Theo Fox: Mailbag: Bye Bye 2020
An end-of-year Blackhawks mailbag blog answering a variety of questions from readers with topics ranging from Coach Colliton to goalies to dark horses to trades to name changes.

Theo: The likelihood of NBC Sports Chicago or WGN carrying Hogs games wouldn't be high so perhaps the Hogs could find a home on a low-powered channel like WCIU (CW) or WPWR (My 50 Chicago).

Me: Why wouldn’t NBCSC pick up some kind of package - replacing poker and gambling fishing and whatever that I can’t believe anyone really watches?

Alex Tuch?
Ouch -that is a pretty high Cap hit! The prospect better be a pretty good one as we would be helping the Knights out.

Alex Tuch?
Ouch -that is a pretty high Cap hit! The prospect better be a pretty good one as we would be helping the Knights out.
- 67hawks

Tuch is a beast and would be a benefit to the team.

Happy Holidays Theo!

In other words, management can make justification all it wants but both the reality will grow more intensely poignant and the optics will just get unbearably worse over time.

If all the sponsors say "change or we're gone," they will change. There is probably boilerplate in TV and radio contracts they can't do anything "perceived" to be poor citizens and damage the value of the contract.

Tuch went from 20G 52 pts 74 in 19-20 +13 and signed a 4.75 deal for 7 years to 8G 17pts in 42 games. -10. I assume they thought he would continue his growth. and be a 50-60 pt power winger. that is a big contract for a 3rd liner.

Theo: The likelihood of NBC Sports Chicago or WGN carrying Hogs games wouldn't be high so perhaps the Hogs could find a home on a low-powered channel like WCIU (CW) or WPWR (My 50 Chicago).

Me: Why wouldn’t NBCSC pick up some kind of package - replacing poker and gambling fishing and whatever that I can’t believe anyone really watches?
- StLBravesFan

Seriously. I think even the "Cornhole championship" was televised when all other sports were shut down. And no, that is not a euphemism.

Happy Holidays Theo!

In other words, management can make justification all it wants but both the reality will grow more intensely poignant and the optics will just get unbearably worse over time.

If all the sponsors say "change or we're gone," they will change. There is probably boilerplate in TV and radio contracts they can't do anything "perceived" to be poor citizens and damage the value of the contract.
- rpeters01

If the Hawks honor the history an put a huge emphasis on education and outreach to he relative parties, how would the optics get worse? Should teams only allowed to be names after animals, inanimate objects/concepts and the Irish?

Theo: The likelihood of NBC Sports Chicago or WGN carrying Hogs games wouldn't be high so perhaps the Hogs could find a home on a low-powered channel like WCIU (CW) or WPWR (My 50 Chicago).

Me: Why wouldn’t NBCSC pick up some kind of package - replacing poker and gambling fishing and whatever that I can’t believe anyone really watches?
- StLBravesFan

My take is if NBCSC found minor league hockey more valuable than poker, fishing, etc. then they would be airing AHL games already.

Or AHL business execs are just bad at promoting their games to get them onto local networks.

Happy Holidays Theo!

In other words, management can make justification all it wants but both the reality will grow more intensely poignant and the optics will just get unbearably worse over time.

If all the sponsors say "change or we're gone," they will change. There is probably boilerplate in TV and radio contracts they can't do anything "perceived" to be poor citizens and damage the value of the contract.
- rpeters01

Good point about sponsors potentially forcing the issue. They are definitely an influentual factor.

If the Hawks honor the history an put a huge emphasis on education and outreach to he relative parties, how would the optics get worse? Should teams only allowed to be names after animals, inanimate objects/concepts and the Irish?
- Chunk

The use of the term "optics" was by me (in the blog). What I mean by optics is even the most well intentioned efforts like homage and education can go in vain because your stakeholders view things through a different lens and can push the envelope with what they view is the appropriate decision.

I wouldn't expect many TDL deals this season, with COVID restrictions in place. A traded player would have to quarantine for 7 days and tested negative 4 times. If a team wants to make a deal, it will probably happen before the TDL, so they can get the quarantine out of the way. And I think it would be tougher to trade from a Canadian team to a non-Canadian team.

The Lightnigng have re-signed Cernak and Rutta leaving them $6+ over the cap with Cirelli and 3 other RFAs left to sign. The Kucherov injury could produce relief via LTIR.

The Capitals have signed Sheary.

I wouldn't expect many TDL deals this season, with COVID restrictions in place. A traded player would have to quarantine for 7 days and tested negative 4 times. If a team wants to make a deal, it will probably happen before the TDL, so they can get the quarantine out of the way. And I think it would be tougher to trade from a Canadian team to a non-Canadian team.
- LAHawk

Great points. The TDL is just a date so deals will likely be done in advance of that date for the reasons you shared.

On trades from a Canadian team to a non-Canadian team (and vice versa), that is going to be an issue needing to get resolved.

Same with Canadian NHL teams with U.S. AHL affiliates (and vice versa) when recalls are necessary.

However, this may not be an issue if teams can only "recall" players from the taxi squad. This is an aspect of taxi squads that has been unclear, i.e. can teams still recall players from the AHL or taxi squad only.

The answer will dictate who is on the taxi squad.

Isn’t a little odd that Strome has not signed yet? Now we are only three weeks away from the start of the season. Are they that far apart in their negotiations? This seems weird to me.

Isn’t a little odd that Strome has not signed yet? Now we are only three weeks away from the start of the season. Are they that far apart in their negotiations? This seems weird to me.
- Angotti

I think it is stranger that Barzal hasn't signed with the Islanders

New revised rule on offsides. In short, a player's skate doesn't need to be touching the ice; instead, there will be a plane that needs to be broken if the skate is still in the air.

Isn’t a little odd that Strome has not signed yet? Now we are only three weeks away from the start of the season. Are they that far apart in their negotiations? This seems weird to me.
- Angotti

Just a guess, but maybe Stan gave them a shockingly low number on a multi-year deal (in their mind), and he's trying to move them up a bit (new agent in the mix, too, right?) before they accept the qualifying number.

Random updates:

Full schedules per team should be out tomorrow.

During the regular season, teams will have to disclose names of players who are unable to play due to COVID. This doesn't apply to training camp.

All coaches and staff behind the bench have to wear masks at all times.

There will be one designated hotel per NHL city where visiting teams stay.

Players cannot carpool or use public transit to travel within cities. Instead, if transportation is an issue for players, teams must hire a car service to shuttle them around. Drivers must be masked at all times.

Random updates:

Full schedules per team should be out tomorrow.

During the regular season, teams will have to disclose names of players who are unable to play due to COVID. This doesn't apply to training camp.

All coaches and staff behind the bench have to wear masks at all times.

There will be one designated hotel per NHL city where visiting teams stay.

Players cannot carpool or use public transit to travel within cities. Instead, if transportation is an issue for players, teams must hire a car service to shuttle them around. Drivers must be masked at all times.
- Theo Fox

Aren’t they also going to be limited to hotel (including meals), practice rink, and game rink on the road?

Tuch is a beast and would be a benefit to the team.
- z1990z

I’d take Tuch in a heartbeat, but not at the expense of Strome. Pirri and Seeler for Tuch - GET IT DONE STAN!!!!

Random updates:

Full schedules per team should be out tomorrow.

During the regular season, teams will have to disclose names of players who are unable to play due to COVID. This doesn't apply to training camp.

All coaches and staff behind the bench have to wear masks at all times.

There will be one designated hotel per NHL city where visiting teams stay.

Players cannot carpool or use public transit to travel within cities. Instead, if transportation is an issue for players, teams must hire a car service to shuttle them around. Drivers must be masked at all times.
- Theo Fox

Do they need to share the same groupies?

If the Hawks honor the history an put a huge emphasis on education and outreach to he relative parties, how would the optics get worse? Should teams only allowed to be names after animals, inanimate objects/concepts and the Irish?
- Chunk

Yes, maybe not the Irish...

New revised rule on offsides. In short, a player's skate doesn't need to be touching the ice; instead, there will be a plane that needs to be broken if the skate is still in the air.


- Theo Fox

Oh that makes the call easier lol.

I’d take Tuch in a heartbeat, but not at the expense of Strome. Pirri and Seeler for Tuch - GET IT DONE STAN!!!!
- DarthKane

Nylander, make Ogi's day. One less person to argue about.