Need an NHL caliber coach Hawk.
- LAHawk

I agree and I don’t see them removing the interm tag from Anders. I’m pretty sure you want someone with experience but I guess that depends on who’s available. Would love to see Tampa have a moment and decide Cooper’s shelf life has expired. I know…wishful thinking.

They need more talent. Scotty Bowman with Q as his assistant won’t do much with this roster.
- paulr

Maybe not the one that started the season. There are still holes obviously but this lineup has looked pretty good the last handful of games…especially since Rinzel and Moore signed.

Like most have mentioned I do think a bit more certainty with the lines could help. Anders line blender puts Q’s to shame.

I agree and I don’t see them removing the interm tag from Anders. I’m pretty sure you want someone with experience but I guess that depends on who’s available. Would love to see Tampa have a moment and decide Cooper’s shelf life has expired. I know…wishful thinking.
- HawkintheD

Hope Dubas decides he needs to move on from Sullivan.

I wonder what Bedard is thinking going into the offseason. If they resign Donato, Bedard might be the Hawks 5th best forward after Nazar, Donato, Mikheyev and TT. And if the Hawks sign a top tier forward…. And draft Misa …….

I still think Bedard is very good. But as a wing and PP specialist. Could be a point per game. Even 0 to minus 10 plus minus. Like Kane, but not nearly as determined.
- Ztra

He’s 19 lol. Mikheyev and Donato are better? Stop.

LOL…just stop.
- HawkintheD

33 even strength points
-39 plus/minus
Not as far fetched as you think.

33 even strength points
-39 plus/minus
Not as far fetched as you think.
- Ztra

Very far fetched I’d say.

Man when this team gets better at playing team defense Knight is going to be really hard to score against.

Nazar looks like he's getting a feel for NHL hockey, things to work on but looking good.

33 even strength points
-39 plus/minus
Not as far fetched as you think.
- Ztra

Even if that were true today do you think your supposition will stand the test of time?

Even if that were true today do you think your supposition will stand the test of time?
- HawkintheD

Absolutely not. I am just talking about now and the start of next season. As I have said many times. I think he will be a high scoring winger and in the top 6 for years to come.

It seems like you cannot say that Bedard has shortcomings on this board. Will he keep getting better. Yes. Does he need better linemates. Yes. Better coaching? Yes. Better d-men feeding him? Definitely? Will he get stronger on the puck? Probably. Make fewer high risk passes (like a younger Versteeg)? Probably. Will he ever be a good 200’ player? Probably not.

Emulating some of the things Donato, Mikheyev, TT and Nazar do would not hurt.

It will be interesting to see how the young players are able to adjust to the rigors of an NHL schedule. Keep their confidence and compete level when they go through a rough stretch as a team or individually. Especially the young dmen. The Rockford shuttle has let players that have lost their confidence go to get their swagger back. I can see the shuttle throughout the next year or two.

I think at the start of the 26/27 season (year after next) the dmen could be very interesting and competitive.
My forecast
1) Lev
2) Vlasic
3) EDM
4) Rinzel
5) Allen
6) Kaiser
7) Soderstrom
8) Korchinski


*** - Schaefer.

Absolutely not. I am just talking about now and the start of next season. As I have said many times. I think he will be a high scoring winger and in the top 6 for years to come.

It seems like you cannot say that Bedard has shortcomings on this board. Will he keep getting better. Yes. Does he need better linemates. Yes. Better coaching? Yes. Better d-men feeding him? Definitely? Will he get stronger on the puck? Probably. Make fewer high risk passes (like a younger Versteeg)? Probably. Will he ever be a good 200’ player? Probably not.

Emulating some of the things Donato, Mikheyev, TT and Nazar do would not hurt.
- Ztra

You can but your posts seem to be more of the hot take variety. He’s 19 years old. Of course there are shortcomings in his game. Nazar has had the benefit of playing high level college hockey for a few years. Love the kid and his game. He has an infectious personality and has taken his chance and run with it.

The other guys you mention have had the benefit of NHL play for a half dozen yrs or more. I like them as well. Does Bedard seem like a thick kid to you who doesn’t take things to heart or impervious to learning.

33 even strength points
-39 plus/minus
Not as far fetched as you think.
- Ztra

I believe that he’s been in the ice for about 20 empty net goals against, which are all a minus. With a better coach and better linemates, you’ll see the real Bedard. The opposition always cheats towards Bedard, once there’s a sniper on his line, things will change. While I like Donato and Mikheyev, they’re bottom six forwards on a good team, no way they’re better than 98, not today or any other day.

Ovechkin broke Gretzky's record.
- 35Tony0

They can unretire Gretzky's number now.

It will be interesting to see how the young players are able to adjust to the rigors of an NHL schedule. Keep their confidence and compete level when they go through a rough stretch as a team or individually. Especially the young dmen. The Rockford shuttle has let players that have lost their confidence go to get their swagger back. I can see the shuttle throughout the next year or two.

I think at the start of the 26/27 season (year after next) the dmen could be very interesting and competitive.
My forecast
1) Lev
2) Vlasic
3) EDM
4) Rinzel
5) Allen
6) Kaiser
7) Soderstrom
8) Korchinski


*** - Schaefer.
- Ztra

I expect 2-3 of them will not be on the team by the end of next season. They will be involved in trades.

I agree and I don’t see them removing the interm tag from Anders. I’m pretty sure you want someone with experience but I guess that depends on who’s available. Would love to see Tampa have a moment and decide Cooper’s shelf life has expired. I know…wishful thinking.
- HawkintheD

Hire Rick Renteria for next season and buy Cooper when it's over. 5x$10M!

I expect 2-3 of them will not be on the team by the end of next season. They will be involved in trades.
- rpeters01

It'll be interesting, if i was the gm and believed i had nhl dmen in the system and they just needed to be developed, i would develop them since they would then have way more value especially as young as they are.

I'll even add, what better way to develop young talent when you can have them take the Rockford shuttle, i thought it worked out great for both Allan, EDM, KK

They'll be able to do the same with Arty, Rinzel

There's really no hurry

It'll be interesting, if i was the gm and believed i had nhl dmen in the system and they just needed to be developed, i would develop them since they would then have way more value especially as young as they are.
- BetweenTheDots

Except when you have a logjam at approx. the same stage of development.

For example. Does Kaiser, EDM, Allen, KK benefit by playing in Rockford next year/be on the shuttle between Rockford/ Hawks as 3rd pairing healthy scratch, or does that stagnate their growth. Doesn’t work with Kaiser as an RFA anyway because once he signs his next contract, he is waiver eligible. .That means at most 2 LD positions, and that is assuming they go with Murphy as the only veteran on the back end.

I think the right side will be Murphy, Rinzel, Soderstrom/Lev.

Except when you have a logjam at approx. the same stage of development.

For example. Does Kaiser, EDM, Allen, KK benefit by playing in Rockford next year/be on the shuttle between Rockford/ Hawks as 3rd pairing healthy scratch, or does that stagnate their growth. Doesn’t work with Kaiser as an RFA anyway because once he signs his next contract, he is waiver eligible. .That means at most 2 LD positions, and that is assuming they go with Murphy as the only veteran on the back end.

I think the right side will be Murphy, Rinzel, Soderstrom/Lev.
- LAHawk

How does development stagnate if they are getting minutes be it in the NHL or AHL, we witnessed 2 Dmen hitting a wall in Allan and EDM. Normal for young players.

I'm curious to see what they do but i would continue to do what they are currently doing.

How does development stagnate if they are getting minutes be it in the NHL or AHL, we witnessed 2 Dmen hitting a wall in Allan and EDM. Normal for young players.

I'm curious to see what they do but i would continue to do what they currently doing.
- BetweenTheDots

How many years of learning curve in the A before that curve flattens out? All your doing is delaying a decision for one year until Kk, Alle, EDM are RFA’s. Think KD will be able to carry 8-9 NHL contracts on defensemen 24 and under? I think KK would be the only one then not waiver eligible, if he plays less than 70 games in the nhl next year.

How many years of learning curve in the A before that curve flattens out? All your doing is delaying a decision for one year until Kk, Alle, EDM are RFA’s. Think KD will be able to carry 8-9 NHL contracts on defensemen 24 and under? I think KK would be the only one then not waiver eligible, if he plays less than 70 games in the nhl next year.
- LAHawk

I guess we'll see what they do.

I believe that he’s been in the ice for about 20 empty net goals against, which are all a minus. With a better coach and better linemates, you’ll see the real Bedard. The opposition always cheats towards Bedard, once there’s a sniper on his line, things will change. While I like Donato and Mikheyev, they’re bottom six forwards on a good team, no way they’re better than 98, not today or any other day.
- Angotti

Right now today #8 and #95 do more to win games than 98 does, because they are more complete players in the NHL. They aren't kids.

The biggest thing is that Bedard will mature and get better. Plus/minus might never be a great stat for him, because he does a lot of his scoring on the powerplay. A lot of the games best offensive players didn't have great career plus/minus. For Bedard's performance, coaching matters, linemates matter, and his young age and inconsistency matter. He is off to a good start to his career and we don't know what ceiling he will hit yet.

As Hawks fans, I think we just enjoy the ride and know that he might be a top 5 player in the league someday, but he also might not reach that level, and that's okay too. He will still be good. The success of the team won't hinge on just one player.

It will be interesting to see how the young players are able to adjust to the rigors of an NHL schedule. Keep their confidence and compete level when they go through a rough stretch as a team or individually. Especially the young dmen. The Rockford shuttle has let players that have lost their confidence go to get their swagger back. I can see the shuttle throughout the next year or two.

I think at the start of the 26/27 season (year after next) the dmen could be very interesting and competitive.
My forecast
1) Lev
2) Vlasic
3) EDM
4) Rinzel
5) Allen
6) Kaiser
7) Soderstrom
8) Korchinski


*** - Schaefer.
- Ztra

The competition is good for them and we'll have to see who pans out. I do think we could see someone involved in a trade this off-season too. Just because we have a lot of D and we have to give something to get something.

33 even strength points
-39 plus/minus
Not as far fetched as you think.
- Ztra

It is when you count the number of shorties, and empty netters they've coughed up this season - that alone gets anyone a massive set of minuses right there. Others have this masked from their stats as Bedard is always out there in those situations.

Plus start trying to 'develop' him into some sort of Trottier clone, when he can't even win O-zone draws that consistently -like the other night... you get a nice hefty minus figure on your stat line.

Just not as near-fetched as implied. But yeh -fair point, but semi out of context.

The 'Hawks won yesterday.

I wonder what Bedard is thinking going into the offseason. If they resign Donato, Bedard might be the Hawks 5th best forward after Nazar, Donato, Mikheyev and TT. And if the Hawks sign a top tier forward…. And draft Misa …….

I still think Bedard is very good. But as a wing and PP specialist. Could be a point per game. Even 0 to minus 10 plus minus. Like Kane, but not nearly as determined.
- Ztra

While I don't agree with this, i could see a debate where Bedard at W vs. C is logical to have.

I'd like to see couple games to end the season with a line of Bedard, Nazar and Moore