The Wild's HB blogger shared in his recent blog that there's a trade rumor that would send Coyle to the Habs. He mentions Plekanec, Shaw, and Danault as the possible return but isn't clear if it would be a 1 for 1 trade or Coyle for all 3 of them. I doubt it's the latter which is an overpay by the Habs, IMHO.

On somewhat related yet interesting note, yesterday the Habs HB blogger projected Montreal's 1st line and had Danault as the center.

If you want more confirmation that the marketing machine is revving up, Tommy Hawk was on my wife's Metra this morning, handing out Hawk jerseys (sticker price $215!) to the commuters. My wife got a Kaner jersey, as we didn't have that one yet.

As for the theory of STH leaving Chicago, makes some sense. Boomers are retiring, and often they go to warmer climates after that. That means tickets to Hawks/Coyotes games there should be even more expensive.
- 333inthe3rd

Boomers have been retiring for years (since 2008). More recently --- and a Hawks potential fall magnifies this --- is IL as a whole had more folks move out of state per capita, than any other state. Another poster jokingly mentioned the pop tax. That is a symptom of a much greater fiscal issue. Even where I live in McHenry County, the push for greater revenue flow than previous years has amped up. Some folks like me won't stay. As much as I love my home, I can get another one in TX.

What would the Hawks have to give up to get a legit 4D?
- tvetter

I'd bet a 1st round pick, Forsling and Debrincat

Any update on the pursuit of Will Butcher, the soon to be free agent Dman
- ksilvy58

Not much rumors should start to pop tomorrow:

NHL teams hold NCAA players' rights "through and including" Aug. 15 so midnight tonight is the first time other teams can express interest.

https://blackhawkup.com/2...cher-watch-in-full-swing/

I'd bet a 1st round pick, Forsling and Debrincat
- EnzoD

At that price, I would rather have them sign Cody Franson or Roman Polak off the FA heap.

I'm going to disagree here. This seems to be the consensus by everybody but I'm still going to maintain that Kempney will be a good #4. IMO, the priority lies in either a strong #2 LW for Kane and AA, or a strong faceoff center for L2 and move AA to 2LW. I see a significant decline in Kane's numbers without one or the other, and plugging in Schmaltz, Hartman, or anybody else is looking for trouble. Hopefully I'm wrong here but with the question mark still on 19, even with Saad back, we can not afford to lose significant offense from Kane's line as well. Panarin's finesse and chemistry with Kane can not be denied and he will be missed.
- Hawkytalk

All that finesse and chemistry didn't really translate to many more points. 2 seasons ago was the best jump, but last season was back to Kane's normal, and you've arguably gotten better and higher point potential back on line 1, so it will most likely be a wash. It's a lot harder to mask a bad defense than it is to score on a line with Patrick Kane.

and on another note, John I tried googling but what is STH

that moved out of Chicago?

I tried googling with no success.
- wiz1901

I struggled with that too for a minute...season ticket holders.

At that price, I would rather have them sign Cody Franson or Roman Polak off the FA heap.
- biskit67

But that would be the price for a young guy with Top Pairing upside like my new favorite American Dman....Jacob Trouba. Some of the names on Vegas would be significantly cheaper to acquire, I'd guess.

But that would be the price for a young guy with Top Pairing upside like my new favorite American Dman....Jacob Trouba. Some of the names on Vegas would be significantly cheaper to acquire, I'd guess.
- EnzoD

And be a 4D, assuming Murphy is a 3D??

The real number to look at is percent of seating capacity, which exceeds 111% since 2008-09, inclusive. Molson Centre seating is 21,273 and they have no SRO. Having been there only once (like here, I enjoyed the old place better) there is literally no significant SRO room like UC.
- blackhawk24

I think they include the outdoor games in the attendance figures, somewhat skewing the %.

Ticket demand will vary year to year and obviously losing the way the Hawks have hasn't helped, but I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the rising ticket prices. Average price has what? Doubled in the last 10 years? I think the Hawks have a long way to go to be in trouble selling tickets, but no surprise the demand may have peaked a couple years ago. The Hawks have arguably been considered a dynasty (not debating, but saying it has been argued) over 2009-15 and no doubt some of that shine has worn off. There are die hard fans that will appreciate the cup wins of 2010/13/15 but sports is all about "what have you done for me lately?"
- breadbag

Sorry to disagree but I firmly believe that they will have significant trouble selling tickets next year if they don't have a big run in the playoffs, or GOD forbid, miss entirely. 2 consecutive 1st round exits with the 2 highest paid players is a formula for major decline in overall interest. Superstars or not, this organization realizes the need for " Winning " because of the 3 CUPS. The standard for success has been set, the prices are out of sight, and without a winning atmosphere, it won't matter if Kane and Toews are still superstars or not. They MUST compete strongly and WIN. At least that's how I feel as a STH.

The Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita days were great as well but the prices of going to a game were considerably different back then. Our mezzanine tickets were $3.00 apiece back in 1964 and the stadium was always full. Now..... at current pricing....I won't pay to see superstars unless the TEAM is a winner. That should be current day philosophy from management....... and I think it is.

Like you, I need to keep an eye on tickets, attendance, secondary market, dynamic pricing, etc. While I don't foresee a lot of turnover down in the lower level corner, a poor showing this season will open the floodgates. Majority in attendance are not diehards, they're bandwagoners. Hence the promo's you hear spoken of at the beginning of the blog.
- blackhawk24

Been that way for years. Posted 5 years or so ago that as soon as the hawks are just average those people are adios mf'rs. And with the prices, management had to know that was coming. If they are as good at marketing as they have been given credit for it shouldn't be a big deal.

I'd bet a 1st round pick, Forsling and Debrincat
- EnzoD

That is RIDICULOUS !!!!! Stick with Kempey and coach him up to progress. He has all the tools.

I think they include the outdoor games in the attendance figures, somewhat skewing the %.
- StLBravesFan

They could only do that for the two times the Hawks hosted an outdoor game, then.

and on another note, John I tried googling but what is STH

that moved out of Chicago?

I tried googling with no success.
- wiz1901

Season Ticket Holder

All that finesse and chemistry didn't really translate to many more points. 2 seasons ago was the best jump, but last season was back to Kane's normal, and you've arguably gotten better and higher point potential back on line 1, so it will most likely be a wash. It's a lot harder to mask a bad defense than it is to score on a line with Patrick Kane.
- JRoenick97

t l

It didn't translate to many more points because the first line didn't perform due to 19.
Without the Kane, Panarin, Anisimov line, this team will have missed the playoffs by a ton.

Sorry to disagree but I firmly believe that they will have significant trouble selling tickets next year if they don't have a big run in the playoffs, or GOD forbid, miss entirely. 2 consecutive 1st round exits with the 2 highest paid players is a formula for major decline in overall interest. Superstars or not, this organization realizes the need for " Winning " because of the 3 CUPS. The standard for success has been set, the prices are out of sight, and without a winning atmosphere, it won't matter if Kane and Toews are still superstars or not. They MUST compete strongly and WIN. At least that's how I feel as a STH.

The Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita days were great as well but the prices of going to a game were considerably different back then. Our mezzanine tickets were $3.00 apiece back in 1964 and the stadium was always full. Now..... at current pricing....I won't pay to see superstars unless the TEAM is a winner. That should be current day philosophy from management....... and I think it is.
- Hawkytalk

Totally agree. Ticket prices far outpaced inflation from the year you cite. Like I mentioned earlier, a bad year will result in a serious STH exodus. Key number to watch is the wait list. Cubs went through this in the early Rickett years and into the beginning of the Theo era.

They could only do that for the one time the Hawks hosted an outdoor game, then.
- L_B_R

Yes - apparently UC hockey capacity is only 19,717 (over 22,000 with standing room.

I thought it was higher.

Question: if the Hawks are able to acquire an experienced and solid blueliner, would the best option be to (A) pair that player with Seabrook to form a really strong 2nd pair (assuming Keith and Murphy are the 1st pair), OR (B) have that player anchor the 3rd pair then put a youngster like Kempny with Seabrook and the another youngster like Forsling or Rutta with the newly acquired player?

If one of the reasons why we need a 4D is to help stabilize the blueline as a whole by making sure none of the youngsters play top 4 minutes, then what about the 3rd pair? That would leave the 3rd pair to be filled by the same players we don't want playing 2nd pair. So would it be best to do option B?

What isn't good about option B is that there has been much discussed on these boards about Seabrook's defensive game taking a hit because he has had to play babysitter to inexperienced defenders and cover their mistakes.

t l

It didn't translate to many more points because the first line didn't perform due to 19.
Without the Kane, Panarin, Anisimov line, this team will have missed the playoffs by a ton.
- Hawkytalk

Toews was down a whole 8 points from 2014-15. I was talking specifically about line 2. My point is Kane will still score at the same rate he always has, and only 2015-16 did he have a significant jump. The added points form Saad will be a balancer. 4D is much more of a question mark.

I think they include the outdoor games in the attendance figures, somewhat skewing the %.
- StLBravesFan

Very little impact to % capacity from the Wrigley and Soldier games. Not sure how the league handles each. But for poops and grins, we were looking at about 41,000 for Wrigley 1/1/09 and 63,000 for Soldier 3/1/14.

Yes - apparently UC hockey capacity is only 19,717 (over 22,000 with standing room.

I thought it was higher.
- StLBravesFan

20,500 when it opened. Had a couple walk-throughs when doing/re-doing STH locations. Think the drop to 19,717 was when they did those 300-level "corner bars".

The Wild's HB blogger shared in his recent blog that there's a trade rumor that would send Coyle to the Habs. He mentions Plekanec, Shaw, and Danault as the possible return but isn't clear if it would be a 1 for 1 trade or Coyle for all 3 of them. I doubt it's the latter which is an overpay by the Habs, IMHO.

On somewhat related yet interesting note, yesterday the Habs HB blogger projected Montreal's 1st line and had Danault as the center.
- AEL_Fox

It's have to be a one-for-one because Coyle isn't worth all that, the Habs would be down a center, and the Wild don't have the cap space to take on all those guys.

Lack of ticket demand makes Season Tickets expendable for the fans. You got season tickets to know and guarantee playoff tickets for a long playoff run. It is clear, the guarantee of playing into June is a thing of the past. Therefor, the ticket demand has hit a stand still. For the true Hawk fans that have done nothing but complained about prices,you could see yourself walking into a game with two tickets for under 100 bucks in the 300 level this year.

At that price, I would rather have them sign Cody Franson or Roman Polak off the FA heap.
- biskit67

Although his skating was exposed in the SCF in 2016, having Polak as a 6th defenseman would be nice as to having some sandpaper on the blue line. Coach Q likes those types looking at Walker, Boynton and Brookbank.