Thx, cheers
- John Jaeckel

Yes, don't you know, leafs won the offseason, they are on their way to the cup.

Coming here and being a troll, makes them feel better about where they are at as team.

respond?...................Just say NO

I never expected a huge return for any of them. Looking for space right now, and quite frankly, probably burnt out a little from checking this blog the past 3 days.
- howiehandles

You never know if they get someone 1st pick next year for Sharp ,and then that team falters and misses the playoffs your in the lottery ,, Just a dream but stranger thing have happened ..

I give the team credit for winning three in six, but he's far too hesitant to roll the dice sometimes. At least, that's how it seems to me from space.

It certainly helps that he inherited the wonder twins, and Dale, for some of his bonehead moves, did leave the pantry pretty well stocked.

The Vermette deal turned out well, but what if we didn't get past Nashville, we'd be screaming for his head. The Kimmo deal was a huge overpay, obviously. If he's giving up 2 picks for a guy who almost died, and is ready to retire, what do we expect him to do with healthy bodies?

Not sure if it's too many cooks making the stew, but I'm less hopeful of a fair return than I was before.
- howiehandles

- Do you give him credit for Shaw, TT, Saad, multiple trades that helped them win multiple Cups? Signing Hammer, and not Niemi? Please. I'd argue the complete opposite in regards to Dale Tallon. Bowman was dealt a horrible hand taking over as GM and went on to steer the organization into winning two Cups.

- What if they didn't beat Nashville? Umm... they did. Vermette wasn't remotely an overpay, even if they lost to Nashville in 4. That's what you do at the trade deadline - attempt to improve your team. Timmonen? Even the very best GM's in the history of sports make bad trades. That wasn't a good one. Newsflash: He's made a LOT more great trades/moves than bad ones during his tenure here.

John - don't even bother responding to this ass hat. We know the deal with your sources and respect the job you do to keep us informed as best you can. Thanks for putting forth the effort with this blog - and don't even sweat these trolls.
- Chief4Feathers

spot on - screw this clown JJ we appreciate all the work you do...

- Do you give him credit for Shaw, TT, Saad, multiple trades that helped them win multiple Cups? Signing Hammer, and not Niemi? Please.

- What if they didn't beat Nashville? Umm... they did. Vermette wasn't remotely an overpay, even if they lost to Nashville in 4. That's what you do at the trade deadline - attempt to improve your team.
- CaptainBlackhawk

Hey Capt. B thanks for your response last night man...

hopefully we'll see some movement today.

Yeah, I knew you made this up as soon as I read it. Quite frankly, your "Rumors" are a stretch.

Fan speculation shouldnt be your source.
- jbold

Your organisation is a joke and only excel in mediocrity....that's no rumor it's a fact!

Go away and troll on your sites.

No, because you basically report recycled news.

Seriously, just stop.


The list of stuff you've made up, that hasnt come true, is 20x longer.
- jbold

Man, are you Leaf fans a bunch of female dogs. All they've done is cry and moan about everyone. Keep that stuff on your blogger's hole.

Not standing up for him, as he's just throwing out what people want to hear, rumors.

What percentage do you believe actually come to fruition? They're freaking rumors. You're on this site for a reason. Right?

You don't believe bloggers have just a bit more leeway to throw out stuff they've heard, vs the CBC/ESPN/Fox guys/girls of the world, when it comes to rumors?

Hey Capt. B thanks for your response last night man...

hopefully we'll see some movement today.
- DK002

What post was that DK? Sorry.

Well, with three Cups in six years - it's hard for me to get all red assed over our GM not being able to unload salary for 1st round picks and prospects on the first day of the draft. Stan showed the willingness to risk a 1st and a prospect to acquire Vermette - and he was critical to winning Cup #3.

I'm willing to wait and see how this plays out before offering any critique on the front office. Also, as we discussed here a couple of blogs ago (Al being the one to make the initial point) when you're goal is to win Cups (and not draft picks and prospects) you tend to hang on to your assets a year too late as opposed to when the market might be ideal.

2010, 2013, 2015 - that's what resonates with me.

Think its interesting on the Hawks website, nothing at all about the draft picks to this point. Even on the draft section and future picks, they haven't even slotted in the names of the picks.

In years past, its updated almost instantaneously, with at least CS comments about each player.

Think that tells you all you need to know where their head is at about this draft.

- Do you give him credit for Shaw, TT, Saad, multiple trades that helped them win multiple Cups? Signing Hammer, and not Niemi? Please. I'd argue the complete opposite in regards to Dale Tallon. Bowman was dealt a horrible hand taking over as GM and went on to steer the organization into winning two Cups.

- What if they didn't beat Nashville? Umm... they did. Vermette wasn't remotely an overpay, even if they lost to Nashville in 4. That's what you do at the trade deadline - attempt to improve your team. Timmonen? Even the very best GM's in the history of sports make bad trades. That wasn't a good one. Newsflash: He's made a LOT more great trades/moves than bad ones during his tenure here.
- CaptainBlackhawk

Wow, thanks Captain.......Obvious. But that doesn't answer the question, now does it?

Dealt a horrible hand with that 2009/10 team? Getting dealt a horrible hand is getting Toronto or Arizona.

Credit for Shaw? Seems every team failed to grab him many, many, times. Saad was also a first round grade that fell to them in the 2nd.

Not saying I want Dale back, but he didn't exactly leave this team barren.

Wow, thanks Captain.......Obvious. But that doesn't answer the question, now does it?

Dealt a horrible hand with that 2009/10 team? Getting dealt a horrible hand is getting Toronto or Arizona.
- howiehandles

- Your question was what if they didn't beat Nashville. THEY DID! That's the answer. And even if they didn't, it was still a fantastic trade at the deadline to fill a very big hole in the roster. Again.. GM's in every single sport make fantastic deadline trades, and lose in the first or second round. It doesn't make them bad trades.

- Yes. He was dealt a horrible hand in the fact that the team needed to be dismantled and rebuilt, and the prospect pool needed to be "fixed" as well. Huge huge undertaking by Bowman after that first Cup which has lead to two additional Cups and a prospect pool that is the envy of many organizations in the sport. Tallon left this franchise in relative massive pile of doo doo.

Hawks have to lose $10-$12MM in net cap hits to be able to resign Saad and Kruger - that's presumably Sharp, Bickell and Oduya - maybe Crawford, too, if they can't get full cap relief on Sharp and Bickell.

Maybe it's just time to move cap space no matter the return, get Saad and Kruger resigned, concentrate on completing the roster.

Well a couple years back Saad fell to the Hawks in the second round and Hawks jumped on it, as they did not worry why other teams passed. This year When Oliver Kylington was still there at 54 and Hawks passed I was not happy. This was a guy that was a possible top 5 pick 18 months ago. Why not take a gamble at 54 and get 1st round talent in round 2.

- Your question was what if they didn't beat Nashville. THEY DID! That's the answer. And even if they didn't, it was still a fantastic trade at the deadline to fill a very big hole in the roster. Again.. GM's in every single sport make fantastic deadline trades, and lose in the first or second round. It doesn't make them bad trades.

- Yes. He was dealt a horrible hand in the fact that the team needed to be dismantled and rebuilt, and the prospect pool needed to be "fixed" as well. Huge huge undertaking by Bowman after that first Cup.
- CaptainBlackhawk

Eh, the public school system has failed us.

Every after the great sell off, still had very nice pieces to build around. Wasn't it stood up for drafting the wonder twins, especially Kane?

What benefits have we reaped from the farm?

Agree, the Vermette deal was the one he needed to make, and he made it.

He obviously deserves some credit, but inaction can also be a determent, as much as poor actions.

The draft is a pull of the wheel. Regardless of how touted, or not, a prospect is, there's risk with every pick. Saad turned out to be a very good pick, but Denault, who knows what becomes of him. Seems like a lower line guy at best at this point. McNeil, seems like Kyle Beach 2.0 (yes, Tallon failed on that one).

You don't believe a more aggressive gm could have acquired something more out of Buff, Ladd, and all the rest? Brouwer might have been his best deal of all those 2010 guys who were dealt.

These guys, their core, have had the crap beaten out of them the last six years, and their shelf life isn't going to be as long as other players due to that. Hats off to the core, I can't thank them enough. That being said, there is hardly anyone on their farm that makes me think, "boy, I can't wait till he comes up." TT, yeah, there's real potential there, but everyone has potential.

I don't think it's much to ask for a GM to have balls, instead of waiting around.

I'm not going to drink the Kool Aid just because they've won 3 in 6. Yeah, it's been awesome, but it's over, time to move forward. Last season is over, and I've seen enough of his work to realize that when he was given the keys to the house, it had a pretty solid foundation which to build upon. I'm not giving him 100% credit, or the benefit of the doubt, because he redesigned the kitchen.

Right now, IMHO, Stan is a ticket scalper the day of a game.

You stand on the corner asking for $500 a ticket 2 hours before the game.
You stand on the corner asking for $300 a ticket 1 hour before the game.
You stand on the corner, hearing the national anthem, and ask for $50 above face.
You stand on the corner, see, the doors to the stadium are closed, and ask face value.

Pretty soon, everyone is at the game and you still have tickets in your hand. Only you have no cash and haven't eaten.

If he doesn't unload #10 this weekend, he runs the risk of having an asset that he either needs to fire sale during UFA or take back way too much salary.

The only blame I place on him is not taking a deal he THOUGHT HE COULD LIVE WITH. By holding out for a better one, he ran the risk of getting stuck.

Eh, the public school system has failed us.

Every after the great sell off, still had very nice pieces to build around. Wasn't it stood up for drafting the wonder twins, especially Kane?

What benefits have we reaped from the farm?

Agree, the Vermette deal was the one he needed to make, and he made it.
- howiehandles

Desjardin played a role this year

As far as the farm. Saad was drafted late, Krueger, TT drafted at 16 looks like the real deal, shaw (was this bowman) this team still is ranked top 7 for prospects even after the success the last 6 years. Theres something to say about that.

Hawks have to lose $10-$12MM in net cap hits to be able to resign Saad and Kruger - that's presumably Sharp, Bickell and Oduya - maybe Crawford, too, if they can't get full cap relief on Sharp and Bickell.

Maybe it's just time to move cap space no matter the return, get Saad and Kruger resigned, concentrate on completing the roster.
- StLBravesFan

Where is a viable destination for Crawford? All the teams supposedly in the market for tenders have made deals, except for SJ. And if there is one team vying, you are over their barrel.

my concern over the proposition of holding on to serve until after initial free agent Frenzy passes I don't think the Hawks have the cap space or tagging room to qualify Kruger or Saad that could make it a repeat of 2010 where it is pick one or the other. at times I wish our GM was a little more aggressive to maximize return on assets as opposed to holding his hand so long that he has to take the best of the rest

Eh, the public school system has failed us.

Every after the great sell off, still had very nice pieces to build around. Wasn't it stood up for drafting the wonder twins, especially Kane?

What benefits have we reaped from the farm?

Agree, the Vermette deal was the one he needed to make, and he made it.
- howiehandles

Your statement/question: "The Vermette deal turned out well, but what if we didn't get past Nashville, we'd be screaming for his head" that I spoke to and you asked about.

After the 2010 Cup sell off... they had pieces to build around but that roster was barely a playoff roster. That's my point - Bowman was left a hot pile of dog poop and built two Cup winners out of it.

What benefit?

THIS year

Saad
Shaw
TT
Vermette - prospect plus pick was traded
Kruger

... all keys to the win this past season & that was this season and ONLY talking about the farm.

I fully enjoy the 3 cups we have under various GM's but Kane's injury saved Stan's bum this year and gave him a second shot at picking up pieces/adding salary. In my opinion, the Hawks don't win without the new pieces. He needs to stop being butt-tight about trades & pickups.

my concern over the proposition of holding on to serve until after initial free agent Frenzy passes I don't think the Hawks have the cap space or tagging room to qualify Kruger or Saad that could make it a repeat of 2010 where it is pick one or the other. at times I wish our GM was a little more aggressive to maximize return on assets as opposed to holding his hand so long that he has to take the best of the rest
- ikeane

Hockeyscap says Hawks have cap space of $5.6MM to the cap - and if they can be 10% over (that's my may-be-wrong understanding), they should have plenty of room to sign Saad and Kruger.

I fully enjoy the 3 cups we have under various GM's but Kane's injury saved Stan's bum this year and gave him a second shot at picking up pieces/adding salary. In my opinion, the Hawks don't win without the new pieces. He needs to stop being butt-tight about trades & pickups.
- JGould70

Looks like Wiz didn't even have the Hawks 5th rounder in the draft??

Is it Peter Bondra's son?

I wonder how much of a factor was the interest to send Sharpie to a good team, as a gesture of respect for all that he's done for this team. (Maybe to some extent, Crow, Bickell, and Versteeg, as well?)

That's an important thing, IMO... Other players will more want to come here, if they see a kind of respect here for players that may be uncommon.

I'm just as disappointed at the inactivity as anyone (and gotta step away from my computer after all these days glued to it), but can't help but wonder about this.