If pitt offered a 1st for AA along with either Haglin or cole plus a good prospect

what about if Toronto offered for Keith for 1st, Timothy Liljegren and travis McDermott a kapanen and martin 2.5 for 3 more years.
- kmw4631

I think Duncan Keith is going to retire with Chicago.

If Chicago was going to to trade Artem Anisimov, I think they should get a defenceman in return, the Hawks give up a lot of shots.

First year in a long time the Hawks have looked this bad. They simply don't have the horses in the stable right now to compete. I think firing McD would be extreme. He was a huge factor in the rebirth of this franchise. If the Hawks missing the playoffs this year allows them to go on another 5-6 year run coming up (hoping of course they can retool it this off season and the experience gained this year will pay huge dividends for the youngsters), then I am fine with it. It sucks because I expect a team with Kane and Toews to be in the playoffs every year, but assuming that their core can play and be successful with just about anybody is naive.
- frafra

You really believe that? Okay

Goalie 33 - I mean, he is a scout after all.

- spudrock512

Boy scout😁

I have seen Dahlstrom a few times so I believe that i have a good idea what kind of game he brings. I feel like coaches will think, hey, got a skill guy here who can skate and play the game well.....maybe I can use him on my third pair as a puck mover. And Z3 + Worth the Cup bloggers are going to be very skeptical of more weak sisters patrolling the blue line!

So he skates fluid, skates smooth and will carry puck or join rush. He unloads a hard shot which never is wild, but is on net. His downside is that he absolutely is not wanting to check or throw an elbow. He has good size and you are left muttering, would you hit him, check him. What a wussy.

Perhaps he is just another version of what Gus offers. Perhaps his ceiling is as a third pair puck mover. As I have pointed out in p previous posts the past few months, we have a few whom could hold that spot and whom do you like best. Your favorite flavor. Snuggerud and Krys could be next in line to get consideration, maybe a look depending if they progress with the defensive side and both prepare at Rockford.

Of course we are lookiing for a Jokiharju and a Forsling might turn out to have a bigger upside but it is a process and it takes time.

Some others are oversea or as freshmen collegiate we do not expect them to turn pro soon. I am really intrigued by three, maybe four of these guys. But we are wasting time talking about them until they turn pro. Again just want to impress upon you that i see players like Dahlstrom possibly as third pair type. He was ab AHL alk star this season and his improved play this season has earned him a cup of coffee. Samuelson will no doubt be instructing him. I sure hope Z3, for one, has seen wiz comments and understands the new age dman concept so prevalent throughout hic key nowadays. Quest ion is, can the particular player execute plays and can his weaknesses be marginalized

According to my sources within the organization, a significant portion of the fanbase is demanding that Rocky take the Hawks off TV and replace their games with Family Classics and Flipper reruns.

Don't put any credence in what Stan said in response to the media's questions. The media asks stupid questions and they get meaningless answers. Remember, everything on TV is for entertainment. Stan certainly isn't going to give away any of their plans and other GM's certainly aren't going to listen to his canned answers to a TV audience to determine his future course.

With that being said, this team needs a major shake up. Hockey minds know what we have on our roster and it isn't much. Deadline players in demand would be Kane and Keith. Crawford would be also if he wasn't injured. The youth on the Hawks would not put anyone over the top for a playoff run so they would not be in demand at the deadline. A player that would be a final piece for a cup run is usually what is sought at the deadline and those three are the only ones we have that might be considered. Kane should not be traded and is too expensive for teams to consider him. Keith is a logical deadline move that could bring back the most value. Any other trades would not yield anything of significance. Despite all this, the Hawks should be one of the more active teams at the deadline and after the season in turning over their roster if they want to minimize the loss of season ticket holders. This is a business and that's all that matters.

Justin, I think this was one of your better write ups this year. Great job.

Somehow, this dysfunctional group - McD, Bowman, Q - a-feudin’ and a-fussin’ and a-fightin’ and a-interferin’ - managed to bring us 3 Cups and 2 WCF since 2009 - and not all due to Tallon or Dollar Bill (I’m stunned to see some nostalgia for HIS management style here recently) or “anyone could win with that core”....

I don’t know if this is the group to lead the team forward (I wouldn’t hire Phil Jackson to be in charge of a rebuild - look what he did with the Knicks) but say that while recognizing that what they did accomplish has been remarkable.
- StLBravesFan

Never knocked Q, hes been a key cog to 3 cups. Just saying anyone with half a brain could have been placed in McD shoes and been successful. Put the games on TV and bring back hall of famers around the rink is not rocket science. amazing teams and 3 cups sells it self..... Now the real test begins

According to my sources within the organization, a significant portion of the fanbase is demanding that Rocky take the Hawks off TV and replace their games with Family Classics and Flipper reruns.

Don't put any credence in what Stan said in response to the media's questions. The media asks stupid questions and they get meaningless answers. Remember, everything on TV is for entertainment. Stan certainly isn't going to give away any of their plans and other GM's certainly aren't going to listen to his canned answers to a TV audience to determine his future course.

With that being said, this team needs a major shake up. Hockey minds know what we have on our roster and it isn't much. Deadline players in demand would be Kane and Keith. Crawford would be also if he wasn't injured. The youth on the Hawks would not put anyone over the top for a playoff run so they would not be in demand at the deadline. A player that would be a final piece for a cup run is usually what is sought at the deadline and those three are the only ones we have that might be considered. Kane should not be traded and is too expensive for teams to consider him. Keith is a logical deadline move that could bring back the most value.

Justin, I think this was one of your better write ups this year. Great job.
- isu83boo

Thanks isu.

I want to reverse that disastrous trade from two years ago w Montreal.

Who are our Weise and Fleischmann that we can trade this deadline to a contender that will get us a Danault level youngster and a 2nd round pick?

Sharp? Bouma? Wingels? Kempny?
Weise and Fleischmann were bottom line grit players for the playoffs, nothing more. We gotta have similar that we can trade.
- Cmonalready

Really?? Disastrous?? A disaster is trading superstar or elite player. Danault is neither. People act like Danault is the 2nd coming of Gretzky. Danault and McNeil were considered wasted draft picks for most of their Hawk's career (at the Rock). This year Danault has 7 goals and 16 assists in 43 games playing 16 + minutes per night centering Montreal's 1st or 2nd line. He is Kruger in his best years. If he played on the Hawks now would he be ahead of Toews, AA, Schmaltz? In two years will he be better than Kampf? I doubt it.

2nd round picks are of value, usually 3 years after they are drafted (if ever). So this 2018 2nd round pick probably will not play in the NHL until 2020+/-.

I would like to have Danault back too. He is a decent 3C on the last year of his entry level contract. He is an RFA this year. We will see what he signs for.

Never knocked Q, hes been a key cog to 3 cups. Just saying anyone with half a brain could have been placed in McD shoes and been successful. Put the games on TV and bring back hall of famers around the rink is not rocket science. amazing teams and 3 cups sells it self..... Now the real test begins
- WiscoReg

The President of an NHL team operates 95% below the surface and out of the public eye. Changing the culture in a well established complacent organization that has been around forever is extremely difficult. McD did that. Marketing/Merchandising the team put tens or hundreds of millions in the team's pocket. Forbes listed the Blackhawks value at about $300 mil in 2010. Today $1 bil. That is not easy. McD does not get sole credit. But he gets a lot. Rocky understands this even if we do not.

The President of an NHL team operates 95% below the surface and out of the public eye. Changing the culture in a well established complacent organization that has been around forever is extremely difficult. McD did that. Marketing/Merchandising the team put tens or hundreds of millions in the team's pocket. Forbes listed the Blackhawks value at about $300 mil in 2010. Today $1 bil. That is not easy. McD does not get sole credit. But he gets a lot. Rocky understands this even if we do not.
- -Doh-

Sorry, winning = revenue/value of a sports franchise. At best, marketing adds sprinkles to the frosting.

As for culture, Dollar Bill’s passing plus Rocky’s desire to win was the only culture change required.

This isn't a horrible team. They're obviously not playing well this season, but i think the terrible passing is a prime example of a team that has not gelled yet.

The young guns and vets alike will grow and learn with each other, and next year could show some real improvement.

Never knocked Q, hes been a key cog to 3 cups. Just saying anyone with half a brain could have been placed in McD shoes and been successful. Put the games on TV and bring back hall of famers around the rink is not rocket science. amazing teams and 3 cups sells it self..... Now the real test begins
- WiscoReg

Corporate sponsorships, adds on the ice and walls, selling merchandise, other revenue generators that I have no idea what they are, plus running (he is the President) a $150,000,000 operation with responsibilities other than marketing - you and I have no idea what his true value to the organization is.

Plus - we are all speculating on what his involvement with the hockey side of the business is - only rumors....

I don’t care about McDonough - I think he’s probably a very good marketing / management person in an entertainment business - if he’s interfering with what Stan and his team, and Q and his team, do, other than in an oversight position, it’s very detrimental to on ice success. And he will not be the answer to the rebuild.

This isn't a horrible team. They're obviously not playing well this season, but i think the terrible passing is a prime example of a team that has not gelled yet.

The young guns and vets alike will grow and learn with each other, and next year could show some real improvement.
- BlazinMike

This has happened with NHL teams in the recent past.
With parity there is such a fine line between winning and losing.

Corporate sponsorships, adds on the ice and walls, selling merchandise, other revenue generators that I have no idea what they are, plus running (he is the President) a $150,000,000 operation with responsibilities other than marketing - you and I have no idea what his true value to the organization is.

Plus - we are all speculating on what his involvement with the hockey side of the business is - only rumors....

I don’t care about McDonough - I think he’s probably a very good marketing / management person in an entertainment business - if he’s interfering with what Stan and his team, and Q and his team, do, other than in an oversight position, it’s very detrimental to on ice success. And he will not be the answer to the rebuild.
- StLBravesFan

ads, merchandising and corp sponsorship's are nothing new, they simply increase exponentially when you have a winning product on the ice.

Why in the hell would either of those teams offer something so ridiculous for those guys?
- PepinoPamplemousse

No idea- but if they did I'd fly in from Australia and drive them to the airport if they did.

(and apologies about the Hossa thing from a blog or so back ... mis-remembered Hos was signed for longer than the next 2 seasons :/ )

Corporate sponsorships, adds on the ice and walls, selling merchandise, other revenue generators that I have no idea what they are, plus running (he is the President) a $150,000,000 operation with responsibilities other than marketing - you and I have no idea what his true value to the organization is.

Plus - we are all speculating on what his involvement with the hockey side of the business is - only rumors....

I don’t care about McDonough - I think he’s probably a very good marketing / management person in an entertainment business - if he’s interfering with what Stan and his team, and Q and his team, do, other than in an oversight position, it’s very detrimental to on ice success. And he will not be the answer to the rebuild.
- StLBravesFan

Time and again evil McD rears his ugly head and interferes in hockey operations...as rumor would have it anyway.

Until I see it actually reported somewhere, it's a nice conspiracy theory story on a blog and that's about it.

This isn't a horrible team. They're obviously not playing well this season, but i think the terrible passing is a prime example of a team that has not gelled yet.

The young guns and vets alike will grow and learn with each other, and next year could show some real improvement.
- BlazinMike

Agreed. Looks like they will be drafting higher this year, as well. Possibly even a guy who is NHL-ready.

ads, merchandising and corp sponsorship's are nothing new, they simply increase exponentially when you have a winning product on the ice.
- WiscoReg

Yea, but someone has to actually do these things...they don't get done on their own...

Agreed. Looks like they will be drafting higher this year, as well. Possibly even a guy who is NHL-ready.
- 35Tony0

An NHL ready D-man would be fantastic. I still think this team is going to win enough games down the stretch to slot out of the top 10, but as long as they're out of the post-season, theres a chance at a good pick at least

If we just bring back the same lineup next year the core will be a year older and I can't imagine other then Craw/SAAD will be any better. So the young guys will be better and the old guys will be worse. We will be a borderline Playoff team again.

Of the young guys Nick, CAT, Hino, Kampf, are all having good years I don't think they are going to be much better then this year. Hart, Murph, Forsling, I think you could expect a bump. Duke, Jurco, Ost, Hayden I think we know what we have and will probably be about the same.

if we got sweeped and need to start a mini rebuild last year then what about this year missing the playoffs by 10 pts?
- kmw4631

I don't agree with you that these players have hit their ceiling already. I am actually pretty confident that Schmaltz, Cat, and Kampf will actually get better...and I think Hayden also will get better...

ads, merchandising and corp sponsorship's are nothing new, they simply increase exponentially when you have a winning product on the ice.
- WiscoReg

Glad any businesses you’re involved in have good things automatically happen.

In all companies I’ve been associated with (and, as a CPA who use to be in public practice I’ve been involved with many) - large and small - even with excellent external factors - things don’t happen unless people inside make them happen.

“Deadline Chatter/Rumour Update: it looks like Bowman has been giving the green light to act on some moves. Bowman (and the Hawks) are not a patient team, so I've been told that the Hawks will not be waiting for the February 26th trade deadline. If Stan can do something sooner with the limited pieces he has, he will.”

I’m fine with as long as it’s only minor moves, if someone wants to add depth players like Wingels, Bouma etc... for late round picks fine. But I don’t want him doing anything else. He’s done enough damage already.
- walleyeb1

This x1000. Stan's already franked this team up enough. The last thing I want him doing is making major moves to try to fix it. As far as the Danault trade which everyone is bringing up. It's not just that he gave away a quality young center - he also handed the Habs a 2nd round pick from this season and got hot garbage instead of the defenseman he so badly needed since the summer (Stan's summer of suck tour 2015) before when his priority out of the gate was that's right Hawks fans - resigning Rundblad. Also Bowman's telling you its going to be much of the same next season...that's because he locked the core guys into those highpriced deals and then gave them all NMCs. His drafting record also has to be a concern - Jeff Osborn over on The-Rink.com (JJ's new site) just did a two part series on that...Yikes.

As far as McD - the problem is he's got to stick his nose in hockey ops. . Anyone could have done what McD did. Put the games on TV check. Ramp the frank out of the marketing dept. Rehire Foley, make nice with the Hawks Alumni. It was a no brainer. No question McD is a genius at what he does. He's the man that invented the fan convention for goodness sake. The thing is though if you didn't have that core of players nothing happens. The biggest concern is his man crush on Scotty which is clouding his judgment in regard to Stan.

Q's a HOF coach - and he's going to get paid what 13 mildo over the next two seasons whether you have him on the bench or not. I would think you make him reshuffle the coaching deck and get Adam Oates in here to fix the PP. Meanwhile the PK is still #6 in the league. The other question being asked has Q lost the room...sure all coaches have a shelf life - but it seems that the younger players seem to be doing most of the scoring (still isn't enough of it). While your core guys aren't getting it done. 19 with his 4th in 23 games last night...wow.

if AA and Keith would help finding a trade partner why would you not do it and return something good for the mini rebuild. Look at the core we have traded away since 2013 Cup below, They all started showing either injury, wear, or Age and all the guys were never as good as they were when they were here other then Frolik. if you could get something close to fair value for AA and Keith you should do it. could we be worse next year. Sure. might not be as well and we are not winning anything with this team coming back intact. 1st round sweep and miss the playoffs.

Frolik
Bolland
Sharp
Veersteg
Shaw
Hammer
Kruger

The President of an NHL team operates 95% below the surface and out of the public eye. Changing the culture in a well established complacent organization that has been around forever is extremely difficult. McD did that. Marketing/Merchandising the team put tens or hundreds of millions in the team's pocket. Forbes listed the Blackhawks value at about $300 mil in 2010. Today $1 bil. That is not easy. McD does not get sole credit. But he gets a lot. Rocky understands this even if we do not.
- -Doh-

Actually Rocky did that, because he's a fan first owner second

Everyone that wants 10-15 people traded, well...you'll be in the same boat next year.

There are those that used it always whine about Q not liking young players..now he's playing them all, and they're shocked at the inconsistency or blame Q

The fact is, the best course of action is NOT to move Hartman, even Saad, or any of the youth

The only ones I'd move/expect them to move - Bouma, Wingels, Sharp (although I can see him not wanting to move and the Hawks accomodating), Kempny. Pretty much getting nothing but picks back.

And let everyone come back next year a year under their belt of playing in the system. They need continuity and time to grow, and these are the pains.

Come back with the same forward group next year while trying to add 2 NHL caliber defenceman