Wondering who everyone else is "rooting" for to win the Cup now.

If the Pens win it will be 3 in 9 years compared to the Hawks 3 in 6 years but will have back-to-backs.

So then the 2nd question is, if the Pens do win it again, are they "1st Dynasty" of the salary cap era....or are the Hawks or perhaps neither.

Just food for thought as I watch the Cubs club the Reds.
- ILGolfer

Hoping for upsets all over the board. Toronto. Rangers. Edmonton.

Hope the Preds and Pens lose in round 2

Pittsburgh looks better than I thought they were. I really thought the Bluejackets would give them all they could handle and it would be a long series and the Pens crushed them. Washington is having a hard time with Toronto, so if they end up playing the Pens, I have to go with Pittburgh. I don't think the Rangers or the Canadians are a serious threat. Therefore, I go with Pittsburgh in the East.

In the west I have been impressed with St. Louis. The games against the Wild were all close, but the Blues made all the big plays at the right time. Brodeur had really turned Allen's game around and the additions of Perron, and especially Sobotka were big. I see them taking on the Preds in a really tough series. Could depend on how well Rinne plays when he is really challenged because the Hawks barely made him break a sweat. I think Anaheim beats either the Oilers or the Sharks, so I'll take Anaheim to meet the Blues with Anaheim going to the Finals to face the Pens.

Tallon had Florida in great shape before the owner decided to make dumb moves with Rowe & it backfired & he has Tallon back where he is best.

Coach Q should be up for coach of the year with the plie of crap the Bowmans gave him this year.

Stan Bowman is the problem & it is time for him to go!

Bickell contract
Overpaid Crawfraud
Kruger contract
Seabrook contract
Danualt trade
Sharp trade
Scuderi
Rungblad
Jurco


The guys a joke of a GM

Phillip Danault is a damn good hockey player.

Tallon had Florida in great shape before the owner decided to make dumb moves with Rowe & it backfired & he has Tallon back where he is best.

Coach Q should be up for coach of the year with the plie of crap the Bowmans gave him this year.

Stan Bowman is the problem & it is time for him to go!

Bickell contract
Overpaid Crawfraud
Kruger contract
Seabrook contract
Danualt trade
Sharp trade
Scuderi
Rungblad
Jurco


The guys a joke of a GM
- Goalie-33

IMO, he's got one more year to fix the mess the Hawks are currently in. Another short playoff run next season (anything less than Conference Finals) and he will be replaced. I am holding out hope he can make a really solid hockey trade like Panarin Forsking + Crawford for Ekblad + Trocheck or something. Status quo is NOT what the Hawks need

Phillip Danault is a damn good hockey player.
- EnzoD

I hated to see Danault get traded and they hardly even played Weiss anyway.

IMO, he's got one more year to fix the mess the Hawks are currently in. Another short playoff run next season (anything less than Conference Finals) and he will be replaced. I am holding out hope he can make a really solid hockey trade like Panarin Forsking + Crawford for Ekblad + Trocheck or something. Status quo is NOT what the Hawks need
- EnzoD

Yeah, it would be nice to see Uncle Dale help us out again. Do you think he would do Barkov for Tazer, Chicago retains 2M? You gotta think that Dale would love to rebuild around the best draft pick he ever made.

"What is this, five years in a row? I'm sick of it," Haula said. "We're all sick of it."

We better not hit 5 years of disappointment...

"What is this, five years in a row? I'm sick of it," Haula said. "We're all sick of it."

We better not hit 5 years of disappointment...
- riozzo

yes it is 5 years of



2013: lost to hawks in R1, 4-1
2014: lost to hawks in R2: 4-2
2015: lost to hawks in R2: 4-0
2016: lost to stars in R1: 4-2
2017: lost to blues in R1: 4-1

baldy loses another elimination game at home

IMO, he's got one more year to fix the mess the Hawks are currently in. Another short playoff run next season (anything less than Conference Finals) and he will be replaced. I am holding out hope he can make a really solid hockey trade like Panarin Forsking + Crawford for Ekblad + Trocheck or something. Status quo is NOT what the Hawks need
- EnzoD

I'd dump Panarin and give Radulov his $6M for 4 years. That's one Ruskie who busts his butt.

The way we are hamstrung with the these huge no trade me contracts, odds are good 4 will be the one to get moved. How would Q handle that!?
- z1990z

You guys need to just stop with the nonsense of trading Hjalmarsson. He is not going anywhere!!!!! SMH!!!!!

Duncan Keith will be traded before Hjalmarsson is.

I'd dump Panarin and give Radulov his $6M for 4 years. That's one Ruskie who busts his butt.
- RickJ

Talk about a maturation process for Radulov. He was a HUGE bum when he was Panarin's age and didn't put up nearly as many points either. But I agree, he is playing great hockey right now

IMO, he's got one more year to fix the mess the Hawks are currently in. Another short playoff run next season (anything less than Conference Finals) and he will be replaced. I am holding out hope he can make a really solid hockey trade like Panarin Forsking + Crawford for Ekblad + Trocheck or something. Status quo is NOT what the Hawks need
- EnzoD

I think this team needs a big, shake things up, hockey trade this offseason; at least two regulars going each way.

I'd dump Panarin and give Radulov his $6M for 4 years. That's one Ruskie who busts his butt.
- RickJ

He's busting his butt for a big contract just like every other NHL player does a year before approaching the free agent market.

Well for a fan to say that seems fine, but for a player to say that in public doesn't seem fine. He was held in check fairly well along with the rest of he hawks this series, he is paid to win, he lost. He should expect more of that type of hockey in future years against the hawks, as it seems to work against them. It isn't going away. He and the hawks need to focus on how to play better against tight checking teams, not assess the entertainment value of games they just lost. His comments seem too much like a distraction from focusing on hawks poor play and inability to play through close checking.
- bhawk1s

why does this matter? who cares? seriously. It is April 22nd and the Blackhawks have a long offseason (and regular season for that matter) to think about how to beat that style of play in the playoffs. In the meantime, it'll be interesting to see how the NHL TV ratings are with one of the best known teams out in the first round and the boring style of play advancing. There IS something to what Kane said, it has to do with the officiating in the playoffs compared to the regular season. The NHL is a business, if that style of play impacts their bottom line, they'll take notice of its most popular players' comments and perhaps make some changes in the future. Seems to me, Kane is playing the long game here. Good for him.

Talk about a maturation process for Radulov. He was a HUGE bum when he was Panarin's age and didn't put up nearly as many points either. But I agree, he is playing great hockey right now
- EnzoD

Without #47 the Habs are already on the gold course with the Hawks.

He's a UFA and available. Trade Panarin for a modest return and sign him. He'd bust his butt on the forecheck playing with Kane or Toews.

He's busting his butt for a big contract just like every other NHL player does a year before approaching the free agent market.
- Dieselhead

Yup, but the guy can play the NHL game and always could.

>Players deserve well-earned "time off" and to be away from the rink
>What I recall Toews saying one recent off-season was that he "didn't even put skates on until late August" -- let alone train to get better
>Not acceptable at his salary and importance to the franchise
- SnapitUpstairs

Toews needs to 1) get his body healthy, 2) get his body fast, strong, flexible and ready for top performance, and 3) get his mind right. I'm concerned about #1, is it his back or his head (concussions) or both or what? If he can get #1 accomplished, I think he can do 2 & 3.

Without #47 the Habs are already on the gold course with the Hawks.

He's a UFA and available. Trade Panarin for a modest return and sign him. He'd bust his butt on the forecheck playing with Kane or Toews.
- RickJ

Panarin for a highly rated Dman on an ELC and sign Radulov 3 x $6mil sounds good to me!

As A Bowman critic, I was very pleased to hear his presser today, kind of like these guys who mistook their kindness for weakness , or the old , give em enough rope and they'll hang them selves, the team did both.
Hopefully he means business, Say, 2 guys will be traded this summer, Plus some of the young guys may be added to sweeten the deals for A) a top end LW for Toews, ( Landeskog, Hall type ) B) a young D man that can move.
Crow will be theGoalie, Darlings rights will be moved at the draft.
Gonna sit back and see how this shakes out. Sounds like only z19&88 are safe, everyone else on the table. And if that High end LW costs Panerin, so be it!

Does anyone really see any major lineup changes to the Hawks for next season. I sure don't!

I hated to see Danault get traded and they hardly even played Weiss anyway.
- jhawk159

That one still burns

Panarin for a highly rated Dman on an ELC and sign Radulov 3 x $6mil sounds good to me!
- EnzoD

I don't know what you can get for Panarin because the obtaining team might worry he'd run home to the KHL. But I'd bet the Rangers would think hard about doing Rick Nash for #72. Hard to make the money work tho - Nash is playing great too in this series.

I don't know what you can get for Panarin because the obtaining team might worry he'd run home to the KHL. But I'd bet the Rangers would think hard about doing Rick Nash for #72. Hard to make the money work tho - Nash is playing great too in this series.
- RickJ

I like your original suggestion last week, Panerin for Taylor Hall. I'd surely check into that one is I was SB. I guess Hall not thrilled with being in NJ and didn't see it coming last summer. I am sure he would welcome a move to Chicago and a chance to play with Jonathen Toews.

I don't know what you can get for Panarin because the obtaining team might worry he'd run home to the KHL. But I'd bet the Rangers would think hard about doing Rick Nash for #72. Hard to make the money work tho - Nash is playing great too in this series.
- RickJ

Really can't see them trading Panerin,
Kane would be pissed , they're arguably the best duo in hockey, Kane has had carrier years since he's played with him. And you have to wonder if Panerin had come over a couple years earlier if Kane didn't have a couple heart trophies and scoring titles by now.
And if they don't go anywhere next year or he's invisible in the playoffs you trade him in his last year of the the contract.