Yo thanks Bread ! Time to check in ! Great blog by our man JL !
Hope all well with you ! TDL should be interesting for sure.
- philco28

What’s up brotha man?

More Karnak?
- HawkintheD

No.

The summer of 2020 should be interesting. Up for renewal will be Strome, Debrincat, Caggiula, Kahun, and Gus.

This summer will have Cuckoo, Dahlstrom, Forsling, Sikura, Kampf, and Perlini, aside from the expiring and likely not renewed Ward, Kunitz, and Kruger. If they trade anybody from the expiring contracts, Kruger was my first guess, though I wasn't thinking of Kampf's injury situation when I said that. Otherwise, I would guess Forsling, because of how much he has struggled with the forecheck. It's hard to know what his ceiling is when he's been hurt for a good chunk of the season, though.

Extra spot was available or they put Kampf on IR for a bit. All for a trade though.
- Assman22

Yeah, I have the feeling that something could be in the works too.

+40 shots to the wings and canucks is pretty horrid regardless of score effects.

Should be an interesting game against Boston tomorrow.

+40 shots to the wings and canucks is pretty horrid regardless of score effects.

Should be an interesting game against Boston tomorrow.
- fattybeef

See the Rangers gave up 55 to the Leafs last night

Good deal for Delia and the Hawks. Looks likely he is is the backup / number 1 B for next season behind Crawford. I think we can put to rest the "If Crawford returns" thing, because he wouldn't be getting into practice with the team if he didn't plan on getting back in the crease with the Hawks.

Realistically Delia couldn't command more $ at this point with his limited experience and RFA status but he should be setup nicely to have his shot at a payday in 3 years.

I'll be curious to see if they keep Forsberg around in the system, because he hasn't been bad this season, but of course that has been his "M.O." He is solid in the AHL and inconsistent in the NHL.

Philberto, ypu must be hanging around the Mississauga icepads these days feeding back scouting reports to Stan on the QT.

Strome trade was a steal the minute it was made. A hockey player for Kristi Yamaguchi.

Perlini - he could be a physically talented bust or if Colliton could turn him into a version of Zach Hyman the organization would be very pleased. Gonna take time.
- RickJ

LOOOOOOOL Sir Ricardo and yes it will !
Hope all is well !

Definitely agree.

Yeah, I'm good. I hope it's interesting, but I'm not expecting much.
- I Am The Breadman

What’s up brotha man?
- Ogilthorpe2

Hey Ogi !!! All good...hope the skies are still friendly !

Good on the team, I hope they make the playoffs.

They still get out shot, out chanced and out high dangered almost every game. They were hanging on for dear life yesterday against one of the worst teams in the league. Detroit was also playing the 2nd of a back to back, and dug themselves out on the road against a hot Blackhawk team.

The mighty Sabres had a 10 game win streak this year, and the Flyers just had an 8 game streak.

They are not as bad as they looked during their 8 game losing streaks, but not as good as they look now.

If Slater Koekkoek couldn’t break into the lineup of the current Cup favorite, how can he be considered a piece for the Hawks next Cup contender? He’s a placeholder, until the draft picks in the system are ready.

These are not the 2013 Blackhawks.

Maybe Colliton tries Saad-AA-Sikura on L3, I think that’s a well rounded line that might be able to find a way to score some goals, I would love to see their third line get going.

Nope. Time for a nap after all that activity.
- mohel

or a bag of chips

See the Rangers gave up 55 to the Leafs last night
- LAHawk

The leafs are good though and the rangers are not.

Another win to keep the streak alive! Great write up on these adds JL!

I am tempering my excitement as the teams the Hawks have beaten are games that they should win. That being said, the confidence level right now looks to be at it's highest point in the last two years. Tomorrow is a true test with arguably the biggest sleeper in the Eastern Conference. Nonetheless, love the buzz around the team right now and the possibility of sneaking into the playoffs!

Cheers fellas!

The leafs are good though and the rangers are not.
- fattybeef

The vaunted Maple Leafs are 2 points from becoming a wild card team

For me, it all depends on how they would get to the big show. If they get there by winning 6-5 the whole time then the experience probably wouldn’t mean much to a guy like Delia. But if they buckle down defensively, stop the bleeding (of shots on goal), and can continue to stay hot offensively then I think the experience factor is important for a lot of these guys to continue to take that next step. For a guy like Strome this season can (and is) change everything for his future. If he has a good offseason and comes back as a 70 point guy next season as a 1B center then I think you’ll all be very happy, especially if Bread comes back. This was an underachieving roster and now, the proof is in front of you

Maybe Colliton tries Saad-AA-Sikura on L3, I think that’s a well rounded line that might be able to find a way to score some goals, I would love to see their third line get going.
- LaheysBRandy

That’s what I’d go with reinserting Sikura into the lineup. Big forwards in Saad and Anisimov with the former who can play fast and forecheck with the latter crashing the crease and making space. Both are good in close. Sikura is the playmaker with his vision, patience, and skill. Also great fore checker and defensive awareness.

Shots for / against. Chances for and against. They are all interesting metrics, but we know ultimately the most important thing is the team that can capitalize on their chances. That was a big reason why the Pens got their back to back cups. They were elite at cashing in chances in 2016-17 despite losing the possession battle.

If we look at the season at 5v5 Hawks are Hawks are 5th in terms of giving up the most shot attempts against. Leafs are 3rd most. Pens are 4th most. Washington is 6th most. Winnipeg is 7th. I think it speaks to the Hawks struggles but also to their style of play. They could use a good shot blocker or two and focus in on defensive play a bit more, but they do tend to play that run and gun style.

This season we are getting an example of how razor thin the margins between winning and losing can be. Hawks have two 8 game loss streaks and a 7 game winning streak and are flirting with 0.500 hockey on the year. If they can add a few more pieces or guys can grow into roles they'd have a competitive team.

That’s what I’d go with reinserting Sikura into the lineup. Big forwards in Saad and Anisimov with the former who can play fast and forecheck with the latter crashing the crease and making space. Both are good in close. Sikura is the playmaker with his vision, patience, and skill. Also great fore checker and defensive awareness.
- AEL_Fox

Agree with you guys, that would be a decent spot to put him.

Roll with:

Caggiula Toews Kane
Debrincat Strome Kahun
Saad Anisimov Sikura
Perlini Kruger Hayden
Kunitz

Keith Seabrook
Dahlstrom Murphy
Koekkoek Gustafsson
Forsling

The leafs are good though and the rangers are not.
- fattybeef

Remind me who won that game?

Shots are not necessarily an indication of overall play. I only caught a portion of the game, but a lot of Leafs shots came from the perimeter. They had 23 PP shots on 4 PP's. Nice game for a goalie who has a .903 save percentage and a GAA over 3.

I haven't been following too closely but with the Ducks firing their coach... does this seem like an opening for Q?

Roll with:

Caggiula Toews Kane
Debrincat Strome Kahun
Saad Anisimov Sikura
Perlini Kruger Hayden
Kunitz

Keith Seabrook
Dahlstrom Murphy
Koekkoek Gustafsson
Forsling
- AEL_Fox

Kunitz is playing due to his 1000th game.

I disagree that the Hawks need a "game changer" from the draft to get back to being legit contenders. I think the top 6 is coming together, and with the prospects they already have, I think they will keep adding pieces from within as they become ready in the next year or 2. The hawks can then add the pieces around the edges, the complimentary role players that they need, through free agency and trades. I don't see them making a huge blockbuster trade in the next few years. If they end up winning the lottery, then great, but I definitely don't want them to lose on purpose just to get there. As we are already seeing, there isn't that much of a difference between the teams at the bottom and those that everyone considers cup contenders. I think the biggest difference is chemistry, attitude, and will, and you are seeing how that makes a difference right now with these Hawks.