ADB is a gun for sure. But guns need to be loaded and that's what Kane does best. Ask Patrick Sharp.
- 6628

via GIPHY

I'm starting to think PE is on to something.

Look at the standings. The storied Montreal Canadiens, dead last in the league after a Cinderella Cup run last season. They lose Price, Weber, Danualt, Kotkaniemi. A new GM and Pres of hockey ops, and...

...the 2022 NHL Entry Draft will be the 60th NHL Entry Draft. The draft will be held on July 7–8, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Which team do you think gets the 1st overall pick in 2022?

There are some very peculiar coincidences with the lottery over the years. When the draft happens, Montreal might "find themselves with the top pick". With that being said, the Canadians suck because they suck.

Realistically, what damage can be done? Maybe if they just get run out of the building, sure that doesn't look great. However, the only thing they really gain or lose is ping-pong balls at this point. So they either lose a first this year or next. poop either way.

The S. Jones trade overall was not great. I do believe that having S. Jones on your team is a large benefit. He can play all situations and is playing very well in those situations (especially since the entire team has been playing better).

I'm on board with letting the young forwards develop. The problem that I always have (even more so now) is how do you know when to move on from a player? For every Hartman/Duclair there are several Skille/McNeil types.

I think they actually have a nice stable of young d-men to develop with several different types of players, and thankfully, they've got a number of guys that have both size and mobility that are starting to show well.
- Chunk

Hawks weren't the only one's that missed on these 2, the teams that the Hawks traded them to also gave up on them.

The bigger question is who gets the 2023 first or second pick? Wright, Cooley and Savoie all are decent players but Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov are expected to be first line star, perhaps generational, players.
- paulr

Generational player term is thrown around way too much. Lafreniere got that label, not even close. Hughes is coming around, but no-where near "generational". McDavid and Crosby fit the bill, not many others. Lots of great players taken at the top of the draft, Kane, McKinnon, Matthews, Toews, Hedman, etc. How many are truly generational.

Generational player term is thrown around way too much. Lafreniere got that label, not even close. Hughes is coming around, but no-where near "generational". McDavid and Crosby fit the bill, not many others. Lots of great players taken at the top of the draft, Kane, McKinnon, Matthews, Toews, Hedman, etc. How many are truly generational.
- TheTrob

Watch them. I haven’t seen much of the Russian kid but Bedard is the best player I’ve seen since McDavid. And I qualified the term generational with the word perhaps.

Hawks weren't the only one's that missed on these 2, the teams that the Hawks traded them to also gave up on them.
- LAHawk

Certainly. My question was more along the lines of what needs to be done to get the most out of these players? How do you identify that they just aren't going to be able to make it?

Hawks weren't the only one's that missed on these 2, the teams that the Hawks traded them to also gave up on them.
- LAHawk

Yup, multiple teams have given up on both of them. Both are having nice seasons, but I don't think any of the teams that gave up on Hartman or DuClair are regretting those decisions.

Hartman has played a bunch between Kaprizov and Zucarello, DuClair has a bunch with Huberdeau or Barkov, in either case think "Rob Brown"

The bigger question is who gets the 2023 first or second pick? Wright, Cooley and Savoie all are decent players but Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov are expected to be first line star, perhaps generational, players.
- paulr

Well, you just wait and see what happens when Reese Johnson figures things out.

Generational player term is thrown around way too much. Lafreniere got that label, not even close. Hughes is coming around, but no-where near "generational". McDavid and Crosby fit the bill, not many others. Lots of great players taken at the top of the draft, Kane, McKinnon, Matthews, Toews, Hedman, etc. How many are truly generational.
- TheTrob

Ovechkin is one. The guy is top 3 goal scorer of all time.

Kane is probably a generational talent. He's going to be close to the all-time points leaders for American born players. Those guys only come around once in a generation or 2.

Too early for McKinnon and Matthews but Matthews is only 24 and has 3 40 goal seasons already and probably going to have his 4th this year.

The bigger question is who gets the 2023 first or second pick? Wright, Cooley and Savoie all are decent players but Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov are expected to be first line star, perhaps generational, players.
- paulr

The Hawks are going to lose a 1st round pick either this summer or next so if I had to lose one of them, I'd much rather lose this year's pick to the Jackets and retain the 2023 pick. Seems like the 2023 draft is much deeper.

Either way, in whatever trades can make this happen, the ideal situation would be to recoup a 1st round pick for each of 2022 and 2023. One of those years would have one 1st rounder then the other year would have a pair of 1st rounders.

Obviously picking up a 2022 1st round pick needs to be done before draft day this July but there's a year and a half of time to gain a 2023 1st round pick.

Yup, multiple teams have given up on both of them. Both are having nice seasons, but I don't think any of the teams that gave up on Hartman or DuClair are regretting those decisions.

Hartman has played a bunch between Kaprizov and Zucarello, DuClair has a bunch with Huberdeau or Barkov, in either case think "Rob Brown"
- TheTrob

Rob Brown put together some monster years with the Chicago Wolves playing with Steve Maltais and Brian Wiseman.

Ben Pope
@BenPopeCST
·
55m
Blackhawks morning skate is underway. Dach and Connolly, just out of COVID protocol, are present. Jujhar Khaira is absent.

Ben Pope
@BenPopeCST
·
16m
Strome in the lineup and will be the 1C next to Kane, King said. Dach will step back in as 3C between Kurashev and Entwistle.

Connolly and Borgstrom will be scratched. Sounds like Khaira is having some kind of injury/medical issue but King didn’t have the details.

The bigger question is who gets the 2023 first or second pick? Wright, Cooley and Savoie all are decent players but Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov are expected to be first line star, perhaps generational, players.
- paulr

This isn't me speaking but the overwhelming consensus is the 2023 draft is excellent both at the top with elite players and being a very deep draft too. ....... Kinda draft that with solid scouting/evaluating, drafting and some luck you can really add to a pipeline having maybe 3-4-5 picks in the top 50.

Each day that goes by I'm watching KD closer and closer. I think he's the Hawk's new GM. Gonna have to glean "The Plan" from his moves but with any trades he's made, or will make, I'm looking to see if and are 2023 picks. Of course understanding 2023 picks push the rebuild/retool/revamp/recalibrate/rebuild on the fly/tweak/competitive rebuild "Plan" back a yr.

https://www.tsn.ca/marc-andre-fleury-chicago-blackhawks-nhl-trade-deadline-1.1748686

It is all up to Fleury
- LAHawk

Don't like doing this but a copy and paste from behind The Athletic paywall. ..

Haven't seen WSH mentioned anywhere but they certainly do not have proven goalies in Vanacek and Samsonov. COL gets mentioned but they don't have their 1st, 2nd or 4th this yr using big assets to acquire Kuemper in the offseason. They also have a solid #2, 1B?, in Francouz.


8. Marc-Andre Fleury, Blackhawks

Position: Goaltender
Age: 37
Contract: $7 million, pending UFA

Likelihood of a trade: Medium.

Fleury is ranked here because it’s still January and chances are no decision will be made about his future until much closer to the actual trade deadline — and ultimately, it will all hinge on him and his wishes. Assuming the Blackhawks are completely out of the playoff race by March, there will be teams with goaltending issues inquiring about the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. It’ll be up to Fleury to decide if the teams making inquiries are actually legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and if he decides yes, then also if it’s worth disrupting his life (and his family’s) in the search for a fourth championship. It won’t affect his legacy either way — he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But if the hunger to win is still there, and an opportunity is presented to him, Fleury moving at the deadline could tip the Stanley Cup scales in one team’s direction maybe more significantly than any other player currently on the board. Is Edmonton legit? No one can really say for sure. So, maybe if Darcy Kuemper continues to have an up-and-down year, Colorado could make a push for Fleury. Fleury’s 10-team no-trade list that would need to be navigated.

This happens every single time I start pumping a guys tires a bit:

Ben Pope
@BenPopeCST
·
16m
King on scratching Borgstrom: “It's nothing really play-wise. He just hasn't separated himself from those group of guys like Entwistle or Hardman or…Slavin. It's just a rotation.”

Realistically, what damage can be done? Maybe if they just get run out of the building, sure that doesn't look great. However, the only thing they really gain or lose is ping-pong balls at this point. So they either lose a first this year or next. poop either way.

The S. Jones trade overall was not great. I do believe that having S. Jones on your team is a large benefit. He can play all situations and is playing very well in those situations (especially since the entire team has been playing better).

I'm on board with letting the young forwards develop. The problem that I always have (even more so now) is how do you know when to move on from a player? For every Hartman/Duclair there are several Skille/McNeil types.

I think they actually have a nice stable of young d-men to develop with several different types of players, and thankfully, they've got a number of guys that have both size and mobility that are starting to show well.
- Chunk

I kind of see it as if they play well and continue playing at their winning percentage isn't that a good thing. Doesn't that bode well for next year?

As far as the young guys go, even if you move on from a young player, like let's say Nylander what did you get for him? Crap, might as well bite the bullet and see if they amount to anything.

I'd love to see the Blackhawks get a stud LD that would really have a nice slotting effect on this defensive core

Well, you just wait and see what happens when Reese Johnson figures things out.
- Rota's Rooter

Reese Johnson will resume skating next week for the Blackhawks.

Derek King said he initially feared he was out for the year but now thinks he’ll be able to return toward the end of the season.

Looking at the list of FA's coming out after this year we are going to have to rely on developing our dmen, yikes

This happens every single time I start pumping a guys tires a bit:

Ben Pope
@BenPopeCST
·
16m
King on scratching Borgstrom: “It's nothing really play-wise. He just hasn't separated himself from those group of guys like Entwistle or Hardman or…Slavin. It's just a rotation.”
- Chunk

But King is correct and credit to him he keeps running Borgstrom out whether we like the minutes or slotting as the organIzation tries to evaluate what he is/can be.

Thanks Chunk, that is kinda my point.

Yes, pre-Kane/Toews the Hawks had no superstars, but they did have a pretty solid roster of young players in Byfuglien, Bolland, Sharp, Ladd, Versteeg, Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson to build around. Then added pieces like Campbell, Madden, Hossa.

We all know BUF and EDM history of how building thru the draft has worked (it hasn't), How about others, NJD has had 6 top 10 picks in the last 10 years and 1 first round playoff exit. DET has had top 10 picks for 5 years and they are maybe starting to turn it around. NYR has had top picks in 4 of the last 5 drafts, and finally looks good this season after a playoff drought, but their draft picks are not the reason why. ARIZ has been a nightmare since they defeated the Hawks back in '11-12 drafting high in a lot of those years.
- TheTrob

Colorado, Tampa, Carolina, Boston, Florida, Washington, Toronto, Calgary to a certain extent are all built from within. Their core players certainly are. And with the exception of Washington - they've all gone through stages of being mediocre to awful, having to move players to gain futures and then making good draft picks or shrewd trades (in Carolina's case for sure) to supplement the roster.

For every complete failure there are going to be successes. No matter what they do it is an unknown but the best chance for them to become competitive again is to move valuable assets for futures and have a 10 year plan.

Detroit seems to be in a better place with a management change. Buffalo and Edmonton are historically poorly run organizations. Ottawa would be the same.

Having the right people in place to make draft selections and supplement the roster with the right veterans is an important part as well.

Either way maintaining the status quo with this core is not the way to return to relevancy.

Ovechkin is one. The guy is top 3 goal scorer of all time.

Kane is probably a generational talent. He's going to be close to the all-time points leaders for American born players. Those guys only come around once in a generation or 2.

Too early for McKinnon and Matthews but Matthews is only 24 and has 3 40 goal seasons already and probably going to have his 4th this year.
- bhawks2241

Number one. No question. To do what he has done in this era is exceptional.

Kane will hit the all time American born point total. He's less than 300 points away. If he averages 60 over the next 5 seasons (meaning he retires at 39) its pretty automatic.

But King is correct and credit to him he keeps running Borgstrom out whether we like the minutes or slotting as the organIzation tries to evaluate what he is/can be.
- Mr Ricochet

Yup. Just goes to show, I know how to pick 'em.

Colorado, Tampa, Carolina, Boston, Florida, Washington, Toronto, Calgary to a certain extent are all built from within. Their core players certainly are. And with the exception of Washington - they've all gone through stages of being mediocre to awful, having to move players to gain futures and then making good draft picks or shrewd trades (in Carolina's case for sure) to supplement the roster.

For every complete failure there are going to be successes. No matter what they do it is an unknown but the best chance for them to become competitive again is to move valuable assets for futures and have a 10 year plan.

Detroit seems to be in a better place with a management change. Buffalo and Edmonton are historically poorly run organizations. Ottawa would be the same.

Having the right people in place to make draft selections and supplement the roster with the right veterans is an important part as well.

Either way maintaining the status quo with this core is not the way to return to relevancy.
- fattybeef

They've moved out literally every single piece that they had control of. The only guys left are Kane and Toews, and those two have total control.

According to the reports, they are apparently willing to trade almost anyone on this team. So you should get your wish.

Meatloaf now Louie Anderson, seems to frequent this is happening the past couple of years.

Yup, multiple teams have given up on both of them. Both are having nice seasons, but I don't think any of the teams that gave up on Hartman or DuClair are regretting those decisions.

Hartman has played a bunch between Kaprizov and Zucarello, DuClair has a bunch with Huberdeau or Barkov, in either case think "Rob Brown"
- TheTrob

Uh huh. All day long