Theo Fox: Compete, Contest, Commit
Presenting the Blackhawks edition of the HockeyBuzz sitewide blog series focusing on what each team’s biggest need is to be complete.

In the next two seasons there will be plenty of effort, compete and speed on the bottom two lines. More of that from certain veterans (consistently) on top two lines will be more telling about the team's fortune.
ALSO
As long as Strome is in the lineup and if DeBrincat doesn't return to 40 goal form, then those two are stinking up the lines. DeBrincat has to score btw because he is not a cycle player.

The sooner the better comes Entwhistle and Hagel.

I would like to add a couple others too but they aren't yet showing enough progression

Also Barret intrigues because he has skill to go with the agiatng mouth and willingness to contend for puck along the boards. He is what Strome will never become. But could his skating improve?

Kurashev has that knock wiz warns about. We won't know about him until he gets a look.

Good blog Theo. I think we have the bottom six covered, we need a couple of big, talented speedy wingers, our young D to blossom, a goalie to step up, and commitment to defense. Easier said than done.

If we have NHL players at the blue line then all we really need is time, playing experience, for them to develop. There's some talent there and if when Boqvist gets stronger and figures it out in his own end he'll be a really good one.

I would like to see them be more competitive this year defensively. I would also like to see signs of a 3rd and 4th line to sustain some offensive pressure, Vegas absolutely owned us on this.

I believe once our defense gets better a goalie will emerge

Great blog Theo. I would add one more C and that is confidence. One can't succeed without confidence whether it be confidence in one's own ability or confidence in the system or...

Thank you, Theo.

A lot of what you say is on Colliton and his coaches to set the tone.

But it’s also on the remaining core in the locker room to be leaders - by example AND vocally - the “C”, the “As”, Kane - get on players who aren’t playing “correctly”, call them out individually and collectively, lead them in practices, in the room, in games.

You are correct, Theo - playing “the right way” can overcome at least some of the talent deficits that will probably be with us this coming season.

Great blog Theo. The 3 'C's cover the fundamentals needed by every winning team and have been by and large missing on a consistent basis on this Hawks team - no doubt about that. However, beyond the requisite attitude and effort - winning teams do need the horses to rise above a Columbus'esque "hard to play against" team into a Tampa'esque Cup winner.

If ingraining the fundamentals is the Hawks most pressing need, losing enough to get high draft picks to acquire the requisite horses is a close second.

Ideally the future success of the Blakids blueline crew is.....
......well a hypothesis

Say Mitchell is pretty good. Say Carlsson is solid. After this shortened upcoming season, either Zadorov or Murphy is protecting the fort too.

The key to the defense growth and sustaining a competitive level among three pairs though needs to switch from Keith to Boqvist. He has the tools, he has the flair for dramatc moments. His smarts and skill allows him to score impressively due to the shot or as has been truthful before turning pro - the game winning goal

Presentlt that is what we pin our hopes upon. Those three if they can produce. Some other prospects and possibly a 2921 draft dman could provide a very deep, skill group if only a couple of other prospects would emerge.

But Boqvist is the special offensive talent to cheer for.

Later add: And i don't mean to suggest Boqvist becomes a top pair. Rather a nice trajectory has him playing often a lot in a second pairing plus Pp. Yes Mitchell hopefully becomes a top pair guy. Carlsson plays any defense unit.

I agree with Theo on the 3 C's.

But goaltending can have a major effect on the 3 C's. Soft goals are the biggest spirit crusher. It is likely that our goaltending will not be stellar, face a lot of shots, an inordinate amount of high % shots, and the save % and GAA will be below league average. But if the goaltending can avoid leaving in a lot of soft goals and can keep them in it, then the onus is on the forwards and dmen to win games.

I am still neutral on Colliton. But, other than Zadorov and the Marx Brothers (Wallmark and Janmark), the team has to understand his system well by now. If the team defense still looks like mass chaos then it is time to bring in a coach with a better system (or a better coach).

I agree with Theo on the 3 C's.

But goaltending can have a major effect on the 3 C's. Soft goals are the biggest spirit crusher. It is likely that our goaltending will not be stellar, face a lot of shots, an inordinate amount of high % shots, and the save % and GAA will be below league average. But if the goaltending can avoid leaving in a lot of soft goals and can keep them in it, then the onus is on the forwards and dmen to win games.

I am still neutral on Colliton. But, other than Zadorov and the Marx Brothers (Wallmark and Janmark), the team has to understand his system well by now. If the team defense still looks like mass chaos then it is time to bring in a coach with a better system (or a better coach).
- -Doh-

Doh...
Duh....you said right. Both the goaltending and coaching. I just couldn't resist to play off your avatar Doh with Duh. But hey I agreed.
Ok i will ad lib on a tad of a tangent since I have confidence in basic analysis of the coaching wheel around town

Went and brought in new better coach/manager

Bulls.
Yes. I hate basketball but like to see how it goes without ever watching or listening to hoops. Have to think there is a good amount of fans who love hockey and aren't really into basketball. The new coach looks to be a very astute hire.

Cubs
Yes. Ross managed well. Madden became stale. Team is underachievers and refuses to use a real lead off hitter.

White Sox
Yes. By default. LaRussa has been there, done it all. I don't prejudge him necessarily over the hill. Appears to have brought in qualified coaches

Bears
No. Both GM and coach can leave. Pace has a mixed bag of success but he missed big on Trubinsky. I was excited with the Nagy hire but he or maybe I have soured on him for several reasons.

On Colliton ....might as well see how he does. He might turn out just fine. Young players shall abound and they usually play hard to prove their worthiness. Long term Colliton must be adroit in determining whether his system is practical. Colliton has navigated through murky water with his coaching strategy/system which wasn't going to work.

Good blog Theo. I think we have the bottom six covered, we need a couple of big, talented speedy wingers, our young D to blossom, a goalie to step up, and commitment to defense. Easier said than done.
- Angotti

And we need it before Toews and Kane are gone, plus since Saad is gone I would say we need 3 big talented speedy wingers since we needed at least two before he left.

I have seen a few posts that the Hawks are close to returning to SCP "Contention" not simply playoff contention.

Per your post - I think NO.

PS. I get what Theo is saying but although talent does not always win that's for sure, it always beats "heart" for a championship.

Doh...
Duh....you said right. Both the goaltending and coaching. I just couldn't resist to play off your avatar Doh with Duh. But hey I agreed.
Ok i will ad lib on a tad of a tangent since I have confidence in basic analysis of the coaching wheel around town

Went and brought in new better coach/manager

Bulls.
Yes. I hate basketball but like to see how it goes without ever watching or listening to hoops. Have to think there is a good amount of fans who love hockey and aren't really into basketball. The new coach looks to be a very astute hire.

Cubs
Yes. Ross managed well. Madden became stale. Team is underachievers and refuses to use a real lead off hitter.

White Sox
Yes. By default. LaRussa has been there, done it all. I don't prejudge him necessarily over the hill. Appears to have brought in qualified coaches

Bears
No. Both GM and coach can leave. Pace has a mixed bag of success but he missed big on Trubinsky. I was excited with the Nagy hire but he or maybe I have soured on him for several reasons.

On Colliton ....might as well see how he does. He might turn out just fine. Young players shall abound and they usually play hard to prove their worthiness. Long term Colliton must be adroit in determining whether his system is practical. Colliton has navigated through murky water with his coaching strategy/system which wasn't going to work.
- jhawk59

Although I am not impressed with Nagy, you have to admit he was brought in to install a KC offense, not a "Bears" offense and Pace has yet to give him one KC type offensive player. His grade is "incomplete."

Although I am not impressed with Nagy, you have to admit he was brought in to install a KC offense, not a "Bears" offense and Pace has yet to give him one KC type offensive player. His grade is "incomplete."
- rpeters01

Nope. Good coaches adapt the system to the talent. Nagy has shown a complete inability to do so. Therefore he's not a good coach. Plenty of evidence to grade him. C-, maybe D.

The sooner the better comes Entwhistle and Hagel.

I would like to add a couple others too but they aren't yet showing enough progression

Also Barret intrigues because he has skill to go with the agiatng mouth and willingness to contend for puck along the boards. He is what Strome will never become. But could his skating improve?

Kurashev has that knock wiz warns about. We won't know about him until he gets a look.
- jhawk59

Strome and Barratt both have skating deficiencies but each brings a different style that can fit well in the top 9.

Of course, Strome can bring the playmaking as an offensive center who would ideally fit as 2C yet there's no spot if Toews and Dach are the top two centers.

Barratt is that relentless sparkplug who can agitate and contribute offensively. His defense is better but Strome isn't a lost cause either if he just applies himself more.

I believe it's EbonyRaptor who says this but I'm also starting to think that part of Strome's lack of effectiveness is he gets tired really fast. Shorter shifts (which Colliton is stressing more) and better conditioning may help.

As for Kurashev, I'm not as worried about him. He's not a perimeter player and is willing to play through the rough stuff. He's stronger than he looks, too.

Good blog Theo. I think we have the bottom six covered, we need a couple of big, talented speedy wingers, our young D to blossom, a goalie to step up, and commitment to defense. Easier said than done.
- Angotti

There are a few top 6 wing prospects who come to mind but may not check off all the boxes you are seeking yet may compensate through other strengths.

Reichel is a smart and crafty forward who can play all positions and is resilient now as an 18 year old to bounce back quickly after taking a jolt (in an elite league of grown men, too). He's also solid in all zones.

Teply needs to work on his stride and getting up to speed from a stand still but he is a goal scorer and underrated playmaker. His defense still needs work yet he at least exerts effort to be responsible in his end. Daze 2.0?

Suter has been described as being between Kubalik and Kahun. Both Dominiks are capable of playing top 6. While he may have a lower goal output than Kubalik, Suter makes it up in compete down low and without the puck. Compared to Kahun, Suter has more tenacity.

If we have NHL players at the blue line then all we really need is time, playing experience, for them to develop. There's some talent there and if when Boqvist gets stronger and figures it out in his own end he'll be a really good one.

I would like to see them be more competitive this year defensively. I would also like to see signs of a 3rd and 4th line to sustain some offensive pressure, Vegas absolutely owned us on this.

I believe once our defense gets better a goalie will emerge
- BetweenTheDots

Agree, the D pipeline has a lot of potential to churn out a fairly solid corps for the Hawks even to the point where Boqvist is pushed to the 2nd pair because Mitchell and say Kalynuk or Beaudin are strong enough to handle the 1st pair duties.

Also agree with your take on the bottom 6. The best teams who contend and go far in the playoffs are the ones with the best 3rd and 4th liners. While the Hawks are lacking in top 6 prospects, they have a surplus of bottom 6 talent who could emerge.

Great blog Theo. I would add one more C and that is confidence. One can't succeed without confidence whether it be confidence in one's own ability or confidence in the system or...
- FourOrr

I like that 4th C. Confidence is a big factor. Once Boqvist gains confidence, look out!

Dach already has confidence but admits he needs more so that bodes well for him, too.

Confident goalies are much needed as well to battle through barrages and not get rattled by occasional softies.

Vice versa, a confident defense can help make life easier on the goalies.

Thank you, Theo.

A lot of what you say is on Colliton and his coaches to set the tone.

But it’s also on the remaining core in the locker room to be leaders - by example AND vocally - the “C”, the “As”, Kane - get on players who aren’t playing “correctly”, call them out individually and collectively, lead them in practices, in the room, in games.

You are correct, Theo - playing “the right way” can overcome at least some of the talent deficits that will probably be with us this coming season.
- StLBravesFan

That's on point with the veteran leaders to also set the tone and be vocal.

In that vein, it's also good that the coach will also call out the vets if they mess up, too, or aren't modeling the way the best they could.

Paraphrasing pdx2ord, when I find myself yelling at the TV screen during games, it's more often than not that I'm frustrated at the older players than the youngsters.

Great blog Theo. The 3 'C's cover the fundamentals needed by every winning team and have been by and large missing on a consistent basis on this Hawks team - no doubt about that. However, beyond the requisite attitude and effort - winning teams do need the horses to rise above a Columbus'esque "hard to play against" team into a Tampa'esque Cup winner.

If ingraining the fundamentals is the Hawks most pressing need, losing enough to get high draft picks to acquire the requisite horses is a close second.
- EbonyRaptor

Having the right horses is needed so I shouldn't understate that requirement for a team to be a contender.

If there are certain players who don't fit the direction of the team (i.e. strong work ethic and competitiveness to use Colliton's terms), then perhaps it's time to move on from them and bring in players who fit better.

Enter Janmark, Wallmark, and Zadorov. Not saying they're fixtures for the long haul but they were brought in to jump start what Colliton wants to create.

I agree with Theo on the 3 C's.

But goaltending can have a major effect on the 3 C's. Soft goals are the biggest spirit crusher. It is likely that our goaltending will not be stellar, face a lot of shots, an inordinate amount of high % shots, and the save % and GAA will be below league average. But if the goaltending can avoid leaving in a lot of soft goals and can keep them in it, then the onus is on the forwards and dmen to win games.

I am still neutral on Colliton. But, other than Zadorov and the Marx Brothers (Wallmark and Janmark), the team has to understand his system well by now. If the team defense still looks like mass chaos then it is time to bring in a coach with a better system (or a better coach).
- -Doh-

I concur. FourOrr brought up a 4th C in confidence. The goalies need to be confident and inspire confidence amongst the teammates in front of them.

Similarly, the forwards and defensemen need to be confident and inspire confidence amongst the goalies who back them up.

And we need it before Toews and Kane are gone, plus since Saad is gone I would say we need 3 big talented speedy wingers since we needed at least two before he left.

I have seen a few posts that the Hawks are close to returning to SCP "Contention" not simply playoff contention.

Per your post - I think NO.

PS. I get what Theo is saying but although talent does not always win that's for sure, it always beats "heart" for a championship.
- rpeters01

I’m an optimist however we have to be realistic here, at this time the Hawks don’t have the talent to contend for a SC. They need to hit it big on two of these young defensemen, keep adding talent up front, and maybe in a couple of years we could be in the hunt, but definitely not as currently constructed.

Nope. Good coaches adapt the system to the talent. Nagy has shown a complete inability to do so. Therefore he's not a good coach. Plenty of evidence to grade him. C-, maybe D.
- mohel

Could have kept Fox if you were staying with this offensive talent. I get what you're saying but that is definitely NOT what Nagy was brought in here to do "adapt." He was brought in to install his offense.

Could have kept Fox if you were staying with this offensive talent. I get what you're saying but that is definitely NOT what Nagy was brought in here to do "adapt." He was brought in to install his offense.
- rpeters01

Huh? It's pretty sad when he doesn't even understand his best personnel for key downs, or even red zone. You got that back up center and you play Coward for so many games, took him what 20 games to figure out Coward didn't belong on the field. Nagy has no clue and the worst part is these guys don't even play to the whistle. I don't blame Nagy though, Pace is good at finding talent but terrible at choosing coaches. The culprit is that front office they are constantly allowed to choose who is going to direct this team and unfortunately they are so (frank)ing lost, so it continues the suckage and it will until they all die in the front office or sell the team, sound familiar

Huh? It's pretty sad when he doesn't even understand his best personnel for key downs, or even red zone. You got that back up center and you play Coward for so many games, took him what 20 games to figure out Coward didn't belong on the field. Nagy has no clue and the worst part is these guys don't even play to the whistle. I don't blame Nagy though, Pace is good at finding talent but terrible at choosing coaches. The culprit is that front office they are constantly allowed to choose who is going to direct this team and unfortunately they are so (frank)ing lost, so it continues the suckage and it will until they all die in the front office or sell the team, sound familiar
- BetweenTheDots

You bring in an offensive head coach and give him crap for a quarterback, crap for receivers, crap for an offensive line, barely crap for running backs, spend 2 #1 draft choices on a pass rusher another $50m on another pass rusher doing nothing and tell the head coach to "adapt" his offense. Yeah that's the coach's fault he's a bad coach.

About the only thing I can say is the old Offensive Line coach who got fired after last season isn't looking so bad now. I'm biased Heistedt who is very highly regarded came from Notre Dame.