What was interesting to me was that PK was virtually non-existent in the first round. The other guys were the ones who stepped up and delivered.

Even the Pred's jabronis were playing well.
- Hank3Henshaw

I was impressed that Subban wasn't noticeable v hawks. Thought it was a good indication that he was being a team player and the Preds were playing a complete team game. When PK feels like he has to do it all the teams in trouble. PK didn't have to be noticeable or do it all to win v Hawks.

Johansen is going to cash in. He dominated Toews.

I don't disagree with your post.

well done.....
- SteveRain

Guys....let me know when the Preds win three cups. Until that time those Pred. players are just wanabees. They can kiss our championship rings.

Guys....let me know when the Preds win three cups. Until that time those Pred. players are just wanabees. They can kiss our championship rings.
- onehundredlevel

But they got the Hawks off of their backs after a couple of play-off exits at the skates of our heroes.

As did St. Louis last year.

If next year's tournament matches Chicago against Minnesota, be afraid....

Thinking out loud. Would hawks fans do the following.

Trade Toews to LV for

Vegas 1st round this year
Choice of who Vegas selects from Chicago
Gets to pick 2 players from the list of all available players to be include in the trade
- Gerk

A year ago I'd never have considered it. It would give the Hawks essentially a shot at getting out from underneath that deal and flip the script on being right up against the Cap.

It would signal a mini rebuild at the least.

A year ago I'd never have considered it. It would give the Hawks essentially a shot at getting out from underneath that deal and flip the script on being right up against the Cap.

It would signal a mini rebuild at the least.
- HawkintheD

As pointed out by some of the board vets - McD would never go for it as long as 19 is a marketing tool. By the time, that changes its too late...

Ask mommy to buy one of these.

Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies

https://www.amazon.com/Te...mies-Tracey/dp/0764540432
- tredbrta

Ahh Tred. Glad to have you back

mike yeo is a dynamic coach ehhh...the guy who got fired from the wild after losing 3 strt playoffs to the hawks...

lavi is a good coach...dynamic??? hardly
- bogiedoc

Yes, "Dynamic" in that they change up their game plans if they are not working. Q stubbornly stuck with his Puck Control game even after the Control part was gone. Yes. "Dynamic" in that regard.

Guys....let me know when the Preds win three cups. Until that time those Pred. players are just wanabees. They can kiss our championship rings.
- onehundredlevel

Much the same way this season's HAWKS were wannabes. Last year's HAWKS were left wanting as well. Bringing up past glory is for another conversation -- like Cup Nostalgia. It's "What Have You Done For Us Lately?" -- and rightfully so.

As pointed out by some of the board vets - McD would never go for it as long as 19 is a marketing tool. By the time, that changes its too late...
- riozzo

Just saying Pujols was a marketing tool as well but circumstances change.

All hypothetical but gives you a chance to fix cap issue. Also gives you chance to get younger and even "take" something from division opponents. Pouliot, Martinez, Jarnkrok, Namestnikov all possible forward options.

Could get a Dumba, de Haan for back line.

This would easily free you up to make other moves if you like too.

Just saying Pujols was a marketing tool as well but circumstances change.

All hypothetical but gives you a chance to fix cap issue. Also gives you chance to get younger and even "take" something from division opponents. Pouliot, Martinez, Jarnkrok, Namestnikov all possible forward options.

Could get a Dumba, de Haan for back line.

This would easily free you up to make other moves if you like too.
- Gerk

Your logic seems sound, but your dealing with what seems like irrational people.

You are what your record says you are, so I'm not getting why or how a 106 point team, a team who led their conference in points, can get so thoroughly dismantled in the first round. Was the regular season an accident, or what?

Win the Cup everyone is too busy celebrating to criticize.
Lose in the 1st round one year, start looking closer, but it was a very close series and could have been a fluke.
Lose in the 1st round two years in a row, drill down deep, some angers flare, some embarrassment, some heads must roll.
Not surprising at all.

They need to move one or two big salaries. Possibility of moving Crow needs to at least be considered and explored. Same as moving Kruger, Seabs, Anisimov, Hjalmarsson. I think Toews, Kane and Keith are safe this year.

While posters are panicking, the Bowman(s) are not. They will look at every possible way to make the club better. Trades, drafts, signings.

A month ago when the Hawks were overtaking the Wild and the kids were playing pretty well posters were trying to figure out who the Hawks would play in the Cup final. Q was praised for winning the Western Conference with a bunch of young guys. Bowman was being praised for assembling the deepest defense the Hawks have ever had. How quickly things change.

Is there some cause for concern? Sure. I am not going to blast the Bowman's, Q, the core, and the young players. Three cups in eight seasons buys them a little more time in my book. They have the core and the goaltending (Crow or Darling). They will need Panik (if signed) Hayden, Hartman, Schmaltz, Kempny (if signed), Forsling to get improve. They probably will need a surprise like Debrincat, Shalunov, Motte, Fortin or others to be as good or better than advertised.

This blog is insane from now through the middle of October. Chill out.

Much the same way this season's HAWKS were wannabes. Last year's HAWKS were left wanting as well. Bringing up past glory is for another conversation -- like Cup Nostalgia. It's "What Have You Done For Us Lately?" -- and rightfully so.
- IndyRN

Well there are 30 NHL teams all competing to win the Cup. You can't win every year. I can go to my grave knowing the Hawks won me three cups. Pred. fans cannot. Nobody wins every year. Hell....the Cubs finally won after losing 108 years.

don't be greedy. Be happy with what they have won for you. It's not our birthright as fans to win every year. That is not how it works.

Are you a millennial by any chance?

You are what your record says you are, so I'm not getting why or how a 106 point team, a team who led their conference in points, can get so thoroughly dismantled in the first round. Was the regular season an accident, or what?
- Kewl1

Think of it as two different sports. And this is NOT why the hawks lost. In the regular season interference and hooking are called with greater propensity opening up between the blue lines to increase scoring as a way to gain viewers. During the Playoffs the refs gag on their whistles as the NHL knows we tune in for Playoff hockey.

First, I want to say I appreciate each of their Cup wins. I never thought I'd see one, let alone three.

But.....

For a team with as much talent as anyone in the league, they should be making cups runs, not two consecutive first round exits. You can't lean on the Cup wins forever. There is a failure somewhere along the way, and when you're window is open, they owe it to the fans to address that failure (hint: it wasn't talent). They owe it to us not to be complacent. You never hear the Pats talking about the last one, always the next one. The time is now, which is why I couldn't blame Bowman for forking over picks/prospects.

Another surprise: next year they will have a less talented team!

So, if you're okay with getting embarrassed out of the playoffs, you would be okay with the Hawks staying course. You might also be a Bears fan that still talks about the '85 SB.

In a somewhat note: in the '85 Bears 30 for 30 many of those players are still pissed they didn't win more than 1 SB
- Antz96

I think that's what cheezes me the most--they WAY they lost. It looked like they didn't even try. C'mon, stop with the 'system' --these are professionals, they don't know how to dump and chase???? NO EXCUSE for a 106 point team to go out like that. The roster was good enough to win the Cup. McD is pi***d and I don't blame him. I am too. There's never an excuse for lack of effort

I think that's what cheezes me the most--they WAY they lost. It looked like they didn't even try. C'mon, stop with the 'system' --these are professionals, they don't know how to dump and chase???? NO EXCUSE for a 106 point team to go out like that. The roster was good enough to win the Cup. McD is pi***d and I don't blame him. I am too. There's never an excuse for lack of effort

- Kewl1

Someone tells me their are pissed off, I think - wow, they just woke up and paid attention to their job. This train-wreck did not sneak around a curve...

I think targeting some two way forwards who are quick and can play C/W would be a good area of focus. Faceoffs are lacking on this team... can't keep relying to 19 and 16.

Maybe another look at Duchene is possible. Maybe. A Cody Eakin type forward might be valuable also. Top 3 is still solid despite the knicks and bruises... might be time to get a bit younger on the backend also. Draft should be interesting!

Someone tells me their are pissed off, I think - wow, they just woke up and paid attention to their job. This train-wreck did not sneak around a curve...
- riozzo

well I think a 106 point team getting bludgeoned in the first round is 'sneaking around a curve'
Embarrassing is what it was. It's one thing to get beat, quite another to be humiliated...

Well there are 30 NHL teams all competing to win the Cup. You can't win every year. I can go to my grave knowing the Hawks won me three cups. Pred. fans cannot. Nobody wins every year. Hell....the Cubs finally won after losing 108 years.

don't be greedy. Be happy with what they have won for you. It's not our birthright as fans to win every year. That is not how it works.

Are you a millennial by any chance?
- onehundredlevel

Not a millennial. I've been following the HAWKS since 1957; 1st game 1964; 2 years of SRO and single seats; season tickets from 1967 through 1997; I don't miss any televised games; lived in Indianapolis since 1998, and when one of the local channels opted out of carrying HAWKS games the few times they're on WGN, I've NHL Streamed them to my PC. Point is that I've seen many HAWKS games and I appreciate solid efforts -- win or lose. I don't accept excuses for poor efforts. We've all seen how the HAWKS managed to piss away games that should have been wins -- and there's just no excusing that. I don't take any consolation from what they've done in the past -- especially 2 first round eliminations, and I don't like to think about going to my grave -- that'll happen when it happens and, when it does, I probably won't be thinking about the Blackhawks.

well I think a 106 point team getting bludgeoned in the first round is 'sneaking around a curve'
Embarrassing is what it was. It's one thing to get beat, quite another to be humiliated...
- Kewl1

More pundents than not picked the preds. Why? an archaic blue-line and a boat full of rookies and young 2nd year players, AA still hurt and should have sat, and what ever crawled up Toews behind...

D average age iced in playoffs - 30.86

This beatdown shouild not come as a suprise when you take the time to peel back the onion. We including my self were drinking the tasty koolaid.

Until proven otherwise, I am not expecting a blockbuster trade. Stan Bowman has not shown the ability to shed Cap Space and get anything of value back via trade, even for players with fair AAV and lots of value to a hockey team. Given the saturated goalie market, I don't expect anyone giving up much to take Crawford's full $6mil off Stan's books. Should be interesting....

Its an ethnicity - Your comments are still offensive. In your free time check out the nationality of who is sitting on top of the scoring leaders board...

Panarin did not disappear because of his race or his ethnicity - he disappeared because the Preds out played his one and only move - top of the left circle one timer...

It also appears that 7 Americans, 7-8 Canadians, 4-5 Swede's, 3 Slovak's and a few other nationalities disappeared - so again what does Panarin being Russian have to do with his horrendous playoff performance?
- riozzo

They weren't my comments (the ones you posted about originally).... and in my question to you about Russian being a race I pointed out there were exceptions... So I guess I am only a little ethnicistic (according to your moral scorecard).

Also BTW, I'd take the Kuznetsov I saw playing last night over almost any player on the Hawks roster. I also like Kucherov's call out of the Lightning. That said, there is that stigma - IMO a justifiable one - that has been around for decades. Even big names like Ovie and Malkin have received that criticism in past years. Some of their players think the Olympics is the big ring. Panarin, I hope, isn't that player.

I was impressed that Subban wasn't noticeable v hawks. Thought it was a good indication that he was being a team player and the Preds were playing a complete team game. When PK feels like he has to do it all the teams in trouble. PK didn't have to be noticeable or do it all to win v Hawks.
- Marlowe

I was more impressed that the entire Hawks team wasn't noticeable. Somebody PLEASE tell me what's so FRANKING HARD about winning a face off? Is it some mysterious skill or what? Substitute brooms for sticks and it's just sweeping the floor. These guys are earning a bazzillion dollars a year but winning a face off? Sorry mon, we just can't do it.
grrrrrrrrrrr

A year ago I'd never have considered it. It would give the Hawks essentially a shot at getting out from underneath that deal and flip the script on being right up against the Cap.

It would signal a mini rebuild at the least.
- HawkintheD

That wouldn't be getting out from underneath. It would be a white flag... and his post was an insult.

If you're going to surrender to get out of a deal I would hope it would be Seabs.

... and I don't see Toews being Dustin Brown. He will be probably do anything this off season to come back stronger than ever. He may need to learn to sit longer when injured though... Maybe another season like this one and I may change my mind.

Johansen is going to cash in. He dominated Toews.

I don't disagree with your post.

well done.....
- SteveRain

Hopefully, another fat offer sheet their cash strapped franchise can't afford and Poile has to go beg the general partners to chip in again (which they won't after doing it for Weber)... Just so Vaporash will cry.