Just a placeholder until the Drake is back.
- Ogilthorpe2

He's holding the place better than I thought he might. I was against the trade of AA, but Stan might have been right. Not because Smith is good, but because there might not be room for AA on this team, given the forward depth. Kampf is better than I thought, and Dach is staying all year.

Dach is looking better each game, two things I really like is his ability to strip pucks away from the opposition and his defensive game is better than most 18 year olds. That said I'd still prefer he was in Junior to work on the weaker aspects of his game and to give him the opportunity to play in the WJC and to dominate in Junior.
- paulr

Why? His biggest weakness are strength and explosiveness in his skating. He has talked about both. The explosiveness will come with more strength. I don’t think there is anything for him to work on or learn in Junior. He needs to learn how to play with grown men. It appears he is and his confidence is growing. He also said post game yesterday he loves being hit as a big guy because it gets him in the game.

Kids going to be a monster and a gamer.

Or that Toes bum.
- Ogilthorpe2

Didn't the great DK spend a year or two at Michigan State?

Didn't Sh rp spend a year or two at Vermont?

College boys just don't cut it.

So Gus gets cut for Boq.

Who gets cut for Mitchell? And yes, he's going to sign here. The guy has integrity. He signed with Dever and said he wouldn't back out on his team. He was drafted by us, and said he plans to sign after his season.

So who's on the out? Murphy, De Haan, or Maata?

I guess since you went ahead and saved me the keystrokes, I’ll just pay it forward and throw this out there....

Mitchell won’t sign with the Hawks.
- Ogilthorpe2

Hahaha, oh no that's to (too, two) bad

Just read the latest from Laz.

Connor Murphy has never played in a playoff game, and there’s (theirs) only 6 current guys who’ve played more regular season games than Murphy without ever getting into the dance.

Conclusion: Murphy makes teams miss the playoffs, and he’s the 7th worst player in the league. We’re doomed.

Just read the latest from Laz.

Connor Murphy has never played in a playoff game, and there’s (theirs) only 6 current guys who’ve played more regular season games than Murphy without ever getting into the dance.

Conclusion. Murphy makes teams miss the playoffs, and he’s the 7th worst player in the league. We’re doomed.
- Ogilthorpe2

And to make matters worse, Mitchell won't sign with the Hawks.

Just read the latest from Laz.

Connor Murphy has never played in a playoff game, and there’s (theirs) only 6 current guys who’ve played more regular season games than Murphy without ever getting into the dance.

Conclusion. Murphy makes teams miss the playoffs, and he’s the 7th worst player in the league. We’re doomed.
- Ogilthorpe2

The 'Yotes, that is why.

So Gus gets cut for Boq.

Who gets cut for Mitchell? And yes, he's going to sign here. The guy has integrity. He signed with Dever and said he wouldn't back out on his team. He was drafted by us, and said he plans to sign after his season.

So who's on the out? Murphy, De Haan, or Maata?
- RedRevenge

Koo Koo 1st. While they see what Mitchell has. Then one of de Haan, Murphy or Maata is exposed to the expansion draft?

The 'Yotes, that is why.
- powerenforcer

Chicken or Egg?

Did he never play in the playoffs because he was on the Yotes...or did the Yotes never make the playoffs because Murphy was on the team?

Think about it. I mean, REALLY...think about it

How about Byram and Turcotte, what are their point totals? Seem to recall some of the "experts" from the Athletic and other locales scratching their heads that the Hawks passed on Bowen Orr and Wayne Turcotte.

I kid...they could turn out to be great players but in limited time, Dach has looked really good and I think making many people, FO and fans alike, happy with the 3rd overall pick.
- HawkintheD

The Hawks still should have drafted Caufield.

The Hawks still should have drafted Caufield.
- DarthKane

I’m still pissed the Wangs took Jurco just before our pick in 2011.

#stanshould’vetradedup

https://twitter.com/NHLBl.../1196417833871249409?s=09

#unsustainable

Now's the time to use Dach as a sweetener to unload Brent "The Anchor" Seabrook's contract.


- DarthKane

Probably have to throw in Boquist...

So Gus gets cut for Boq.

Who gets cut for Mitchell? And yes, he's going to sign here. The guy has integrity. He signed with Dever and said he wouldn't back out on his team. He was drafted by us, and said he plans to sign after his season.

So who's on the out? Murphy, De Haan, or Maata?
- RedRevenge

Gus, and then we'll see.

Looking past the Carolina & Tampa Bay games, we got 2 home & away games, Dallas & Colorado, then St. Louis right after. I'm as (frank)ing greedy as they come. 10 points on 3 teams ahead of us would be really nice.

It's funny how the narrative of a team can change in such a short period of time. It'll probably flip again in another week or two though considering they're like 6 points outta first place for the Central and 6 points from having the worst record in the league

However, I will say they look like an actual NHL team that is capable of contending for a Playoff spot. Which is awesome. Lets hope that they can continue to stack points and keep in the hunt for the Playoffs.

Whatever meeting that did or did not happen, I'm glad it did. It was clear that the dump and chase game that JC wanted the team to play was NOT a fit for this roster. Now that he's given them the freedom to play to their style you see the confidence has gone up and the offensive is starting to produce more and more. Defense is still giving up lots of shots, but Lehner and Crow have been killing it this year a 1-2 punch (Lehner more so has been on another level). Hopefully with more time together and familiarity with one another they can tighten up even more.

Let's hope the growth continues and they keep stacking points!

P.S. that Dach kid is pretty good and is showing he definitely belongs in the NHL. Allowing him to play in a non pressure role on the 4th line was a great idea to bring offense skill to all of the lines and allow for him develop without feeling the pressure of having to do too much. Smith and Carpenter have developed some good chemistry with the kid as well. I'm fine with him getting 10-12 minutes a game for now while he continues to acclimate to the league and continues to develop his game.

https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1196417833871249409?s=09

#unsustainable
- BetweenTheDots

Yup... expect the Hawks to crash back down to reality soon as they realize their slogan - One Goal (per game).

Gus, and then we'll see.
- rpeters01

Yeah that's going to be very interesting to follow this coming year. I still believe Mitchell will sign with the Hawks and hold to his word that he's said all along of signing with the team. Where he fits is another story. The most obvious spot would be Seabrook, but unless he decides to retire at the end of the year he'll be on this team next year.

It's a good problem to have considering just last year we weren't confident we even had six NHL Defensemen to fill out our roster and now we're trying to figure out how we can make room for two rookies who look like they could be starting with the team by next year.

Hawks are tied for 16th in goals scored. They are one of six teams tied for 7th in goals against.

Yeah that's going to be very interesting to follow this coming year. I still believe Mitchell will sign with the Hawks and hold to his word that he's said all along of signing with the team. Where he fits is another story. The most obvious spot would be Seabrook, but unless he decides to retire at the end of the year he'll be on this team next year.

It's a good problem to have considering just last year we weren't confident we even had six NHL Defensemen to fill out our roster and now we're trying to figure out how we can make room for two rookies who look like they could be starting with the team by next year.
- Savetheembers33

Mitchell either signs or has to go play another year of college hockey. I don't see him going to play his senior year.... but it is possible. I think he signs though.

It's funny how the narrative of a team can change in such a short period of time. It'll probably flip again in another week or two though considering they're like 6 points outta first place for the Central and 6 points from having the worst record in the league

However, I will say they look like an actual NHL team that is capable of contending for a Playoff spot. Which is awesome. Lets hope that they can continue to stack points and keep in the hunt for the Playoffs.

Whatever meeting that did or did not happen, I'm glad it did. It was clear that the dump and chase game that JC wanted the team to play was NOT a fit for this roster. Now that he's given them the freedom to play to their style you see the confidence has gone up and the offensive is starting to produce more and more. Defense is still giving up lots of shots, but Lehner and Crow have been killing it this year a 1-2 punch (Lehner more so has been on another level). Hopefully with more time together and familiarity with one another they can tighten up even more.

Let's hope the growth continues and they keep stacking points!

P.S. that Dach kid is pretty good and is showing he definitely belongs in the NHL. Allowing him to play in a non pressure role on the 4th line was a great idea to bring offense skill to all of the lines and allow for him develop without feeling the pressure of having to do too much. Smith and Carpenter have developed some good chemistry with the kid as well. I'm fine with him getting 10-12 minutes a game for now while he continues to acclimate to the league and continues to develop his game.
- Savetheembers33

The parity in the league is nuts. The difference from Minnesota (15) to St Louis (1) is only like 13 points and Minnesota is still only 7 points out of a WC spot. Most teams 3 points or so around WC spot.

Getting nice secondary help from kids and veterans alike to complement our stars. Stellar goaltending too.

As long as we don't have games like against the Sharks, Canes and Preds (both Flyers games stunk too), most will be happy I think even with losses.

Not a huge fan of Dach playing on the fourth line because of the style those lines usually play (more of setting him up to get destroyed by another player), but he is a huge mismatch with his skill. He was everywhere on the ice last night and looked absolutely dominant. Love his ability to go to the net; the kid is a player and he is going to be a MONSTER once his body fills out.

Also really love how Brandon Saad is playing. His hands were AWFUL last night, but he was all over the place as well...him and Toews belong together and should not be separated.

Hard to believe that this style of play will have long term success, but keep getting points anyway possible and figure it out in the process. One thing that they have to fix is their PP. They have to start capitalizing more often. With the talent they have, scoring more frequently on their PP could really be game changing for their season. Would love to see Kirby Dach out there on one of the units.

Big game tomorrow night. The next month or so will really show us who this team is. Have went through a stretch of being horrendous, and are not currently on a heater. Hoping they can keep this play up!

Not a huge fan of Dach playing on the fourth line because of the style those lines usually play (more of setting him up to get destroyed by another player), but he is a huge mismatch with his skill. He was everywhere on the ice last night and looked absolutely dominant. Love his ability to go to the net; the kid is a player and he is going to be a MONSTER once his body fills out.

Also really love how Brandon Saad is playing. His hands were AWFUL last night, but he was all over the place as well...him and Toews belong together and should not be separated.

Hard to believe that this style of play will have long term success, but keep getting points anyway possible and figure it out in the process. One thing that they have to fix is their PP. They have to start capitalizing more often. With the talent they have, scoring more frequently on their PP could really be game changing for their season. Would love to see Kirby Dach out there on one of the units.

Big game tomorrow night. The next month or so will really show us who this team is. Have went through a stretch of being horrendous, and are not currently on a heater. Hoping they can keep this play up!
- frafra

Smith and Carpenter have decent skills for 4th liners though and Dach is responsible on both ends of the ice so it works for now...

Chicken or Egg?

Did he never play in the playoffs because he was on the Yotes...or did the Yotes never make the playoffs because Murphy was on the team?

Think about it. I mean, REALLY...think about it
- Ogilthorpe2

#Murphyconspiracy ....🤔