I always felt one of the big 4 should be traded, especially in a cap world that is going down now. But now all this Hossa talk might change this. Kane has the most value and a somewhat questionable character. Sharp would have solid value, but is a solid glue guy here. But he is also 7 years older than Kane. I think we might have to change our style a little in the future to still be skilled but a lot more grit and harder to play against

True on the safety of the bet. Why do you categorically rule out Danault contributing as a third line/PK guy at some point this year?

And let me add, although they are stylistically somewhat different, why should Shaw, a player chosen four rounds after Danault in the same year, do it last year—but Danault can't this year?
- John Jaeckel

There is no need to use Danault this season. I should preface by saying I love Danault; I've seen him live a half dozen times, watched all of this WJ games. He has a great motor and good hockey sense. That said, why would you rush him? Isn't that what the naysayers on this board crucify the Bowman regime for doing all the time? You suggest that he could contribute third line and PK; and while that could very well be the case you said yourself later in the same message that you have a guy named Shaw that CAN already do it. Beyond Shaw there are also a couple of IceHogs who are further ahead in developement than Danault: Ben Smith, Jeremy Morin and Marcus Kruger that could fill the same role without disrupting player development.

And anyways, Danault has been traded to a potential Memorial Cup contender and that is an experience I think an organization should want a developing player to have.

Didn't Belfour have a bad back and a diskectomy at one point and go on to have some good years?
- John Jaeckel

Exact same issue as Quick. Eddie had surgery in the summer of 2004, and after the strike started 60 games, went 34-19-6 with ten shutouts, a GAA of 2.13, and a save pct of .913.

There is no need to use Danault this season. I should preface by saying I love Danault; I've seen him live a half dozen times, watched all of this WJ games. He has a great motor and good hockey sense. That said, why would you rush him? Isn't that what the naysayers on this board crucify the Bowman regime for doing all the time? You suggest that he could contribute third line and PK; and while that could very well be the case you said yourself later in the same message that you have a guy named Shaw that CAN already do it. Beyond Shaw there are also a couple of IceHogs who are further ahead in developement than Danault: Ben Smith, Jeremy Morin and Marcus Kruger that could fill the same role without disrupting player development.

And anyways, Danault has been traded to a potential Memorial Cup contender and that is an experience I think an organization should want a developing player to have.
- nathanjf

Who said "rush him"?

All I said was that he could be a surprise prospect to emerge as a contributor this year. Got a better candidate? Seems to me you would want that prospect to do some things that are missing from your team—otherwise, yes, you are rushing him unnecessarily. Shaw added some toughness and feistiness last year. What could Danault potentially add? Faceoff wins and penalty killing. Will he? I don't know. Will he get the chance? I don't know.

Might he? Yes, he might, and quite possibly after his junior season is over.

Please don't put words in my mouth.

That's your opinion. I think the possibility of Danault playing and contributing to the Hawks this year is actually greater than Saad "replacing" Marian Hossa. I'll stick by it.

BTW, I am not alone in thinking that's a possibility.
- John Jaeckel

Who said "rush him"?

All I said was that he could be a surprise prospect to emerge as a contributor this year. Got a better candidate? Seems to me you would want that prospect to do some things that are missing from your team—otherwise, yes, you are rushing him unnecessarily. Shaw added some toughness and feistiness last year. What could Danault potentially add? Faceoff wins and penalty killing. Will he? I don't know. Will he get the chance? I don't know.

Might he? Yes, he might, and quite possibly after his junior season is over.

Please don't put words in my mouth.
- John Jaeckel

Um, no offense, but what has EVER led you to believe that?
- FourFeathers773

Exactly. I was going to add that I ZERO faith that StanBo will make a winner of a trade for the Hawks. Too late to get Dudley back?

Didn't Belfour have a bad back and a diskectomy at one point and go on to have some good years?
- John Jaeckel

I don't recall the name of the procedure but Belfour had back issues and played a long time.

For those who have asked there will be a Hawks Fox Chicago story out tomorrow morning.

@AlCimaglia

Umm, yeah, he is. Not a huge upgrade, but he is a better goaltender.

Anderson (career) .913/2.79 GAA
Crawford (career) .910/2.51 GAA

Crawford has, however, played on better teams with better defenses

A more telling stat: Anderson registers a shutout every 15 games, Crawford every 24 games—and again, Crawford has played for better teams with better defenses.

Or, you can take what a buddy of mine, a former pro goalie, said: "Crawford can't carry Craig's pads"

point well taken JJ!
I will also add, early in Craig's career, he was obviously talented but undisciplined. The goalie he has become is a very good NHL goaltender, but his career stats are also somewhat skewed by a bit of a rocky start on teams like Florida and Colorado . . . and the 2004 Hawks (who sucked big time)—not a defending Stanley Cup champion/expected Cup contender.
- John Jaeckel

I don't know enough about all the variables. I do know this. Hossa was considering retirement this summer, so I would say THAT is as likely as his being bought out or playing out his contract in Chicago. He's arguably my favorite Hawk and I'd hate to see him go, but in 2014, he'll be 35. It would not be the end of the world.

At the same time, those who think Saad will just ride on on a white steed and replace Hossa need to put the pipe down. If there's a guy who might come close to filling that role it's Teravainen, but it remains to be seen if he plays C or W.
- John Jaeckel

I'd feel much better about Hossa possibly retiring/getting amnestied, if the Hawks had someone in the pipeline to replace him, or more importantly, that I felt StanBo would do the right thing and get a solid replacement.

+1
talk of replacing Hossa is misguided. When he is no longer a Hawk you just deal with the loss the best you can. I mean, really, we haven't even replaced Buff, Ladd or Steeg yet...
- nathanjf

yes but math is still math and if those goofy numbers and penalties count against the cap that significantly you enter into the ($$$ allocated on cap for player) vs (replacement value) and things start to get interesting regardless of how good a player is or isn't. At a certain point in time cost / replacement value becomes a wash then negative in a hard salary cap driven sport.

I'm mainly curious if that math / info is accurate.

yes but math is still math and if those goofy numbers and penalties count against the cap that significantly you enter into the ($$$ allocated on cap for player) vs (replacement value) and things start to get interesting regardless of how good a player is or isn't. At a certain point in time cost / replacement value becomes a wash then negative in a hard salary cap driven sport.

I'm mainly curious if that math / info is accurate.
- fattybeef

Great points and, as I said previously, I don't know all the ins and the outs of the new CBA yet to say it's a potential disaster in the making. I would think, as with the previous CBA, if a player retires, then the contract is null and void. And if that is the case, that is very likely how this will play out. My info over the summer was he was seriously weighing retirement then. He does not need the money. What are the odds he takes another 25-30+ game injury in the next couple of seasons? I'd say it's possible, and if he does, that could be it.

- DarthKane

Niiiiice

Hoping Stan can line up a deal or two so once the CBA is ratified they can get their new players in camp to start building chemistry.

My top targets would be:

Burmistrov (Jets)
Statsny/O'Reilly (Avs)
Couterier (Flyers) <- highly doubt Philly trades him
Nielsen (Isles)
Gagner (Oilers)<-bottom basement selection with this one. He is an upgrade and had has chemistry with Kane, but don't see him as a good fit.
- ikeane

This may have been said already but O'Riley is an RFA

I think we're starting to put a little too much emphasis on future seasons, all that stuff (trades/buyouts/prospects/ufa signings/etc) will play out in time. Time to start thinking about a week from Saturday!!!

This may have been said already but O'Riley is an RFA
- blkhwkfn

O'Reilly would be awesome, but I think it would be highly unlikely that Colorado would deal him. The Avs would like trade Stastny first. I'd like to pry Nielsen out of Brooklyn.

Didn't Belfour have a bad back and a diskectomy at one point and go on to have some good years?
- John Jaeckel

Yes, a meh year when he got hurt an awful one the year after and then won 37 in Dallas and Dave Bolland appears to have no lingering back problems either.

Eddie was a special player and my favourite goalie and they were/are both very athletic players. But Eddie would stack em up or dive across the net (which may explain part of Brodeur's as well as Belfour's longevity). He wouldn't do the splits or stretch on his pads the same way Quick does. Don't remember skaters burning through the crease the way they do now either.

With the time table on recovering from those injuries to 100%, last years masterpiece and his style I think it is more than valid to question how effective he will be moving forward, especially this year with the compressed schedule and all.

One line that was playing really well down the stretch last year but was broken up during the playoffs because of injuries to other guys on the team was the Sharp/Kruger/Stalberg line. I wouldn't mind seeing that line again as our 2nd line (assuming no trades/signings are made between now and then) come Jan 19th.

This may have been said already but O'Riley is an RFA
- blkhwkfn

no second round picks this year to relinquish if offer sheet accepted.

Two players whose market values (and by contrast their expendability to the Hawks) are high are Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy. And just as thousands of fans on message boards have figured out that the Hawk blueline is overcrowded—with the offseason signings of Johnny Oduya, Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank—so have NHL GMs.

I'm a little late to the party here, but this is thinking that I just can't understand. Why are Hjalmarsson and Leddy expendable? Oduya, Rozsival, and Brookbank are veteran players who were signed to short term contracts to provide depth on the back end for Chicago. I don't understand why you would make signings like that just to try and trade away two much younger top 4 guys. I wouldn't call Hjalmarsson and Leddy core guys on the Hawks, but they are important pieces. Given his contract I could understand moving Hjalmarsson if the right offer came along and you had a good defensive prospect ready to make the step up (which I can't say for sure because I'm not very familiar with Chicago's prospect pool on D). Obviously almost anybody is available for the right price and in the right situation, but expendable is definitely not the word I would use to describe those guys.

That's your opinion. I think the possibility of Danault playing and contributing to the Hawks this year is actually greater than Saad "replacing" Marian Hossa. I'll stick by it.

BTW, I am not alone in thinking that's a possibility.
- John Jaeckel

If so, it becomes very likely Bolland is traded before next season starts. I, too, would hate to lose Hossa, but I don't see how the Hawks can do anything BUT buy him out in the summer of 2014. I don't see him playing until he is 42. He is one of those athletes who will retire once his play starts to decline because of injuries or age. Plus, I think when he does retire, he will go back to Slovakia and try to jump start a rather bad junior program nationally. Saving Hossa's cap hit can be used to go out and acquire a 2C (depending on where Teravainen ends up playing).

point well taken JJ!
I will also add, early in Craig's career, he was obviously talented but undisciplined. The goalie he has become is a very good NHL goaltender, but his career stats are also somewhat skewed by a bit of a rocky start on teams like Florida and Colorado . . . and the 2004 Hawks (who sucked big time)—not a defending Stanley Cup champion/expected Cup contender.
- wonthecup10

If we're moving a contributing defenseman like Hammer or Leddy, I'd want a bigger upgrade (or at least potential bigger upgrade) than Anderson over Crawford. Again, he's north of 30, and we pretty much know what his ceiling is. Neither he, nor Crawford, have ever won a playoff series either.

Me, I'd rather have Bishop and another piece (Zack Smith wouldbe nice) if we move Leddy or Hammer to the Sens. Actually I'd rather have Lehner, but there's no way they move him. While both Bishop and Lehner are unknowns, I like their potential better than Crawford's, and a piece like Smith makes the deal very worthwhile.

I'm probably dreaming, but oh well...

no second round picks this year to relinquish if offer sheet accepted.
- fattybeef

remember hwo Burke came to Bowman when he needed the Toroto second rounder back?

Yeah, you have to relinquish your picks.

(this was put in so teams didn't leverage lower picks for hiugher ones in the same round and circumvent the process...)

BTW I ma still watching the World Juniors...haven't finished yet.

Just finished the pre-tourney USA Finn game and in the third period Teuvo Teravainen was on the PP point on various PPs.

On one, he tread the needle to Miro Aaltonen who was positioned in the middle at the top between the circles and took the pass and just as quickly threw it to a teammate on the half boards that scored.

Later, Teravainen scored from the point, and it was a really hard fats point shot, harder than Kaner shoots it.
Now remember he is a realtive youngster in age compared to his teammates, and will get bigger stronger. He is fluid and quick in motion to the puck/player and with his stick to break things up. So far, he completely shied away physicl engagements and his wall visits were quick and infrequent. Not trying to chastized, sterotype or catagorize an 18 year old...but along with the good (the finesse skill and shooting prowess) there is a player who may be tough, but is at this point even more of an "avoider" when it comes to heavy contact. And by that I mean at this point more of an avoider than the present Kane is. Just saying'

remember hwo Burke came to Bowman when he needed the Toroto second rounder back?

Yeah, you have to relinquish your picks.

(this was put in so teams didn't leverage lower picks for hiugher ones in the same round and circumvent the process...)
- wiz1901

Even though I don't really understand what you just said, it's a moot point because there is no offer you could make to O'Reilly that the Avalanche wouldn't match with a 2nd round pick as compensation.

yes but math is still math and if those goofy numbers and penalties count against the cap that significantly you enter into the ($$$ allocated on cap for player) vs (replacement value) and things start to get interesting regardless of how good a player is or isn't. At a certain point in time cost / replacement value becomes a wash then negative in a hard salary cap driven sport.

I'm mainly curious if that math / info is accurate.
- fattybeef

Also, now that the money is split 50/50, the salary cap number year to year will move up at a much smaller rate (if it doesn't decrease).