With the Blackhawks 2021 first round lottery choice given the best player available is pretty much a toss up (eight players have been suggested as first overall choice), what position drafted would you prefer?

Put another way, what position would a stud performance (after one or two years development) really mean the most overall for the team's success?

This is a choice between forward and defenseman. Or if you will a choice between forward, Center, Wing, or defenceman. No goaltender would be a lottery choice.

I sigh and cannot pass on the availability of a tough - nosed two way dman. Exactly what is needed to balance out all the skill and new age type capability among our offensive dmen prospects.

I foresee a deep good skating blueline crew adept at puck advancement and even puck control. I see four lines rolled out with lots of compete. If all that is in place, then we next address top two lines and goaltending. Elite scorer after Kane. Well Dach and some descent others.

But I prefer not passing when this type dman is available. Last draft reportedly Bowman chased after a tough dman and Askarov.

Maybe review wiz draft list and see if you agree/disagree whom/position to draft

Sign, play and flip at the TDL foe draft capital? I think that’s rationale that may make sense. As a Chicago sports fan for nearly 50 years now, we always, ALWAYS over-value our prospects. This organization very likely doesn’t have enough in the pipeline.
- Aurora Hawk

I understand that argument but I'm not sure it's worth the playing time Hoffman would take away from a young player is worth it. There are already too many forwards who would be vying for playing time and adding Hoffman exacerbates that situation.

Looking at the numbers: Toews, Kane, Dach, DeBrincat, Kubalik are certainties. The Marks bros didn't get signed to sit - so there's 2 more near certainties. If Strome is re-signed he will play - so that's 8. Most likely Suter will be in the starting lineup, leaving 3 forward spots to play in each game. Here are the players who will be vying for those 3 spots (2 spots if Hoffman is signed):

Kampf, Highmore, Nylander, Smith, Carpenter, Shaw, Kurashev, Hagel, Entwistle, and maybe one or two other guys Stan wants to give a shot.

Getting itchy, figure it out. Everybody is gonna get a haircut. Game on ffs.

I know Williams isn't the popular pick but honestly the defense for the Bulls is brutal. This kid plays defense and he's very athletic and supposedly he played point guard in high school so he has ball skills. I know everyone seems to want a scorer but what i kept hearing every time a kid was drafted was can they get this kid to play defense? That was never said with Williams.

I don't know what to expect with Reichel but if he's responsible with the puck, plays good defense, tough along the boards, goes to the front of the net, maintain possession in the offensive zone, and can produce 40+ points this will be a good pick for the team.
- BetweenTheDots

Amen to all of this.

Something I commend about Reichel as the Hawks 1st pick was that he doesn't have that common flaw of 1st rounders with blue chip talent (typically read as "offensive talent"): doesn't compete consistently and/or is a mess in the defensive end.

The same could be said about Williams.

Just curious for those who have an opinion as I see a debate emerging on Twitter about this: if the Hawks had a top 10 pick in the 2020 draft and could only take a defenseman, would you have taken Jake Sanderson or Jamie Drysdale?

Sanderson went one spot ahead of Drysdale at 5th and 6th respectively to the Sens and Ducks.

The next blueliner taken was Kaiden Guhle at 16th who the Hawks reportedly would've drafted if the Habs hadn't taken him.

Just curious for those who have an opinion as I see a debate emerging on Twitter about this: if the Hawks had a top 10 pick in the 2020 draft and could only take a defenseman, would you have taken Jake Sanderson or Jamie Drysdale?

Sanderson went one spot ahead of Drysdale at 5th and 6th respectively to the Sens and Ducks.

The next blueliner taken was Kaiden Guhle at 16th who the Hawks reportedly would've drafted if the Ha
bs hadn't taken him.
- Theo Fox

I had argued for Drysdale with Wiz early last NHL season. I was particularly enamored with his skating and the notion that he projected to be sound, defensively, from the get go.

Along came Sanderson, however, and early on Wiz guessed that this fast riser could surpass Drysdale in the draft order. Sanderson has descent size and will hit. A good skater too but not the edgework Drysdale has

I imagine the hitting, his shot, his size may have influenced me to consider Sanderson as a better Blackhawk fit. Bob Murray, though, has drafted plenty of good dmen and he has Drysdale.

I don't think you are wrong with either choice for a hypothetical Blackhawk 2020 selection. I just do not know whom I would have chosen if those two were available and the directive was to grab a dman

Is This a Chicago Bulls page...more of that than anything else!!!!

Is This a Chicago Bulls page...more of that than anything else!!!!
- Chisoxhawk

Other than this neat comparison story Theo crafted, this site gets little basketball talk. In case you didn't know

Thank goodness. I do not like basketball. I don't mind the other sports talk; I can scroll past it I so choose. Although food and Bears talk can hijack the site - it seems - hockey wins out after a few pages usually. I don't know how one particular poster gets away with political comments, but scroll past it too. Not a big deal.

Is This a Chicago Bulls page...more of that than anything else!!!!
- Chisoxhawk

A complaint about lack of hockey talk.....without any hockey content. Nice.

Getting itchy, figure it out. Everybody is gonna get a haircut. Game on ffs.
- 6628

I hear that, already going to play 26 less games, no or minimal fans, and I'm sure the players don't want to lose a year on their contract. Sounds like players want to be with family during the holidays, don't blame them, probably start up right after the New year.

A complaint about lack of hockey talk.....without any hockey content. Nice.
- mohel

Better to curse the darkness than light a candle....

But - hockey content - apparently the Blackhawks are not one of the teams looking at outdoor games.

Is This a Chicago Bulls page...more of that than anything else!!!!
- Chisoxhawk

As one of the most vociferous "non-hockey talk" vigilantes on this blog - in my view there is non-hockey talk and then there is non-hockey talk. Some non-hockey talk rises only to the level of annoying while other non-hockey talk strikes at individual core beliefs. The former doesn't really bother me much, the latter is the hill I will die on, metamorphically speaking.

In this case, Theo used the Bulls to make a thought provoking comparison with the Hawks so it really wasn't non-hockey talk, per se. Comments tend to take on a life of their own and are part and parcel of a blog - nothing can or should be done about that when they spring from the original topic.

There's been many non-hockey talk topics that don't necessarily originate from the central topic - music and food to name the two most common. I can see where those become annoying when they flood the comment section - but those don't attack or challenge a person's core beliefs - nobody gets exorcised when someone claims the Beatles were a better band than the Dave Clark Five.

However, religion and politics should not be brought into the comment section because it serves no other purpose than to cause trouble and put other posters into the position to either acquiesce or defend their beliefs - neither of which should be forced upon them in this space which should be a safe haven from those real world stresses.

There, I'll step down from my vigilante soap box now ... have a nice day.

Better to curse the darkness than light a candle....

But - hockey content - apparently the Blackhawks are not one of the teams looking at outdoor games.
- StLBravesFan

If they did i think it would have to happen in Indiana again.

Is This a Chicago Bulls page...more of that than anything else!!!!
- Chisoxhawk

Better that then politics/pandemic chatter.

I’d even prefer reading about the Chicago Fire instead of any more of that crap.

Better that then politics/pandemic chatter.

I’d even prefer reading about the Chicago Fire instead of any more of that crap.
- SimpleJack

Third post today whining about non-hockey-content posts.

None of the three with a shred of hockey content.

...Curse the darkness....

As one of the most vociferous "non-hockey talk" vigilantes on this blog - in my view there is non-hockey talk and then there is non-hockey talk. Some non-hockey talk rises only to the level of annoying while other non-hockey talk strikes at individual core beliefs. The former doesn't really bother me much, the latter is the hill I will die on, metamorphically speaking.

In this case, Theo used the Bulls to make a thought provoking comparison with the Hawks so it really wasn't non-hockey talk, per se. Comments tend to take on a life of their own and are part and parcel of a blog - nothing can or should be done about that when they spring from the original topic.

There's been many non-hockey talk topics that don't necessarily originate from the central topic - music and food to name the two most common. I can see where those become annoying when they flood the comment section - but those don't attack or challenge a person's core beliefs - nobody gets exorcised when someone claims the Beatles were a better band than the Dave Clark Five.

However, religion and politics should not be brought into the comment section because it serves no other purpose than to cause trouble and put other posters into the position to either acquiesce or defend their beliefs - neither of which should be forced upon them in this space which should be a safe haven from those real world stresses.

There, I'll step down from my vigilante soap box now ... have a nice day.
- EbonyRaptor

But my religion and political affiliation is right!

Third post today whining about non-hockey-content posts.

None of the three with a shred of hockey content.

...Curse the darkness....
- StLBravesFan

I never said all posts had to be about hockey/contain something hockey related.

So see basically what you just said to me makes absolutely zero sense.

Hey I’m all for anything sports related. Like I said even soccer/fütball.

Or music

Or movies

Or food

Or general nonsense

But politics? Reading a bunch of dems and republicans argue political views? = LAME AND BORING

New blog! A plea to the Blackhawks to keep their shifts to optimal TOI at ES as well as on the PP and PK. Easier said than done, though, if team defense continues to struggle.

https://www.hockeybuzz.co.../Keep-It-Short/284/108611