I take their top 3 over (any of) our top 3 10/10 times. In fact, it’s not even close (right now).
- TommyHawk

My point was about physicality of the defense, you make my point, skill at any size outweighs being purely big and physical.

Hawks are going to make the playoffs.

The way they are playing is exciting and could handcuff a few teams that are too system reliant.

Reminds me of the year before the first Kane-era cup. Watching Hawks v Wings in conference final, Hawks "kids" were flying.
- ghostibator

Being at the bottom in suppressing and creating chances the other way is not a recipe for success.

The power play goes away in the playoffs typically and this team is abhorrent 5v5.

They need to lose to win at this point and get in the top 4.

I think Koekkoek looks like he doesn't have the offensive awareness of a guy like Forsling who has been making some great passes, but might be a bit more solid defensively. It seems to be like Koekkoek ceiling might be 6/7th man, but we need that kind of player too.
- breadbag

But Koekkoek hasn't been serving up the pizzas that Forsling has either

Love the spirt on this team right now Toews goal was great brought me right out of my seat Said awhile back that Gus was a team favorite,you can tell by the smiles after games and goals .Also believe AA is team favorite.Just keep working hard and good things will happen GO HAWKS !!!!!!!!

Regarding the tanking. Looking at the draft I feel as long as the Hawks are in the top 12 for drafting they wil get a quality forward and most likely a center. Obviously picking 1-5 would be ideal to get Hughes, Cozens, Dach or Kaako, who are more NHL ready, but I would rather have the team win and play well. So much more fun to watch and I feel it builds better for the future than tanking does. Don't underestimate confidence!


If you look at most mocks they have 7 centers in the top 12 picks. I would love Newhook, Zegras, or Krebs for the Hawks in the 8-12 range. I like Turcotte's game just not sure if he can stay healthy.

If we fall to 8-12 my choice would be Newhook. I think the way he plays would fit great with the Hawks. I like him more for the Hawks than anyone not named Hughes or Kaako.

I said in the last blog what bears repeating: you should not expect to keep winning if you trade Gus.

You can bet down the playoff stretch some team is going to get very physical against us if not an entire game, then at least for half the game kick our *ss. They could then just play rough defensively after building an insurmountable lead.

Other teams could follow the example. We are loving the almost make belief winning and if not for the PP we would not have the current winning streak

Those who think Toewes is so great again.....yeah. Sure as long as the team plays bad teams and no one is especially physical. Sorry to hurt feelings but Toewes is fragile nowadays and will not engage regularly in physical confrontations. Instead he will avoid contact.

You see Toewes still cares deeply and gets mad at himself when he fails. It is just the wear and tear on his body and too many concussions......another bad concussion and he will join Crawford on sidelines calling it a career.

Meanwhile Forsling appears like he will play himself out of a job if he has inconsistent games. You can love Jokiharju all you want but he too will fall out of favor if he cannot adjust to the physical nature of the NHL. He is so young and he can get stronger. It is really more about how bad do guys want success + at what price they will make that sacrifice.

Back to Gus: he will not get traded now because he is needed blemishes included insofar as the pp can help win games. Think Ricky and McDonough want fans to keep coming and a competitive team right now therefire needs Gus. If and when one or more prospects can take someone job, this is when Gus could be dealt. I do not see this happening soon.

If Bowman does not add enough toughness then I do not see this team able to play even .500 hockey.
- jhawk59

That's why Bowman should trade him asap and break the power play.

Anyone think Entwhistle can make the jump next year? Plays a mature game for a 19yo?

If I'm the hawks I'm still a seller. AA and Keith hayden have been better, forsling is back on the ice. Kruger and kunitz and Ward have been better and perlini is not helping his trade value. assuming Seabs and Craw cannot be moved at all.

for a reasonable return I move any and all of the above. you can still make a run at the playoffs without some portion of the above. If you got a good return that makes you better in 19-20 that should be the goal. even if we get in we are 1 and done.

we are also really heavy on RD
SEABS, MURPH, JOKI, IAN and Boquist.

Good write-up, TC.

You aren't negative, most of us think they are a bubble team or on the cusp, but not meant to last. Leapfrogging a lot of teams may not even happen.

I'm just enjoying the wins, looking for Bowman to be smart at the tdl, and the deficiencies slowly get fixed. There are a lot at the moment.


- I Am The Breadman[b[What do you get for reaching 1000 posts? A sump pump?

It’s hockeybuzz....he wins a bucket.

Justin,
I love your blog!
But I'm curious as to how long you're going to be able to support this narrative?

Anyone think Entwhistle can make the jump next year? Plays a mature game for a 19yo?
- LAHawk

I'm sure he will get a look. I think Kurashev will too, he presence on the ice was very mature for his age and he has been having a great year.

Interesting fact just mentioned on the Score670.

Patrick Kane is the last #1 overall pick to win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him.

Still want to lose for Hughes?
- scottak

This is somewhat misleading. The stat should point out Kane is the most recent #1 overall to win with the team that drafted him.

Since the last hawks win in 2015, each of the last three Stanley cup winners were led by their own #1 overall pick: Crosby, Crosby and ovi.

So if the point trying to be made is that having the #1 overall pick isn’t that important to Stanley cup success, I think the stat falls short of proving its point.

That's why Bowman should trade him asap and break the power play.
- fattybeef

Be worse, in order to hope to get better? That's the plan?

I'm sure he will get a look. I think Kurashev will too, he presence on the ice was very mature for his age and he has been having a great year.
- breadbag

Entwhistle is 6'4, with Strome and Toews, guess that takes care of the Hawks are too small at center refrain.

This is somewhat misleading. The stat should point out Kane is the most recent #1 overall to win with the team that drafted him.

Since the last hawks win in 2015, each of the last three Stanley cup winners were led by their own #1 overall pick: Crosby, Crosby and ovi.

So if the point trying to be made is that having the #1 overall pick isn’t that important to Stanley cup success, I think the stat falls short of proving its point.
- Spec41971

The point isn't that having a #1 overall pick isn't important, but that picking #1 overall doesn't mean you are going to win anytime soon. Plenty of teams have picked #1 overall and failed to make the playoffs more than once or do anything of significance. Crosby is bit of an outlier in that he is better than 95% of most 1st round picks, and his team was lucky enough to land Malkin as well, would would have been a #1 most years.

Do the Hawks need to pray for a #1 overall pick when they still have Kane who was #1, Toews who was #3, Strome who was #3, and a handful of other first round pick players?


Edit: interesting that this stat came up after I shared it here two days ago.

I don't think Columbus is trading either Panarin or Bobrovsky. I think they go all in, they are not going to get equal value back in a trade, Torts is not the coach you want for a rebuild, and this is the one chance they have to win it all.
- LAHawk

They can go all in all they want, but a cup winning team has to be all in "together". And since they have two main guys who won't re-sign there's no way they can be, push come to shove which is what the playoffs are all about, "together". My take is they don't have a prayer of going all the way.

Not entirely surprising. #1 overall picks normally go to terrible teams. It takes a lot more than one guy to win a cup. It's not until you build the rest of the team around them that you normally get the better results.
- Chunk

Since ovi was drafted in 2004, there have been 18 champions crowned. 7 of those went to teams that were led by their own #1 overall pick.

I’d say that’s a pretty good return on the #1 pick.

Where are all the Pro-Tankers today?
- Brownie's_Purse

Still here.....was I entertained watching last night? Sure was. Did the D zone look like a clown car? Sure did.

A few things.
-Wild (57 pts) have 28 games left (14/14)
-Blues (55 pts) have 30 games left (14/16)
-Canucks (55 pts) have 27 games left (16/11)
-Avalanche (53 pts) have 29 games left (16/13)
-Oilers (53 pts) have 28 games left (14/14)
-hawks (53 pts) have 27 games left (14/13)
-coyotes (51 pts) have 28 games left (16/12)

Lots of teams with games in hand and the Canucks, Coyotes, and Avalanche have a heavy home schedule left each with 16 games at home.

I also saw McDonough interview...
1. He admitted it's a committee to decide in front office
2. Stan is very methodical
3. McDonough very careful talking about concussions saying all right things
4. If he touted this lineup as a playoff lineup and it doesn't happen, how does Bowman survive yet Quennevile didn't? Such a hypocrite.

Hoping you just miss the playoffs but play well enough not to get a top 5 pick. So far so good.

This is somewhat misleading. The stat should point out Kane is the most recent #1 overall to win with the team that drafted him.

Since the last hawks win in 2015, each of the last three Stanley cup winners were led by their own #1 overall pick: Crosby, Crosby and ovi.

So if the point trying to be made is that having the #1 overall pick isn’t that important to Stanley cup success, I think the stat falls short of proving its point.
- Spec41971

Exactly and finishing 9th or 10th is a disaster for this team.

They'll use the Crawford excuse card again as to why they fell short. Typical management talking point and McDonough alluded to it yesterday.

Saad is playing well.....trade him why is value is back on the upswing.

Hoping you just miss the playoffs but play well enough not to get a top 5 pick. So far so good.
- VopatsRash

Hoping you guys choke again...….love seeing it.

Always a bridesmaid. Enjoy that.

Realistically speaking, who wants Ward or Kunitz? Maybe someone sees Kunitz as a 4th line veteran depth guy for a playoff run, but he has shown next to nothing this season, if you can get a 7th round pick for him you take it. Ward is clearly not a starter on a playoff team, and truthfully is not any better than most backups at this point. Not sure you will have any takers for him. In terms of AA and Kruger, I think the Kampf injury changes the equation a bit.
- TheTrob

We all say move Kunitz or Ward if we can get a 7th round pick. I am not so sure.
1) We do not need the cap room this year.
2) The likelihood of a 7th rounder ever making the NHL is very very small.
3) We do not have players in Rockford that have earned or deserve minutes in the NHL. (Let them earn it.)
4) Kunitz and Ward are have been good teammates.
If they want to go to a contender fine. But if not I am fine with them staying with this team and busting their ass with the rest of the team to try to make the playoffs. (Also I believe both players have stepped up their game recently. Of course that could be because they want to be moved to a contender.)

Scouts listed to attend last night’s Blackhawks-Canucks game: Pittsburgh Penguins (2), Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Since ovi was drafted in 2004, there have been 18 champions crowned. 7 of those went to teams that were led by their own #1 overall pick.

I’d say that’s a pretty good return on the #1 pick.
- Spec41971

Indeed. I wasn't thorough in my answer. My point was more about the timeline and the rest of the team around them. Granted there are different rules at play here, but lets go from 1990:

O. Nolan
R. Hamrlik
A. Daigle
E. Jovanovski
B. Berard
C. Phillips
J. Thornton
V. Lecavalier
P. Stefan
R. DiPietro
I. Kovalchuk
R. Nash
MAF
Ovi
Crosby
E. Johnson
Kane
Stamkos
Tavares
Hall
RNH
Yakupov
MacKinnon
Ekblad
McDavid
Matthews
Hischier
Dahlin

Lots of good players (with a couple stinkers), but only a handful were one of the main reasons for their team's cup. Several are still struggling to make the playoffs.

Interesting fact just mentioned on the Score670.

Patrick Kane is the last #1 overall pick to win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him.

Still want to lose for Hughes?
- scottak

You can make numbers say a lot, and often can give opposite perspectives.

Is it also true the 6 of the last 8 or 9 Cups have been won with teams that have a FIRST overall on their roster?? That would mean you almost NEED a first overall to be a real Cup contender. So, getting a first overall is usually a good thing, except that your team sucked when you got him. (Of course, exception to Colorado this year, because of Ottawa's blunder...)