And what about Kakko? Why is he not developing/meeting expectations either?

Why has their 1C that led the league in G/60min last season suddenly awful?

Something is going on over there. And now the situation with Panarin ? Yeeeeesh.
- SimpleJack

Injuries and Covid.

They have had their share of both. Plus, their D core, aside from Fox, is a giant collection of meh.

Mika Z is just having one of those years. Getting a boatload of chances and just not finishing up to now. Not sure what is going on with LAffy aside from the hype might have outsold the product. I don't think he is a bust but in his defense, its a strange year for rookies trying to be a pro for the first time.

Look...the only people that can possibly be anything other than elated about the Hawks current level of play/place in the standings/progress made towards the rebuild/roster(current and future outlook)/whatever....are just glass half empty kinda people. It’s a sign of their own personal mindset(some individuals are just naturally negative/pessimistic). Can’t change it. They’re gonna feel down/concerned/worried no matter what the team does. Just the way it is.
- SimpleJack

They are just here to criticize passionate fans, it's really all they do

They are just here to criticize passionate fans, it's really all they do
- BetweenTheDots

Yup, and what that tells me is that’s just who they are. They criticize anyone in life that wants to be passionately optimistic about something. They’re the person that’s always there to retort “yeah, but what about yada yada? What if that happens?” If they overheard 2 people talking about how amazing the weather’s been lately, they’d be quick to remind them “chances are it’s gonna rain again soon”. That’s just the way they’re wired.

Injuries and Covid.

They have had their share of both. Plus, their D core, aside from Fox, is a giant collection of meh.

Mika Z is just having one of those years. Getting a boatload of chances and just not finishing up to now. Not sure what is going on with LAffy aside from the hype might have outsold the product. I don't think he is a bust but in his defense, its a strange year for rookies trying to be a pro for the first time.
- Elbows15

All teams have had to deal with injuries and covid. So that right there shouldn’t be any reasoning for their current collection of troubles/underperforming players. And I see plenty of rookies doing just fine that received far less hype than Laf or even Kakko the year before. There’s no denying how underwhelming those 2 have been thus far.

I think they’d have to figure it out and turn into legit NHLers eventually though, just too much talent...and still insanely young. We’ll see.

All teams have had to deal with injuries and covid. So that right there shouldn’t be any reasoning for their current collection of troubles/underperforming players. And I see plenty of rookies doing just fine that received far less hype than Laf or even Kakko the year before. There’s no denying how underwhelming those 2 have been thus far.

I think they’d have to figure it out and turn into legit NHLers eventually though, just too much talent...and still insanely young. We’ll see.
- SimpleJack

Their collection of meh D could be. Which I mentioned.

How many of those rookies are also in their first year of being a pro? That is more of an issue, imo.

Not gonna say I wasn't enamored with Kakko but I did like Zegras/Turcotte a lot more. But then, I also saw them play a lot more.

Their collection of meh D could be. Which I mentioned.

How many of those rookies are also in their first year of being a pro? That is more of an issue, imo.

Not gonna say I wasn't enamored with Kakko but I did like Zegras/Turcotte a lot more. But then, I also saw them play a lot more.
- Elbows15

I haven’t looked into it too much but I’ve heard that they’re allegedly stacked with good young defenseman, and that’s why losing DeAngelo didn’t matter. K’Andre Miller has made some early noise/looked good at times. Not sure about the others though(excluding Fox who’s pretty well established as a good young player by now).

I hope they get Soderlund up for a look see ,one of my favorite draft picks think he has had some injury problems . Talk about non stop that's this kids calling card

Theo, I served with Tyler Cameron. I knew Tyler Cameron. Tyler Cameron was a friend of mine. Theo, you're no Cameron.
- DeflatedPucks

You're right, I'm not Tyler. He's one of a kind.

I'm fortunate and gracious to be the blogger here and just remind myself to write on topics that generate conversation. It's a good thing to see debate and disagreements. I learn something new here every day.

Even a lot about other areas of life like tax law and grammar

I hope they get Soderlund up for a look see ,one of my favorite draft picks think he has had some injury problems . Talk about non stop that's this kids calling card
- oldduffman

Great. We both like this kid. He plays like he has so far this season, he should force a cup of coffee look. I formulate a Kampf, Entwhistle, Soderlund 4th Line. Barret and Alty are more 3rd line type, maybe Entwhistle winds up there. Soderlund is a cheap replacement for a veteran. Someone like Carpenter can be moved although not much saving, the cost cutting move goes to pay Suter, Kubalik their next contract

Just musing: The Canadiens new head coach, Ducharme, was Beaudin's Quebec league junior coach. And maybe this is the connection for why Bergevin had inquired about Beaudin. I wouldn't mind having that Guhle, the tough- nosed dman Montreal chose @#15 whom Chicago reportedly wanted to draft. He is farther away than Beaudin. But Guhle might be a replacement one day for Zadorov if, indeed, Zadorov is here in the interim.. Kalynuk would replace Beaudin. Like I said, just spit balling. Montreal has drafted a couple of kids who played in WJC - the Russian dman on their roster/taxi squad plus another. And another young dman kid (Miete) is sqauwking about playing time.

New blog! A preview to the Blackhawks battle with the Blue Jackets looking to continue crushing them offensively while stifling them defensively.

Plus, a look at whether Hagel is now the gold standard for forward role players in Chicago's system.

http://bit.ly/3aPAPvO