I'm sure Sharpy would prefer no tax and warm weather Ft. Lauderdale to watching Beat the Champ on Channel 7 from the Thruway Lanes when they are snowed in during January and February. But Pegula won't hesitate to give him a contract extension if that's an issue - another $12 million or so goes a long way in Buffalo.

Why not ask for their 2nd #1 this year - I think 21st overall? The Hawks have expendable pieces to probably get that done.
- RickJ

My thoughts:
Crawford, Bicks (as a cap addition) and a lower tier prospect to Buffalo for the Islanders first, Islanders second, a middle tier prospect and another mid round pick next year.

Sharpie and Versteeg end up in Florida for the Panther's second rounder next year and the two third rounders they have this year.

If we had Turris instead of that Toes bum it'd be Hawks in 3.
- Ogilthorpe2

And Macarthur instead of Kane. Did you see that one move he did that one time? Phenom is all I can say.

Coming home from work today Elliotte Friedman was on TSN radio talking about the Hawks. He said that last time there was a firesale for Hawk cap casualties in 2010 only one team was ready. This time he believes a number of teams have interest in Hawk players due in part to the value of the player and the fact the these players are coming from a great club where winning is paramount. He is hearing all the names we talk about here but he also thinks there may be huge interest in Crawford if he is moved. He believes this time the Hawks won't take such massive hits and may get better quality back due to multiple teams being involved. He also went on to say that all the college and KHL signings will offset the loss of draft picks this year but that the Hawks will be trying to get some picks back before or during the draft.
- paulr

Thanks Paul. Good to see. Those trades in 10 sure did look rushed. The major beneficiaries being "family" friends (Dudley and Chevy). Not sure all of these trolls betting on collusion between the rest of the league to see the Hawks get no return. Lots of teams on the cusp needing solid additions with experience. I think that will help the market.

He also said the Hawks wouldn't make the playoffs. The Sharks had passed them by. They wouldn't get past the Preds. Teams playing 4 D-men in the modern era don't play for the Stanley Cup.

Lets not even get into his assessment of coaches and their worth to a team.
- Elbows15

How flattering....

Don't worry bows....you are still the coolest guy in the room. I am not trying to take your spot. I only wonder if I did not post here, if you would actually make a sound, or know what to do.

Thanks for being my number 1 fan out there. None of this is possible without all the little people out there.

How flattering....

Don't worry bows....you are still the coolest guy in the room. I am not trying to take your spot. I only wonder if I did not post here, if you would actually make a sound, or know what to do.

Thanks for being my number 1 fan out there. None of this is possible without all the little people out there.
- TrueGrit

Just trying to help you keep your bullpoop straight.

And for all your insightful post you don't even know that Callahan played with Stamkos most of the year.

Probably right, but before 2010, nobody knew of Buff, Versteeg and the other supporting cast. Players like Johnson, Palat, Kucherov, Killorn, Nesterov, not to mention Druin and Namestikov are not flashes in the pan. Of course they have to prove themselves, but those guys are depth. Brian Boyle, JT Brown, Morrow, Calahan...that is depth..Paquette is Kruger's French twin...

Not saying TB is better or anything, just laying out some facts on the team. Somehow, most of the board believes that TB has 3 players and are lucky to be here.
- TrueGrit

From all I have read, most of the board does not believe that. Most believe Tampa is going to give the Hawks a good run but that the Hawks will prevail in the end. You always accuse others of interpreting you incorrectly yet here's an example of you doing the same. I have said it before you have some interesting points and your knowledge of hockey is very good. Take out the condescending posts, like the one to Elbows, and no one gets personal with you.

Show me where Rosival and Timonen have done anything to get this team anything or anywhere? Richards has been a little better than I thought.

I know this logical connection may be a challenge for you. And my Epiphany is sort of like the one you had in 2013, when you assailed me for believing they would win a cup. How quickly they forget....
- TrueGrit

Thought Rosival was pretty good against Minny

Great, detailed analysis of CC by Kevin Woodley, a frequent contributor to NHL Radio. Ben Bishop's will appear tomorrow.

It gets pretty goalie geeky, but a very thorough piece, including how CC's game has evolved since he came into the league.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/ne...769452&navid=nhl:topheads

Here is one tidbit as an example: Longer rebounds: Crawford wears pads designed to produce more active rebounds, which he likes because it buys him more time to recover laterally.

Thought Rosival was pretty good against Minny
- vabeachbear

For a 5th 6th defenseman on a loaded team Roszival was more than adequate. I sure wish he were in the lineup now.

For a 5th 6th defenseman on a loaded team Roszival was more than adequate. I sure wish he were in the lineup now.
- paulr

Ya one of those "you don't know what you have until its gone"...........................

After those ten first games or so of the year, was feeling pretty confident about the Rozy/TVR 3rd pairing.

Ya one of those "you don't know what you have until its gone"...........................

After those ten first games or so of the year, was feeling pretty confident about the Rozy/TVR 3rd pairing.
- vabeachbear

Heck, if Rozy recovers OK, I wouldn't mind him being signed for the minimum as an 8th D. A vet like that could go a long way to help the young guys learn the intricacies of the position. And I'm not sure any other team will be beating a path to his door.

Erik Erlendsson retweeted
rmayertbo ‏@rmayertbo 1h1 hour ago
Ran into Lightning STM yesterday who said Blackhawks fan offered him $1000 for his 2 tickets to Game 2. 'What else could I do?' he said.

----

So much for keeping Hawks fans out of Amalie Arena.
- ArlingtonRob

Hey Rob thought you might enjoy this article by Bernstein from the Score...the guy certainly can be well...you know but here he's spot on...

here's a quote from the article


And to that end, they didn’t stop with tickets. No, the Lightning are policing clothing, too.

More from their Ticketmaster site, when you click on Game 1:

“Chase Club and Lexus Lounge ticket holders: Please note that for all 2015 NHL Playoff Games at Amalie Arena, only Tampa Bay Lightning apparel (or neutral) will be permitted in these club and adjoining seating areas. Fans wearing visiting team apparel will be asked to remove them while in these areas.”



http://chicago.cbslocal.c...icket-policy-is-pathetic/

so now they're telling you what you can wear in the arena...smacks of discrimination. I wonder if any public funding went into building that arena...just sad.

Hey Rob thought you might enjoy this article by Bernstein from the Score...the guy certainly can be well...you know but here he's spot on...

here's a quote from the article


And to that end, they didn’t stop with tickets. No, the Lightning are policing clothing, too.

More from their Ticketmaster site, when you click on Game 1:

“Chase Club and Lexus Lounge ticket holders: Please note that for all 2015 NHL Playoff Games at Amalie Arena, only Tampa Bay Lightning apparel (or neutral) will be permitted in these club and adjoining seating areas. Fans wearing visiting team apparel will be asked to remove them while in these areas.”



http://chicago.cbslocal.c...icket-policy-is-pathetic/

so now they're telling you what you can wear in the arena...smacks of discrimination. I wonder if any public funding went into building that arena...just sad.
- DK002

To be fair, the "dress code" applies to only those two restricted areas.

He also said the Hawks wouldn't make the playoffs. The Sharks had passed them by. They wouldn't get past the Preds. Teams playing 4 D-men in the modern era don't play for the Stanley Cup.

Lets not even get into his assessment of coaches and their worth to a team.
- Elbows15

Not all coaches get sent to the showers by TG. He was thrilled when Dan Bylsma went behind the bench and taught his team some things Q would never know or understand.

Bylsma just couldn't figure out why the horn blew every 2 minutes and all the players had to change because they all pay an equal amount of money to play in the league.

Not sure anyone linked to this yet, but some good content from Sportsnet.ca and Elliotte Friedman on the Hawks...plus a nice 10 min. video feature.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/h...ast-stand-for-blackhawks/

To be fair, the "dress code" applies to only those two restricted areas.
- MartiniMan

As I understand it...the decision was based on past experience with Bruins fans...

...guess they got a bit "rambunctious" in the recent past.

I am hearing more on this situation this afternoon. Interesting. I will just say this. Seabrook and Saad are going to be Hawks long term. the rest will work itself out. More to come.
- John Jaeckel

Again I agree, this would be my approach to building/maintaining a hockey team. I wouldn't let players like Seabs and Saad get away. Going into this offseason, the Hawks need to maintain two things to be able to repeat next year (I'm getting a little ahead of myself), one, maintain their top 4 DMen (resign Oduya while filling out the #5, 6 & 7 spots) and two, stay "strong down the middle". If the Hawks have to move Crawford, Versteeg and Bickell to achieve this, then that is what must happen. Right now the Hawks have a plethora of "sure thing" Centres in Toews, Richards, Vermette, Kruger and Desjardins (plus Shaw is a pretty good Centre and its TT's natural position). Richards, Vermette and Desjardins are all Free Agents at the end of this season while Kruger is a RFA. Losing all three/four against promoting Phillip Danault and rewarding Teuvo Teravanien doesn't ensure that we "stay strong". So, IMO, the Hawks need to resign at least two of those four Centres while extending Seabrook and Saad. Thus, salary has to be shed somewhere.

Tell me how Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman stop Saad-Toews-Kane consistently?

Tell me how Brayden Coburn and Jason Garrison contain Hossa-Richards-Bickell
and/or Sharp-Vermette-TT.....I think that the Triplets will have limited success compared to their normal PPG pace and I dont think Tampa's D can handle the Hawks' cycle game

ALso,I think Tampa lacks good scoring depth.

Ya Brian boyle and brendan morrow are nice grinders but they don't contribute offensively nearly enough and I cannot wait to see Keith-Hammer vs Johnson-palat-Kucherov. I think the savvy 2x cup champs will lock down their big line enough and Toews will be Stamkos' shadow if Q has his way...Hawks in 6 would be outstanding..but I think Hawks in 5 close games

I agree with you but if that 4th line center wants 2nd or 3rd line center money can you justify keeping him? Not sure that you can.

I understand what Kruger does. I do. Does a lot of the grunt work.

My opening this can of worms is just stating Bolland not only did all of that, he also played physical, and out performed offensively the line he was shutting down. I could see why he was given large $$ because he gave you glimpses that yes, he could at times, produce high end offensive out put. Kruger hasn't done that.

If Kruger wants north of 3 million........hard to justify that.
- SteveRain

Krugs is RFA and they know the metrics based on comps. He is also Swedish - I can't remember one of them getting greedy lately. Even Stralmon's UFA deal looks like a bargain. Krugs and Oduya may surprise us like Hammer's deal did. Oduya though - he will see probably 2-3 solid offers. Hawks will probably have to offer term security and that worries me. If the number is right then it will be fine to see him transition down from 4d to 6-7d over 4-5 years while the kids hopefully move up. If it is high we could see a Rosi situation but worse if the cap doesn't begin growing.

EVERYONE out there is saying Hawks in 6 or BOLTS in 7 , ....


Heres the news :


BLACKHAWKS WILL SWEEP THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING .

The Lightning have a legit all WORLD Superstar in Stamkos . Ok thats 1 . Just 1 . Stamkos does most of his damage on the Power Play .

The Lightning's bottom 6 is a FRAUD. The Hawks bottom 6 head to head will eat them alive . The Blackhawks Bottom 6 vs. TBL's top 6 could be an offensive struggle for Tampa.

Not to mention that WHEN 91 is on the ice he will be facing Keith and Seabrook or Hammer and Oduya 98% of the time , the only time this will not happen is when the Hawks ice the puck on the road .

I think Cooper is a very good coach I just dont think he has the horses to compete in this one . The offensively challenged Rangers averaged 3 goals a game against TBL.... The Hawks will score 15-20 goals in the first 4 games of this series .


The Blackhawks will sweep Tampa , enjoy it .
- mrpaulish

Callahan looked really good in game 7. Guy has a heart like Toews just injury prone. JT Brown is solid too. Cooper should dress Drouin over Morrow or someone else for this round. If they go down a game or 2 I'll bet Drouin is in.

The second part I agree with. I would hope they have several scenarios mapped out.

I would be worried about Saad if there were rumblings about snags in contract talks. There has been nothing that I am aware of other than Saad saying he didn't want to talk about it until after the season.

I have mentioned this before. When you think about it when has there been any contentious negotiations sonce this management team has taken over?
- Elbows15

Is Saad rep'd by Brisson?

From all I have read, most of the board does not believe that. Most believe Tampa is going to give the Hawks a good run but that the Hawks will prevail in the end. You always accuse others of interpreting you incorrectly yet here's an example of you doing the same. I have said it before you have some interesting points and your knowledge of hockey is very good. Take out the condescending posts, like the one to Elbows, and no one gets personal with you.
- paulr

That is Rich...take out the group hug stuff with elbows or anyone else who lives to take shots at me and we will be good.

You and I have always gone man to man on stuff...

There are others that sit in the weeds and take pot shots. I will gladly take out my condescending posts, if you go on record here of calling out the same guy for all his drive by stuff.

Tell me how Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman stop Saad-Toews-Kane consistently?

Tell me how Brayden Coburn and Jason Garrison contain Hossa-Richards-Bickell
and/or Sharp-Vermette-TT.....I think that the Triplets will have limited success compared to their normal PPG pace and I dont think Tampa's D can handle the Hawks' cycle game

ALso,I think Tampa lacks good scoring depth.

Ya Brian boyle and brendan morrow are nice grinders but they don't contribute offensively nearly enough and I cannot wait to see Keith-Hammer vs Johnson-palat-Kucherov. I think the savvy 2x cup champs will lock down their big line enough and Toews will be Stamkos' shadow if Q has his way...Hawks in 6 would be outstanding..but I think Hawks in 5 close games
- EnzoD

Really....

The Lightning have as much scoring depth, if not more than the hawks. Boyle Scored 15 goals on the fourth line 10 guys with 10 plus goals...Fans will see that the Lightning are one of the only teams that can match the hawks when it comes to fast break transition and quick strike offense. Will make it an entertaining series.

The Hawks overwhelming the Lightning with the cycle game, assumes they have the puck the whole game. Again, watch the lightning over any stretch, they control the puck with every line. I am not saying they will dominate the Hawks, I am saying your comment ignores reality.

In the end, I agree with the hawks edge with experience edge. Alex Killorn will be a huge thorn in the Hawks side, acting as if Stamkos is the only player on this team, again ignores the body of the teams work.

It will all play out how it plays out, and I should probably just let this stuff go, but I just can't

That is Rich...take out the group hug stuff with elbows or anyone else who lives to take shots at me and we will be good.

You and I have always gone man to man on stuff...

There are others that sit in the weeds and take pot shots. I will gladly take out my condescending posts, if you go on record here of calling out the same guy for all his drive by stuff.
- TrueGrit

Good one!

That is Rich...take out the group hug stuff with elbows or anyone else who lives to take shots at me and we will be good.

You and I have always gone man to man on stuff...

There are others that sit in the weeds and take pot shots. I will gladly take out my condescending posts, if you go on record here of calling out the same guy for all his drive by stuff.
- TrueGrit