Follow me @jaeckel


Some random musings for your Saturday AM hockey reading.

First, the NHL released its schedule yesterday and the Hawks will quickly become re-acquainted with the Eastern Conference in the early going of the season.

Should be, meh, interesting.

Obviously, the highlight of the early season will be the October 1 home opener versus the Capitals, where the Stanley Cup banner goes to the rafters of the UC. Mark that one down for sure.

On the Hawks roster:

The linemakers are out in force on the blogosphere, and one thing that I am taking away from it all at 30,000 feet is that most Hawk fans are probably far too confident in a lineup that could feature 2-3 forwards who played for a mediocre AHL team in Rockford last year.

The truth is, the Hawks' better prospects are all 1-2 years away from the NHL—Philip Danault, Mark McNeill, Joakim Nordstrom.

The likelier candidates to make the Hawks roster now—Ben Smith, Jimmy Hayes, Brandon Pirri and Jeremy Morin—all have some individual shortcomings that could prove problematic for Joel Quenneville as the season goes on..

There were a number of factors that made the Hawks the best team in hockey last year. The good news is a huge part of that—the blueline—returns intact. Unless #7 guy Sheldon Brookbank is dealt.

Say what you want about Dave Bolland's regular season or the relative merits of Viktor Stalberg and Michal Frolik, but all are proven NHL hockey players, a couple of whom with great speed and all with some defensive ability.

That's where you run into trouble with the current crop of replacements from Rockford. Defense and speed are not in abundance with these guys. Yes, Pirri is fast. But he is so small and non-physical that he almost has to be a top 6 player. Is he good enough to realistically hold down the #2 center job on a defending Stanley Cup Champion? Really?

The same questions should absolutely apply to Drew Leblanc. Maybe even more so.

Well, we'll see.

Any eyebrows that were raised at the unceremonious dispensation of Dan Carcillo to the Kings last week shouldn't be. The Hawks are trying to lose some salary of fringe veterans. And if there is a taker out there for Brookbank and his $1.25 million salary, he will be next. Last night's signings of ex-Oiler Theo Peckham and ex-Leaf Mike Kostka should only add to that speculation.

The reason for this mini-purge is simple. The Hawks want to add a veteran free agent of two who can replace some of what they lost this summer ASAP—because they know as well or better than old JJ does that they need it in their lower line forward ranks.

On the goalies:

There's been much discussion, both in my inbox and on the message board thread, about the singings of both Antti Raanta and Nikolai Khabibulin. Why? What does it mean? What could the Hawks be thinking?

Let's start first with Raanta.

The Hawks emerged as the dark horse winner in the sweepstakes for the leading goaltender in the Finnish SM-Liiga. A lot of NHL teams, including the Hawks have scouted this guy heavily, who in terms of size and style might be equated somewhat to the Blues' Jaroslav Halak. What I hear about Raanta is he is a battler who will get the job done.

Bottom line, the Hawks stepped up here because they think this guy could have a future as their #1. And his pedigree suggests he might well be able to fill that role in a year or two—if not sooner (see Niemi, A. 2009-2010). There really can be no question.

Khabibulin was signed to backstop Corey Crawford and give Raanta the chance to get maximum ice time in North America this year—with minimal pressure—at Rockford.

If you're starting to see some writing on the wall, it's because it's clearly there. The Scotty Bowman/Ken Holland way in Detroit for several years was to not overpay at the goalie position. And the Bowmans will likely not do so in Chicago.

There are a few in the Hawk fanbase—a minority really—who believe the Hawks will and should pay Corey Crawford in excess of $4.5 million a year on a new deal starting next summer. I don't see it. Not only is there an organizational principle involved, but also a reduction in the cap this summer that should have a residual (at least) effect next summer. And there are other players to sign then—like the #3 defenseman who helped make Crawford and Ray Emery look better likely than they are last year: Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Separate Khabibulin from the equation. The Raanta signing should tell you all you need to know. The Hawks will be prepared to part ways with Crawford, especially if he and his agent are looking for a significant raise.

This is all I have for now. But stay tuned. I suspect the Hawks might still have a move or two yet this summer.


JJ

Join the Discussion: » 927 Comments » Post New Comment

» Thanks and Farewell

» Where do we go from here?

» Preds at Hawks Breakdown

» "All Teams Have Flaws"

» The Games You Should Win