I don't blame Garrison for not reporting. Management needs to be careful with this trend of burying veterans in Rockford. It may not help make Chicago an attractive destination during free agency, particularly for older players who could be useful for short-term service. Who knows, maybe such a reputation already exists?
- AEL_Fox

Or you get one of Stans NMC clauses and ride the press box with Kunitz

I think it would have been best to have Colliton in Rockford for a couple more years for a number of reason. I, however, am not in management for the Chicago Blackhawks though, so it was not my call.
- Justin Lowe

Could it be helpful come next season if one of his assistant coaches is a retired player named Seabrook?

My $0.02: Seabs has been playing hurt* since at least the end of the St Louis playoff series where he had to be helped on to the team plane home. AND he is trying to do everything he can to live up to his contract.
*I know all top athletes play hurt, but sometimes you just cannot perform to the level you need to play at.

Or you get one of Stans NMC clauses and ride the press box with Kuntz
- riozzo

Freudian slip?

Freudian slip?
- I Am The Breadman

fat finger typo

fat finger typo
- riozzo

I hear you, I was blessed with catcher mitt's for hands.

I don't blame Garrison for not reporting. Management needs to be careful with this trend of burying veterans in Rockford. It may not help make Chicago an attractive destination during free agency, particularly for older players who could be useful for short-term service. Who knows, maybe such a reputation already exists?
- AEL_Fox

You might be right, but look at the players this is happening to. Older players or players that are at the stage in their career that they are on PTO's going forward. So if this type of marginal NHL player does not want to come to the Hawks because of how they handled Franson, Davidson, and Garrison so be it. I think the Hawks can point to many other veteran players that they treated well. And they treat their stars very very well.

You might be right, but look at the players this is happening to. Older players or players that are at the stage in their career that they are on PTO's going forward. So if this type of marginal NHL player does not want to come to the Hawks because of how they handled Franson, Davidson, and Garrison so be it. I think the Hawks can point to many other veteran players that they treated well. And they treat their stars very very well.
- -Doh-

Good points. Franson and Davidson were/are on PTOs then signed. Garrison is in the twilight of his career with little gas left (he may think otherwise but most NHL teams did/do not want him).

Rutta and Bouma, though, are younger. Simply not cutting the mustard when it comes to on-ice play is the logical reason yet it may send a red flag to free agents in the NHL and from Europe about whether Chicago is best for them.

Either way, hopefully they do their due diligence then play up to potential if/when they sign.

You might be right, but look at the players this is happening to. Older players or players that are at the stage in their career that they are on PTO's going forward. So if this type of marginal NHL player does not want to come to the Hawks because of how they handled Franson, Davidson, and Garrison so be it. I think the Hawks can point to many other veteran players that they treated well. And they treat their stars very very well.
- -Doh-

Exactly. At a certain point you are owed nothing. If you are a veteran and want your money, you report, if you don't care anymore so be it. Bottom line is you need to be able to contribute something, either on the ice or in the locker room. Kunitz, obviously can't play at the level he needs to, and with the teams record where it is at, it's more beneficial to give minutes to younger players. He may be a great teammate and voice in the locker room, so they keep him around.

Like you say, if the Hawks sending down older guys because they can't play in the NHL anymore means they will have a harder time signing them in the future, who cares, name a few who have been difference makers, they are place holders.

I think if he does not report they can terminate his contract without paying it off (ala Berglund in Buffalo).

Either way I like the way that Stan is reshaping this team with small subtle moves.

Who goes next Kunitz, Kurger, or AA?
- -Doh-

Bobo is leaving? For where? His agent must have convinced him that he is worth more than $7.4M/year and losing in the first round of the playoffs doesn't really matter.

He will be lucky to avoid a pay cut going forward.
- RickJ

Back to phily maybe both bob and panarin are going to test the market so we will see. Personally i think bob is overrated.

Good points. Franson and Davidson were/are on PTOs then signed. Garrison is in the twilight of his career with little gas left (he may think otherwise but most NHL teams did/do not want him).

Rutta and Bouma, though, are younger. Simply not cutting the mustard when it comes to on-ice play is the logical reason yet it may send a red flag to free agents in the NHL and from Europe about whether Chicago is best for them.

Either way, hopefully they do their due diligence then play up to potential if/when they sign.
- AEL_Fox

We are on the same page. I am not sure other teams treat fringe players any better. If you are a fringe player you are just hoping to stay in the bigs that year, but you know there is always a chance that you will be waived, trade, cut, sent down, and never see the NHL again.

Yeah, not only is Delia more efficient and compact on his playing style, he doesn't seem to get rattled by a barrage of shots or by goals against. Composure and mettle are part of the battle and he is proving to have both at the NHL level so far compared to Forsberg.
- AEL_Fox

Before we get too far over our skis, let’s remember he’s started a whopping total of 5 NHL games, and one he left early because of cramps.

Not saying he won’t be good, but there are dozens (hundreds) of examples of goalies who came into the NHL, had a few good games, and went back out as quickly as they came in.

Ken Dryden is the exception, not the rule.

Vasily Podkolzin and Kirby Dach have consistently been ranked in the top 5 as well and both can play RW. Matthew Boldy and Arthur Kaliyev are RWs also and have been in the top 10.
- AEL_Fox

Actually went to see Hamilton on my vacation to Toronto this weekend. Kaliyev has great skills, but on this date vs Guelph, he looked disinterested and lazy. He has a heck of a shot but unless this was an outlier, he plays no D and is only interested when he has the puck.

Didnt it seem like Saad was scoring more on the RW when he could attack the middle of the ice more effectively?
- fattybeef

When was he on the right side, and how long was he there? My recollection was that he has been on the left almost exclusively.

LONG time lurker, decided this year to start posting, especially after reading Justin's posts Used to post on one of the other boards that banned comments because of how toxic the board had become, which emanated from the bloggers themselves. I myself was told I had dementia by one of the bloggers because he didn't like that I commented that the Hawks at the time should trade Sharp (the bloggers favorite) instead of Crawford.

A little about me, played the game through college and beer leagues. Family/I had season tickets from the time I was born until I was transferred to Los Angeles in 1983.Still am a rabid fan and follow and watch all the games I can.

I am not an advanced stats kind of guy (being old), but more go by the eye test.

That said, if you want to see a tire fire of a franchise, just look at the LA Kings. They had 8 shots on goal against the VGK in the first 2 periods and were outshot by 30 for the game. Campbell literally stood on his head. Both LA and the Hawks have obviously fallen from being an elite hockey team, but all the Bowman detractors (I am meh on him, don't think he is the best, far from the worst), I think Mr. Riccochet said it best, he did no harm. Think if Bowman would of signed Kovalchuk to the contract Blake/Robitaille did over the summer, 35 yo $6.3 annual for 3 years NMC. Kings also have Phaneuf, Brown, Kopitar (all with no trade/movement clauses, Carter, Martinez all on the wrong side of 30, and have no cap space. So the Hawks slide is not alone, it's the hard cap system.

I would like to see a cap that is somewhat similar to the NBA, where you are not so penalized for success (veteran exemptions, home town player exemptions, etc.).

I would keep Keith unless the offer blows Stan away. I agree, Anisimov, Kruger, et. all should be shipped out for whatever, but I believe if you hold on to AA until the deadline, you might be able to eek out a 1st.

Hope this post isn't too boring, if so, I will go back to my lurker status.

LONG time lurker, decided this year to start posting, especially after reading Justin's posts Used to post on one of the other boards that banned comments because of how toxic the board had become, which emanated from the bloggers themselves. I myself was told I had dementia by one of the bloggers because he didn't like that I commented that the Hawks at the time should trade Sharp (the bloggers favorite) instead of Crawford.

A little about me, played the game through college and beer leagues. Family/I had season tickets from the time I was born until I was transferred to Los Angeles in 1983.Still am a rabid fan and follow and watch all the games I can.

I am not an advanced stats kind of guy (being old), but more go by the eye test.

That said, if you want to see a tire fire of a franchise, just look at the LA Kings. They had 8 shots on goal against the VGK in the first 2 periods and were outshot by 30 for the game. Campbell literally stood on his head. Both LA and the Hawks have obviously fallen from being an elite hockey team, but all the Bowman detractors (I am meh on him, don't think he is the best, far from the worst), I think Mr. Riccochet said it best, he did no harm. Think if Bowman would of signed Kovalchuk to the contract Blake/Robitaille did over the summer, 35 yo $6.3 annual for 3 years NMC. Kings also have Phaneuf, Brown, Kopitar (all with no trade/movement clauses, Carter, Martinez all on the wrong side of 30, and have no cap space. So the Hawks slide is not alone, it's the hard cap system.

I would like to see a cap that is somewhat similar to the NBA, where you are not so penalized for success (veteran exemptions, home town player exemptions, etc.).

I would keep Keith unless the offer blows Stan away. I agree, Anisimov, Kruger, et. all should be shipped out for whatever, but I believe if you hold on to AA until the deadline, you might be able to eek out a 1st.

Hope this post isn't too boring, if so, I will go back to my lurker status.
- LAHawk

Not boring at all, LA. Glad to hear new voices, especially from a guy who played the game, minor or not. Some guys like to be heard or respected, and to do that is to put down/attack personally. That's everywhere. I hope you and others come out and post more. Welcome to the board.

LONG time lurker, decided this year to start posting.
- LAHawk

Welcome aboard! Thank you for sharing your story. Look forward to reading your posts and having conversation. Hope you spur more lurkers to start contributing, too.

You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable, but just curious what blog you are referring to where it got too toxic.

Actually went to see Hamilton on my vacation to Toronto this weekend. Kaliyev has great skills, but on this date vs Guelph, he looked disinterested and lazy. He has a heck of a shot but unless this was an outlier, he plays no D and is only interested when he has the puck.
- KMFDMLight

Of the RWs in the top 10, Kaliyev is the one I like the least and really don't care for the Hawks to pursue. I've read similar reports about him.

Watch, Stan will be all over him although Kelley and the scouting team will have another priority list for #1 draft pick.

Not boring at all, LA. Glad to hear new voices, especially from a guy who played the game, minor or not. Some guys like to be heard or respected, and to do that is to put down/attack personally. That's everywhere. I hope you and others come out and post more. Welcome to the board.
- I Am The Breadman

Thanks, I Am The Breadman, I enjoy reading your posts (as I do the majority of the board). I find the posters here the most knowledgeable of all the BlackHawks boards (I know a few of you post on multiple boards).

One thing I have noticed, is since Colliton, the no touch defense in front of the net is starting to go away (especially with Dahlstrom/Murphy). Man it infuriates me when the Hawks play swordfight with their sticks in front of the net instead of taking the man. Might be old school but seems like every other team in the league has their defense engage with the forwards in front of the net.

Welcome aboard! Thank you for sharing your story. Look forward to reading your posts and having conversation. Hope you spur more lurkers to start contributing, too.

You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable, but just curious what blog you are referring to where it got too toxic.
- AEL_Fox

The one that McClure writes for

Bad contract for bad contract? Seabs for Ryan Kessler?

The one that McClure writes for
- LAHawk

Never heard of this site before. Even after perusing it, doesn't seem like one to add to the rotation of sites to visit on a regular basis.

https://faxesfromuncledale.com/

Good points. Franson and Davidson were/are on PTOs then signed. Garrison is in the twilight of his career with little gas left (he may think otherwise but most NHL teams did/do not want him).

Rutta and Bouma, though, are younger. Simply not cutting the mustard when it comes to on-ice play is the logical reason yet it may send a red flag to free agents in the NHL and from Europe about whether Chicago is best for them.

Either way, hopefully they do their due diligence then play up to potential if/when they sign.
- AEL_Fox

We really need to stop thinking that every player sent down, traded, benched, etc. is just another reason for players to not want to come to Chicago. Most of them know that it's first and foremost a business. Players are looking out for their own benefit just as clubs are looking out for theirs. Rutta is getting 2.25 million reasons that say Chicago is just fine as a place to sign.

Thanks, I Am The Breadman, I enjoy reading your posts (as I do the majority of the board). I find the posters here the most knowledgeable of all the BlackHawks boards (I know a few of you post on multiple boards).

One thing I have noticed, is since Colliton, the no touch defense in front of the net is starting to go away (especially with Dahlstrom/Murphy). Man it infuriates me when the Hawks play swordfight with their sticks in front of the net instead of taking the man. Might be old school but seems like every other team in the league has their defense engage with the forwards in front of the net.
- LAHawk

Thanks man. You picked a good board. A lot of people here are good with hawks, prospects, ahl, other team's players, the draft, and so much more. A lot of cool guys and girls who will joke around and have sidetrack conversations. I do too much, haha.

I agree, take the man out of the play. Edzo harps on that all of the time. Play the man, not the puck. Murphy and Dahlstrom are both welcome additions to the line-up.

As far as giving up (Troy) McClure, mafia 101, never snitch. Haha.

Never heard of this site before. Even after perusing it, doesn't seem like one to add to the rotation of sites to visit on a regular basis.

https://faxesfromuncledale.com/
- AEL_Fox

That is Sam Fels' site. It was originally the Committed Indian