Hard not to speculate about this Toews situation. Hopefully it is nothing serious. Maybe burnout?

Well some posters here sure seem to get silly when someone directs criticism at Bowman.
He has done good things but there is reason for criticism as well.
I'm not looking at in hindsight but he should not have let Dach go to WJC . I think everyone was anticipating a break out year from him . His focus should have been on the NHL season.
The Hawks strongest poistion (center )has gone to their worst and that's saying something when you look what's between the pipes.
- HamiltonHawk

No question, but when the post tends to overlook any positives or give any credit where due to fit the narrative, that would seem a bit silly too, no?

Hard not to speculate about this Toews situation. Hopefully it is nothing serious. Maybe burnout?
- MjulQvist

IMO it’s COVID related. But he doesn’t want anyone knowing. He might be one of those unfortunate individuals that doesn’t recover easily from the virus. Maybe it’s having a serious impact on his conditioning and energy. And he’s trying to get tests done privately to find out exactly what to do from here.

IMO it’s COVID related. But he doesn’t want anyone knowing. He might be one of those unfortunate individuals that doesn’t recover easily from the virus. Maybe it’s having a serious impact on his conditioning and energy. And he’s trying to get tests done privately to find out exactly what to do from here.
- SimpleJack

If it is, he has (had) the option of opting out of the season.

If it is, he has (had) the option of opting out of the season.
- LAHawk

Well if he had it already, what's the point of opting out

The more I think about it...as painful as it might sound...I agree with EbonyRaptor: it’s time to trade 88

Get another elite prospect + another 1st. Clear some cap space.

More importantly it will OFFICIALLY signal the full on 100% commitment towards rebuilding. You add an elite tier 1 prospect(like Cozens for instance), an extra 1st, and our upcoming 1st(which given how bad we’re gonna be this season will most likely be another lottery pick) to Dach, Cat, Kubalik, Boqvist, Strome, Nylander, Mitchell, etc...that’s an insane amount of young talent. Let’s make it happen!!

Time to goon it up. Were gonna be so bad this year let's make it somewhere entertaining and get some toughness.
No ones going to want to watch this poop team half ass it and play soft getting blown out. Keith and Kane got to be livid.

Well if he had it already, what's the point of opting out
- BetweenTheDots

Because he hasn't recovered. Doesn't sound like there is a timetable for his return. The fact his salary will be about 50% of his normal. the fact the Hawks will definitely suck this year.

The more I think about it...as painful as it might sound...I agree with EbonyRaptor: it’s time to trade 88

Get another elite prospect + another 1st. Clear some cap space.

More importantly it will OFFICIALLY signal the full on 100% commitment towards rebuilding. You add an elite tier 1 prospect(like Cozens for instance), an extra 1st, and our upcoming 1st(which given how bad we’re gonna be this season will most likely be another lottery pick) to Dach, Cat, Kubalik, Boqvist, Strome, Nylander, Mitchell, etc...that’s an insane amount of young talent. Let’s make it happen!!
- SimpleJack

I wouldn't put nylander in that group. He's been a bust so far. And now he has a bad wheel.

The more I think about it...as painful as it might sound...I agree with EbonyRaptor: it’s time to trade 88

Get another elite prospect + another 1st. Clear some cap space.

More importantly it will OFFICIALLY signal the full on 100% commitment towards rebuilding. You add an elite tier 1 prospect(like Cozens for instance), an extra 1st, and our upcoming 1st(which given how bad we’re gonna be this season will most likely be another lottery pick) to Dach, Cat, Kubalik, Boqvist, Strome, Nylander, Mitchell, etc...that’s an insane amount of young talent. Let’s make it happen!!
- SimpleJack

Except for the fact that it's almost entirely Kane's decision to make.

Well if he had it already, what's the point of opting out
- BetweenTheDots

If a player opts out he doesn't get paid for the season. Also I think I read that the team has the option of extending the player's contract for the year missed, or not.

If anyone wants to play...

http://www.tankathon.com/nhl

Because he hasn't recovered. Doesn't sound like there is a timetable for his return. The fact his salary will be about 50% of his normal. the fact the Hawks will definitely suck this year.
- LAHawk

Still don't understand, if it is covid then he could feel better tomorrow, next week the week after? Have any other Captains opted out? really not a captain thing to do.

If anyone wants to play...

http://www.tankathon.com/nhl
- boilermaker100

It's great seeing the Yotes pick forfeited, hahaha

I'm nothing if not relentless when I get an idea in my head (I get so few I have to run with the ones I get ) ... if there were ever a time to go to Kane and ask him if he wants off this sinking ship - it would be now - so I'm bringing up my favorite trade proposal of late: Kane to Buffalo for Dylan Cozens. Those are the main pieces of the trade and since I've belabored that trade repeatedly I won't list all the other parameters here.

Do it Stan. Adding Cozens to a top-5 pick in the 2021 draft would be two big steps toward rebuilding the team.
- EbonyRaptor

Please just stop. Please

So, where does that leave Stan in a ranking of NHL GM's?

Also, Jerry Krause obtained every member of six championship teams, except MJ. I say he was a builder.
- mohel

I don’t know where that leaves Stan in the ranking - and I don’t care - the question is - is he the person capable of doing the rebuild? We don’t know.

Krause: but he did start wit Jordan. He did get Paxson, and had one good draft; then (for the second three-peat) got Harper and Rodman. I’d consider him more of a maintainer and retooler than a builder - which he failed at completely after 1998.

First! Nice to be on the West Coast

Good post as always Theo
- theneek

Thanks, theneek.

Being a West Coaster definitely helps to get blogs out right before I go to bed (I'm in NorCal).

Theo- Do you have an opinion on if Dach never got hurt that Bowman was trying to trade Strome?
- RaleighHawk

My guess is yes, given the Strome for Tuch trade rumor with Vegas. That rumor popped up in my readings weeks ago. Who's to say that there weren't other proposed deals that were tabled until Strome actually signs a new contract first.

EDIT: Sorry for earlier posting it as a Dach for Tuch rumor. My bad.

Great work as always Theo! Nothing new at this point. Maybe we should just let you know when you're phoning it in instead.

You hit on about the only silver lining I can think of for Dach's surgery in that it hopefully extends his shelf life...maybe slightly lessens his next deal too.

I'm sure Ogi's doing backflips about the prospect of Nylander's Hawk career being prolonged.

I agree with you on signing Strome and here's a blurb from Powers in The Athletic yesterday.

6. As for the Blackhawks’ current free agent, I’d expect Dylan Strome to get a deal done between now and training camp. It sounds like the two sides have been talking more.

I think with Dach looking to be out the whole year, I'm hoping Strome signs and seizes the opportunity to establish himself as a 2C.

As far as all the Swedes who've signed, they're all decent chips to flip at the TDL and get more picks in 2021.

It allows the prospects to marinate for another year in RFD. No need to rush them for this season.
- HawkintheD

Thanks, D.

I'll start phoning it in once my wrists break from all this internet scrolling and blog typing keeping up with the latest Blackhawks news.

Who knows, I could be out with an "undisclosed injury" before training camp.

When it rains it pours Blackhawks fam. Jonathan Toews to miss the start of the season due to “illness” per Dreger.

https://twitter.com/pierr.../1343918404101660673?s=21
- Tyler Cameron

I just deposited this into the Twittersphere but here's what the forward lines might look like with Toews out:

DeBrincat - Strome - Kane
Suter - Soderberg - Kubalik
Janmark - Wallmark - Shaw
Carpenter - Kampf - Highmore

On deck: Hagel, Kurashev, Entwistle

Please, no Pirri or Quenneville.

Time to goon it up. Were gonna be so bad this year let's make it somewhere entertaining and get some toughness.
No ones going to want to watch this poop team half ass it and play soft getting blown out. Keith and Kane got to be livid.
- vandymeer23

I think so. I hated the last ten years of soft players and the dainty game they played, It’s time for RED ASS!

There was no reason for on Dach to be to at W JC . The Hawks determined he was a NHL player last year and wasted a year of his ELC . Now a second year wasted . With the cap situation the way it is this is not good.
- HamiltonHawk

As HawkintheD referenced, a silver lining is that this could help drive down Dach's next contract. Even if he has a monster 2021-22, his post-ELC salary won't be as high had he been healthy for the upcoming season.

I just deposited this into the Twittersphere but here's what the forward lines might look like with Toews out:

DeBrincat - Strome - Kane
Suter - Soderberg - Kubalik
Janmark - Wallmark - Shaw
Carpenter - Kampf - Highmore

On deck: Hagel, Kurashev, Entwistle

Please, no Pirri or Quenneville.
- Theo Fox

That lineup reminds me of the Hawks era when the first line was Arnason, Calder, Bell, and the rest was even worse dreck.

Still don't understand, if it is covid then he could feel better tomorrow, next week the week after? Have any other Captains opted out? really not a captain thing to do.
- BetweenTheDots

Probably a decent chance that it's not COVID if he's out indefinitely. Could be Mono, vertigo (god I hope not), or a number of other things.

This is the problem with speculation. Start with an unconfirmed (or even projected) diagnosis and extrapolate unsubstantiated theories from there.

The NHL stated that teams will report COVID diagnoses this year, so I would guess that is not the problem at this point.

Yep, no surprises but this is going to be even more ugly than expected - but may improve later in the season depending on who rises and who doesn’t.

Unfortunately it’s draft board watching season already too, but not a bad thing really as sacrificing this season is the best to get us back to cup glory sooner than later. Play the kids.
- TheDrumonMadison

The top 3 picks for the 2021 draft could very well be Michigan Wolverines: Owen Power, Kent Johnson, and Matthew Beniers.

My early preference would be Power or Beniers.