Also....

(frank) the Blues.
(frank) the Bruins.

I refuse to watch tonight to see which team of D-bags wins the big prize.
- Ogilthorpe2

This!!!!
I'm with you Ogi..

It might not be the Blues of a few years ago, but don’t kid yourself, these blues are every bit as cheap and dirty as the Bruins. If the rules didn’t change starting with game 83, neither team would have likely made it this far.

My dream scenario for tonight’s game 7:

Low scoring game that goes to multiple OT’s.
St. Louis wins as a result of yet another egregious officiating error...like the worst call/non-call in the history of professional sports.

That way Marchand/Backes/Chara and all the Boston d-bags don’t get to skate around with the cup over their heads, and the Blues, and all of their d-bag minions that I had to spend my college years around, will be forever tormented by their Cup Win having been fraudulent. Plus the whining out of Boston would be music to my ears.

It's the closest thing I can think of to having neither team win.
- Ogilthorpe2

That's a pretty damn good scenario.

STL has the classy fan and then they have the hillrods that come crawling out of the far west and south counties of the STL area. These are the idiots who get blasted and try to fight everyone and resort to how great the Cardinals are in every sports debate imaginable. I ran into this at a 2012 game there and the guy started in on the cubs....I told him I don't care about the damn the Cubs.....

If there is any sports city that needs to be kicked down a few notches it's Boston. All those people are idiots. They just pretend that anything pre 2001 in sports never happened....unless you are referring to the Celtics.

I just can't wait for idiot Pierre to do his profile of some fringe NHL player and what crap junior team he played for, etc. that much I know is coming and that part rivals any shout outs that grab ass Foley can muster up......

Wouldn’t it be great if St Louis scored twice in 17 seconds to win it and n the 3rd.....
- mike7076

Bite your tongue.

IF????
- DarthKane

Pierre McGuire was quoted as saying Chicago or Minnesota and the beat writer for Minnesota, Russo, said Chicago.
- SteveRain

I read the bolded part before and dismissed it since it's Pierre and I really doubt anyone is going to give him any real inside information.

Don't know Russo. Does he have any track record of being right on stuff?

Pierre McGuire was quoted as saying Chicago or Minnesota and the beat writer for Minnesota, Russo, said Chicago.
- SteveRain

The current Philly blog is a good read. It describes how the credibility of rumors is based upon the person originating them. Some writers have more cred than others or the run of the mill blogger. Goes on to say when hearing a rumor, ask how it aligns with that team's needs to help determine its accuracy.

I could be dead wrong....but.....

doesn't this team need to go F given that they have 3-4 guys on D you keep hearing about who should be NHL players in some capacity but I don' t hear much about their Fs anymore...….and I don't see/read about any elite goaltenders.

I would believe if all things are equal and a F and D men are on the board they want at 3, they go F.
- SteveRain

I’d be shocked if they can’t come to a consensus as to who they rate as the best available player at #3.

Although I have know idea who that player will be. Other than one of the five they are promoting!

I read the bolded part before and dismissed it since it's Pierre and I really doubt anyone is going to give him any real inside information.

Don't know Russo. Does he have any track record of being right on stuff?
- Rota's Rooter

Who knows on Pierre

Russo seems to be legit out of Minnesota.

The guy out of Columbus, Aaron P something is very good. Breaks a lot of things for that team.

The Hawks don't have a single guy you look at and say....he has inside information. At least I haven't found one that breaks MAJOR news ahead of when it becomes public.

It might not be the Blues of a few years ago, but don’t kid yourself, these blues are every bit as cheap and dirty as the Bruins. If the rules didn’t change starting with game 83, neither team would have likely made it this far.

My dream scenario for tonight’s game 7:

Low scoring game that goes to multiple OT’s.
St. Louis wins as a result of yet another egregious officiating error...like the worst call/non-call in the history of professional sports.

That way Marchand/Backes/Chara and all the Boston d-bags don’t get to skate around with the cup over their heads, and the Blues, and all of their d-bag minions that I had to spend my college years around, will be forever tormented by their Cup Win having been fraudulent. Plus the whining out of Boston would be music to my ears.

It's the closest thing I can think of to having neither team win.
- Ogilthorpe2

Way to thread the needle. I want this to happen so badly now that anything less will be a soul-crushing disappointment. Dammit.

The current Philly blog is a good read. It describes how the credibility of rumors is based upon the person originating them. Some writers have more cred than others or the run of the mill blogger. Goes on to say when hearing a rumor, ask how it aligns with that team's needs to help determine its accuracy.
- boilermaker100

Thanks and I'll have to read up on it.

I will say this....that article that Powers wrote about how methodical Bowman is and how Bowman admits it can be irritating to other GMs shines some light on things.....Im sure some of the whispers/rumors that were first reported on here over the years were things Bowman was weighing but never pulled the trigger on.

I’d be shocked if they can’t come to a consensus as to who they rate as the best available player at #3.

Although I have know idea who that player will be. Other than one of the five they are promoting!
- walleyeb1

Im sure they do but they need to start restocking at F to have the next "core group" ready to go at some point.

Anthony Mantha from Detroit. Gigantic Center with 3.3 cap hit.
- Hawkytalk

Except he's a winger

I havent' seen that highlight in years...….burned in my head though. I want to say there was room short side up top as Luongo stretched over to his right....but its done.

Im sure Roberto will have some sort of rash and get medically OK'd to walk off into the sunset without cap ramafications.
- SteveRain

I think you're exactly right. All of the cap circumventing contracts that were signed before the new CBA were never gonna be punished after the fact. All of them will or have become LTIR cap relief.

It might not be the Blues of a few years ago, but don’t kid yourself, these blues are every bit as cheap and dirty as the Bruins. If the rules didn’t change starting with game 83, neither team would have likely made it this far.

My dream scenario for tonight’s game 7:

Low scoring game that goes to multiple OT’s.
St. Louis wins as a result of yet another egregious officiating error...like the worst call/non-call in the history of professional sports.

That way Marchand/Backes/Chara and all the Boston d-bags don’t get to skate around with the cup over their heads, and the Blues, and all of their d-bag minions that I had to spend my college years around, will be forever tormented by their Cup Win having been fraudulent. Plus the whining out of Boston would be music to my ears.

It's the closest thing I can think of to having neither team win.
- Ogilthorpe2

That’s deliciously evil...love it!

This!!!!
I'm with you Ogi..
- BGKarras

YOU GUYS ARE NUTTTTTZZZZZZZZZ


Go Bruins. How can you fathom a Blues Stanley Cup parade?

Who knows on Pierre

Russo seems to be legit out of Minnesota.

The guy out of Columbus, Aaron P something is very good. Breaks a lot of things for that team.

The Hawks don't have a single guy you look at and say....he has inside information. At least I haven't found one that breaks MAJOR news ahead of when it becomes public.
- SteveRain

Zawaski is pretty good.

I am positive Hagg is not good. Try picking better players. That would help.
- Elbows15

Who would you target? I was just messing with you. Here is a question what would it take to get ghost from philly?

I think you're exactly right. All of the cap circumventing contracts that were signed before the new CBA were never gonna be punished after the fact. All of them will or have become LTIR cap relief.
- GPHawksfan

Except Pronger....he was "retired" to the nhl office.

Zawaski is pretty good.
- Bjm84

He really has been good lately.

Do we honestly think that Uncle Dale didn't delegate and have somebody ready below him to send him fed ex envelopes out? Come on......and if that horrible blunder was strickly on Uncle Dale would the team go out of its way to reward him with a ring following the 2010 cup win?

I would be SHOCKED if Saad is ever traded. Bowman loves to hold on to his favorites for as long as humanly possible. I brought up the idea of trading 3-4 blogs ago as one of the few PROVEN nhl assets on this team a team may be willing to go after AND one the Hawks may be wiling to trade (if the return was right).

I brought up Kessel because I fear outside of 88/12 you will see a decline in offensive from many guys who had "career" years including the captain, Gus, and Strome.

We went through the Kessel debate, I doubt he also comes here, but what he lacks in defense he makes up in offense, and believe it or not his playoff performances trump Saad, who apparently is the poster child for NHL playoff players by so many on here.

To me it's simple.....Saad played his @ss off in 2015....wanted huge money, got it from Columbus, fell into a half-@ss routine (read APs article from Columbus paper or athletic) and got traded back here.....where he is far too inconsistent offensively to be counted on in a top 6 role. Hell, you could argue the trade was made to help Toews live up to his offensive abilities (argument for another day) and truthfully.....the trade has been a bomb. Forsberg is astrocious and likely gone. Panarin continued to blossom and is a LEGIT NHL star and Saad.....is a try hard some nights, float other nights, 6 million AAV on a team that can't afford floaters and guys not carrying their weight.

This team needs defense.....and signs that their are in replacements for 2/7 on the roster who can play top end minutes against the premier NHL players and hold their own. They still don't have any....and that's what kills them. That and their awful PK....

IMO, if this offseason doesn't amount to a playoff appearance and a tick up where everyone can see the improvement, then you have to blow this thing in February and put high end guys on the market and start building around a new core of younger guys. Yes, that means I would listen on 2/19/88/50 if you are in the same spot this year as last year when the deadline approaches.

Bowman's trade of Hammer for Murphy and Panarin for Saad/Forsberg put this team further into a spin then what transpired that April when Nashville flat out embarrassed them, and the Hawks have YET to recover from both of those situations.
- SteveRain

This post 100%. Absolutely spot on.

Oh and for the Bynam crowd, I think it's a bad sign they posted his profile on the Hawks website FIRST. If they knew they were going to take him, there is no way they would upload his profile first.

This post 100%. Absolutely spot on.

Oh and for the Bynam crowd, I think it's a bad sign they posted his profile on the Hawks website FIRST. If they knew they were going to take him, there is no way they would upload his profile first.
- hereismike1

Good thing they're drafting Cole Caufield.

This post 100%. Absolutely spot on.

Oh and for the Bynam crowd, I think it's a bad sign they posted his profile on the Hawks website FIRST. If they knew they were going to take him, there is no way they would upload his profile first.
- hereismike1

Maybe it's an alphabetical order thing?

This post 100%. Absolutely spot on.

Oh and for the Bynam crowd, I think it's a bad sign they posted his profile on the Hawks website FIRST. If they knew they were going to take him, there is no way they would upload his profile first.
- hereismike1

Pretty sure they are just going in alphabetical order. Aside from that, they are giving profiles on the top five guys left after Hughes and Kakko. Why would the order in which they post them matter at all?

I could be dead wrong....but.....

doesn't this team need to go F given that they have 3-4 guys on D you keep hearing about who should be NHL players in some capacity but I don' t hear much about their Fs anymore...….and I don't see/read about any elite goaltenders.

I would believe if all things are equal and a F and D men are on the board they want at 3, they go F.
- SteveRain

Unless they consider Byram head and shoulders better than what they have and trade one of the four for a young up and coming forward prospect or include them in a package for immediate help. That being said, I also believe its a forward (center) if all things are equal.

Maybe it's an alphabetical order thing?
- I Am The Breadman

Maybe it’s a ‘they’re drafting Cole Caufield’ thing.