Accountability in response to failure - should logically lead to a change in your approach.

Every option should be on the table and viewed through the prism of "does this make us better?"

Replace Q? Trade Toews, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Anisimov, etc...?

There should be no sacred cows based on sentimentality - or the notion that "it can't be done." No movement clauses are NOT absolute bars to trading a player - but requires that player to agree to the trade.

During the end of season interviews - the Hawks should absolutely discuss with each player who has a NMC how they'd would feel about being traded and under what circumstances would they possibly agree to a trade. Plant that seed in their head.

No one has "tenure" here - wearing the Indian Head is a privledge - and this series showed that many "stars" apparently have grown to take it for granted.

So who comes out of the west? Blues, Preds, Oilers, or Ducks?
- RedRevenge

Blues - if Allen's head stays straight. I don't think Ana goalie is as good. Preds and Oil still too young.

The overall level of disrespect to the Preds by the majority of the posters was and is incredible. An intelligent post is as rare as a Chicago sweater at Bridgestone in 2009

What a beat down, total domination. Revenge in part for 2010, 2015, series that you got all the breaks, you got the goals in double and triple OT that easily could have swung the series the other way.

Really going to enjoy this. When does a team ever lose as bad as you did. Historical. Not even a goal on your home ice.

Time to realize the only way the "Hocks" get good again is to get as bad as you were throughout the 2000s to get the #1 picks

Enjoy your ride to the basement and have a Great summer!




- VopatsRash

Try getting out of the 2nd round before posting crap like this. You're the West conference Capitals with an 1/8 of the talent.

anyone but the Preds

Another intelligent post- that being said you probably bring up the average IQ of your friends on the board
- VopatsRash

At least we have a board.

I can count the number of Preds "fans" on this site on both hands. No one to share the gloating with? Go back to the watering hole, gopher. You're trolling isn't wanted and it's not very good either.

I think you guys are drafting around 26? would flipping first round picks 12 for 26 and adding Hellybuyk be enough for Crawford?

The overall level of disrespect to the Preds by the majority of the posters was and is incredible. An intelligent post is as rare as a Chicago sweater at Bridgestone in 2009

What a beat down, total domination. Revenge in part for 2010, 2015, series that you got all the breaks, you got the goals in double and triple OT that easily could have swung the series the other way.

Really going to enjoy this. When does a team ever lose as bad as you did. Historical. Not even a goal on your home ice.

Time to realize the only way the "Hocks" get good again is to get as bad as you were throughout the 2000s to get the #1 picks

Enjoy your ride to the basement and have a Great summer!




- VopatsRash

Ouch!!!

Have you been carrying that burden for 7 years?

Nice win, enjoy it, glory & winning are fleeting in a parity league, we can only wish we can be as successful as the Hawks for as long as they have.

anyone but the Preds
- eagle50

Don't think we have to worry about them. Not enough offensive firepower for them to get far. Their defense can only carry them so much, and Rinne will show his true colors as soon as he starts getting tested.

Enjoy taking it up the arse by whichever team you face next. You need legitimate superstars leading the way to win in this league. Whether it's Toews, Kane, Keith, Kopitar, Doughty, Crosby, Malkin, Bergeron, Chara, etc.

Preds don't have a single one. Enjoy this victory because it'll be be the highlight of your season. Making it to the WCF is an accomplishment for the Preds in itself. Can the Preds win more than one series in the playoffs? Lol let's hope so.

Frank off and take your mustard colored sweater elsewhere. Your cousin is calling for you to come back to bed.
- TommyHawk

you are wrong, complete teams that are healthy win in this league, stars are made in the process. Stars = a player stepping up and making the play. Don't count Nashville out, they do have Josi and Rinne, and Arrvidson and Johanson are not bad. What you usually see, the top lines usually cancel each other and it comes down to making the most out of opportunities when presented.

all I know after Smith (AZ) knocked us out in 2012 in low scoring affairs, it was a scoring deluge in the next round.

Haven't commented much here this season, but my thoughts:

*There are clearly some aging Core players. Seabrook has looked slow for the past couple seasons and now Keith appears to be taking a step back whether it's due to a lingering knee injury or just age. I wish I knew what was going on with Toews, but even with scoring 50 something points...I no longer see an ability to drive offense or win board battles with consistency.

*I'm not advocating to dump Quenneville yet, but a lot of these guys have been playing for the same coach now going on several years. Whether they've tuned him out or the systems need tweaking, I don't know. I do know we've seen many of the same failures (PP/PK...I know the assistants work on this, but it's still a Q team), but this team can no longer consistently be a puck possession team. They can no longer get along just on skill.

*I'd be interested in a psychological study of the affects of early success on athletes. Several of these guys got the champions (1, 2, or 3) and got paid at an early age. Do they still have the WILL to win it and to dig deep...or is it been there/done that at this point?

All I know is I saw one team this series who looked like they were ready to go for the grind that is the NHL playoffs and another team who looked like they were skating around in an early season game. I can think of maybe 1 period this entire series where they looked legitimately good and weren't just taking perimeter shots.

Disappointing given all the success of this team, but can't say it's not expected. With the exception of Kane, I'm seeing a group that's clearly looking like they're on the down swing of their careers/window.

The overall level of disrespect to the Preds by the majority of the posters was and is incredible. An intelligent post is as rare as a Chicago sweater at Bridgestone in 2009

What a beat down, total domination. Revenge in part for 2010, 2015, series that you got all the breaks, you got the goals in double and triple OT that easily could have swung the series the other way.

Really going to enjoy this. When does a team ever lose as bad as you did. Historical. Not even a goal on your home ice.

Time to realize the only way the "Hocks" get good again is to get as bad as you were throughout the 2000s to get the #1 picks

Enjoy your ride to the basement and have a Great summer!




- VopatsRash

Maybe if your franchise worried more about the product on the ice instead of preventing Hawks fans from getting seats there they would have reached a conference final by now?

Hey, all opinions are welcome.

To my eye, there are some players who need to be accountable. The head coach and staff. And the GM. All for different specific reasons.

I now DEEPLY REGRET buying in to this team after the TDL after questioning it all season to that point. Should have trusted my initial instincts. This was a team built for regular season/finesse hockey. Too many "learners" on the roster.

And three things I would be looking hard at this morning:

Injury or no, the contract given to Anisimov in 2015 was a big mistake. THEY DID NOT HAVE TO extend him one week after trading for him, when he had a year left on his current deal, for big money with an NMC. He does some things well but he's also slow, terrible on faceoffs and probably untradeable.

The entire Trevor Daley fiasco, from dealing Sharp and Johns to acquiring Scuderi, who the Hawks were STILL paying this year. Was that on Bowman, on Q, on both?

Schmaltz has talent but was not ready this year. Motte was not ready. And you can bet Bowman will be pumping the tires this summer of more kids who are probably better off in Rockford.
- John Jaeckel

Please cut yourself some slack. Hindsight is 20/20. The team gave you enough data to overcome your initial instincts. No more, no less. No one should fault you for changing your mind.

I'm going against the grain a bit here, what I think this team needs is some roster consistency. Year after year at least a couple solid contributors leave the team. You can blame that on Toews and Kane but the reality is that cap purges happened before there $10.5 million contracts kicked in.

We all knew there would be growing pains with so many rookies, I guess we didn't believe all the pain would be saved up for the playoffs.

It's unlikely the Hawks are going to be drafting in the top 5 for a while, so there needs to be another way to improve the supporting case of this team. Does that mean biting the bullet and letting the likes of Hartman and Schmaltz carry a heavier workload (for which they may not be ready) or is is there another solution?
- DarthKane

I believe the solution needs to be more invasive than some tinkering around the edges. A change in culture seems necessary after this series. New coach and/or trade of a core player? Something more significant is required for real and lasting improvement.

I think you guys are drafting around 26? would flipping first round picks 12 for 26 and adding Hellybuyk be enough for Crawford?
- Ross77

Maybe throw in Armia....I think that kid has a lot of potential

I believe the solution needs to be more invasive than some tinkering around the edges. A change in culture seems necessary after this series. New coach and/or trade of a core player? Something more significant is required for real and lasting improvement.
- Chief4Feathers

You could certainly be right, I don't know if there is a clear cut path to recovering from this debacle.

>posted this one the other blog in response to 6628 & Rick J
>I think Lavy studied how Winnipeg played the Hawks the first 4 (?) games this year in the regular season -- believe the Jets won the first 4 games and the Hawks barely scored at all
>Then Lavy probably had some video sessions with his players and said -- "OK, you are Jets player X, etc. -- play the way he did against the Hawks."
>Agree on Q: a players' coach who can ride a great thoroughbred -- and I think being a players' coach caught up with him -- and Bowman -- who "trusted" this core too much
>The Hawks D have had terrible habits since most of last year, but they certainly do not appear to have been corrected.
>Some include: the pairings -- having #2 and #4 together and #4 on his right side -- you can count on one hand the number of forehand direct passes #4 made each game to a forward
>Keith's refusal to actually take all the open ice given to him and instead stand still with the puck, Keith's inability to skate with the puck for more than 3 strides
>The D constantly getting too wide in their own zone -- outside the dots -- when passing the puck D to D -- so easy to forecheck when a Dman is near the boards
>There's a ton more D stuff, but F it
>The inept PP and PK
>The pathetic team face-off ability
>PP, PK, Face-Offs can all be "coached up"
>This was a total org-an-I-zation fail -- something is indeed very wrong
>When players do not play for each other and stick up for each other
>The only player I would absolutely not trade is Patrick Kane

As far as to who is to blame......

1. I think this is a GREAT wake up call for an organization that has been sky high since 2009, and rightfully so. In 2012 they could rebuild on the fly and tweak this or that. Now? Cap is real, room is not there, and you will have subtract a significant piece to get complaint and HOPE you have an internal solutions or targeted CHEAP eternal solutions to get "right".

2. Look at legit young talent that has gone elsewhere. Why? Playing woulda, coulda, shoudla is dangerous, but Kevin Hayes or Vesey would like nice right now over a Schamltz or Rasmussen or even Hartman (who laid a fat turd the past 4 games). Was it being blocked? Was it something else?

3. Decisions on SHaw, Leddy, and Saad. Saad and Leddy wanted money, but decisions were made to keep OUR guy vs THAT guy and it's left them older and slower. panarin subs for Saad, but for all his bonus money, 72 was one of the most disengaged players on the ice all 4 games his quote post game was pure BS.

THis team had zero guys willing to go to the net and score the "hard" playoff goals that advance you deep in the spring.......

4. Bowman/Q are both accountable. If 1 goes, the other should go, but he power struggle games will begin shortly.

5. Players....to a man something stinks in that locker room. IS it wages and guys in middle of pack or lower knowing they are expendable thanks to heavy top end dollars? Is it leadership? Have they tuned out Q? I don't know what it is but since they got their "rest" all have been pure dog poop and that can't be ignored. Coaches are to blame but players after all that talk gave nothing back or showed zero heart or character that my friends.....is the most ALARMING thing I see right now as this season has come crashing to an end.

I'm going against the grain a bit here, what I think this team needs is some roster consistency. Year after year at least a couple solid contributors leave the team. You can blame that on Toews and Kane but the reality is that cap purges happened before there $10.5 million contracts kicked in.

We all knew there would be growing pains with so many rookies, I guess we didn't believe all the pain would be saved up for the playoffs.

It's unlikely the Hawks are going to be drafting in the top 5 for a while, so there needs to be another way to improve the supporting case of this team. Does that mean biting the bullet and letting the likes of Hartman and Schmaltz carry a heavier workload (for which they may not be ready) or is is there another solution?
- DarthKane

I think you are on to something here. And the thing is...even if the 'hawks trade Crawford and Kruger, their replacements have been on the team for a full-year or longer (Kero and Darling). And other than Panik and Darling, who needs to be re-upped? Soupy is probably done. Oduya, I can't imagine he'd be back. So, now you have your top 4 if TvR isn't traded or picked by Vegas. Kempny and Forsling, both of whom got a good taste this year. You can always bring the 3-wheeled cart back (but my guess is, he's retiring) or cherry pick a free agent or two to fill out the 6-7. My point is, of all the lines and d-pairs, even if players are traded or gone, the players behind them aren't rookies, they are at the very least 2nd year players that have tasted the NHL. There are no Schmaltz or Haydens.

Of course, depending on what they do, that can all change. And maybe now the Preds are the team that the baby hawks need to get by?

By the way, congrats to the Preds and good luck in the next round. Except for that troll.

Enjoy taking it up the arse by whichever team you face next. You need legitimate superstars leading the way to win in this league. Whether it's Toews, Kane, Keith, Kopitar, Doughty, Crosby, Malkin, Bergeron, Chara, etc.

Preds don't have a single one. Enjoy this victory because it'll be be the highlight of your season. Making it to the WCF is an accomplishment for the Preds in itself. Can the Preds win more than one series in the playoffs? Lol let's hope so.

Frank off and take your mustard colored sweater elsewhere. Your cousin is calling for you to come back to bed.
- TommyHawk

Seriously? You really think the Preds don't have any stars? I think this proves my point on how you really don't know much about other teams

Josi, Subban and Forberg are World class talents. Rinne probably is too. Wow, even after watch a series with "Hock" glasses on you should be able to see this.

Hocks have major issues on D. Keith is getting old. You really expect to get good again with that mess on the back end?

you are wrong, complete teams that are healthy win in this league, stars are made in the process. Stars = a player stepping up and making the play. Don't count Nashville out, they do have Josi and Rinne, and Arrvidson and Johanson are not bad. What you usually see, the top lines usually cancel each other and it comes down to making the most out of opportunities when presented.

all I know after Smith (AZ) knocked us out in 2012 in low scoring affairs, it was a scoring deluge in the next round.
- Topshelf2010

Josi is a great player. The others (namely Johansen, Arvidsson, and Forsberg) haven't been tested in the playoffs. We'll see how they play moving forward, but they are too dependent on getting offense from their defensemen because they only have their first line to contribute offense. They don't have the scoring depth to roll out all their lines. They've made the most of their opportunities against the Hawks because they were slow, outworked, and didn't care as much as they should have. Don't expect that to happen against other younger, faster, hungrier teams like Edmonton or Anaheim.

Hey man,

I hear ya, but Nashville is then the bar, right?
- John Jaeckel

This year? Yes, maybe. They look like a team that can win the Cup, for sure. And your implication is right -- the Hawks have to elevate their game and talent to that level. You need the entire roster in the post-season, and the Predators entire roster was better than the Blackhawks by a significant margin.

Is Stan's job safe? SHOULD Stan's job be safe--after those horribel contracts and questionable trades?

Is Q's job safe? SHOULD Q's job be safe? If he lacks the players to play his system, thru age or lack of skill, should he change the system?

I understand Dineen is in charge of the PP. if so, he needs to be replaced. The Hawk PP is pathetic. Perimeter passing, looking for a Panarin one-timer, or a Seabrook shot from the point, is NOT an effective PP.

Like it or not, this blue line has gotten exposed. Their old9er) and slow(er). To those who thought it was blasphemous to talk of trading Seabrook--or Keith--what now? Even Joe DiMaggio got old.

Got luck moving Seabrook with that contract.

TVR, with all his warts is a passable #6--on a GOOD TEAM. For 12-15 minutes a night, he's not the problem.

The blue line needs younger...faster...and hopefully bigger D-men.

The centermen--all suck at face offs. I'm looking at you too Toews. The Hawks can't win a face off to safe their testicles.

The wingers....Is Panarin worth a big contract? IMO, no. His defensive weakness were exposed against Nashville. Maybe package Panarin and Crow...for a #1 and a good young Dman?

The only guy who performed--and put forth effort, IMO, was Hossa. Who gives 110% EVERY NIGHT.

Is Kane worth is contract? Hard to say, but like Crosby, he puts up numbers every year.

The Hawks need wingers who can win board battles and loose pucks behind the net. The only wingers that can do that are Hossa and maybe Panik.

Is AA still hurt? Because he, too looked overwhelmed. (and over paid)

Hartman...Schmalrtz **MAY** be good players, in the future. Hartman, IMO, has shown he CAN play in this league. Schmaltz is still a question mark.

Crawford has shown he can be a Cup winning goalie. But, is this team a Cup contender? Going forward? he's 32. With a big contract.

Is there a market for Crawford--hopefully in the East? If you're able to sign Darling to (hopefully) #3 million....and bring in a backup for $1 to $1.5 million...you can spend that savings on a defensmen.

Let's not drink the Kool-Aid and believe this team--as currently constituted--will come back next year to win a Cup. And let's not sip that KoolAind and think Debrincat, all 5'7" 160 pounds of him, is going to win board battles along the wall or behind the net.

We're in cap-hell. There is no quick fix. Nashville exposed how to beat this team....play 5 guys in the neutral zone...take away the stretch pass....and make the hawks play dump and chase--which they can't do. Nashville also exposed the slow footed Dmen the Hawks have. fast wingers routinely went right by guys like Oduya...Campbell...Keith and Seabrook.

Seriously? You really think the Preds don't have any stars? I think this proves my point on how you really don't know much about other teams

Josi, Subban and Forberg are World class talents. Rinne probably is too. Wow, even after watch a series with "Hock" glasses on you should be able to see this.

Hocks have major issues on D. Keith is getting old. You really expect to get good again with that mess on the back end?
- VopatsRash

I completely understand our defense situation. Not pretty.

And the Preds have a terrific defensive corps led by one of the most underrated players in the league.

But you really think Johansen or Forsberg are franchise players? In Nashville's case yes, but they aren't the best players on most teams in the NHL.

A lot of questionable moves supposedly made by Bowman but is he making the moves or does the roundtable have the final say. Q makes a lot of decisions based on his system which is dictated on pace. With all the hard miles, age and complacency this is just not that team anymore. Can Q evolve and work with Stan to change the system with the cupboard bare and the core aging. Just cannot see it. I think one of them takes the fall.

Enjoy taking it up the arse by whichever team you face next. You need legitimate superstars leading the way to win in this league. Whether it's Toews, Kane, Keith, Kopitar, Doughty, Crosby, Malkin, Bergeron, Chara, etc.

Preds don't have a single one. Enjoy this victory because it'll be be the highlight of your season. Making it to the WCF is an accomplishment for the Preds in itself. Can the Preds win more than one series in the playoffs? Lol let's hope so.

Frank off and take your mustard colored sweater elsewhere. Your cousin is calling for you to come back to bed.
- TommyHawk