What are Jokerit's chances of making the playoffs?
- EKolb13

They will make it. That´s for sure.

If you take into account what the rosters are for each country in the WJC, most of them are made up of drafted players of NHL teams and prospects who will soon be drafted. More or less the playing field is mostly even as far as physical/mental make up.....of course there may be a few players above everyone else. Those who succeed..such as TT ....show an ability to dominate against their peers...who more or less the same people who will be playing in the NHL in the future.

The AHL scoring title Usually when player achieves this it is because they played the whole year in the AHL. Now think about that....you have a player supposedly playing lights out in the AHL and the parent team basically has no use for him.....if a player was lighting it up don't you think an NHL team would be salivating at the idea of an increase in offense....at some point during that season.....maybe an injury causes an opening? More than likely there are other areas of the players game that have holes thus making him a liability at the NHL level.....its like a tripleA player in baseball who hits 40 homeruns....why isn't he in the majors?????...because he can't hit a curve ball.
- UnnamedSource

Ahh, I see Unnamed Source is whipping the dead horse again. Wasn't there suppose to be a Kangaroo court about this?

Everything Unnamed Source says is correct. I'll throw in a caveat that it's rare when the guy leading the AHL in scoring is only 23 years old. Yes the NHL team Should want to call up someone leading the AHL in points……Except the team that owned his rights was #1 in goals, went 25 games without a loss and had no need for him He's 23, probably too good for the AHL but not good enough to play on one of the ELITE teams in the NHL. So now he's playing on one of the lesser teams in the NHL which is probably the proper slot for him.

Can we please move along…..?

Top 5 as for now. I´m not saying winning the WJC scoring title assures any success in NHL but it is a pretty good sign.
- MjulQvist

I was looking over the stats of Mikael Granlund while in the Liiga and it seems to me that TT compares production wise.

How is he in his own end?
- EKolb13

That will be the key for him. I read he has improved his positioning and his defensive reads.

About that upcoming round one match-up with the Avs... I'm not sure it would be all bad to be the road team. Games 1 & 2 there is a lot of pressure for them in their first playoff games for most of them. Games 1 & 2 in Chicago gives them time to get settled in games they don't "have" to win.
- mohel

I do agree with this. There wouldn't be as much pressure on them starting on the road. They are expected to lose and can be looser, figuring they cn even it up on the road. But, if they start at home and lose home-ice right away it could hurt them mentally

If you take into account what the rosters are for each country in the WJC, most of them are made up of drafted players of NHL teams and prospects who will soon be drafted. More or less the playing field is mostly even as far as physical/mental make up.....of course there may be a few players above everyone else. Those who succeed..such as TT ....show an ability to dominate against their peers...who more or less the same people who will be playing in the NHL in the future.

The AHL scoring title Usually when player achieves this it is because they played the whole year in the AHL. Now think about that....you have a player supposedly playing lights out in the AHL and the parent team basically has no use for him.....if a player was lighting it up don't you think an NHL team would be salivating at the idea of an increase in offense....at some point during that season.....maybe an injury causes an opening? More than likely there are other areas of the players game that have holes thus making him a liability at the NHL level.....its like a tripleA player in baseball who hits 40 homeruns....why isn't he in the majors?????...because he can't hit a curve ball.
- UnnamedSource

Thanks.

I do agree with this. There wouldn't be as much pressure on them starting on the road. They are expected to lose and can be looser, figuring they cn even it up on the road. But, if they start at home and lose home-ice right away it could hurt them mentally
- tomcat24

HUH??? The Hawks have proven themselves to be one of, or the top team when it comes to handling pressure. The issue is will every player go all out to win. Are they prepared to sacrifice everything including injury to win it all?

Why would Phoenix give up on a blue chip defenseman with 2-3 years experience in the pros over what they got? Because if he's really good, I don't buy this thing about Tippett liking right/left handed stuff...

They must have saw something that they didn't like and chose to bail. So I'm not real high on him. And offensive defensemen don't make good 5-6 dmen either, so uh... I don't get it.
- busmaster

Minny saw something they didn't like in Nick Leddy...Boston saw something they didn't like in Versteeg.

Timing is important and a 2nd rounder is a decent payment for two players with little or no experience in the NHL.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q. shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77

I was looking over the stats of Mikael Granlund while in the Liiga and it seems to me that TT compares production wise.
- eagle50

TT is better skater than Mikael Granlund is. Not that much faster but TT uses his blades really good. Granlund is really talented and even more hyped yound player than TT has been but many of us in Finland believe that TT is more gifted player than Granlund.

Ahh, I see Unnamed Source is whipping the dead horse again. Wasn't there suppose to be a Kangaroo court about this?

Everything Unnamed Source says is correct. I'll throw in a caveat that it's rare when the guy leading the AHL in scoring is only 23 years old. Yes the NHL team Should want to call up someone leading the AHL in points……Except the team that owned his rights was #1 in goals, went 25 games without a loss and had no need for him He's 23, probably too good for the AHL but not good enough to play on one of the ELITE teams in the NHL. So now he's playing on one of the lesser teams in the NHL which is probably the proper slot for him.

Can we please move along…..?
- yahoodi

Sometimes teams leave vg players in the AHL for quite awhile...see Detroit.

Pirri was also in the AHL at a very young age...Every franchise and situation is a bit different.

Blue Jackets fall on a class hike 6-1.
Q. shuffle-Keith/Norris-veteran respect-trade deadline comments:My Fox Chicago:http://bit.ly/1qfbI77

Ahh, I see Unnamed Source is whipping the dead horse again. Wasn't there suppose to be a Kangaroo court about this?

Everything Unnamed Source says is correct. I'll throw in a caveat that it's rare when the guy leading the AHL in scoring is only 23 years old. Yes the NHL team Should want to call up someone leading the AHL in points……Except the team that owned his rights was #1 in goals, went 25 games without a loss and had no need for him He's 23, probably too good for the AHL but not good enough to play on one of the ELITE teams in the NHL. So now he's playing on one of the lesser teams in the NHL which is probably the proper slot for him.

Can we please move along…..?
- yahoodi

Actually if you would've taken the time to read the conversation this was less about Pirri than it was about the WJC or AHL scoring title being indicators of success in the NHL......one other caveat you forgot though Pirri.....he did 4 years in the AHL.....not to many top six forwards in the NHL who have that on their resume.....

HUH??? The Hawks have proven themselves to be one of, or the top team when it comes to handling pressure. The issue is will every player go all out to win. Are they prepared to sacrifice everything including injury to win it all?
- paulr

Yeah the Hawks are mentally tough. This was about the Avs. A team full of young playes getting their 1st taste of the playoffs. If they start at home they will have a lot of pressure on them. It might be easier for them to start on the road. I don't doubt the Hawks would win the series either way

That will be the key for him. I read he has improved his positioning and his defensive reads.
- paulr

Agreed. It's got to be the biggest key of all involving this. If Rundblad can't show that he's somewhat responsible in his own end, he might find himself with his 5th franchise at the draft.

If you take into account what the rosters are for each country in the WJC, most of them are made up of drafted players of NHL teams and prospects who will soon be drafted. More or less the playing field is mostly even as far as physical/mental make up.....of course there may be a few players above everyone else. Those who succeed..such as TT ....show an ability to dominate against their peers...who more or less the same people who will be playing in the NHL in the future.

The AHL scoring title Usually when player achieves this it is because they played the whole year in the AHL. Now think about that....you have a player supposedly playing lights out in the AHL and the parent team basically has no use for him.....if a player was lighting it up don't you think an NHL team would be salivating at the idea of an increase in offense....at some point during that season.....maybe an injury causes an opening? More than likely there are other areas of the players game that have holes thus making him a liability at the NHL level.....its like a tripleA player in baseball who hits 40 homeruns....why isn't he in the majors?????...because he can't hit a curve ball.
- UnnamedSource

Very true...Even though you can be awesome in the AHL or lead the league in points, it doesn't guarantee anything in the NHL....

Don't get me wrong...I really like Troy Brouwer, and wouldn't mind seeing him on the Hawks....But the guy absolutely tore up the AHL with Norfolk and then with Rockford...He had 2 30+ goal seasons, and even one 40 goal season if I am not mistaken....He has been a 20 goal scorer once in the NHL...he probably will hit it again this year...way to go Troy!

Q said in his post game clips that Runblad could play in Buffalo

Very true...Even though you can be awesome in the AHL or lead the league in points, it doesn't guarantee anything in the NHL....

Don't get me wrong...I really like Troy Brouwer, and wouldn't mind seeing him on the Hawks....But the guy absolutely tore up the AHL with Norfolk and then with Rockford...He had 2 30+ goal seasons, and even one 40 goal season if I am not mistaken....He has been a 20 goal scorer once in the NHL...he probably will hit it again this year...way to go Troy!
- captainserious

41 goals with Norfolk in '06-'07.

Ahh, I see Unnamed Source is whipping the dead horse again. Wasn't there suppose to be a Kangaroo court about this?

Everything Unnamed Source says is correct. I'll throw in a caveat that it's rare when the guy leading the AHL in scoring is only 23 years old. Yes the NHL team Should want to call up someone leading the AHL in points……Except the team that owned his rights was #1 in goals, went 25 games without a loss and had no need for him He's 23, probably too good for the AHL but not good enough to play on one of the ELITE teams in the NHL. So now he's playing on one of the lesser teams in the NHL which is probably the proper slot for him.

Can we please move along…..?
- yahoodi

Just because you don't like his post doesn't mean you have to be a smart ass about it

Q said in his post game clips that Runblad could play in Buffalo
- philco28

I think a lot of us could play against Buffalo and still do well.... But this is a game where the Hawks will play down to the other team's level...

Q said in his post game clips that Runblad could play in Buffalo
- philco28

I heard that too. I'm curious to see what Rundblad is all about.

Hockey Future rates Johns #1 drafted collegiate DMan.
Improved skating, feet much faster, quicker first step so better in transition, best year offensively, most NHL ready,

http://www.hockeysfuture....-drafted-ncaa-defensemen/
[url]

Not British. Just a pansy. Guacomole is too spicy for her...not like HOT guac, just regular Guac and chips. She freaks out and cant handle it. So like i said, she's a pansy, and everything she cooks is super bland because she cant handle flavor or something, i dont know. Sucks though
- BlazinMike

Some people (like my wife's sister and her niece) are what is called "super-tasters" and they truly cannot take the high flavored recipes, they react like it is poison.

A little clarification, now that I have a moment to catch my breath:

The source on this was/is a very good one. I will just leave it at that. Someone else I know with a contact close to (some might say within) the Hawks got to me yesterday and said they had heard the exact same thing.

My source warned me: "you will take a lot of sh-- if you go out with this."

And I did. I don't care. Most of it has been from Hawk fans who think, due to having seen some videotape of Teravainen, they discovered him personally and he is the greatest player since Wayne Gretzky. Neither of which are remotely true.

And in at least one case, I do believe the Hawks pr people have some "operatives" out in the "Twitter-verse" whose job it is to derail stories they don't want getting out.

There is a very real possibility that Teravainen in 5 years might not be the player Ryan Kesler is today. Very real. And if you're Patrick Kane, and you've been waiting the last 2 years for a legit center, you're not waiting to see if Teravainen is that guy—or if he ends up as many speculate, another sort of Patrick Kane at RW. In other words, Teravainen coming over and thriving at RW—TAKES AWAY leverage Kane has on his contract next summer.

His pushing for Kesler—which has been NO SECRET for the last 10 days or so, is him USING the leverage he has right now.

Teravainen could end up being a great player. But Ryan Kesler plugged in at 2C for the Hawks is pretty much a guaranteed upgrade right now. And makes them a marginally better team right now. Too bad they couldn't get him for this year's playoffs. He might have been the difference between a 2nd or 3rd round team and a Cup winner. Yes, he's a very good player who fills a couple of huge holes in t this lineup.

All this is just common sense. Anyone debating this as though Teravainen is guaranteed to be Pavel Datsyuk is just ignorant.

The thing that is debatable is can you afford to ship Leddy off and assume David Rundblad, and/or Steve Johns or Klas Dahlbeck fills his shoes in some way. That is debatable. but there are also two sides to that debate. Rundblad is a highly thought of, willed puck rushing defenseman with a lot of good years ahead of him—especially in the Hawks' system.

Bottom line, and if any of you haters are reading this, you are ridiculous. This is not "made up." I am creative, but it would take a genius to make up a scenario like this where so many dots clearly connect. And to get a made up story out to more than one independent source.

I think a lot of us could play against Buffalo and still do well.... But this is a game where the Hawks will play down to the other team's level...
- Fooseshark

On paper, it looks like a good place to start the lad. To EK's point...his lack of NHL experience is a concern. Stan said they were after this guy for awhile, so hopefully...they've found another low cost, diamond in the rough.

TT is better skater than Mikael Granlund is. Not that much faster but TT uses his blades really good. Granlund is really talented and even more hyped yound player than TT has been but many of us in Finland believe that TT is more gifted player than Granlund.
- MjulQvist

Thanks for your opinion on all matters TT. I looked a little deeper and it seems that TT is close to Granlunds' numbers but yet a year younger in doing so.How deep do you expect Jokerit to go into the playoffs?Also why the big discrepancy in playoff dates,is there a bye for top seeds?

Hockey Future rates Johns #1 drafted collegiate DMan.
Improved skating, feet much faster, quicker first step so better in transition, best year offensively, most NHL ready,

http://www.hockeysfuture....-drafted-ncaa-defensemen/

- KingB[url]

As I have said in the past, the FO is high on Johns and Dahlbeck 9who's had a nice 2nd year at Rockford. And now Rundblad, who has a fair amount of NHL experience already.