nice doing business with ya.
- Tumbleweed

A pleasure as always.

You know the old saying: "Show me a great coach and I will show you a great goaltender" (or Sidney Crosby or Tom Brady)
- RickJ

or michael jordon or scottie pippen
or kobe bryant and shaq...

phil jackson knows who coat tails to ride

Tweaked Blackhawks lines:
DeBrincat-Toews-Duclair
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Schmaltz-Hinostroza
Sharp-Kampf-Wingels

New Blackhawks pairings:
Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Oesterle
Gustafsson-Seabrook

So, you ignite Kane's offense by giving him a couple of players who are hit-or-miss in that regard?

Again, no longer really matters, so maybe just trying to see who can do what.

Tweaked Blackhawks lines:
DeBrincat-Toews-Duclair
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Schmaltz-Hinostroza
Sharp-Kampf-Wingels

So, you ignite Kane's offense by giving him a couple of players who are hit-or-miss in that regard?

Again, no longer really matters, so maybe just trying to see who can do what.
- pdx2ord

might as well have moe-curly-larry....

Good...

Anton Forsberg first off the ice. He's your starter tonight.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) February 8, 2018

This is only in my own opinion. DeBrincat is good, but he still doesn't look like the complete package out there on the ice. I mean, he finds those soft areas and has a great shot if they can set him up (something Toews and Duclair did a lot last game). He has shown some playmaking skill, and has battled hard most of the time. Still looks like he needs to work on his skating and strength. Don't get me wrong, he is having a nice rookie season, but like you mentioned there are growing pains and he needs to develop that experience.

I still think it would have been nice to let him develop a year down in the AHL, but the Hawks needed scoring wingers and he has that shot.

I'd to see him play with Kane.

i.e.

AD - Toews - Kane
AD - Schmaltz - Kane
AD - AA - Kane

any of those 3 would be fine in my books.
- breadbag

2nd on the team in scoring with 19 goals and you wish he was in the AHL?? Come on man! He's a 5'6"
Sniper that plays with heart and isn't afraid to get knocked on his ass going into corners for the puck. Every player has flaws and he's never going to be a 200ft Selke winner. He's a scorer, and that Hawks don't have enough of it. If you want to trade him for Hanafin, I'm on board, otherwise he's a keeper IMO. He's 19....

Tweaked Blackhawks lines:
DeBrincat-Toews-Duclair
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Schmaltz-Hinostroza
Sharp-Kampf-Wingels

New Blackhawks pairings:
Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Oesterle
Gustafsson-Seabrook

So, you ignite Kane's offense by giving him a couple of players who are hit-or-miss in that regard?

Again, no longer really matters, so maybe just trying to see who can do what.
- pdx2ord

Seems like an attempt to get Saad going with two guys who have been producing most of the Hawks offense lately in Schmaltz and Hinostroza.

Seems like an attempt to get Saad going with two guys who have been producing most of the Hawks offense lately in Schmaltz and Hinostroza.
- EnzoD

Ah, very good point. . .if the trial balloons in the media about trading him are real, then they do need to see if he'll respond before making that decision.

Ah, very good point. . .if the trial balloons in the media about trading him are real, then they do need to see if he'll respond before making that decision.
- pdx2ord

I just don't see them trading Saad at his lowest possible trade value...but I didn't see them trading Panarin or Hjalmarsson either....

2nd on the team in scoring with 19 goals and you wish he was in the AHL?? Come on man! He's a 5'6"
Sniper that plays with heart and isn't afraid to get knocked on his ass going into corners for the puck. Every player has flaws and he's never going to be a 200ft Selke winner. He's a scorer, and that Hawks don't have enough of it. If you want to trade him for Hanafin, I'm on board, otherwise he's a keeper IMO. He's 19....
- EnzoD

No thanks, but that's more a team need thing than a knock against DeBrincat. Kid's going to be a stud scorer for a long time.

I just don't see them trading Saad at his lowest possible trade value...but I didn't see them trading Panarin or Hjalmarsson either....
- EnzoD

Good point about trading somebody while his value is lowest. Saad is not a bad player. We know what he can do. He is going through a slump. He will come out of it.

I just don't see them trading Saad at his lowest possible trade value...but I didn't see them trading Panarin or Hjalmarsson either....
- EnzoD

Seems unlikely that Bowman would be willing to trade Saad already. Throwing in the towel on the Panarin trade wouldn't be a good look for him.

No thanks, but that's more a team need thing than a knock against DeBrincat. Kid's going to be a stud scorer for a long time.
- PepinoPamplemousse

Ya I figured as much but lacking a Hanafin type young Dman is really what ails the Hawks. But they also can't score more than 2 goals a game so really they're lacking both offensively, defensively, and in net (without Crawford)....hence last place.

This is interesting: Marcus Kruger has been placed on waivers by Carolina. #Blackhawks 

Interesting waiver day: Smith (NYR), Kruger & Jooris (CAR)

Canes just put Kruger and Josh Jooris on waivers.

Opening up roster spots. Something's in the works.

RE: Ek's post on Saad:

I would be surprised to see Saad shipped out of Chicago.

The majority of the team has had a rough year, and in Saad's case, it's been a combination of bad puck luck and lack of ability to finish at times.

He's advanced stats have been great, however, the results have not.

The only way I see the Hawks moving on from him would be for a young(er), mobile top 4 defenceman (or a defender with top 4 potential) in return.

EK...Reporting that the Habs have reached out regarding Saad....Hmmmm
I said last week Stanblow would trade Saad in the summer now this interesting....

Canes just put Kruger and Josh Jooris on waivers.

Opening up roster spots. Something's in the works.
- PepinoPamplemousse

How has Kruger done this season so far? I saw that he was -6 which is unusual, but +/- is a finicky stat. 55% faceoff percentage has to be ok though, right? At least enough to merit a spot on the team.

How has Kruger done this season so far? I saw that he was -6 which is unusual, but +/- is a finicky stat. 55% faceoff percentage has to be ok though, right? At least enough to merit a spot on the team.
- TexasHawk

He got hurt earlier and has been next to useless for about a month.

He has managed all of three shots in the last 15 games.

He was real effective early in the year, but as it's gone on he's become nothing more than a guy who can take a faceoff and we have plenty of guys who can do that.

We're running Staal-Lindholm-Rask-Ryan down the middle now. Kruger is just redundant at best.

The crack in that rationale is the idea that a new GM comes in and completely retools the team, even when brought in mid-season, and that's why they start winning. Pens bounced back quickly after Sullivan came mid-season. As apparently, did the Bruins with Julien's ouster:

The Boston Bruins fired Claude Julien a year ago yesterday. They are 51-19-9 since. Thats a solid 111 points in 79 games.

This season is a wash, though I would like to see how the team would respond to a change behind the bench.

I don't think there is a person on this board who is ungrateful to Q for everything he brought to the city and team. No one is taking away from Q's accomplishments to suggest his effectiveness as a coach HERE may be waning or gone. His alleged battles with his GM probably don't help the situation.
- pdx2ord

Julien is not really on the same level as Q. Hitchcock might be a better analogy.

Tweaked Blackhawks lines:
DeBrincat-Toews-Duclair
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Schmaltz-Hinostroza
Sharp-Kampf-Wingels

New Blackhawks pairings:
Keith-Murphy
Kempny-Oesterle
Gustafsson-Seabrook

So, you ignite Kane's offense by giving him a couple of players who are hit-or-miss in that regard?

Again, no longer really matters, so maybe just trying to see who can do what.
- pdx2ord

Oh god, Kempny-Oesterle? I am not excited to see that pairing.

He got hurt earlier and has been next to useless for about a month.

He has managed all of three shots in the last 15 games.

He was real effective early in the year, but as it's gone on he's become nothing more than a guy who can take a faceoff and we have plenty of guys who can do that.

We're running Staal-Lindholm-Rask-Ryan down the middle now. Kruger is just redundant at best.
- PepinoPamplemousse

Nordstrom still playing? I remember Nordstrom being basically a replica of kruger in playing style but not a center.

2nd on the team in scoring with 19 goals and you wish he was in the AHL?? Come on man! He's a 5'6"
Sniper that plays with heart and isn't afraid to get knocked on his ass going into corners for the puck. Every player has flaws and he's never going to be a 200ft Selke winner. He's a scorer, and that Hawks don't have enough of it. If you want to trade him for Hanafin, I'm on board, otherwise he's a keeper IMO. He's 19....
- EnzoD

He's also second in the league in rookies goal scoring. The AHL isn't even an option for this kid.

He got hurt earlier and has been next to useless for about a month.

He has managed all of three shots in the last 15 games.

He was really effective early in the year, but as it's gone on he's become nothing more than a guy who can take a faceoff and we have plenty of guys who can do that.

We're running Staal-Lindholm-Rask-Ryan down the middle now. Kruger is just redundant at best.
- PepinoPamplemousse

Yea, goals never really were Kruger's thing. Post wrist injury, he really wasn't that same player that Chicago fell in love with.

Must be nice to have center depth, can't imagine what that's like.