I was excited about my team going into the season minus the goaltender and the fact that all the pieces added were either average or slow skaters.

I could see two paths the team could take: being a contender or struggling mightily. So while they were sucking I was hoping for some surgery and a chance at an elite young player. I figured the team isn't that far from being great adding a cost controlled piece with some of the other players and boom--gold.

Well so far they decided to play the way they can but on the back of a netminder with little experience. It's a bit scary. A few years back they tried adding a veteran goalie and he choked against you guys, another was added and that seemed to forever shake the fragile confidence of Allen.
Crawford proves, an elite goaltender four game changers in a line up and he can erase a lot of the blemishes and allow for the Kanes to find a moment to take over a game.

Probably to see if he could hack it. Think we saw the answer. Pizzed me off too!

Hockey is a business, and playoff revenue matters. If there is a chance at getting even 1 round of dollars the brass will go for it. Smallish trades at the deadline to maybe reshape the bottom 6 or a cheap D to help with that. They will let the current roster take their shot rather than mess with chemistry too much, from what we hear they are a tight group having fun right now.

As for the mental damage caused by getting thumped in the playoffs, when did players become so fragile? These guys have lost on many levels in their careers so its not foreign to them. Losing in the playoffs is good experience, shows the young guys the commitment needed to win. It also lights a fire in the players for next season to get back there and give a better showing. I would argue that a middling season where you just miss the playoffs would be more frustrating... just ask the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets etc.

It's tough because you don't want your favorite team to be absolute garbage just to get a good draft pick. But, you also realize they aren't nearly good enough to challenge for a division title or even win a playoff round. I have to say it is nice to see the improvement over the last month of so, and the acquisitions of 17 and 91 looking good. You want the young players playing hard and fitting in. You want your superstars beings superstars too. If that happens, games are going to be won.

What I would like to see is not tanking, but if there is an opportunity to move Anisimov or Kruger or whomever to get a pick or a prospect or dump some salary, then you do it.

The Boston game really paints the picture of who the Hawks are right now, a borderline wildcard team. They scored a fluky goal, and then Boston turned it on and dominated. The Hawks can beat Minnesota and Arizona, but will get owned by San Jose and Winnipeg. Based on the schedule I see for the rest of the season, the Hawks will probably fall about where they are now, 4 points short of the playoffs.
- biskit67

I think this paragraph nails it. The Hawks do not have the pieces to compete beyong being a wildcard team. They don't have the defensemen or forward depth to be anything else. And as much as I like watching him play and admire his compete level, Delia is still an unknown. We'll see what he really is after a half to a full season and once he's been fully scouted.

Until the Hawks can build a defense that can take care of their own end, transition the puck to the forwards cleanly and can contribute offensively. Until they have six players who are legit top six forwards and a strong bottom six this team is as you say a borderline wildcard team.

All that said I like the way they have played the last 2 months or so.

Hockey is a business, and playoff revenue matters. If there is a chance at getting even 1 round of dollars the brass will go for it. Smallish trades at the deadline to maybe reshape the bottom 6 or a cheap D to help with that. They will let the current roster take their shot rather than mess with chemistry too much, from what we hear they are a tight group having fun right now.

As for the mental damage caused by getting thumped in the playoffs, when did players become so fragile? These guys have lost on many levels in their careers so its not foreign to them. Losing in the playoffs is good experience, shows the young guys the commitment needed to win. It also lights a fire in the players for next season to get back there and give a better showing. I would argue that a middling season where you just miss the playoffs would be more frustrating... just ask the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets etc.
- BlackhawkDown

Second paragraph outstanding! Question the first. Guys are used to trades, also.

This team isn’t going anywhere with Jeremey Colliton as coach. This is the NHL, not a Tier 2 Swedish league.

He doesn’t have the personnel to play man to man, yet that’s the system he installs. Every night we see slow defenseman chasing forwards behind the net, up the sidewall and out to the blue line. The other defenseman gets exposed down low, and most of the Hawk forward aren’t smart enough to drop down to take the D man’s low spot.

And how the hell do you run Forsling and Gustafsson out as a pair against one of the stronger fore checking teams in the league? If there was ever a night to play Koekkoek, it was last night.

Colliton will not be the HC when the Hawks again are Cup contenders. He’ll be back in some 2nd level Euro league, where he belongs.

I was at the game last night as a Boston resident, and you’re right, they were thumped.

What I don’t necessarily agree with is that the game is definitely indicative of how the Blackhawks would fare in the playoffs against a high quality team. I think last night was a classic case of a road game that the team was not prepared to play. What I saw in the game was the Blackhawks continuously killing themselves with poor puck decisions. It seemed like they were just giving the puck away constantly even in low pressure situations.

So what I’m saying is that I believe last night was more of a case of poor play from the Blackhawks vs. being overwhelmed by the Bruins. Also, while it seemed like Bruins controlled play because of the Hawks carelessness with the puck, it did seem like the Hawks did a decent job of limiting high danger opportunities, not sure if that bares out in the numbers.

A couple other notes:
- I think Sikura has NHL talent when playing with the puck, but away from the puck he isn’t great. It seems like when he gets the puck on his stick he does good work but he just doesn’t get it enough, he was to find a way to play with the puck more often
- Are we sure the Blackhawks play a man to man defense? I guess I’m not sure what that means. It looks to me like wings cover the points, defenders and center cover down low and net front, isn’t that pretty standard? Does it just mean they have more freedom to chase guys when they leave their coverage areas?
- LaheysBRandy

i dont know what the Heck they are playing Man to Man, Zone, some combo of above but the number of opposing players left wide open is amazing - the PP seems to be fixed, step 2 - they really need to hone this aspect of their game in

HAWKS did not have their best game last night ,it happens to every team .Nas. lost Det Minn to the flyers Was SO by CLB that the league we live in . This team is not built for the playoffs say's who ,every team has warts in the salary cap world . So your not the favorite to win the cup ,who really is .Instead of standing around planning how we will get this or that go for it now, throw caution to the wind stand up take a shot live with the consequence or the glory . As they say you want to here God laugh ,tell him your plans .. GO HAWKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAWKS did not have their best game last night ,it happens to every team .Nas. lost Det Minn to the flyers Was SO by CLB that the league we live in . This team is not built for the playoffs say's who ,every team has warts in the salary cap world . So your not the favorite to win the cup ,who really is .Instead of standing around planning how we will get this or that go for it now, throw caution to the wind stand up take a shot live with the consequence or the glory . As they say you want to here God laugh ,tell him your plans .. GO HAWKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- oldduffman

I was wondering that last night too especially with Koekoeck having a couple of good games, but then I thought maybe they are looking long term and seeing if they really have something in Forsling, or time to cut bait.

This team isn’t going anywhere with Jeremey Colliton as coach. This is the NHL, not a Tier 2 Swedish league.

He doesn’t have the personnel to play man to man, yet that’s the system he installs. Every night we see slow defenseman chasing forwards behind the net, up the sidewall and out to the blue line. The other defenseman gets exposed down low, and most of the Hawk forward aren’t smart enough to drop down to take the D man’s low spot.

And how the hell do you run Forsling and Gustafsson out as a pair against one of the stronger fore checking teams in the league? If there was ever a night to play Koekkoek, it was last night.

Colliton will not be the HC when the Hawks again are Cup contenders. He’ll be back in some 2nd level Euro league, where he belongs.
- scottak

Agree with this point. Pairing Gus and Forsling is a disaster waiting to happen. Both are offensive-minded and ready to get caught out of position. Not a big fan of Forsling as he takes too many penalties, bails out and generally loses every battle for pucks in corners. I would just play KK if Joki is not going to be brought up.

As die hard Hawks fan I would never root for the hawks to lose but its evident that they are not a playoff team. A culture and foundation has been sent by JC which is a good thing going forward. There are to many holes on this team Top 4 stable defense man Top 6 scoring winger RW with size and speed Lack of physicality and willingness to go to hard places on the ice, Pk is awful, and lack of consistent depth scoring of late hawks have gotten that but throughout not so much. JC needs to go to a zone coverage in the d zone way to many grade A chances and shots and lost coverage. I would like to see the just keep playing solid hockey but finish in the bottom 5 and have a chance at a top 5 pick (Kaappo). So bowman has lot of things to accomplish from now until next season, I will give him credit on the moves he has already made but needs to address the PHYSICAL part!!

I don't think trading the four guys mentioned (Kruger, Anisimov, Hayden, and Forsling) constitutes tank mode. Besides, will anybody out there trade for Anisimov before his bonus is paid out? Forsling is arguably the 7D now, also. If we're talking about selling high on Gus, the PP QB, then that would be a white flag trade. Trading Saad would be a surrender of sorts. Trading Keith/Seabrook would obviously be as well.

I think this group has earned the chance to see where this leads. They put together a streak, warts and all. Yeah, they sucked last night, but that was the most likely loss on the calendar in February. This month is still a pretty favorable schedule for the Hawks. They can still make up more ground. 6 more games before the TDL now. If they poop the bed over that stretch, okay then, let the trades commence. It is a precarious spot right now, no doubt, and that's why we see people going back and forth on this.

I think the rotating defenseman is part of the long term plan, not that they are trying to lose games, but they are evaluating to see what they got. We have a glut of defenseman in the system, we need to see who are keepers (if any).

- kwolf68

Awe thee of little faith ,stay safe and plan out the future .Well watching the todays fly by .. GO FOR IT !!! for F--k sake ,dam the torpedo full steam ahead ..

It's tough because you don't want your favorite team to be absolute garbage just to get a good draft pick. But, you also realize they aren't nearly good enough to challenge for a division title or even win a playoff round. I have to say it is nice to see the improvement over the last month of so, and the acquisitions of 17 and 91 looking good. You want the young players playing hard and fitting in. You want your superstars beings superstars too. If that happens, games are going to be won.

What I would like to see is not tanking, but if there is an opportunity to move Anisimov or Kruger or whomever to get a pick or a prospect or dump some salary, then you do it.

The Boston game really paints the picture of who the Hawks are right now, a borderline wildcard team. They scored a fluky goal, and then Boston turned it on and dominated. The Hawks can beat Minnesota and Arizona, but will get owned by San Jose and Winnipeg. Based on the schedule I see for the rest of the season, the Hawks will probably fall about where they are now, 4 points short of the playoffs.
- biskit67

I think this paragraph nails it. The Hawks do not have the pieces to compete beyong being a wildcard team. They don't have the defensemen or forward depth to be anything else. And as much as I like watching him play and admire his compete level, Delia is still an unknown. We'll see what he really is after a half to a full season and once he's been fully scouted.

Until the Hawks can build a defense that can take care of their own end, transition the puck to the forwards cleanly and can contribute offensively. Until they have six players who are legit top six forwards and a strong bottom six this team is as you say a borderline wildcard team.

All that said I like the way they have played the last 2 months or so.
- paulr

Agree 110% with both of you. This is what I've meant the past week about not knowing what to think of this team. It has been fun to see them play well and win again to get the feel of the "good ole days!" but realistically RIGHT NOW this is a borderline Wildcard team. If the right deal comes around to trade someone, I would make the deal, BUT I wouldn't just trade guys for the sake of doing to "tank" or "blow it up". Hawks need to build chemistry the rest of the season and see their young guys continue to develop and grow their game. With the right moves this offseason they could push from being a borderline Wildcard team to a legit Playoff contender in the West.

I may be one of the VERY few who would consider it, BUT if the Hawks are going to play well enough to not be in lets say the Top 8 of the draft but are still going to be on the outside looking in of the Playoffs would any of you consider trading our 1st Rd draft pick to a team IF we can get a young controllable (either still on their ELC OR on a long term reasonable contract) Defender or Forward? Top draft pick is awesome but it's no guarantee that whatever player we take will make it to the NHL or if he does be an effective top end player, or more importantly they may not be able to help for a few years and this team needs more help now. If the right deal came along I would definitely consider doing it to help this team the rest of the year and going into next year when hopefully we can be true Playoff contenders

On a separate subject Rutta recalled by Tampa Bay.

On a separate subject Rutta recalled by Tampa Bay.
- boilermaker100

Jan Rutta- Stanley Cup champion... Imagine that? Getting traded to the Lightning was like winning the lotto for Jan.

I do like what I've seen from KK though in the limited time he's played. An upgrade from Rutta as he was playing this year.

Awe thee of little faith ,stay safe and plan out the future .Well watching the todays fly by .. GO FOR IT !!! for F--k sake ,dam the torpedo full steam ahead ..
- oldduffman

hey old. I'm just having fun with you. You're a great poster and an even greater hawks fan. May not agree with you on all things, but I think we both have the same goals at heart and your love for the Hawks is with few peers.

On a separate subject Rutta recalled by Tampa Bay.
- boilermaker100

Cup run. LOL.

Daley to Pitt--Cup
Kempny to Wash --Cup
Rutta to TB--Cup???

If that happens it will be kinda hilarious. Totally coincidental, but still interesting.

LOL Edmonton is looking to trade (and hasn't found a taker yet) for Brandon Manning because they need the cap space to bring up Sekera after a conditioning stint in the minors

LOL Edmonton is looking to trade (and hasn't found a taker yet) for Brandon Manning because they need the cap space to bring up Sekera after a conditioning stint in the minors
- LAHawk

It was a sad day in the NHL when Charelli got the can.

The moves in the these last 2 seasons Stan has been unwilling to mortgage the future. I don't think that changes now with the Hawks in striking distance of a wild card spot.

In short TC, yes. If you can get a good deal for any of the more expendable players on the team, you improve the squad for the future. Guys like AA, Hayden, Kruger, Forsling are not contributing much of anything towards the Hawks mid-season improvement.

I've noticed this season Stab Bowman talked a lot about the young D in the system and seems to suggest he expects them to be here next year or the year after. Gotta make room even if it means signing another guy like Davidson as a just in case.

Similar story up front with a few guys who aren't pulling their weight. AA, Kruger, Hayden, Perlini, Kunitz, all disappointing this season.

Caggiula has given the Hawks some flexibility but he still isn't gonna be a prototypical top 6 guy. If we look at what is probably considered our top 6.

Saad - Toews - Kane
DeBrincat - Strome - Kahun

Those guys have all been pretty much good enough or better.

After that, very few bright spots on the roster. Kampf has had some good moments, but his skill seems to be fringe NHL talent, so 4th line is pretty much his ceiling. I'm not saying trade everyone, but I don't see anyone in the bottom 6 that has played so well that they are a "must keep" individually.

This team isn’t going anywhere with Jeremey Colliton as coach. This is the NHL, not a Tier 2 Swedish league.

He doesn’t have the personnel to play man to man, yet that’s the system he installs. Every night we see slow defenseman chasing forwards behind the net, up the sidewall and out to the blue line. The other defenseman gets exposed down low, and most of the Hawk forward aren’t smart enough to drop down to take the D man’s low spot.

And how the hell do you run Forsling and Gustafsson out as a pair against one of the stronger fore checking teams in the league? If there was ever a night to play Koekkoek, it was last night.

Colliton will not be the HC when the Hawks again are Cup contenders. He’ll be back in some 2nd level Euro league, where he belongs.
- scottak

He has coached, what, 30 games in the NHL and you've written him off?

He has a team with a no top pairing defensemen, arguably only one second pairing defenseman, three defensemen who are probably really AHLers, only 3 maybe four top six forwards, minimal forward depth, a rookie goalie and a goalie who's best days were 6 years ago, a team with no physicality and yet they play hard for him and compete. Other than suiting up and going out on the ice what do you expect Coliton to do?

Your assessment may prove to be right but judging him has to be tempered with the talent he has in the dressing room. Right now the Hawks don't need a tactical or strategic coach to guide them through the playoffs. They need a coach who can work with the team during a rebuild or retool to guide them towards being a playoff contender. Right now the focus should be on building a roster to be competative not on a coach who in my eyes has done a decent job with the players he has at his disposal.

It's tempting to hang our hat on the hope that a hot goalie and a couple favorable bounces ... and ... you never know ... it could happen ... right? It's also tempting to buy a lotto ticket when you see it get into the hundreds of millions ... it could happen ... right? The difference is that not spending that dollar on the lotto ticket this week doesn't really make a difference in improving your odds to win the lotto the following week - but doing things to try to make the playoffs now could and probably would decrease the odds of winning the Cup in the near future.

Yeah they've been playing better over the past couple months and the improvement in the PP is outstanding, but they still give up too many high quality chances and too many goals to have any chance of playoff success.

Don't do anything stupid Stan.