Take the CONTEXT of the comment into consideration. Coach Q was asked "with the roster as it is right now, what is needed to have a chance at repeating"...obviously Marcus Kruger IS THE #1 missing ingredient! That is what Q is saying!
- MexicoHawk

Mex

In your opinion, would they have won the cup with Darling all the way in the net?

How about Bickell and CC for the rights to Holtby. Savings of $2-3M and no drop off in goaltender performance.
- scottak

Until Holtby wins a Stanley Cup (or 2), there is a huge drop off.
Added - no matter how good the team is in front of you, the goalie still has to stop the puck. CC has shown he can stop the puck in the biggest games. Holtby hasn't.

Mex

In your opinion, would they have won the cup with Darling all the way in the net?
- Maggie

Difficult for me to wrap my head around the Hawks winning the last 2 Cup without Crawford....Absolutely don't think they win in 2013 as he was their best player from the start of the playoffs until the end.

I could argue, if not their best player in the last two series this year he was in the top 3 for sure.

Hmm with two if the best players in the world isn't sheltered
- BetweenTheDots

No

I think it's a pretty good article. All three guys make solid points. One thing they missed that I think will make a big difference in the addition of Panarin - much more so that Tikhonov who got a mention. I understand that he hasn't played in N/A. and isn't even on the roster at this point, and maybe that's why he didn't get a mention. Not only was he one of the top players and scorers in the KHL during the regular season, he was one of the best players and top scorers in the playoffs on the championship team, including playing big when his team came back from a 0-3 series deficit to win 4 straight against Radulov's team. Scoring or assisting on multiple OT winning goals in the playoffs. He was also one of the best players and leading scorers for Russia in the World Cup. I will be shocked if Panarin chokes and doesn't have a big impact on the team.
- EbonyRaptor

I absolutely agree...and while there's always a chance that a European player loses their "swagger" while playing in NA, I think that Panarin is about as "sure a thing" as it gets for a young forward. As I have mentioned again and again about Panarin, he might be small physically, but his game is played LARGE! He is aggressive on the puck and hard to remove from it. He is tenacious and all around the puck during his shifts, he skates very well and possesses excellent lung capacity (a la Kane) so that he seems to be as good at the end of his shifts as at the beginning. Add to all of that high end skill and a heavy shot, and he is going to be a real contributor for the Hawks.

I choose to view it as a symbol of slavery, which is why they fought the war; and a Jim Crow society and racism, which is how it's been used since the civil war: that's the Heritage part of it.

And many of the same groups that use that flag to promote White Power also use it to promote anti-Semitism - which makes it personal to me.

You certainly have every constitutional right to display it - and probably use it as your avatar - doesn't make you any less of an idiot for actually exercising that right.

THAT'S how I view it.
- StLBravesFan

I get it, and I don't disagree with you at all, but no one seemed to have a problem with it being on the Dukes of Hazzard car for 35 years.

I won't speak to the Confederate flag specifically, but I will say that political correctness has gotten way out of control in our society.

There are a lot of miserable, bitter, and unhappy people around who apparently have nothing better to do than to try to make the rest of us bitter, miserable, and unhappy too, and finding things to be offended by has become there modus operandi. A week after they're done with the Confederate flag, now it's the fleur-de-lis that's offensive? Wait, what?

Habs just signed Semin
- Maggie

The result of not pulling the trigger on a Sharp deal.

Difficult for me to wrap my head around the Hawks winning the last 2 Cup without Crawford....Absolutely don't think they win in 2013 as he was their best player from the start of the playoffs until the end.

I could argue, if not their best player in the last two series this year he was in the top 3 for sure.
- Al

Al, then in your opinion, don't trade him?

Anisimov might be a real stud in Chicago. I was very high on him before he went to Columbus, and don't think he did a bad job there either. To me he seems like one of those players that really excels when he's got talent around him.

I think Chicago improved through the Saad trade, and I think Columbus did too. It was a lot better of a trade than others I have seen give it credit for. Anisimov could be really scary feeding Kane the puck.
- SolidGoldBricks

I don't know that CLB got better through the deal as I believe they are going to rue the day they let Dano go, but they did get a great hockey player in Saad that will bring much more awareness to their team! Plus, he's been a key part of 2 Cup wins!

I get it, and I don't disagree with you at all, but no one seemed to have a problem with it being on the Dukes of Hazzard car for 35 years.

I won't speak to the Confederate flag specifically, but I will say that political correctness has gotten way out of control in our society.

There are a lot of miserable, bitter, and unhappy people around who apparently have nothing better to do than to try to make the rest of us bitter, miserable, and unhappy too, and finding things to be offended by has become there modus operandi. A week after they're done with the Confederate flag, now it's the fleur-de-lis that's offensive? Wait, what?
- MartiniMan

You are more than likely correct in your assumption, but that flag also relates to some of us who are very resentful toward it

If I were Saad or anyone in his family I would be praising their agent.
- Al

If I were Saad I'd be praising my agent and buying him or her a nice steak dinner.

I like the idea of a Gustafsson-Hjalmarsson pairing with Gustafsson more of s PMD type d-man. Hammer and him can get that Swedish d-pairing thing going. That's if Gustafsson can win a spot out of TC, of course. That you keep Daley in a more sheltered spot when he can play LD with TvR/Rundblad at RD, with also using Daley on the PP.
- EbonyRaptor

Again, I agree...if the "Guftasson thing" is going to work, it will be if he can take solid minutes pairing with Hammer, allowing Daley to help either TVR or Runblad. Good thoughts!

The result of not pulling the trigger on a Sharp deal.
- MexicoHawk

Maybe, at $4.8 less cap hit, a better gamble than Sharp.

You are more than likely correct in your assumption, but that flag also relates to some of us who are very resentful toward it
- Maggie

Hockey talk only, please!

I get it, and I don't disagree with you at all, but no one seemed to have a problem with it being on the Dukes of Hazzard car for 35 years.

I won't speak to the Confederate flag specifically, but I will say that political correctness has gotten way out of control in our society.

There are a lot of miserable, bitter, and unhappy people around who apparently have nothing better to do than to try to make the rest of us bitter, miserable, and unhappy too, and finding things to be offended by has become there modus operandi. A week after they're done with the Confederate flag, now it's the fleur-de-lis that's offensive? Wait, what?
- MartiniMan

Right on! I understand how the Confederate flag can be offensive for some people and it's not my place to tell them how to feel. They're entitled to their feelings and to voice their feelings and thankfully that's still true in our society. But I think there's a time and place for everything and my hope is that this hockey message board doesn't turn into that time and place. I come here to talk hockey - not anything else. I hope this place remains apart from the "real world".

Ya we will see

The defense is a questionmark and maybe center depth depending on how well/quickly TT acclimates.

They are very high on Gustafsson, who they feel outclassed all the other prospects in camp, and makes good decisions quickly (huge with Q). Also a lefty who can skate which is a nice complement potentially to TVR or even Hammer, if they wanted to stabilize TVR with Daley.

But between TVR, Gustafsson and Rundblad that is a lot of inexperience and only one guy who is a plus skater from 5-7, which is why the team knows they probably need to add a veteran D at some point.

But assuming those two areas can be solidified, Kruger re-signed, and the players get some rest now the rest of the summer, no reason to think this team can't go very deep.

AA, Dano and Panarin are going to be nice adds I think.
- John Jaeckel

Which is precisely why we'll see a 'Hawks signing of a vet D-man just like Rozy was signed going into the '13 season...

Like, say, Bickell, for instance?
- stanleyhawk

He did have, 14 last year

Stop worrying about a flag , and fix your insane GUN laws .Signed a Canadian who cares ...

Yes...some give-aways, also a price of success.

But the last dman that could be deemed developed in Rockford to play in Chicago with success was Hammer.....And he played in Rockford for about a half season, and that was 10 years ago!
- Al

wasn't Dahlbeck there a couple of years? Don't recall.

I get it, and I don't disagree with you at all, but no one seemed to have a problem with it being on the Dukes of Hazzard car for 35 years.

I won't speak to the Confederate flag specifically, but I will say that political correctness has gotten way out of control in our society.

There are a lot of miserable, bitter, and unhappy people around who apparently have nothing better to do than to try to make the rest of us bitter, miserable, and unhappy too, and finding things to be offended by has become there modus operandi. A week after they're done with the Confederate flag, now it's the fleur-de-lis that's offensive? Wait, what?
- MartiniMan

My last post on this, but I can't let this go:

As to Dukes of Hazzard, I rarely watched it: the only good thing about it was Waylon Jennings' theme song.

As to the rest: I am neither miserable, bitter, nor unhappy. I am NOT offended by the Confederate flag.

I AM offended by people who think it's ok to display that flag knowing the racism and anti-Semitism that it has represented through the years, and then justify it by pretending that the racist, anti-Semitic meanings don't exist.

Without Crawford in net you believe the Hawks would have won the two Cups?
- Al

Wow, of course they would have. The NHL is filled with good goalies, there are an abundance of them in both conferences. Crawford has played well in CHI but he has also had his lapses. Against BOS in game 4, Crawford's play almost cost us the series, but the Hawks scored a bunch of goals and won...against NSH this year he simply wasn't ready for what he knew was NSH's game and needed our rookie backup to come in and take back control of the series. Crawford is a GOOD goalie that still has some issues with his game, not unlike most NHL goalies. Q's system and Chicago's core is what has won us these cups...our goaltender has rarely been asked to be "the guy". How is this hard to understand? Crawford is NOT the reason why we have won these Cups, however, he was a KEY part of two of them as all GOOD NHL goalies are!
Again, read this line...we win because of Coach Q, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith first and foremost, and a great supporting cast around them! But without these three guys, WE DON'T WIN A SINGLE CUP!

My last post on this


- StLBravesFan

Thank you.

You are more than likely correct in your assumption, but that flag also relates to some of us who are very resentful toward it
- Maggie

Understood, and I would put myself in your camp as well. My point is it is an example of how a particular topic, symbol, or idea like this gains media attention, then pop culture takes over and a large number of people become offended by it because it is the popular thing to do, not because of any real conviction on their own individual level.

Just waiting for someone to explain to me how the fleur-de-lis, which originated in Europe probably 300 years ago, is a racist symbol.

Face off % math.

http://www.hockeywilderne...lation-do-faceoffs-matter

http://bloguin.com/puckdr...-faceoffs-in-the-nhl.html

http://statsportsconsulti.../FaceoffAnalysis12-12.pdf

Basically there is no linear correlation between save % and corsi for % which is interesting. The other math says having a great face off % is good for about one additional win or three goals \ year. Really a drop in the bucket.

Obviously you don't want to be abhorrent at it but +\- 50%ish is probably good enough.

Yay math.