip when I put 11 goals against on the PK.
But you’re right – it’s even better than I thought factoring they are minus-5 in special team opportunities and plus-6 in special team goal differential. Double WOW!
PP2 seems sharper right now than PP1 and some of that IMO has to do with Keith being the D man on PP1
Beaudin looks good manning the point of the second unit – I’m looking forward to Boquist coming back to quarterback the first unit and Keith getting some rest when the Hawks have the man advantage
That means JC should leave Beaudin on the second unit when Boquist is back on the first
With all the positive vibrations emanating from Hawks message boards across the fruited plain, there is scant notice of a sneaky little elephant that snuck into the room. But there he is – proclaiming Kurashev got only 6:56 TOI last night and only 5:27 at even strength.
What gives? Did he do something egregious or is this a teaching moment / mind game thing? Other than faceoffs, I thought he was playing pretty good center between Kane and Janmark – but maybe he missed a defensive assignment I didn’t notice? I don’t know – but it’s kind of an elephant in the room oddity among all the good news from the game.
Hawks2010,yes I do remember the Toews issues.If you go way back to the beginning of the Quenville era,Toews was very outspoken regarding Q,s Bag Skates after poor play stating that the players were not children and he didn’t appreciate being coached that way.I respect Toews Hall of Fame career but he has never been the easiest player to coach.
The young NHL season has proven to be a big surprise for this Hawks fan. On paper when the season began the Hawks lineup just didn’t look like it had the skill/compete level necessary to prevail against quality competition. So far I am pleased to admit I was wrong. Lankinen has been phenomenal which has been huge. Special teams play is markedly improved to a high level that we have not seen in many years. Quality goal tending and special teams winning battles game after game go a long way in winning hockey games.
Apart from the stinker Florida road trip to start the season and a road game in Nashville these guys have played hard each and every contest throwing out the odd period here or there. Young d men are blending in well with perhaps Bocquist the only player that appears to have struggled. Young forwards have all contributed too. D cat has raised his game as has Strome. Hagel just works his ass off every shift. Goals will come for him.
Realistically, I don’t see special teams or goaltending playing to this level all season, but as team chemistry and camaraderie grows this team just needs to keep playing hard. As fans this all we can ask for. Pity we can’t be in the stands at the UC to enjoy what has been a most surprisingly entertaining start to this weird pandemic affected season.
Dallas games will be another good marker of where this team is at.
Let’s Go Hawks!
EB the knock on Kurashev coming out of juniors was he would cheat on some shifts and not give a solid 200ft effort. I suspect last night may have been a combination of a little of that and rewarding Suter for being moved down the lineup and stepping up his play, rather than pout over it. A healthy competition out there among these youngster trying tp stake their claim is a win win for the team.
Great win for the boys
So with optimism in my heart and a spring in my step, I’m going to take this opportunity to paint a rosy picture before reality sticks a pin in our balloon and all that’s left is the wheezing sound of air rushing out and the mad scramble to climb out onto the ledge.
So without further ado and with the maxim “go big or go home” in mind – I’ll start with a hot button item to set the tone …
1. Boqvist comes back from Covid with renewed vigor and confidence and by end of season becomes the best overall d-man on the team.
2. Rookies Mitchell, Beaudin, Kurashev, Suter, Hagel and Lankinen continue to improve and cement in their positions as key pieces of the rebuild.
3. Young veterans DCat, Strome and Kubalik improve their 2-way games without losing offensive productivity.
4. Kane just keeps being Kane.
5. We make TDL trades and get draft picks for Janmark and Murphy.
6. Hawks miss the playoffs but win the draft lottery and select Owen Power.
7. Toews recovers and rejoins the team next season with a new sense of purpose and commitment to leading Colliton’s team.
8. Dach fully recovers from the wrist injury and immediately enters the 2021/22 season in beast mode.
9. Nylander finally puts it all together and reaches his potential.
10. Seattle takes deHaan in the expansion draft.
11. 2021/22 lineup:
Suter-Toews-Kubalik
Nylander-Dach-Kane
DCat-Strome-Kurashev
Hagel-Kampf-Shaw
Power-Boqvist
Keith-Mitchell
Zadorov-Beaudin
Lankinen
Subban
12. But somehow the Hawks just miss the playoffs and win the lottery again and select Shane Wright.
C’mon man – is that too much to ask?
ER – I love these exercises in imagination
and I also like having an imagined ideal against which to measure the almost certainly different reality and I also like most of your imagined line up
Having said that hoping for the ping pong balls to fall in favour of the Hawks is such a long shot I can’t go there and I also am not trading Murphy
By next year I think we’ll see Beaudin slotted ahead of Mitchell so my ideal D would be
Murphy Beaudin
Keith Boquist
Zadorov Mitchell
I like your forward groupings although Shaw may be traded before then maybe to be replaced by Entwistle?
Theres a good chance another wave from Rfd could be fighting for spots next year too. Interesting to see by the end of next season what propective roster looks like. Forwards like Reichel, Entwistle, Barratt, C. Morrison, Altybarmakyan, Teply, Johnson and defensemen Regula, Kalynuk, Krutil could be making a case for themselves. Plus Bowman reported to be interested in a young Swedish goalie. Could be lots of young players to watch out for yet by the time next season ends, not all will but definitely a few more should get opportunity to impress at Nhl level.
Ian, Which Swedish goalie?
Tim W
This year Toews whas nos happy that they let go Crow and was upset with the Saad trade plus was not happy with the rebuilding of the new Hawks …then the News came out 3-4 weeks later that he will not play because Healt problem .Is it just a coincidence ? I don’t know and Toews is one off my favourite player but iff he it not happy anymore and not willing to play the JC game style it’s better for him to get trade. When your a Captain you have to show examples to the rookies like Kane is doing now …Your not the coach your a player who is supposed to play the game the way you are ask to by the coaches,everybody has a job to do …just do it and time will tell if it’s working or not.
It’s not a game that you stay with some friends because it was working good 6-10 years ago . They bring Saad for Toews and it didn’t work out like 6-8 years ago .
It’s a business and the Hawks want Another Cup in a few years. The time of Saad,Shaw,Seabrook,big Buff , Sharp is over. You need to move on and adapt to new younger hungrier players.
Toews has another 2-5 years window …does he wants to play with the Hawks .?
Hope he will come back to play ….not to complain
Show leadership to the kids and you will benefit from it at the end .
Just my 2 pesos
Carlsson, let’s not leave him off the list.
Toews and the organization asked for privacy so let’s all do the exact opposite. Team is entertaining to watch.
Many said if a goalie plays like an nhl goalie and two to three new players step up and maybe more importantly few players are not downright awful then this is a playoff team. Quite a few players are indeed playing for paycheck and I mean ones coming next year as they are unsigned. With players and teams in and out of play some players may have what little opportunity they have on their mind. I would! Quite a few players to sign next year and more so the following. Course many teams are in worse shape.
I was hoping to see more of celia and subban and even maybe some free agent signing but hard to argue with riding a hot goalie, especially when the goalie is playing against a good goalie friend on the other end of the ice.
The ‘fortunate’goal was still the result of going to the net and shooting the puck
ER, I had a feeling once enough of the young wave came in we would be good at PP again because of the deep young fast players that have to play that way. Before we had dynasty gods and just still wernt top 5/10 at PP. We were at PK not PP though. So I thought we would not this fast though top 5/10 once we started flying around out there with youth.
Same thing for having deep roster again so when were HHNL quality deep this time were going to have the speed in the whole lineup. We didnt have that in dynasty 2009-2016 because the league wasnt like that yet.
The up and coming teams were because they got top 10 picks every yr. Thats what it takes to be a top team not doing good in a section of games with young players.
It takes both. So we can be like CAR in a few yrs and have the young players we have now and no more.
OR
We can add more elite to the young wave by getting one or two more top 5 picks and actually win when we get there. That is what I want and why.
I donot want to get smeared like ND does everytime they are they but hey they were there so that means everything right.
Theres a reason why we got 19 and 88 not just one generational. Same thing here theres a reason why 77 and 19 are not playing this yr. Its going to be a big one.
Top 5 skill draft player.
I’m with you Mo – I want them to get a top-5 pick too but there’s nothing we can do about it so I might as well enjoy the exciting play even if they get points and get further away from the bottom of the standings. What will happen will happen and the Hawks and us fans will just have to make the best of it.
amirite or amirite … ;-)
EB 21 year old Avrid Soderblom, .922 sv% and just 2.00 gaa in Dhl top swedish league. Eliotte Friedman said Bowman one of gms interedted in sihning him.
Lankinen is 25 and will be 26 in April, not just a kid playing over his head but at the age when goaltenders seem to find their game and become solid Nhl goalies. No doubt he will have ups downs but has potential to be a solid find for a few years to come.
Teams I believe we will finish ahead of
Dead Wings
Devils
Sharks
Coyotes
Sens
Teams that are probably our equal and hope we don’t catch.
Ducks
Kings
Sabres
How old was Crow when he took the #1 job inCHI 25? 26?
Just saying – Lankinen has all the technical elements and confidence to be a NHL starting goalie and a good one
There will no doubt be bumps just like with Crawford but as I said before I loved him at the Worlds in 2019 and that was before I even knew he was signed by the Hawks – when I found that out I thought he could one day do in CHI what he’s doing now
Let’s hope he keeps it going – players will eventually get a book on him and that’s when we’ll see if he has the stuff to last
I was looking at the top pick for the next draft inApproximately 175 days From now and I see 3 guys that are very interesting for the Hawks
1 Sasha Pastujov from the USA U-18 program ….17 years old RW
2 Mason McTavish Peterborough OHL …. 17 y o …C
3 Corson Ceulemans Ajhl …..17 y o ….D
4 Zacharie Bolduc QMJHL 17 yo …center
5 Jesper Wallstedt Sweden 18 yo G
Those guys look good and will be available at around 14-15 exactly where we will probably have our draft pick except iff we can trade a few players for draft pick and give a few pick to move to around pick number 8 or 9
Hawks2010 there is a real possibility the draft will be pushed back to allow more proper scouting, some even wanting to hold 2 seperate drafts in summer of 22 and none next summer. Your final seeding would remain intact after this season but draft happen the following year a few days before normal 2022 draft.
Seeing some potential rosters for next year including possible pairings for the blueline..hard to predict who will even be on the roster by next year..between the trade deadline, expansion draft, and offseason, a lot can change. But, this is how I would like to see the pairings next year..
Keith-Boqvist
Beaudin-Murphy
Zadorov-Mitchell
Or, if we do get lottery lucky and take a defenseman next year:
Keith-Boqvist
Power-Murphy
Beaudin-Mitchell
Zadorov
Not going to lie..that 2nd scenario looks pretty awesome(especially since I have a feeling Power would be everything that Zadorov is in terms of physical stature, but with potentially more intangibles)
Kalynuk, Regula, Carlsson waiting in the wings in case of injury..I’m also assuming that DeHaan is somehow moved before the start of next season even if some salary is retained..at $3.55 mil for one year, I think we would find a few suiters for DeHaan..
One last point. With all of the defensemen in the Hawks system, and given their conscious effort to add size to the blueline over the last couple of years, ( Regula is 6 ft 3, Vlasic is 6 ft 6, Krutil is 6 ft 3, Phillips is 6 ft 3, Moberg is 6 ft 3) assuming that the Hawks somehow won the draft lottery, I do think they would take Power. I know he’s not a generational number 1 pick, but even if his ceiling is only Aaron Ekblad, that’s still very valuable to a franchise for the next dozen years or so..however, if they don’t win the lottery, could they end up taking the best winger or center on their board with the assumption being that all of the defensemen going early could push a forward with a top 4 grade down to spot 8 or 9? I think it’s a real possibility..I would watch for Beniers or even Wallstedt if the Hawks draft in the top 8..I don’t think it’s a given that they’ll take a defenseman.
Thanks Ian. Stan has had success signing Euro’s so let’s hope he bags ole Arvid.
Hawks2010 – let’s hope they’re drafting a lot earlier than 14/15 – or have the ping pong fairy smile on us.
There are several d-men grading into the top-10 so even is we don’t get Power hopefully we get one of them.
Wrap. I would rather have Murphy’s better defense than Zadorov’s physicality but I figured Murphy would be a better TDL option to maybe get a 2nd or 3rd round pick more than Zadorov which is probably more than Zadorov would garner in a TDL trade.
Raptor
Can you explain why the Hawks would move their best Dman ( Murphy 27 y o at the best time of his career ) for a second or third round pick ?
Sorry but I don’t understand the advantage at all to make this move
Why move a young top2 Dman at his prime for a third round pick ?
Maybe I am missing something here …
Roman, I looked every few days and right from the start basically/and once just enough games were played for sample size its the same teams as last yr.
I know the corona divisions make a little difference and big difference if your OTT and DET. They both will not get 8 free wins combined. Otherwise its sthe same teams.
So I think this
OTT
DET
gap
LA
SJ
ANA
CHI
gap
NJ
other
JR ROMAN
February 5, 2021 at 9:36 pm
Teams I believe we will finish ahead of
Dead Wings
Devils
Sharks
Coyotes
Sens
Teams that are probably our equal and hope we don’t catch.
Ducks
Kings
Sabres
Now we might be better then last two yrs. Without 20 50 77 19 thats tuff to say if we still had those players we would be. The goalie thing having three AHL goalies would stratch that. Though Lankenin is going to be the future goalie then hes a wildcard right now while hes learning/experience.
SO the only difference I see is what these divisions could do to the bottom 10 teams record wise.
Will NYR suck because they are in a deeper/with more mid tiers then before division.
Will BOS get to finals again because they donot have to play TB. Only yr they did in last 3 yrs was when they didnt have to play TB. If they do watch them have to play TB in finals.
Thought central wasnt as good without STL COL yet they are with more depth teams look at FLR CAR. How weak is the west without STL COL bad.
I’d hope the Hawks could move both DeHaan and Zadorov at the TDL. I like CDH and less so about Zadorov, but the Hawks will need to clear ice time for the young guys. I like Carlsson and want to see him in the mix in this first wave.
With this year about developing and getting young guys to step up and take some of the load, hard to imagine they wouldn’t want to retain Murphy. He is showing he is a top shutdown guy who can provide a little offense and play big minutes. On other hand he is a ufa in another year, how much would he demand, youngsters who can play that role they are high on with right shots like Regula and Krutil will be ready for ice time in next couple of years, so maybe they will move him. He no doubt brings best return of veteran D, as he should but no guarantees on the heirs yet, but longer you wait in his case the less return because of shorter rental time. Whereas with Dehaan his biggest tdl attraction could be more as shorter term committment.
Hawks2010 – I advocate moving Murphy because, even after this better than expected start to this season, I still think the Hawks are several years away from being a legitimate Cup contender so the focus is on “that team” – the team of 2023/24 or 2024/25. That’s 3 or 4 years away and Murphy is a big guy who is not a plus skater now and who will most likely slow down when he’s in his 30’s.
I posted a few days back about the timeline of this rebuild and the window of being a contender once the team has been rebuilt. In a nutshell – if it takes 3 to 4 years to complete the rebuild and become a Cup contender again AND we want a Cup contending window of 5+ years – then we need the core group of that future team to be comprised of players still playing at their peak 8 to 9 years from now. I defined the cutoff for peak years versus regressing years to be early 30’s – in other words players currently older than 25 would be 33-34 and regressing from their peak years before our Cup window closes. Therefore players currently older than 25 should not be considered for the rebuild – they will age out too soon for the timeline.
Now maybe this better than expected start this season shows we’re ahead of schedule and the timeline is moved up a year but (1) I think it’s too soon to make that call after only 12 games, and (2) it’s really the d-corps that needs to be rebuilt which takes time and can’t be shortcut – our 20/21/22 year old d-men need to be 23/24/25 years old before they really hit their stride and are capable of playing playoff contending -> Cup contending defense.
There’s a long answer to a short question … don’t ever ask me what time it is because I’ll tell you how to build a watch. :-)
In two of the divisions it looks like it is known who are the top four and bottom four.
East and West, oh wait, Mass Mutual and Honda, phew almost forgot. Those two division are going to impact the draft seeding by how much the top four will beat up on the bottom and if the bottom go .500 against each other.
NYR NYI NJ BUFF & AZ LA SJ ANA other teams in their division too superior.
In the North er Scotia It’s OTTAWA and who? My guess ED and Van
Our Discover Division (sounds the best) Dead Wings
So thinking 13th pick would be our worst position. 12 when you take away AZ’s pick.
Side note:
Saad 5g 3a -2 Janmark 4g 4a -1
Maatta 0g 1a -2 Zadorov 0g 1a -1
ER – I understand your rationale for dealing Murph at TDL I just don’t agree
I don’t think his value would be reduced in any significant way by waiting until his UFA year – so not this TDL but possibly next
That’ll give them more time to assess what D could possibly replace him
If you deal him this TDL you’re leaving a huge hole on Hawks D that no one is ready yet to fill and I have think it’s still important to the development of the young guys to be competitive
It’s a balancing act between being competitive enough to nurture a winning culture but bad enough to keep adding pieces through the draft
It’s also possible depending on how he ages that he resigns in CHI and is part of the next contending team
I just think it’s good asset management to wait at least another year at least before considering dealing him – that means he needs to be protected in the expansion draft
I would trade CDH or Zadorov before Murph
Roamn, yea I didnt look at who played who so some teams may have played more top 10 or bottom 10 or even mostly mid tier. Fo rwhen I looked at records it was only the records and the records from last yr.
Yea plus if those teams are close they might play everybody last 10 games to get 1 or even 2 seed for home ice/if ther is even such a thing. Then the seed might not matter too much/per say.
By me only going by records of last yr and these games so far I can see maybe NYR are getting ripped because theres more top teams in there division then last yr?
And ARI is better same with EDM but having three top teams instead of just VEG in thta division has ARI EDM and even VAN thinking were screwed now/this yr.
So those things factor in to.
Which I guess then puts ARI EDM into play when they shouldnt be. I thought VAN was better not when they play in a better division. They should try the central the last 15 yrs.
Yea so after factoring in that your list and moine are prob the teams then.
Man oh man we better get a top 8 plaeyr. Got to add to young wave to make it really good not just good/fun to watch.
Ian/Aurora, thought on 5 is what is his higher caphit and rather do that or get a top pair ufa wise and that caphit is higher though pure fire top par at 27 28 age when were ready/really ready I like adding a ufa top pair D guy. By then will now somewhat who of the Horsemen/or other are top pair guys. If Mitch is and BoQ Beau are not then we still need one more.
Not sure other then 19 88 if any older players are here in 4/5 yrs. Just depends on how old they are then and who we have coming. Plus better to add ufas 27 28 then then keep players who are 25-30 now. You know what I mena.
Wrap – valid point re: TDL trade of Murphy next year versus this year. He would probably be a more attractive TDL acquisition for a contending team next season when he would truly be a temporary asset for a playoff run versus this season where the acquiring team would have to factor Murphy into their cap the following year. The only downside is, as you point out, having to protect him in the Seattle draft.
Of the 3 veteran d-men (not including 2 & 7) – I think Murphy is the best d-man – but the only one of the 3 that I can see being part of the rebuild is Zadorov because deHaan and Murphy are over 25 and will age out from peak years before Cup contending window closes. Currently, Zadorov isn’t good enough defensively to be viable for the future d-corps – but – one factor should be considered before writing him off and that would be the system he came from which Colorado’s run and gun style. With proper tutoring he may still be capable of improving enough to be in the Hawks’ future plans. Long shot – but he’s got the size and physicality to be worth the investment of a little more time.
Mo, good point re: how the new intra-divisional schedule impacts draft positioning.
Whereas in the past when the schedule was 60/40 intra-conference versus inter-conference – it was fairly equitable in deciding draft position. But now that the schedule is exclusively intra-division silos – there are 4 distinct and unrelated groups of teams where standing points are essentially meaningless except within each division. Potentially the worst team in one division could be better than several teams in another division and yet get a higher draft pick by virtue of the division they’re in rather than the purpose for having a draft in the first place which is to maintain parity and competitiveness throughout the league.
It seems a more equitable plan could be found to mitigate this issue – don’t have any ideas but I’m sure someone smarter than me could figure something out.
ER – With Zadorov again I think it’s a wait and see – it’s a good point about COL system vs the Hawks
I see potential in him and as you say he’s still 25 so there is room for improvement
IMO he needs to move his feet more – he’s more agile than he too often shows
Wrap you really believe that Murphy wouldn’t be looked at as an acquisition a team would want as a mainstay on their blueline for long term and Dehaan be somebody that a team would gladly make a longer committment too. Maybe you do but certainly don’t see any logic in that. Agree creating a void until you see how you can replace it is a good idea. We all agreed that seeing the team playing hard as a team getting results is a big positive, as Kane mentioned creating an attitude of work ethic and getting results has morale at a high where they want it. Trying to lose and undo what has been accomplished would defeat everything they are accomplishing. No chance that happens at this point.
Creating a void not a good idea i meant.
Agree we keep Murphy till next year. On Zadorov, Daneyko was talking about either Hedman or Stralman that not until their 5th year did they get as good as they got. Thinking Zadorov will improve two fold and with his size be a factor in every game 2 years away. Is he a 4mil Dman now, no but will turn into one.
Next year would like to get Lowry to replace Soderberg.
Another thing is even though its good to seew where players are at now and how good they look when were playing short handed/20 50 77 19 and not a deep roster to begin with its not fools gold its just not a full roster/trickle effect. So sometimes full rosters hides things so that can be good to see.
Again though were looking for how good every played is in 2/3 yrs from now not now. Now is development and process of that/best way for that. We know. So I am saying in terms of looking at wach player like Zad is how good is he when we have a group of very good/deep 8 Defensemen.
NOt every guy has to be a top 4 or top pair. We still need our Leads and our Rozys/Soaps to win. Are those guys Boq and Zad/Vlassic? Looks like it right now and we need every spot filled to win.
Murf is maybe the classic example of a Kempny/a good top 4 that can play in right system and on top 10 teams because they are deep.
Wait until next tradeline/the ufa yr on these players that way we get what your saying and still keep the trickle for the young players as they emerge and take over.
Were doing it no matter what so get both out of every player.
Goes hand in hand for a reload.
You don’t trade Murphy unless someone offers something so stupid you can’t say no.
JR, I like Lowry but he will be 28 next month. I don’t know – maybe I’m too hung up on this player-age / rebuild-timeline thing.
But, I think there is a tendency to either (1) focus on wins/losses in the short term (1-2 years), or (2) focus on when the rebuild is complete (3-4 years) and there’s not enough focus on the 5+ years after the rebuild is complete when we hope to be an elite Cup contending team. We need to rebuild the team so it’s still an elite team 8-9 years from now and I don’t think counting on guys who in their late 20’s or older now works with that timeline.
Mrfenn92, re: not trading Murphy – why not?
ER, the age thing is more important this time/and others then it was for the dynasty reload because we had more dynasty players then and no team/prob has that kind of wave ever again/at least not in the salary cap era/50 yr section of hockey.
first 50? yrs where MTL? got first 10 picks every yr
second 50 yrs where it was only dynasty Islanders Oilers Red wings.
third 50 yrs where theres a salary cap so you cant buy like Red wings did.
So the age thing is more important because were coming from and used to being s dynasty team. Its hard to adjust your mind after accomplishing that. The age thing is important for more of the players this time.
ER, thats exactly why I want another top 3/5 gem and not a mid 1st players. We can get those in 2 and 3 yrs from now.
Right here right now is when we have a very good chance getting moar top 3 gems like 77 and maybe another top 5 skill draft player. Thats two more. Though like Ian said were prob too good next yr for a 9th. Soget it while we can because once the young wave starts rolling in its not going to stop. We cant control it.
We want a tsunami!
Re: trading Murphy. I like him and think he’s a long-term contributor. However, the trade-market has been turned upside down behaving atypically the last few cycles. COVID has done enormous damage. It’s not clear to me whether the trade market values cost certainty of term on contract or would prefer the short-term rental. Are teams even willing to make fair-market trades? Also, the short-term rental trades have yielded less over the past couple of trade cycles to my recollection.
A good trade involving Murphy is not as straight-forward as it might have been.
There’s a potential addition by subtraction aspect to trading Murphy or other veteran d-men which is it opens ice time for the young guys. It’s unlikely Keith will get traded so he’s going to lock down one of the d-slots. Right now Murphy, deHaan and Zadorov have 3 of the d-slots locked down leaving only 2 slots for the young guys or 3 if playing 11-F / 7-D. Hopefully at least 1 or those 3 either gets traded or drafted by Seattle and in my opinion it would be better if 2 or those 3 get moved opening up 4 d-slots to play the young players the next couple seasons.
@Ebony Raptor
Murphy is a good dman and will help shelter Mitchell and Boqvist as they grow as players. Plus I think his next extension isn’t going to be a long term high dollar commitment.
If someone offers a really good package for him then I would do it. To trade him for a second and a third or a late first from a acquiring playoff team doesn’t appeal to me. Doesn’t make me right just feel he’s everything we want and need going forward.
Regula is a few years away from even being a potential guy.
Carlsson is a probable guy that might get traded to another team/
Zadorov remains to be seen if they commit to him in any fashion with term.
De Hann is a place holder.
Kalynuk? krys?
Keith- Boqvist
Beaudin- Murphy
Zadorov?- Mitchell
Pretty solid going forward for a few years.
Nothing sexy obviously.
If they get lucky and draft a dman this year early it will still be a year or two before they will be ready for top 4 duty.
You don’t want to just force feed minutes to young players that aren’t ready for them. You’ll end up ruining them.
Question? When does the North er Scotia division start trading with anyone outside their division?
TDL is April 12th. You trade then the player you get can’t play, practice until April 26th? Do you trade in March to have him get ready for the playoff run.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Makes sense to keep 5 and Horsemen/other young wavers until the top 3/5 gem we get this yr and the ufa top pair D guy is ready/aquired.
5
Horsemen
other
21 pick/ufa
Horsemen
Rozy the II
@ebonyraptor..I understand your timeline regarding having players on a roster that can not only develop in time to compete for a cup, but also maintain or continue to peak in time to actually go deep into the playoffs and win a cup..however, having an entire blueline of nothing but youngsters will not accelerate their development..to the contrary, I believe it would flatten their overall development..having a couple of veterans on the blueline is not only important while developing young blueliners (positioning, spacing, communication while defending etc), but veterans are also needed once you get into the playoffs and the games get more physical, etc..experience in the playoffs is incredibly important..the Hawks don’t win in 2010 without Campbell who was 30-31 at the time, they don’t win in 2013 without Rozsival who was 34, and they definitely don’t win in 2015 without Oduya, who was 33..so my point is, why trade Murphy when you’ll be looking to acquire a Murphy in a few years?? I could understand if Murphy was a number 1 defenseman and you were looking to sell high and get a king’s ransom back in picks/prospects..that could definitely help speed up a rebuild..but Murphy is a complimentary, top four defenseman, the exact type of player the Hawks will be looking for if they trade him..
Last point, there’s probably a good chance that Keith isn’t resigned in the Summer of 23-24..he’ll be 40 years old by then..Murphy, on the other hand, will be only 30 and if kept, Zadorov will be 28..
Murphy 30/Zadorov 28-Mitchell 25
Kalynuk 26-Boqvist 23
Beaudin 24-Regula 23
Carlsson-26
Vlasic 22
The above is just an example of how future pairings could look(I have Murphy on his offside so the youngsters don’t have to play pucks off their backhand)..but I put their ages next to their names to illustrate just how young this blueline will be even in a few years..I just don’t see how Murphy on the pairings hurts at all..especially with Keith’s cap hit and hopefully Seabrook’s cap hit gone..still a very young blueline..and obviously I can’t account for who the Hawks may draft over the next three drafts as well, but even just using blueliners currently in our system, this is a very young blueline that the Hawks have right now and will still have in a few years, hopefully right when we’re trying to make a deep playoff run..
@mrfenn92..we both made the same point regarding keeping Murphy lol..our posts popped up at the same time.
JR pretty sure anybody acquired on April 12th has a 2 week quarantine after that if nothing changes. Schedule ends now on May 8th and league has a cushion period of week or 10 days to make up cancelled game if needed. So still could have 3 weeks before playoffs to be with new team.
Mrfenn92 agree unless they can’t refuse an offer made, moving Murphy right now unlikely to happen. Think he will be 1 of the dmen protected along with 2 and 7 as it looks now. If no takers for Dehaan at tdl, maybe Seattle takes him as they’ll need some caphit on roster too.
@Slayer
Nice!
@Ian
Agreed.
@JR Roman
Laine/DuBois trade was one. I believe that’s been the only made so far.
A few waiver claims involving goalies have been of the international kind.
Slayer agree you gotta win first, a blend of youth and veterans is required for that to happen, history shows that. Then draft as you go and maintain a pipeline to keep the turnover happening as a natural progression.
There will be a choice of whether they want to protect 7 fwds or 4th dman. The 4 nmcs need protected and i see, others may disagree but 12, 17, 5 and 32 as having a spot on protected list. Then a choice of if you want 3 more fwds of 65, 64, 22, 38, 36, 92 or 1 D from 16, 43 or 44.
@ian, I think a lot depends on whether or not Seabrook plays at all this year. If he doesn’t, that will be two full seasons where he hasn’t played any hockey at the NHL level. If I were Stan, I would ask him to waive his NMC simply so the Hawks could protect another defenseman..Seattle would never take his contract, so Seabrook could still try and comeback with the Hawks at some point, but at least instead of protecting Seabrook, Keith, and Murphy, the Hawks could protect Keith, Murphy, and Zadorov, while leaving DeHaan exposed. On the forward side, I protect Toews, Kane, Cat, Strome, Kampf, Hagel, and Nylander and leave Shaw, Carpenter, Wallmark, and Highmore exposed..of course, these assumptions can change based on if the Hawks make any trades at the TDL but that would be my plan if I was gm..
Otherwise, you could protect Keith, Seabrook, Murphy, and Zadorov, but protecting Zadorov would mean exposing Hagel, Kampf, and Nylander, or in other words, an entire 4th line for our team..I personally feel like the three forwards provide more value than potentially losing Zadorov, so I would protect the forwards..but that’s just me..it will be interesting to see how it plays out..Stan may feel like losing only one of Hagel, Kampf or Nylander is worth it to protect Zadorov, we’ll see. I hope Seabrook waives so the Hawks have some additional flexibility.
Slayer thought about that too, thought i remember saying something in this cba about losing your nmc if you waived it for a trade the nmc eas gone now, where before it was just for instancke. So if that is applied to draft may make less likely Seabrook would waive them. Maybe acquiring a forward another team can’t protect in a trade so they don’t lose them in draft could be a possibility instead of protecting all 3 of those ones, if going 7 forwards route.
Ian – Not sure what your question to me was but I thibk we’re on the same page regarding Murphy.
Slayer laid out pretty much how I think about it too – in 3 years as the young blueline matures Murphy will still be in his prime as a D man at 30 years old and could well be a part of a contending team
I’m not in favour of trading him this year – ideally I think you keep Murphy and open up space by trading DeHaan and/or if it were possible Keith
When Murf gets too old just use his caphit and add alittle more for a top pair D guy thats 27 or 28 for those yrs then.
Well … I’ve been wrong before. :-)
Sorry Wrap for misunderstanding, i just see Murphy as somebody a team acquires to keep as part of their blueline and Dehaan fots the rental tdl on an expiring year. Maybe i’m wrong but think moving Dehaan before expansion draft will be a tough sell.
Not many are staying though and the concept is what your saying. Murf stays to then hes not/prob staying from 35-40 so he wont be here the 2nd half of the young waves decade of yrs.
Slayer – Well said regarding the d-corps. If Seabrook doesn’t play this year there will likely need be a tough conversation that lets him know he won’t be playing as a Hawk in the future. That way if he wants a shot to play in the NHL again he will need to waive the NMC. It’s tough to look at the situation that way but given the youth movement I don’t see how Seabs can fit in going forward if he can’t prove his ability to play at a high level this year.
OTT 7
DET 6
VAN 3
LA 2
ANA 1
SJ 1
NAS 1
CHI 0
VAN is better then that they must be tanking so far. NAS is better then just being a top 5 team not long ago they are not that bad/not yet.
Otherwise those are the same teams as last yr basically.
Think it comes to CHI LA ANA SJ battling for 3 4 5 6 spots before ping pong balls.
Ian – so if I understand you correctly you’re saying Murphy is a more attractive trade piece this coming TDL because teams will look at him as a long term addition whereas they would see DeHaan more as rental in which case they wouldn’t be interested until he’s in the year of his contract expiring – meaning he’s not going to garner much interest this year but could next year
Maybe so particularly this year with flat cap that’s likely true although I would expect some interest in him this year and if you think you might lose him to Seattle for nothing you’d be better taking basically whatever you could get for him at TDL
ER, I got another lose-loose tip for you mate.
Sensor – something that measures/senses the environment
Censor – prohibit speech
I’ll remind you of this over the next 40 years ;)
Fun game, fun team, I hope they keep playing to their strengths. If they start trying to eek out 2-1 wins with neutral zone traps or whatever, it’s gonna get ugly quickly. For now though, wheeeeeee!
This makes me a little nervous. Kurashev being benched the other night, for whatever, is troubling. I hope this isn’t another case of Colliton taking a permanent dislike to something he did/does, like he did with Jokiharyu. I’d hate to see this kid shipped out by SB too. Somebody tell me that isn’t going to happen. I was just getting pretty excited about these young players.
Wraparound…you have Beaudin and Boqvist in the lineup at the same time. I like it, too. But then which of the other 5 D playing now sits out? My choice would be Zadarov.
Travis – thanks. I knew it looked wrong when I typed it but my brain was in stream of consciousness mode and my fingers had all they could do to keep up. Love this site but I wish there was an edit function.
Wrap think Murphy is more tradeable between now and tdl, hope they don’t though, don’t really see either moving at tdl per se, hope your right a deal for Dehasn is found. If your in Maatta territory with Dehaan, other options available. Maybe use Dehaan to make them compliant for expansion draft and move him later if not picked in draft. Bowey then maybe attractive to cap strapped team needing a player to make them compliant and flip him for a later pick or something.
Salukisal – I think once Boquist comes back there is an issue of who to play on D and I don’t think 16, 5 44 or 2 are coming out
I was thinking that one one of 74, 27 or 51 might be sat out on a rotating basis until it’s clear which are the top two out of the three right now and the other maybe goes to the Rock
But ER suggested they go with 7 D and 11 FWs like they’ve already done and that way all 3 still get NHL minutes – I’d be ok with that until again the dust starts to settle around who is most deserving of being in CHI – if no one separates themselves from the others I guess you could continue to roll 7 D
At any rate I’m looking forward to the competition between the three of them – it should make them all develop better and faster
My preference is for 6 D but this year I think the 7 D format would be ok as long as they’re all contributing – if one starts to lag too much behind the others then they can go to the Rock
Right now I wouldn’t take Beaudin out of the line up but that can change with young players so we’ll see
When Boqvist, Wallmark and Carpenter come off covid list they will have 14 fwds, 7D and 3 Gs. Need to move one player off Nhl roster to get down to 23 man limit, decision to be made there on if somebody waived or not.
Anyone know why Comesso didn’t dress for back to back games with BC? Also it seems Jake Wise hasn’t been playing at all. Is he hurt again?
Ian – maybe Highmore to the Rock if they decide to go in game with 7D and 11 FWs
Oops I see Highmore needs waivers – maybe Carlsson then?
Forgot about Carlsson, they would be 2 over the 23man limit with 14F 8D and 3g, wonder if they woukd try to slip Delia through, got Darling for taxi squad insurance if he is claimed.
@MS
Seems Jake wise has been a healthy scratch
Commesso is in covid protocol
ER, thinking we still need some veteran leadership for the youngsters to look up to. Next year Toews Kane Lowry Keith Murphy 28 or over.
Kubalik Toews Suter
DCat Dach Kane
Kurashev Lowry Strome
Johnson/Highmore/Entwistle Kampf Hagel
Keith Boq
Murphy Beaudin
Zadorov Mitchell
This way veteran in each line group. Kampf 27 Zadorov 26
Thanks MRFENN. Too bad Comesso couldn’t play against one of the top teams in the country. Hopefully he is ok. I see Slaggert is doing well at Notre Dame post WJC. He has decent size and a strong work ethic and making a strong US WJC team as an 18 year old is impressive. Potential bottom 6 forward in a few years.
Even though good to get decent return Murf is best/still young enough to keep for 1st halk of young wave prime yrs. Just that his caphit is decent to.
I like the idea of adding a top pair ufa D guy and thats prob top dollar and is fine when using Murfs caphit and adding the rest.
That is based on only one of the Horsemen/other becoming a top pair D guy. Say its Mitch and the other are good just not top pair good. Now if we draft a top 3 stud like 77 in the 21 draft and hes a top pair quality then we can add that elite ufa in any position like a Hoss.
By then we ll now/kind of enough if the 21 draft gem is/looks like could be top pair and be around the time we wouldnt keep 5 anymore. Timing. Will work out well for us this time on that stuff.
This makes me now wonder/maybe its still too early to know. Who are the Hoss canidates for being a ufa in a few yrs from now. What yr is taht for us and who in the league are studs/gems like a Hoss kind of player.
Anybody name a few players like that that are 22 23 24 now that will be 27 28 when were ready to add an ufa elite. Prob players that are on shit teams or teams that will be so they won want to stay there. Like Hoss was OTT/ATL.
Tkachuk – Hoss player with nastyness
Dubois – loaded up to beat TB and that was it
Monahan – CAL going to be awhile again
Draisaitl – EDM just isint ever going anywhere and top players will realize
Pastrnak – could be not top anymore in 5 yrs as older vets retire/get old and farm isint deep anymore
Anybody else in the Hosslike candidates.
Ian – Delia makes sense and Carlsson
Boquist likely back sometime this week don’t know about Carp and Wallmark
Reichel, Altybarmakyan, Kayumov– all better options for the hawks in the very near future. All have better hands/speed/ skill than most Hawk’s bottom 6 guys now.
Alty- can probably play all 4 lines. Other 2 guys – better suited for top 2 lines.
Alty- pretty strong/tough player w skills
All have been “seasoned” versus Men – in Euro men’s leagues.
I’m just a guy with an opinion and I don’t say that with false humility. I’ve never played organized hockey or received training – my hockey acumen comes from observation, picking up knowledge from blogs and message boards and playing neighborhood “pond” hockey when I was a kid 50+ years ago. I have far more opinions than my hockey acumen would support. But, if you think reality and facts are going to shut down the opinions of this horse’s ass … you can just forget about it buster. :-)
I acknowledge the necessity of veteran leadership at all times and maybe even more so in a rebuild situation – you can’t have a team of newbies and expect to have a successful rebuild. There needs to be a blend of experienced veterans and inexperienced youth. But what is the most effective blend? And where is the line drawn between veterans and youth? Would DCat and Strome be on the veteran side or youth side? How do you measure the proper blend in what is a boiling cauldron of ingredients? If Lowry a pinch of salt when a Cayan pepper is called for or visa versa?
I don’t know – maybe if Toews is back Lowry isn’t needed but if Toews isn’t back then he is?
Would like to see Altybarmakyan get 20-30 games w Hawks this year.
I remember seeing old video of him pulling old cars strapped to his body in farm fields- kinda “Drago-like” training
ER, we added guys like 11 82 81 27 32 other we didnt draft/have them to the 2009 team and the 2010 team rosters.
Have to have it though I like loading the young wave as much at once and with moar elites/top3 gems/and very good players like the 20 draft player. Not with mostly mid 1sts and only one gem. We only have three maybe four chances at egtting gems like 19 88 and now 77 so lets get two because we have used 2 of the 4 drafts we ll have any chance at getting those gems.
Load the young wave to HHNL deep quality. Then add your vet experience players like 11 82 82 27 32 other.
ER, I waould say the line is ufa age 27 or 30 since thats where vet players are at least mid way through prime of prime yrs. Prob 30 is the veteran line.
I go by 2009 roster for that as a base. Where 11 82 81 27 32 broguth older/30-35 not 35-40 vet leadership/expereicen. We also added 16/Laddy who had the kind of experience you want.
So if we trade for a guy like Laddy we have young Cup experienced player other wise its all those from 27/30-35 for vets.
Saader isint vet yet though getting closer. It was only two? yrs ago he was just one yr from top 25 players under 25 in league. Debrincat is on that list until off yr/still on list mostly for that being a 30/40 goal sniper like Sharpy was. To me its guys like Kopy Hoss Madden Rozy Oydua that is the line/age for vets with experience.
Players 20-30 are still rookies/starting prime yrs/prime of prime yrs/maybe going into reg prime yrs again. PLayers 30-35 still have some prime yrs left depending on player and then just good around players. Now to play 35-40 you kind of need o be an elite from the past because the whole league is faster.
Sharpy could play 35-40 a decade ago starting 5 yrs ago and on its hard to do that because of league wise speed.
Bluto, I like Barrat a lot. Of he prospects like he most before this yr started is Mitch Barratt Kurachev.
Like others to these guys stand out in ways.
Once these players get in and get established were going to have 4 lines of relentlessness pressure/forechecking freaks that wont stop kind of like Shawzer.
Thats what I am really waiting to see and get excited about is having 4l ines of speed/in young players. We havnt had that yet we always had 4 lines of dynasty players/roster wise and then the whole league got fast. Now were assembling that full lineup of fast speed players and then we can play that dump forcheck stuff that teams do to us.
Then it will be our turn. Just a mater of time.