Ahh Tred. Glad to have you back
- Hossa1881

Somebody has to adopt a "retaliate first"* mentality after that debacle. Particularly when dealing with trolls from these wannabe, half rate franchises.

*Fury Road reference.

If only the Bulls can be as introspective and self critical as the Hawks... Its good to have a standard of excellence to live up to I guess.

Hawks aren't as good as the 107 point west leading them they showed to be, but by the same measure clearly are not as bad as the team that got swept by an 8 seed. It was frustrating and shameful, but no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Its interesting how half of us complain we let too many folks go and there fore there's this bloodletting of talent from the team. Yet the other half, or funnier yet, the same half complain that retaining the same top 4 dmen as we've had for two Cups, they are suddenly old and slow... Do we even know what we want?

The forward talent coming from Rockford is just fine. Hartman, Schmaltz, Kero, Hayden... just what we need - cheaper but with higher ceilings than we've had before with journeymen.

Trade 7, 50 and 16, all for peanuts and find some good d-men and call it a summer.

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

Toews is half a year older than PTR. 30 months older than Tarasenko. Maybe Armie should trade one of them for Maata, TVR or Sheary)? Not only do you get younger but you gain Cup experience (which your franchise has none of).

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.
- riozzo

In the regular season, teams don't have time to plan - and execute a plan - to play one team, whom they see only 2 or 4 times a year - it's a purer hockey season, each team more or less playing to their own strengths, worrying less about what the opponent is doing.

In the play-offs, teams spend one to two weeks with only one other team - several days before planning how to play them, then playing them and making game to game adjustments. Completely focused on only one opponent for 4-7 games.

Nashville had the time to plan for Chicago, and the time to execute the plan - Laviolette and his staff came up with a good one, the players executed it to (almost) perfection over 13 periods.

The question is - why couldn't Q, his staff, and his players figure out how to counter.

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

Tired of this argument - the "ungrateful greedy fans", who should get on their knees (no, no Mike Pence jokes here) and be thankful for past favors.

There is no incompatibility between honoring the 3 in 8 and bemoaning the last two one-and-dones - and criticizing management /coaches/players for recent mistakes and bad play. Especially if you're a paying fan - which, to be honest, I am not.

The only on-ice team I can root for is this year's team - and, now, next year's - and it's not dishonoring the past to analyze the present - and how/why we got here - and the potential for the future.

And trust me - I'm not a millennial.

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.
- -Doh-

You hit the nail on the head with everything. There are a number of ideas floating in Stan's mind. What players he moves is not yet probably crystal clear; however, he might have an order of whom he would prefer to move. I bet the equally big concern to him is how his contemptous relationship with Q plays out. I also cannot imagine by now that he doesn't understand the need to add even one forward and one dman with at minimum 200 pound or more players who are naturally inclined to engage physically. For instance, battle along boards.

Another issue which really bothers me - and not all will agree - is a need to know that you know there are teamattes who will hack and whack the opponent top players the same manner Toews is mugged.

Teams should not be allowed to render a top player much less than he could be and get away with it. Players get paid so well therefore publicly they will usually not blast a coach or GM. They may value their job and its location too much to whistle about this sort of infraction.

All we can do is just wait and see what transpires. We could surmise what players depart but it is purely a guessing game to figure out Stan's course of action. Close your eyes and move your finger over a list of likely players to move along. Any combination of the beloved could sport new uni's[/img]

All these issues we see now go back to the large AAV with NMC deals handed out by Bowman. It puts cap pressure on the rest of the roster, puts more pressure on kids not really ready, forces league-minimum deals and worse of all, forces the few remaining core to pick up the slack.

This is a cap-only post: I was excoriated for even suggesting the 'Hawks figure out a way to sell the experience of continued winning in lieu of higher AAV with NMC clauses. The optics totally changed with the last CBA. Small market owners got in Bettman's ear. Deals like Duncs and Hoss would no longer be allowed. That was HUGE. If you don't think so, look at cap recapture penalties of each of those deals....under the new CBA. Yikes.

Stan and Co didn't convince the stars to take low enough AAV. I know each of those guys could have received more, especially Toews and Kane, on the open market. I get it. However, through 2013's season, only one team won more than once in the cap era. IMO, that wasn't sold to the players. Big ratio, front-loaded deals can't be done as of Jan, 2013. The next thing is to try to lower the AAV, or dare I say, move at least one of the highest AAV's now.

If the kids were allowed to develop longer, even one season longer, how good could they become? Possibly better. And with lesser risk. How could they be allowed to develop longer? By managing the highest salaried players. And giving $4.55M to AA ASAP was taking a big risk.

Why is it CC most talked of being moved? Cuz of the modified NMC. I would bet that is a first order affect. He has grown to be a damned good goalie. And are the 'Hawks truly ready to hand the reigns to Darling? Perhaps, but they may be forced.

But ask yourself this. If the combo of 7, 15, 19, 50 & 88 AAV's were say, $4M less without full NMC's, how would the roster look?

Yes, there are other issues. But this one hits home for me.
- blackhawk24

Great post sir...

I think that Crawford's parade antics and then when he fell after the concert the other year haven't sat too well with the Hawks clean image look they want to project...yet they still employ Bobby Hull...go figure. They also see the potential of Darling and a possible 2 mil in cap space savings.

If Crawford blocks it or he and his agent craft a list to make it more difficult that's totally on Bowman who should have never handed out the NMCs/ NTCs like candy.

Meanwhile with all of the overpriced contracts he's given out based on past performance it was only a matter of time until the reckoning would be upon us. That coupled with multiple bad offseason moves and TDLs and you are where you are.

I find it hard to believe that McD is actually reviewing Stan - he's Scotty's BFF. Bowman isn't going anywhere sadly.

Tired of this argument - the "ungrateful greedy fans", who should get on their knees (no, no Mike Pence jokes here) and be thankful for past favors.

There is no incompatibility between honoring the 3 in 8 and bemoaning the last two one-and-dones - and criticizing management /coaches/players for recent mistakes and bad play. Especially if you're a paying fan - which, to be honest, I am not.

The only on-ice team I can root for is this year's team - and, now, next year's - and it's not dishonoring the past to analyze the present - and how/why we got here - and the potential for the future.

And trust me - I'm not a millennial.
- StLBravesFan

I thought you were a mellinnial....just from a different mellennium.

Great post sir...

I think that Crawford's parade antics and then when he fell after the concert the other year haven't sat too well with the Hawks clean image look they want to project...yet they still employ Bobby Hull...go figure. They also see the potential of Darling and a possible 2 mil in cap space savings.

If Crawford blocks it or he and his agent craft a list to make it more difficult that's totally on Bowman who should have never handed out the NMCs/ NTCs like candy.

Meanwhile with all of the overpriced contracts he's given out based on past performance it was only a matter of time until the reckoning would be upon us. That coupled with multiple bad offseason moves and TDLs and you are where you are.

I find it hard to believe that McD is actually reviewing Stan - he's Scotty's BFF. Bowman isn't going anywhere sadly.
- DK002

If I was Terry Pegula, I would call Scotty and ask him if he was interested in the role of President of Hockey Operation with the Sabres, even for 2-3 years. There isn't a guy in hockey who knows more about the teams and players than he does. And I think he still has a home in Buffalo.

And if that ever happened, there would be some big movement of good hockey people into Buffalo, and some of them from Chicago.

I thought you were a mellinnial....just from a different mellennium.

- DarthKane

I was born about 10,000 years ago
There ain't nothing in the world that I don know....

Darling traded...so timing of blog is kind of funny when you think about it. Crawford not going anywhere.

Darling traded...so timing of blog is kind of funny when you think about it. Crawford not going anywhere.
- onehundredlevel

And rightfully so.

Hurricaines for a third round pick for Crawford. Not bad for an Unrestricted Free Agent.

And rightfully so.
- TommyHawk

Agreed. Two time Stanley Cup winning goalies don't grow on trees.

If Crawford is staying, who's going???
Let the speculation begin

If Crawford is staying, who's going???
Let the speculation begin
- BGKarras

Kruger for sure.

To hell with bowman.... and Crawford can go F*** himself.... wrong move.... period

If Crawford is staying, who's going???
Let the speculation begin
- BGKarras

We are getting Palat.

With the darling trade I would not be surprised if they trade Crawford. They may make a hockey trade for another goalie or try to find two cheap vet goalies.

We are getting Palat.
- 93Joe

Hell yeah, he could of been very useful in our last playoff series

Hurricaines for a third round pick for Crawford. Not bad for an Unrestricted Free Agent.
- onehundredlevel

So the real trade is Darling for Jurco?

Hurricaines for a third round pick for Crawford. Not bad for an Unrestricted Free Agent.
- onehundredlevel

That's Darling that is going for a third round pick, not Crawford.

While not happy about seeing Darling go, it was the right move. Crawford has arguably been the Hawks most valuable player the last few years, outside of Kane.

Would you guys have been comfortable giving the job to a guy who has never ever played even half a season yet in his NHL career?

So much for trading Crawford.....

With the darling trade I would not be surprised if they trade Crawford. They may make a hockey trade for another goalie or try to find two cheap vet goalies.
- ShamRockShark[/quote

Guys....this is not fantasy hockey. Crawford is not going anywhere. If there was slight doubt before, there is none now with the Darling deal. Man...we just got a third round pick for an Unrestricted Free Agent, a guy we were not going to bring back....and people are hung up on Crawford not getting dealt. Unreal.