Theo Fox: Pick 6: Forwards A look at the Blackhawks top 3 forward prospects in the AHL and top 3 in the rest of the system.

Plus, updates on rescheduled games and a shoutout to Stephen Johns.

#MentalMiles

Thanks Theo - Looking forward to seeing some of these younger layers up with the Blackhawks. I wish we here in the Chicago area could see the IceHogs games easier on TV.

Any news on the open GM/VP of Hockey Ops positions?

This is my wish. Of coarse nothing usially turns out exactly as you wish it would.

Altybarmakien, Barrett, Slavin, Slaggert, Entwhistle

Reichel, Kane, DeBrincat, Kubalik, Hagel, Kurashev (?)

Kharia, McLaughlin, Wise

Extra: R Johnson, Hardman

Toews retired. Carpenter moves on. Kaira could be unnecessary but his experience and decent face off ability is useful. Wait and see if Kurashev becomes a consistent solid pro. Some on this board like him; I do not.

McLaughan is a surprise but he could be the smooth offensive generator on a bottom line YES he is reliable defensively. There is a lot of compete, grit, toughness, a few average skaters but team speed overall is good. If not McLaughlin, maybe Wise fairly soon.

There would be a lot of hunger for success and growth in player development happens too. The inexperience is balanced by pro experience and willingness to play both ends of the ice
Rolling four lines is no problem

Out compete opponents? Kubalik gets scoring opportunities through teamattes who win the puck and feed him. Kubalik I think would become a well balanced two way forward although not as doggedly effective as other newbies. If you subtract Kubalik, then add Teply instead.....
..... I know so much youth cannot be added immediately. It may be a three year process and it could work. Players jell.

R Johnson is useful as depth. Not a permanent line guy. I would like to retain both Kiara and McLaughlin. Although if one doesn't stay, then please give McLaughlin a really good opportunity to show he belongs. He is the forward who can be the skill generator more so than others I the bottom six.

A mobile defence with some toughness would make a good match. Stillman Jones, McCabe. Mitchell and Galvas
.
Eventually Kaiser and Vlasic move in. If Phillips.
Can cut it, you have a lot of youth. The other Jones may stick around. Both Beaudin and Kalynuk will fall. Allen cannot stick if his passing doesn't improve. Crevier could be a real nice surprise short and get moved. And that slow skating Murphy I just want him gone with a higher draft choice the objective to move him.

Two three years from now we will have to admit that Bowman drafted well in later rounds.

I think the Hawks have decent prospects in goal and on defense. Some may excel others just decent nhlers. The forward situation is more iffy. Debrincat, Hagel, Dach, Reichel, Kurashev. I expect the upcoming draft to be heavy with forwards. That is also why I expect them to try to sign Kubalik if he is reasonable with his expectations for dollars and term. It is also why I could see them extending Kane and Toews, again if their expectations are reasonable. Then they should have cap room to add a top 6 forward.

This is my wish. Of coarse nothing usially turns out exactly as you wish it would.

Altybarmakien, Barrett, Slavin, Slaggert, Entwhistle

Reichel, Kane, DeBrincat, Kubalik, Hagel, Kurashev (?)

Kharia, McLaughlin, Wise

Extra: R Johnson, Hardman

Toews retired. Carpenter moves on. Kaira could be unnecessary but his experience and decent face off ability is useful. Wait and see if Kurashev becomes a consistent solid pro. Some on this board like him; I do not.

McLaughan is a surprise but he could be the smooth offensive generator on a bottom line YES he is reliable defensively. There is a lot of compete, grit, toughness, a few average skaters but team speed overall is good. If not McLaughlin, maybe Wise fairly soon.

There would be a lot of hunger for success and growth in player development happens too. The inexperience is balanced by pro experience and willingness to play both ends of the ice
Rolling four lines is no problem

Out compete opponents? Kubalik gets scoring opportunities through teamattes who win the puck and feed him. Kubalik I think would become a well balanced two way forward although not as doggedly effective as other newbies. If you subtract Kubalik, then add Teply instead.....
..... I know so much youth cannot be added immediately. It may be a three year process and it could work. Players jell.

R Johnson is useful as depth. Not a permanent line guy. I would like to retain both Kiara and McLaughlin. Although if one doesn't stay, then please give McLaughlin a really good opportunity to show he belongs. He is the forward who can be the skill generator more so than others I the bottom six.

A mobile defence with some toughness would make a good match. Stillman Jones, McCabe. Mitchell and Galvas
.
Eventually Kaiser and Vlasic move in. If Phillips.
Can cut it, you have a lot of youth. The other Jones may stick around. Both Beaudin and Kalynuk will fall. Allen cannot stick if his passing doesn't improve. Crevier could be a real nice surprise short and get moved. And that slow skating Murphy I just want him gone with a higher draft choice the objective to move him.

Two three years from now we will have to admit that Bowman drafted well in later rounds.
- jhawk59

No K.Dach in the lineup? Look, as of now he may not have lived up to everyone's expectations for the #3 pick, but he is better than Altybarmakien, Barrett, Slavin, Slaggert, Entwhistle and Kurashev AND he is younger than all of them.

Today @ 8:31 AM ET
This is my wish. Of coarse nothing usially turns out exactly as you wish it would.

Altybarmakien, Barrett, Slavin, Slaggert, Entwhistle

Reichel, Kane, DeBrincat, Kubalik, Hagel, Kurashev (?)

Kharia, McLaughlin, Wise

Extra: R Johnson, Hardman

Toews retired. Carpenter moves on. Kaira could be unnecessary but his experience and decent face off ability is useful. Wait and see if Kurashev becomes a consistent solid pro. Some on this board like him; I do not.

McLaughan is a surprise but he could be the smooth offensive generator on a bottom line YES he is reliable defensively. There is a lot of compete, grit, toughness, a few average skaters but team speed overall is good. If not McLaughlin, maybe Wise fairly soon.

There would be a lot of hunger for success and growth in player development happens too. The inexperience is balanced by pro experience and willingness to play both ends of the ice
Rolling four lines is no problem

Out compete opponents? Kubalik gets scoring opportunities through teamattes who win the puck and feed him. Kubalik I think would become a well balanced two way forward although not as doggedly effective as other newbies. If you subtract Kubalik, then add Teply instead.....
..... I know so much youth cannot be added immediately. It may be a three year process and it could work. Players jell.

R Johnson is useful as depth. Not a permanent line guy. I would like to retain both Kiara and McLaughlin. Although if one doesn't stay, then please give McLaughlin a really good opportunity to show he belongs. He is the forward who can be the skill generator more so than others I the bottom six.

A mobile defence with some toughness would make a good match. Stillman Jones, McCabe. Mitchell and Galvas
.
Eventually Kaiser and Vlasic move in. If Phillips.
Can cut it, you have a lot of youth. The other Jones may stick around. Both Beaudin and Kalynuk will fall. Allen cannot stick if his passing doesn't improve. Crevier could be a real nice surprise short and get moved. And that slow skating Murphy I just want him gone with a higher draft choice the objective to move him.

Two three years from now we will have to admit that Bowman drafted well in later rounds.

JHawk

Well, with this line-up you definitely will be in the lottery, and probably have the most ping pong balls to play with. I bet Kane would be screaming to be traded with this bunch.

I am glad Kubalik has started scoring some goals, maybe KD can get a second for him now from some desperate GM. The only way he becomes a good 2 way forward, is when he gets his breakaway by flying the zone early and the D actually finds him, and then when he turns around and goes to the bench after. The more I hear how he is good in the defensive zone, the more I key on him, and the more I see what an utter disaster he is in his own zone.

I enjoy updates and optimism regarding the pipeline, but my litmus test for prospects is one simple question:

Could this prospect play 300+ games (4 seasons) in a Blackhawks uniform?

Only three rostered players have and one other might get there. hint - they all wear letters
Reichel is the only one I am really optimistic about from those mentioned in the latest two blogs. I know, it's too soon to tell, maybe.

The painful part of this rule of thumb is considering how many prospects we have moved in the last several years that have played 300+ games with their new clubs. There really isn't a solid current core and there's no core in the pipeline. Can a team challenge in the playoffs without one?

Duncan Keith's kid wearing Kaner's number on the ice

https://twitter.com/Edmon.../1483887265499648000?s=20

I enjoy updates and optimism regarding the pipeline, but my litmus test for prospects is one simple question:

Could this prospect play 300+ games (4 seasons) in a Blackhawks uniform?

Only three rostered players have and one other might get there. hint - they all wear letters
Reichel is the only one I am really optimistic about from those mentioned in the latest two blogs. I know, it's too soon to tell, maybe.

The painful part of this rule of thumb is considering how many prospects we have moved in the last several years that have played 300+ games with their new clubs. There really isn't a solid current core and there's no core in the pipeline. Can a team challenge in the playoffs without one?
- GreenJeans

I understand your point, but an arbitrary number of games is a tough bar. I would set the bar more as "a contributor at the NHL level for 4 or more seasons". For example, Debrincat has never played a game in the minors, yet he has just passed the 300 game mark, and he was drafted in 2016. Dach is in his 3rd season but even if he played every game those 3 years he wouldn't reach 200 because of Covid. Yeah, the Hawks moved, Danault, Schmaltz, Hartman, Teravainen, Saad, etc. some have gone to play 300 games with the new team, some have been moved multiple times.

Also consider, what you get in return when they are moved. Did the return contribute or bring other assets, etc. Unfortunately, too many times the Hawks have moved assets and really gotten little in return.

No K.Dach in the lineup? Look, as of now he may not have lived up to everyone's expectations for the #3 pick, but he is better than Altybarmakien, Barrett, Slavin, Slaggert, Entwhistle and Kurashev AND he is younger than all of them.
- TheTrob

Of course. I accidentally overlooked Dach. And maybe hus brother too in a couple of years

...
The painful part of this rule of thumb is considering how many prospects we have moved in the last several years that have played 300+ games with their new clubs. There really isn't a solid current core and there's no core in the pipeline. Can a team challenge in the playoffs without one?
- GreenJeans

Here's an interesting question..... If the Hawks had not put themselves in a 10 game hole to start the season, but instead were playing at the pace they are under King, do you feel differently about this team moving forward? The record under King puts them at a playoff contention pace, if so are we still questioning the current and next core?.

Let's say the current core is Toews, Kane, ADB, Dach, Kubalik, Hagel, S. Jones. Adding Reichel makes them better. Adding a couple of the young defenseman probably makes them better. At that point you have a competitive team while you draft more prospects, develop the ones you have, or package some of them for other talent/prospects.

Here's an interesting question..... If the Hawks had not put themselves in a 10 game hole to start the season, but instead were playing at the pace they are under King, do you feel differently about this team moving forward? The record under King puts them at a playoff contention pace, if so are we still questioning the current and next core?.

Let's say the current core is Toews, Kane, ADB, Dach, Kubalik, Hagel, S. Jones. Adding Reichel makes them better. Adding a couple of the young defenseman probably makes them better. At that point you have a competitive team while you draft more prospects, develop the ones you have, or package some of them for other talent/prospects.
- TheTrob

Who is your #1 goalie. Soderbloom/Commesso are at least 2-3 years away. Lankinen is not a #1?

I have been a Blackhawks hockey prospect fanboy too long to start selecting prospect fare off the present menu.

For every Enstwistle, Hagel and defenseman from yesterday's lists, I just hope that time, dedication, and abilities start to exceed the long years of talent evaluation that just didn't get there.
(Not true in one franchise, but that is what happens when some fit into the opportunity and others unluckily sometimes do not.)

The Hawks have to look at most as placeholders...and hopefully the next drafts give them stellar offensive guys with the earlier picks and a strategy is put in place for the draftees 3rd round on.

I am gonna switch gears a second and pat my back concerning the prospects I greedily had set in my pre-Jones trade Mock List.

It was me having theHawks getting Riley Stillman's brother, and Tyler Boucher and Colton Dach in the second.
Those were guys I liked and Boucher and little dash's skating hitches were fixable in my estimation, but never expects Ottawa to #11 Bouch's kid.
(Those picks are on the interweb, and also once here I said, why wait if the guy you really want with the first pick is gone off the board, take Colton Dach.
There is plenty to fix in his skating hitches, but he carries plenty of nasty (that is in storage) and can develop as a shooter.
Nothing is certain yet with SO MANY of these kids when they see it ain't easy in the bigs to hold pucks, get positioned and win out there. Time is needed.
(Just take a look at some of the rookies on various teams ad you see skill but it fades to Gary when confronted with the veteran precenses out there.

So, we are gonna wait as the Hawks find forward prospects in 2022 and beyond, and
we wait as they hopefully develop.

If the hawks cannot secure any picks early than their second rounder, there is a bevy of guys I really like there.
First. there maybe USA national Dev Team leftovers who do not get selected in the first and early second.
Secondly I like the bevy of Canadian born centres, Matthew Poitras, Nathan Gaucher, Danny Zhilkin, even Pano Finnis, Jack D. Hughes, and Adam Ingram who everyone else thinks is gone in the mid-first.
And how can you not like big usa David Kaplan or slick skating Finn Jani Nyman?

And I still think as much as our chief scout like him some Drew Commesso, so I am very willing to use a Top three rounder if there is another goalie there...no need for a panic button, b/c the hawks are a bit away from contending, reorganizing at GM, and wing trades or UFAs.

If I had to make one wild prediction, it would be they send Nicolas Beaudin to the tabs for scoring.

They need a couple placeholder goal makers, but again there no reason to knot my panties, b/c the future is not now it's far far down the yellow brick road...


"...and NOW! to lose my audience!"

I like a LOT of the Russians in this draft class that will be around for long term storage.

I would select them if they are next or close to next on the draft list because when and if they DO develop/succedd there, they will be nice skilled fills around whatever they have manages to cobble for the next five years of early picks. It makes sense to me.

Here's an interesting question..... If the Hawks had not put themselves in a 10 game hole to start the season, but instead were playing at the pace they are under King, do you feel differently about this team moving forward? The record under King puts them at a playoff contention pace, if so are we still questioning the current and next core?.

Let's say the current core is Toews, Kane, ADB, Dach, Kubalik, Hagel, S. Jones. Adding Reichel makes them better. Adding a couple of the young defenseman probably makes them better. At that point you have a competitive team while you draft more prospects, develop the ones you have, or package some of them for other talent/prospects.
- TheTrob

Not really. Let's say they split those games. The are currently the last team in, but have played more games than most of the teams that are behind them. This is basically where I expected them to be this year. I'm bullish on the D prospects, but the forward prospects are pretty much poop. No offense to the players themselves, but outside of Reichel, it's a bunch of 3rd-4th liners with maybe C. Dach as a higher option.

That current core you listed doesn't inspire much confidence for me right now.

Who is your #1 goalie. Soderbloom/Commesso are at least 2-3 years away. Lankinen is not a #1?
- LAHawk

Great question LA, there are lots of possibilities. 1) Keep Fleury and sign him to a 2 year deal. 2) Sign one of the other FA goaltenders in the off-season (there are 50+ available) 3) Sink or swim with Lankinen 4) Go with a Lankinen/Soderbloom split.

I guess it really depends on whether the Hawks truly think they are in contention or not and also what they think of Lankinen since he is also a FA. If not Fleury, do they sign a veteran to a short term deal to get them to Commesso/Basse? Do you sign a younger player like Oettinger, Tarasov, Samsonov and give them a little longer term deal? Do you just sign a vet to a 1 year deal ala Lehner and keep rolling the dice.

I am not big on giving long term or big money deals to goaltenders

Not really. Let's say they split those games. The are currently the last team in, but have played more games than most of the teams that are behind them. This is basically where I expected them to be this year. I'm bullish on the D prospects, but the forward prospects are pretty much poop. No offense to the players themselves, but outside of Reichel, it's a bunch of 3rd-4th liners with maybe C. Dach as a higher option.

That current core you listed doesn't inspire much confidence for me right now.
- Chunk

Point% under King is .593. That would still leave them 5th in the Central, but in the top wildcard slot. Yeah, not a lot of confidence they would knock off VGK or COL.

My point is you have to start somewhere. Ripping it all the way down does nothing but let you become BUF/EDM/ARZ. If the core they have is good enough to make the playoffs, then build from there. Sign a FA or two who are better options that the bunch of 4th liners you have stockpiled. Take a few swings in the draft. Reichel was projected by many as a 2nd rounder or lower, the Hawks may have the steal of the draft with him at #17. There doesn't need to be a 5+ year path to true contention if you do it correctly.

1) Keep Fleury and sign him to a 2 year deal.
- TheTrob

Yes!

Great question LA, there are lots of possibilities. 1) Keep Fleury and sign him to a 2 year deal. 2) Sign one of the other FA goaltenders in the off-season (there are 50+ available) 3) Sink or swim with Lankinen 4) Go with a Lankinen/Soderbloom split.

I guess it really depends on whether the Hawks truly think they are in contention or not and also what they think of Lankinen since he is also a FA. If not Fleury, do they sign a veteran to a short term deal to get them to Commesso/Basse? Do you sign a younger player like Oettinger, Tarasov, Samsonov and give them a little longer term deal? Do you just sign a vet to a 1 year deal ala Lehner and keep rolling the dice.

I am not big on giving long term or big money deals to goaltenders
- TheTrob

I just threw out the question for discussion but my druthers is option 1. I hope they are having that discussion with him now. Hey MAF, do you like it here? We like you 2 and want to sign you for a couple of more years? If not I am sure you understand but you are in great demand and we can get a nice piece for you.

Isn't it interesting how up and down most of the goalies in the league are.

LA was dangling Quick because Peterson was ready to be their goalie of the future, but Quick has bounced back and totally outplayed Peterson this year.

Colorado thought Kempher was the answer instead of Grubauer, but he is hurt more than daHaan is.

Don't know WTH Eddmonton was thinking.

Looks like the Flyers ruined Carter Hart.

Jusse Saros should probably be in the MVP discussion for the Preds.

Bobrovsky for the Panthers has bounced back, and kept Spencer Knight on the bench.

Tristan Jarry has been on fire with the Pens, are they really in need of Fleury?

Lehner has been meh with Vegas, Demko has been meh with Vancouver.

Yes!

- GreenJeans

No trade fleury if he wants to chase another cup and revisit in the offseason about coming back on 2 year contract.

I have been a Blackhawks hockey prospect fanboy too long to start selecting prospect fare off the present menu.

For every Enstwistle, Hagel and defenseman from yesterday's lists, I just hope that time, dedication, and abilities start to exceed the long years of talent evaluation that just didn't get there.
(Not true in one franchise, but that is what happens when some fit into the opportunity and others unluckily sometimes do not.)

The Hawks have to look at most as placeholders...and hopefully the next drafts give them stellar offensive guys with the earlier picks and a strategy is put in place for the draftees 3rd round on.

I am gonna switch gears a second and pat my back concerning the prospects I greedily had set in my pre-Jones trade Mock List.

It was me having theHawks getting Riley Stillman's brother, and Tyler Boucher and Colton Dach in the second.
Those were guys I liked and Boucher and little dash's skating hitches were fixable in my estimation, but never expects Ottawa to #11 Bouch's kid.
(Those picks are on the interweb, and also once here I said, why wait if the guy you really want with the first pick is gone off the board, take Colton Dach.
There is plenty to fix in his skating hitches, but he carries plenty of nasty (that is in storage) and can develop as a shooter.
Nothing is certain yet with SO MANY of these kids when they see it ain't easy in the bigs to hold pucks, get positioned and win out there. Time is needed.
(Just take a look at some of the rookies on various teams ad you see skill but it fades to Gary when confronted with the veteran precenses out there.

So, we are gonna wait as the Hawks find forward prospects in 2022 and beyond, and
we wait as they hopefully develop.

If the hawks cannot secure any picks early than their second rounder, there is a bevy of guys I really like there.
First. there maybe USA national Dev Team leftovers who do not get selected in the first and early second.
Secondly I like the bevy of Canadian born centres, Matthew Poitras, Nathan Gaucher, Danny Zhilkin, even Pano Finnis, Jack D. Hughes, and Adam Ingram who everyone else thinks is gone in the mid-first.
And how can you not like big usa David Kaplan or slick skating Finn Jani Nyman?

And I still think as much as our chief scout like him some Drew Commesso, so I am very willing to use a Top three rounder if there is another goalie there...no need for a panic button, b/c the hawks are a bit away from contending, reorganizing at GM, and wing trades or UFAs.

If I had to make one wild prediction, it would be they send Nicolas Beaudin to the tabs for scoring.

They need a couple placeholder goal makers, but again there no reason to knot my panties, b/c the future is not now it's far far down the yellow brick road...


"...and NOW! to lose my audience!"

I like a LOT of the Russians in this draft class that will be around for long term storage.

I would select them if they are next or close to next on the draft list because when and if they DO develop/succedd there, they will be nice skilled fills around whatever they have manages to cobble for the next five years of early picks. It makes sense to me.
- wiz1901

Good to see you posting, Wiz. Hope all is well with you and yours......... Reading yesterday's blog about the Dmen in the system I see you didn't post. Would love to read your thoughts on that subject especially on guys like Phillips, Allan, Galvas, Vlasic and Kaiser.

With prospects in mind the last two blogs it's time to pull out my wet blanket.

Ended up at Elite Prospects admiring ex Steel GM Ryan Hardy's meteoric rise from the Steel straight to running TOR's prospects and GMing their ECHL and AHL squads (Steel coach Greg Moore went straight from the Steel bench to head coach of the Marlies a couple yrs back) . Clicked on TOR's page and scrolled down to "Team Staff" which is their entire organIzation's employees. Looked at it awhile then clicked the Hawk's page and it didn't take long for tears to start flowing.

Did not think it was possible for me to be more pessimistic going forward or have less respect for Rocky and his Boy but after comparing a real NHL organIzation to Rocky and his Boy's I am.

Check out the difference in the number of hockey ops people. Hawks do not have a dedicated Director of Analytics. I'm also confused by the Hawks having 174 scouts listed. Assume it's from the school of thought if you have 292 scouts you don't have 1.

I've been on board with the consulting company they hired to assess the organIzation and it's processes for hiring a hockey ops guru/GM and after seeing their organIzation as compared to TOR's I'm doubled down on hiring that firm and believe it's their only hope.... Simply said I do not think Rocky and his Boy have one single clue.

Scroll down to Team Staff.

TOR: https://www.eliteprospect...am/76/toronto-maple-leafs

CHI: https://www.eliteprospect...eam/56/chicago-blackhawks

Good to see you posting, Wiz. Hope all is well with you and yours......... Reading yesterday's blog about the Dmen in the system I see you didn't post. Would love to read your thoughts on that subject especially on guys like Phillips, Allan, Galvas, Vlasic and Kaiser.

With prospects in mind the last two blogs it's time to pull out my wet blanket.

Ended up at Elite Prospects admiring ex Steel GM Ryan Hardy's meteoric rise from the Steel straight to running TOR's prospects and GMing their ECHL and AHL squads (Steel coach Greg Moore went straight from the Steel bench to head coach of the Marlies a couple yrs back) . Clicked on TOR's page and scrolled down to "Team Staff" which is their entire organIzation's employees. Looked at it awhile then clicked the Hawk's page and it didn't take long for tears to start flowing.

Did not think it was possible for me to be more pessimistic going forward or have less respect for Rocky and his Boy but after comparing a real NHL organIzation to Rocky and his Boy's I am.

Check out the difference in the number of hockey ops people. Hawks do not have a dedicated Director of Analytics. I'm also confused by the Hawks having 174 scouts listed. Assume it's from the school of thought if you have 292 scouts you don't have 1.

I've been on board with the consulting company they hired to assess the organIzation and it's processes for hiring a hockey ops guru/GM and after seeing their organIzation as compared to TOR's I'm doubled down on hiring that firm and believe it's their only hope.... Simply said I do not think Rocky and his Boy have one single clue.

Scroll down to Team Staff.

TOR: https://www.eliteprospect...am/76/toronto-maple-leafs

CHI: https://www.eliteprospect...eam/56/chicago-blackhawks
- Mr Ricochet

Take any listing like this with a grain of salt. Anything posted here is culled off the Hawks website. Hawks in the era of McD have tended to list everyone, while many other orgs just list a few. When it comes to scouting, looks like the Hawks have included a bunch of their euro scouts, which it doesn't seem like TOR has.

Who is your #1 goalie. Soderbloom/Commesso are at least 2-3 years away. Lankinen is not a #1?
- LAHawk

Who was BUF's #1 coming into this yr or the Hawks' between Lankanin and Delia or AZ's this yr? ...... My point is you can find some kind of placeholder until a possible #1 emerges after you trade Fluery. As bare as the prospect cupboard is the Hawks do not have the luxury of keeping Fluery and not maximizing what return he can bring.

With that in mind I see a bit of AZ and from from first look have really liked 25 yr old Karel Vejmelka. If he's starting I watch a period or so of their game. Love his size and foundation as he hangs in there efficiently and at times fantastically staring down 45-50 shots a game behind that atrocious team. https://www.eliteprospect...yer/189829/karel-vejmelka

Would the Hawks use assets to trade for him or someone like him? Are the Hawks buyers AND sellers at the TDL???? Move 49 yr old Fluery for a 2nd and use a 3rd for a Karel Vejmelka type?

Not really. Let's say they split those games. The are currently the last team in, but have played more games than most of the teams that are behind them. This is basically where I expected them to be this year. I'm bullish on the D prospects, but the forward prospects are pretty much poop. No offense to the players themselves, but outside of Reichel, it's a bunch of 3rd-4th liners with maybe C. Dach as a higher option.

That current core you listed doesn't inspire much confidence for me right now.
- Chunk

Do you believe it is not a reach to compete for a playoff spot under these conditions working out well for the Blackhawks:

* Goaktending is good, not great with Laakinen and Soderblom sharing net

* Many forwards graduate- most from Rockford- and prove to be solid, hard working, gritty both responsible extensively and tough checkers. They also show modest offensive ability, not duds

* Both Mitchell and Galvas are steady, where eas Kalynuk dies not break through and Beaudin is traded

* Toews retires but Kane is still here.

I would like to also include one other condition, but it is premature and difficult to ascertain exactly the details... . Which would be draft choice(s) and or improvement ti a higher earlier selection in '22 draft by trading any ir each Fleury, Carpentar, deHahn. Won't include Murohy but wish he was traded too

Take any listing like this with a grain of salt. Anything posted here is culled off the Hawks website. Hawks in the era of McD have tended to list everyone, while many other orgs just list a few. When it comes to scouting, looks like the Hawks have included a bunch of their euro scouts, which it doesn't seem like TOR has.
- TheTrob

Hey T, respectfully I can't take anything from Elite Prospects with a grain of salt. A very respected organIzation that is the go to for stats on players from youth hockey all the way to the Bigs used by NHL people and fans.

I'd concede they may not be 100% as far as NHL organIzational employees but close enough to make me even more concerned about Rocky and his Boy's abilities than I already had.

Do you believe it is not a reach to compete for a playoff spot under these conditions working out well for the Blackhawks:

* Goaktending is good, not great with Laakinen and Soderblom sharing net

* Many forwards graduate- most from Rockford- and prove to be solid, hard working, gritty both responsible extensively and tough checkers. They also show modest offensive ability, not duds

* Both Mitchell and Galvas are steady, where eas Kalynuk dies not break through and Beaudin is traded

* Toews retires but Kane is still here.

I would like to also include one other condition, but it is premature and difficult to ascertain exactly the details... . Which would be draft choice(s) and or improvement ti a higher earlier selection in '22 draft by trading any ir each Fleury, Carpentar, deHahn. Won't include Murohy but wish he was traded too
- jhawk59

Lotta ifs here, Jhawk. Helps me when I read the following about prospects. It ain't easy, man. https://dobberhockey.com/...-blues-lineup-january-20/


"Remember a few years ago when the Florida Panthers had a prospect pool that teams were jealous of? Tippett, Knight, Denisenko, Heponiemi, and Borgstrom, among others, were the names to know. Three of those look like non-NHLers (whether in Florida or elsewhere) while the jury is still out on Spencer Knight as a young goalie.

Owen Tippett, though, has stuck around. It is worth nothing that while a lot of other top Florida prospects have completely fallen by the wayside, he's been a fixture of their middle-6 this year".