Hope is not a plan!

Why isn't Bowman using Kendall Coyne to assist? Drag her butt out of the front office and have her teach him how to skate. And then 150 miles a day up and down the Chicago River until his slow, weak ass way of playing changes for the better.
- RickJ

I Imagine Don Cherry’s head would explode, ‘a good Canadian kid’ being taught to skate by a woman, and a Yankee woman no less!

https://www.sport-express...tsya-zhafyarovym-1758512/
Hawks in the hunt for another eurosmurf? You may need to use google translate to read.
- Rota's Rooter

Has he ever seen Detroit??

I'm more impressed in Kurashev 200 foot game, wonder if we are watching our future 3rd line center?
- BetweenTheDots

The board battles he wins is just amazing to me. He has offensive ability as well.

Sorry I wasn't there so don't know for sure. If it was left up to me I would have offered him a PTO on a take it or leave it basis, but that dumb ass Bowman had already qualified him as an RFA.

More realistically, a 2 year deal is about a minimum term deal for a 23 year old with some reasonable NHL tenure.
- RickJ

He's 23 years old, coming off his ELC and since joining the Hawks has produced at .75ppg. A $3mil/yr bridge deal is not outrageous. Sure, they could have forced him to play at the qualified rate for a season. A 2 year deal protects the Hawks against him having a season where he puts up big numbers and commands more, and keeps them from having to fork over the $6mil for 6 years that a guy like Schmaltz got (for less production)

He's 23 years old, coming off his ELC and since joining the Hawks has produced at .75ppg. A $3mil/yr bridge deal is not outrageous. Sure, they could have forced him to play at the qualified rate for a season. A 2 year deal protects the Hawks against him having a season where he puts up big numbers and commands more, and keeps them from having to fork over the $6mil for 6 years that a guy like Schmaltz got (for less production)
- TheTrob

Yup, I buy your reasoning.

But, the Hawks getting rid of him can't come too soon for me. As a team, they won't go anywhere with Strome in any kind of prominent role. For me Handzus was like Jean Beliveau compared to what #17 brings.

Dime a dozen? Don't think so
- BetweenTheDots

We can agree to disagree. The league is littered with bottom 6 guys who hustle.

Hawks have had many marginal D-men over the years.
- Elbows15

When's the last time they had a guy like Zad?

Wait so you weren't being sarcastic? You actually like Zadorov? "a legitimate defenseman, the kind we haven't had in ages".....That's not sarcasm???

Of all the players for you to actually show some optimism towards.....you pick him?



You'd rather protect him....instead of Hagel? With all the promising up and coming defenseman we have in our system? With Keith, Seabs, Murphy, de Haan, etc...there's a logjam. And Zadorov is below average at best.

Makes ZERO sense
- SimpleJack

Up and coming big bodies? Correct, 0 who shown they can play in the NHL 3-4 years.

When's the last time they had a guy like Zad?
- rpeters01

Moose Vasko?

Moose Vasko?
- LAHawk

It's a hell of a lot harder to find a Zad than a Hagel. The scouting report I've heard on every big D-man we have in the minors is "they don't use their size" and none appear close to the NHL yet.

The board battles he wins is just amazing to me. He has offensive ability as well.
- vabeachbear

I agree, he already looks like one of those players that you can bounce up and down the line up for mismatches.

Up and coming big bodies? Correct, 0 who shown they can play in the NHL 3-4 years.
- rpeters01

Big, slow, below-average, heavy-hitting bottom-pairing defenseman that get in occasional fights are a dime a dozen. The Hawks need guys like Mitchell, Boqvist, and Beaudin(who has decent size) way more than they need someone like Zadorov. He hasn't looked good. Not impressed. I think he's been a weak link on the blueline more often than not. His size and physicality don't sway my opinion.

When's the last time they had a guy like Zad?
- rpeters01

Svedberg!!

It's a hell of a lot harder to find a Zad than a Hagel. The scouting report I've heard on every big D-man we have in the minors is "they don't use their size" and none appear close to the NHL yet.
- rpeters01

Why do you keep speaking as if Zadorov has been performing well? He's been one of our worst defenseman. And Hagel has been great.

You can't teach speed like that. He's got game-breaking skating ability that can cause instant chaos and draw a penalty/spark an odd-man rush.

I bet the Hawks can find another large, slow defenseman that likes to hit things MUCH faster than they can find another winger with Hagel's speed and tenacity.

When's the last time they had a guy like Zad?
- rpeters01

John Scott

John Scott
- Ogilthorpe2

Ouch, he's not that bad

Ouch, he's not that bad
- BetweenTheDots

Meh. Both one trick ponies, just a slightly different trick.

Ouch, he's not that bad
- BetweenTheDots

Scott was captain of the all-star game!

Scott was captain of the all-star game!
- rpeters01

Hahaha, i forgot about that

The schedule must be pretty tough for these guys, but i really appreciate it. Looking forward to tonight's contest.

Scott was captain of the all-star game!
- rpeters01

That was such a ridiculous thing for them to do, but hey i guess who cares its just the all-star game...

The Hawks have given up 51 goals. 20 in the first four games. In the following 13 games they have given up 31 goals; which is 2.38 per game. That's bad defending?
- mohel

Throw out last week's Carolina game and it's 25 GA in 12 games, just over 2 per game.

The schedule must be pretty tough for these guys, but i really appreciate it. Looking forward to tonight's contest.
- BetweenTheDots

Maybe Kalynuk in for Carlsson? Then Kalynuk back to Rockford. Maybe. Could have kept Seeler just to fill a taxi squad spot and let Kalynuk develop in AHL

Throw out last week's Carolina game and it's 25 GA in 12 games, just over 2 per game.
- boilermaker100

True, but generally speaking taking out the worst performances makes for flawed analysis. But the first four games this year came without a training camp, a bunch of new players on the team, and the very recent subtraction of the 1C & 2C. They've been pretty good defensively, at least in goals against, since then even with a stinker or two.

So this new Russian phenom is interested in signing with the Hawks or Wings. He can only sign an ELC. I guess the only negotiating points are the amounts of type A and type B bonuses. If both teams max out on those, it’s going to come down to which franchise he is most comfortable with. Wings have the history of Russian players and Yzerman who played with them. Hawks have had more success this past decade and the fact that Panarin excelled with Kane. Both teams rebuilding but the Hawks are further ahead in that. Who will he choose?