They must have had a good 3rd period because after the 2nd (i think it was the 2nd) they were 1/3 vs 2/3 for Stl in percentage
- 6628

No game until Thursday.

No need to burn them out this early with so many days off.
- StLBravesFan

Burn them out ???? Are you serious
Some of these guys don't play 10 actual minutes of hockey in a game, and all of them are in their 20's or early 30's. If they get burnt out because of practice time, they are not professionals. This is their JOB !!

This team has GLARING weaknesses and practice time is essential to work on things....specifically the PP that has been in the bottom of the league stat wise for years......and with so many days off between games because of horrible scheduling by the NHL. I don't want to hear about burn out in October please.

Debrincat will become elite goal scorer in NHL. Mike Bossy type.

Q wise to let Gus skate regular shift. His upside is needed to make this team special again.

Kahun, Joki, Fortin maybe too. Q is wise to give regular shifts and opportunities to up and comers with positive potential upside, as the Predators did 2 years ago in the early part of the season. The dividends will repay themselves in the spring.

So long as you keep getting points and remain relevant, this is a no brainer.

Doing the Kempny treatment to any of them, just means more long summers ahead.

An energetic Toews has reset teams trajectory. Even with the ups and downs as a group, finally something to get excited about again.

JJ was a daily wet blanket about ADB. He did far more than "advise" against penciling in ADB for 30 goals, he constantly questioned his skating, size, even character. He was as "sure" he'd fail as those he "advised" were that ADB would succeed. He was wrong, totally.
- kwolf68

He was a wet blanket about almost everything...pal.

Observations on the nice "comeback" W:

1. Toews is BACK! Speed, edges, hands, and great distribution; winning 1v1 battles

2. Keith's D on Tarasenko was a clinic on taking away time and space with great gap control, active stick, and hip movement

3. Guess we will have to live with very high risk/reward of Gus's play; also Manning did not have a good game; between those two turnover city in D zone

4. Hayden can score on 3rd line; just has to be protect the puck better down down

5. Please devote press box time for Ward and Manning.

6. You thought Sharp was a snipe, Debrincat might be be because he has better hands to change angle of puck when shooting

7. Finally game should have been salted away not ended like it did; learning experience
- D2D

Fixed

Burn them out ???? Are you serious
Some of these guys don't play 10 actual minutes of hockey in a game, and all of them are in their 20's or early 30's. If they get burnt out because of practice time, they are not professionals. This is their JOB !!

This team has GLARING weaknesses and practice time is essential to work on things....specifically the PP that has been in the bottom of the league stat wise for years......and with so many days off between games because of horrible scheduling by the NHL. I don't want to hear about burn out in October please.
- Hawkytalk

I’d be more concerned with the PK.

A good PP is a luxury, a good PK is a necessity.

No you are absolutely wrong. I know I debated JJ concerning Cat. He was very arrogant. I said Cat would make the team out of training camp and would have an impact. He said he wouldn’t - he was very negative about Cat saying his stats in Jr didn’t mean anything and wouldn’t translate. I said no AHL needed. I was completely right on all counts - about everything. He couldn’t have been more wrong - as arrogant as he was trashing Cat you’d think he would have apologized.
- Z3Hawk

You may be right that he might not have thought Cat would make the team last year, but I don't recall him saying he'd never make it to the NHL, just that being successful in juniors didn't necessarily mean he'd have that same success in the NHL. Nothing wrong with that analysis. I always took his comments to be more of a wait and see approach. Good for you for being right that Cat could make an impact right away. I still think you're mischaracterizing JJ's argument though. Saying "I'll believe it when I see it," isn't the same as "trashing Cat."

Debrincat will become elite goal scorer in NHL. Mike Bossy type.

Q wise to let Gus skate regular shift. His upside is needed to make this team special again.

Kahun, Joki, Fortin maybe too. Q is wise to give regular shifts and opportunities to up and comers with positive potential upside, as the Predators did 2 years ago in the early part of the season. The dividends will repay themselves in the spring.

So long as you keep getting points and remain relevant, this is a no brainer.

Doing the Kempny treatment to any of them, just means more long summers ahead.

An energetic Toews has reset teams trajectory. Even with the ups and downs as a group, finally something to get excited about again.
- TrueGrit

The blown leads haven’t been great (understatement) but the play of DeBrincat, Toews, Kahun and Jokiharju had been damn exciting. Kane as always is electrifying and both Schmaltz and Gustafsson have been solid (but not without their faults). Kampf has been a very nice addition to the bottom 6 as well.

One guy that’s getting overlooked is Kruger, he’s been solid in his return. The Hawks were questioning on taking Kruger back in the Hosea deal but that move is paying dividends.

Kunitz, Hayden, Johnson and Saad all leave a lot to be desired. I’m not suggesting they can’t add value eventually, they just haven’t yet so far.

Keith has been ok, some good plays and some not so good plays. Seabrook has been solid and like Justin said nobody is complaining about him which speaks volumes about his improvement. Keith and Seabrook are still valuable members of the team, they just need to slide down the depth chart a bit. The Hawks appear to be going down that path with Jokiharju taking the first step. Will Forsling take the next step when he returns? Will any of Boqvist, Mitchell or Beaudin make an impact next season?

Hard to move a guy like Saad when his value is so low.

I really hope it doesn't linger and not sure I buy into the he only plays for a contract narrative personally.

I do think he better assert himself this year though as going back-to-back doen years will really hurt his stock and confidence. Then the Hawks could really be stuck.

If he can't get back to his dominant offensive force Q might be forced to relegate him more to a 3rd line defensive/checking line with guys like Kahun and Fortin stealing his ice time in the top 6.
- Justin Lowe

He's a 25 year old in the 4th year of a 6-year contract, I agree that trading him now would be selling low. He's probably going to get more focused as he nears the end of his current deal. I expect next season to be better and the season after that to be pretty good. If the Blackhawks are in contention those years and he's playing well, keep him. Maybe even resign him. But if the Blackhawks are out of contention, especially in that last year, I'd think long and hard about trading him. I might even do it this TDL depending on how things go for him and the team between now and then.

I’d be more concerned with the PK.

A good PP is a luxury, a good PK is a necessity.
- Ogilthorpe2

And Ward has to be the best pker on the ice.

The blown leads haven’t been great (understatement) but the play of DeBrincat, Toews, Kahun and Jokiharju had been damn exciting. Kane as always is electrifying and both Schmaltz and Gustafsson have been solid (but not without their faults). Kampf has been a very nice addition to the bottom 6 as well.

One guy that’s getting overlooked is Kruger, he’s been solid in his return. The Hawks were questioning on taking Kruger back in the Hosea deal but that move is paying dividends.

Kunitz, Hayden, Johnson and Saad all leave a lot to be desired. I’m not suggesting they can’t add value eventually, they just haven’t yet so far.

Keith has been ok, some good plays and some not so good plays. Seabrook has been solid and like Justin said nobody is complaining about him which speaks volumes about his improvement. Keith and Seabrook are still valuable members of the team, they just need to slide down the depth chart a bit. The Hawks appear to be going down that path with Jokiharju taking the first step. Will Forsling take the next step when he returns? Will any of Boqvist, Mitchell or Beaudin make an impact next season?
- DarthKane

I liked Saad with Kruger and Kampf. An expensive 4th line if I do say so myself. In terms of money (around 10 mill) that crap is crap.

Huh? A delay of game and Burtozzo running over Ward? What are you talking about? The Bouwmester interference was a legit call. If anything the Hawks didn’t get several calls last night. Like Kane getting lumberjacked 10ft from the net with the puck on his stick.
- bhawks2241

The inconsistency of it all is what drives me nuts. Stuff is missed all the time, and then when a call IS made a lot of time it's for ticky tacky bullpoop. There's 2 refs out there FFS.

The inconsistency of it all is what drives me nuts. Stuff is missed all the time, and then when a call IS made a lot of time it's for ticky tacky bullpoop. There's 2 refs out there FFS.
- 6628

The make up calls are what drive me nuts. Who says both teams should have equal (or nearly so) PP opportunities? If one team is carrying the play, and dominating possession, it stands to reason that the team playing from behind and constantly chasing the puck is more likely to commit infractions. Yet you rarely see a huge split in PP’s at the end of a game.

The other one that chaps my ass is the whole “let them play” mantra that is the standard late in games and in the playoffs. A penalty is a penalty. It shouldn’t matter if it’s the first period of the pre season, or OT in game 7 of the cup final. Call the rule book always.

With his entire family in the crowd and playing his brother for the first time ever in the NHL... I thought Schmaltz would have had a better game. He did not look good out there to me.
- Justin Lowe

Not sold on smaltz being a impact player in the playoffs and regular season at times don't notice him at all or looks lazy and not in the game imo he plays when he wants to play the talent and skill is there but i question the want and heart.

Not sold on smaltz being a impact player in the playoffs and regular season at times don't notice him at all or looks lazy and not in the game imo he plays when he wants to play the talent and skill is there but i question the want and heart.
- Scott1977

Has he seen the playoffs yet?

I don't mind skill or finese, because he is talented, but I want to see loose puck and board battles. Take the puck, it doesn't always have to be take the puck away. He can save himself from trouble. I do like that he carries the puck in with speed. The only guy on the team that will.

Not sold on smaltz being a impact player in the playoffs and regular season at times don't notice him at all or looks lazy and not in the game imo he plays when he wants to play the talent and skill is there but i question the want and heart.
- Scott1977

Sounds more like you’re describing Saad than Scmaltz to me.

Has he seen the playoffs yet?

I don't mind skill or finese, because he is talented, but I want to see loose puck and board battles. Take the puck, it doesn't always have to be take the puck away. He can save himself from trouble. I do like that he carries the puck in with speed. The only guy on the team that will.
- I Am The Breadman

Yes 2016 2017

Yes 2016 2017
- Scott1977

I thought he was in Rockford and we didn't make it last year. Was just asking. Thanks though

You may be right that he might not have thought Cat would make the team last year, but I don't recall him saying he'd never make it to the NHL, just that being successful in juniors didn't necessarily mean he'd have that same success in the NHL. Nothing wrong with that analysis. I always took his comments to be more of a wait and see approach. Good for you for being right that Cat could make an impact right away. I still think you're mischaracterizing JJ's argument though. Saying "I'll believe it when I see it," isn't the same as "trashing Cat."
- matt_ahrens

He's not mischaracterizing anything. JJ's tone in his blogs and especially his comments was always arrogant. He spent a considerable amount of effort talking down to people. Obviously, there's a lot of long-time posters and long-time readers like myself who saw it. He's continued it on his new blog which is a shame because the other writers are pretty good. It's also evident because no one comments on his stuff over there. Thank you again to Justin for the great writing!

He's not mischaracterizing anything. JJ's tone in his blogs and especially his comments was always arrogant. He spent a considerable amount of effort talking down to people. Obviously, there's a lot of long-time posters and long-time readers like myself who saw it. He's continued it on his new blog which is a shame because the other writers are pretty good. It's also evident because no one comments on his stuff over there. Thank you again to Justin for the great writing!
- JPBurke27

I'm a short time poster, but a long time reader, and I agree, Jp. I went to JJ for rumors and that was it. His synopsis, critiques, and expectations were set in stone and he argued and put down those who didn't agree. He wasn't fond of Adb when he first saw him, but started easing up on him when he was successful. He has a condescending tone, even when he talked about rumors and holes we need to fill. I don't care for him too much, but wish him success at the rink, even if he hadn't changed as a writer/person. Justin is the man! He's the reason I joined in the blog.

I watched Boqvist for the first time last night. Some observations that I noticed is he has amazing play recognition and sees plays well before they happen. His first two or three strides are exceptional. His skating is definitely high level. He has a very quick, hard, and accurate wrist shot.

Dale Hunter had him quarterback the entire two minutes of each power play last night and he did a fantastic job doing so. He is going to be a very nice addition to this young core of Hawks

He's not mischaracterizing anything. JJ's tone in his blogs and especially his comments was always arrogant. He spent a considerable amount of effort talking down to people. Obviously, there's a lot of long-time posters and long-time readers like myself who saw it. He's continued it on his new blog which is a shame because the other writers are pretty good. It's also evident because no one comments on his stuff over there. Thank you again to Justin for the great writing!
- JPBurke27

really? you take a discussion about the Cat debate from a couple of years ago and use it to issue general insults of JJ? Everyone is a critic, I suppose. It's a tough job to blog and interact with readers. I appreciate what Justin does. I also appreciated JJ's approach. He must have been good enough to keep you coming back.

really? you take a discussion about the Cat debate from a couple of years ago and use it to issue general insults of JJ? Everyone is a critic, I suppose. It's a tough job to blog and interact with readers. I appreciate what Justin does. I also appreciated JJ's approach. He must have been good enough to keep you coming back.
- matt_ahrens

No. JJ was always a putz.

It’s the other posters that kept many of us coming back. The last two years or so I never even read JJ’s blogs...just skipped right to the commentary.

He really only had like 3 blogs ever anyway. Just kept repackaging the same handful of talking points ad naseum. Wash, rinse, repeat.

really? you take a discussion about the Cat debate from a couple of years ago and use it to issue general insults of JJ? Everyone is a critic, I suppose. It's a tough job to blog and interact with readers. I appreciate what Justin does. I also appreciated JJ's approach. He must have been good enough to keep you coming back.
- matt_ahrens

This isnt isolated to the ADB discussion. As JP, Breadman, Ogi, etc mentioned above, this was a common issue with him, which was unfortunate as the primary blogger in his tenure here. If you disagreed with him, there were only two routes: 1. you're wrong and he knows better/is more connected than everyone 2. he'll ban you

At least Justin allows for healthy debate and respects people.

JJ was always on his high horse about signing Hossa, hockey workouts/training regimes, ADB, trading Crawford for Craig Anderson or Steve Mason, trading Kane for RIck Nash after their two lull seasons after the first cup win, the Hawks trading up for the first overall pick when Florida had it and took ekblad, etc.

Sounds more like you’re describing Saad than Scmaltz to me.
- walleyeb1

Both