Blackhawks Like Repeat Chances

[Guest DatsyukianDeke13]

Not sure where you came up with those Hawk lines. You have 2 centers on the 2nd line, 2 right wings on the first line, no center on the 3rd line, the 2 offensive defencemen paired together and the 2 stay at home defensemen paired together. I'll admit one thing. If the Hawks did use your horrid proposed lines and defense pairings, then yes they would be in a boatload of trouble. Maybe that's why you're so confused?

Those aren't their lines. Just their roster. I never said they were their lines.

Anyway....the big potential problem for the Hawks will be depth at forward. I never said they won't miss a beat. There's a lot of unknown here. Luckily though, the depth of forward probably won't be a terribly big issue until the playoffs. The hope for the Hawks and us Hawk fans is that a few of these guys step up in a big way throughout the season.

Keep dreaming.

Also keep in mind that the Hawks will probably be able to make a trade or two to fill needs at the deadline. It will be much easier to fit guys under the cap for the last 1/4 of the season, and the Hawks certainly have the prospects and picks to get anything they need done, done.

I think the 2 guys that have a huge chance to step up big this season are Jack Skille, and even more than him, Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg skates like the wind and is a good forechecker. I really think he's going to end up on the first line with Kane and Toews before it's said and done. The Hawks tend to put third liners with those 2 guys (see Buff, Bickell and Broewer from last year). This guy is going from playing with garbage in Toronto to world class talent now...he has the potential to explode IMO.

As for losing Niemi? Yeah that will hurt if he leaves. And I think he will be gone. But he's young and it wouldn't be wise for the Hawks to invest too much in him. A lot of goaltenders start off their career hot...get figured out by the league and then they are meh. The Hawks don't need to be repeating their mistake with Huet again. I think they'll go the route the Wings have often go,...try to find sufficient and somewhat inexpensive goaltending, and put a great team in front of that goaltender.

hahahhahahahahhahahahahha. Wake up

[Guest Heaten]

Not sure where you came up with those Hawk lines. You have 2 centers on the 2nd line, 2 right wings on the first line, no center on the 3rd line, the 2 offensive defencemen paired together and the 2 stay at home defensemen paired together. I'll admit one thing. If the Hawks did use your horrid proposed lines and defense pairings, then yes they would be in a boatload of trouble. Maybe that's why you're so confused?

Anyway....the big potential problem for the Hawks will be depth at forward. I never said they won't miss a beat. There's a lot of unknown here. Luckily though, the depth of forward probably won't be a terribly big issue until the playoffs. The hope for the Hawks and us Hawk fans is that a few of these guys step up in a big way throughout the season.

Also keep in mind that the Hawks will probably be able to make a trade or two to fill needs at the deadline. It will be much easier to fit guys under the cap for the last 1/4 of the season, and the Hawks certainly have the prospects and picks to get anything they need done, done.

I think the 2 guys that have a huge chance to step up big this season are Jack Skille, and even more than him, Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg skates like the wind and is a good forechecker. I really think he's going to end up on the first line with Kane and Toews before it's said and done. The Hawks tend to put third liners with those 2 guys (see Buff, Bickell and Broewer from last year). This guy is going from playing with garbage in Toronto to world class talent now...he has the potential to explode IMO.

As for losing Niemi? Yeah that will hurt if he leaves. And I think he will be gone. But he's young and it wouldn't be wise for the Hawks to invest too much in him. A lot of goaltenders start off their career hot...get figured out by the league and then they are meh. The Hawks don't need to be repeating their mistake with Huet again. I think they'll go the route the Wings have often go,...try to find sufficient and somewhat inexpensive goaltending, and put a great team in front of that goaltender.

Can't speak for Skille because I never watched him play, or just never noticed him play if he did play the games I watched. But I think you have very high expectations of Stalberg. I notice some Hawk fans like to grossly overrate a lot of their players/prospects while disregarding the importance of talent/depth your management had to firesale off (and they still may not be done).

I think losing Versteeg, Ladd, Madden and Buff (and even Barker / Sopel now BH have a really shaky 3rd pairing on D) is going to effect your team way more than you seem to realize. If BH are lucky enough to stay healthy, they should make the playoffs. But if someone goes down for a significant amount of time, all bets are off. And I highly doubt Hawks have a 100% injury free season, especially since they don't have the talented depth on both D and bottom 6 forward position.

I do find it compelling how positive Chicago Blackhawk fans are after dealing with their clubs drama and piss-poor management the past couple years. I think Red Wings fan would have ripped the management apart if they ran Red Wings org like Chi-town does.

[RememberStevieY 5]

Link

Watching the Chicago Blackhawks implode!According to the Chicago Daily Herald, the Hawks will need to bring in at least 9 players making under $900,000 to get under the salary cap. That is a projection based on how many roster spots they have left to fill and who is currently on the team. Of course, if they are somehow able to get rid of both Huet and Campbell (pro-tip: they can't), then they'll have a little more wiggle room

[Dave82RWS 41]

Link

Watching the Chicago Blackhawks implode!According to the Chicago Daily Herald, the Hawks will need to bring in at least 9 players making under $900,000 to get under the salary cap. That is a projection based on how many roster spots they have left to fill and who is currently on the team. Of course, if they are somehow able to get rid of both Huet and Campbell (pro-tip: they can't), then they'll have a little more wiggle room

See lines above. They have their 4th line replaced already. (upgraded in fact) They have Stalberg, they have Scott, Hendry, and potentially Beach or Makarov. Others if they go the Turco route.

[Dave82RWS 41]

I think losing Versteeg, Ladd, Madden and Buff (and even Barker / Sopel now BH have a really shaky 3rd pairing on D) is going to effect your team way more than you seem to realize. If BH are lucky enough to stay healthy, they should make the playoffs. But if someone goes down for a significant amount of time, all bets are off. And I highly doubt Hawks have a 100% injury free season, especially since they don't have the talented depth on both D and bottom 6 forward position.

1-Well they obviously didnt need Barker. Who knows how Johnsson would have done if he wasnt hurt.

2-Madden they dont need anymore as the younger guys know how to win now.

3-Ladd is a nice player but replaceable. They even won a few games when he was hurt against SJ and then Philly.

4-Sopel and Hendry/Boynton was Chicagos 3rd pair D. That was weak in itself but they got by just fine i would say, no? This year the 3rd pair will be no better but may be worse. Dont know how much it will matter.

5- As far as injuries. Hossa missed 2 months, they won anyway. Bolland was out for 4 months, they won anyway, Burish was out the whole year, throw in a few others, they never really missed a beat.

I do find it compelling how positive Chicago Blackhawk fans are after dealing with their clubs drama and piss-poor management the past couple years. I think Red Wings fan would have ripped the management apart if they ran Red Wings org like Chi-town does.

Compared to what it was for so long, I would say they have a right to be positive. And the guy who screwed all the contracts up (Tallon) was let go. I would say THAT was a smart move and I would say that the past couple years they have moved in the right direction winning a cup and locking up the core instead of losing it.

I suppose we should rip Red Wings management for signing guys like Bertuzzi, Williams, May and for considering bringing back oldies like Maltby??

Edited August 1, 2010 by Dave82RWS

[chrisdetroit 189]

See lines above. They have their 4th line replaced already. (upgraded in fact) They have Stalberg, they have Scott, Hendry, and potentially Beach or Makarov. Others if they go the Turco route.

They lost most of their depth. They will not be sucessful without good depth players, plain and simple. Stop trying to convince yourself that they will be contenders. And as far as all these great prospects, everybody has "great" prospects. The difference is that the Hawks will use them on their starting rooster while teams like the Wings can leave them in the AHL.

no depth = no Cup

[evil204 4]

They really screwed themselves by signing Hossa. As good as the guy is, I'd rather keep 5 good depth players than sign another superstar.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I wouldn't expect any BH player to say "Yeah, we're going to suck next season", that would be a good way to lose a job. Despite knowing they won't repeat, they can't say it out loud. Unspoken rule.

Yep.

Probably very few people would've thought Calgary would've made the Finals in 2004, Edmonton the year after, or Anaheim in 2003, yet they all did and almost won. A bit early to basically ride teams or people off months before a season starts. While Chicago's roster is going to be different obviously, to suggest they aren't contenders is a bit of a reach.

[Broken 16 381]

Not sure where you came up with those Hawk lines. You have 2 centers on the 2nd line, 2 right wings on the first line, no center on the 3rd line, the 2 offensive defencemen paired together and the 2 stay at home defensemen paired together. I'll admit one thing. If the Hawks did use your horrid proposed lines and defense pairings, then yes they would be in a boatload of trouble. Maybe that's why you're so confused?

Anyway....the big potential problem for the Hawks will be depth at forward. I never said they won't miss a beat. There's a lot of unknown here. Luckily though, the depth of forward probably won't be a terribly big issue until the playoffs. The hope for the Hawks and us Hawk fans is that a few of these guys step up in a big way throughout the season.

Also keep in mind that the Hawks will probably be able to make a trade or two to fill needs at the deadline. It will be much easier to fit guys under the cap for the last 1/4 of the season, and the Hawks certainly have the prospects and picks to get anything they need done, done.

I think the 2 guys that have a huge chance to step up big this season are Jack Skille, and even more than him, Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg skates like the wind and is a good forechecker. I really think he's going to end up on the first line with Kane and Toews before it's said and done. The Hawks tend to put third liners with those 2 guys (see Buff, Bickell and Broewer from last year). This guy is going from playing with garbage in Toronto to world class talent now...he has the potential to explode IMO.

As for losing Niemi? Yeah that will hurt if he leaves. And I think he will be gone. But he's young and it wouldn't be wise for the Hawks to invest too much in him. A lot of goaltenders start off their career hot...get figured out by the league and then they are meh. The Hawks don't need to be repeating their mistake with Huet again. I think they'll go the route the Wings have often go,...try to find sufficient and somewhat inexpensive goaltending, and put a great team in front of that goaltender.

Keep dreaming. Seriously. If you guys think that you are just gonna skate the regular season unnoticed, you are delusional. The Blackhawks have a huge target on their backs because they are the defending Stanley Cup champions. You guys act as if you are just gonna ballerina dance to the playoffs based on this so-called awesome core. It's not hard for your core to look awesome when you have crazy depth. Guess what, aside from hanging your hopes on AHL'ers to develop into the perfect role players (good luck with that), your depth is gone. Half of your team will be carrying the burden of a Cup they didn't win for the entire season. Teams are just WAITING to exploit your lack of depth.

Do you really think that every other team in the league is blind to the fact that if your team has more than one significant injury, you are probably done? All I can say is welcome to the hell that is coming back in the NHL under the current point system. Your team better be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate or you could be out of it by the end of December.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Broken 16

[Guest Heaten]

1-Well they obviously didnt need Barker. Who knows how Johnsson would have done if he wasnt hurt.

-Now they have John Scott taking Barker and Sopel spot. Is Scott really on the same level? Don't think so.

2-Madden they dont need anymore as the younger guys know how to win now.

-Madden was one of their best PKers, top shut down forwards, and awesome at faceoffs. His contributions to the team winning seem to very underrated. You think faceoffs and PKing is overrated? He was an awesome depth guy, someone who will be missed.

3-Ladd is a nice player but replaceable. They even won a few games when he was hurt against SJ and then Philly.

-Not replaceable by an AHL 3rd line rookie. Not replaceable for the cap hit BH can afford. You are skewing logic my friend.

4-Sopel and Hendry/Boynton was Chicagos 3rd pair D. That was weak in itself but they got by just fine i would say, no? This year the 3rd pair will be no better but may be worse. Dont know how much it will matter.

You said it "This year the 3rd pair will be no better but may be worse"

5- As far as injuries. Hossa missed 2 months, they won anyway. Bolland was out for 4 months, they won anyway, Burish was out the whole year, throw in a few others, they never really missed a beat.

1a. Hossa and Bolland weren't out for the playoffs

1b. Blackhawks had depth to cover for regular season injuries. Now they are facing a 20 man roster with no extra $$ for call ups.

Compared to what it was for so long, I would say they have a right to be positive. And the guy who screwed all the contracts up (Tallon) was let go. I would say THAT was a smart move and I would say that the past couple years they have moved in the right direction winning a cup and locking up the core instead of losing it.

-BH fans said it was on Bowman that offer sheets were failed to be mailed in on time. And Bowman signed Kopecky ($200k-$400k over his worth) and Hossa for 12 years (who Bowman failed to require physical from prior to signing). Yeah, those two F-ups alone could have been catastrophic. Can't just blame Tallon, Bowman has been that brilliant either.

I suppose we should rip Red Wings management for signing guys like Bertuzzi, Williams, May and for considering bringing back oldies like Maltby??

-Seriously? Bertuzzi was a BEAST when everyone was out injured. You can thank him for keeping the Red Wings in it. Williams was out with a broken leg. Should Holland be some kind of special psychic who can predict injuries? Brad May sure did come in handy when half the team was out injured. I fail to see what Holland did wrong? Wings made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs despite fighting through an injured lineup for 3/4s of the regular season.

Your logic is flawed. See bold.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

The Chicago IceHogs. ™

[Jett1913 43]

it's sounds like the blackhawks fans are going through the Five Stages of Grief:

1. Denial – "The Blackhawks are fine. They've still got their CORE!!"

2. Anger – "COME ON! We just won the Cup! How can this happen to us?"

3. Bargaining – "I don't care if we win the Cup again, as long as we beat Detroit...please?"

4. Depression – "What's the point of going to games? It's not like they're gonna win the Cup again"

5. Acceptance – "One and Done. At least we have Football."

[55fan 5,133]

Somewhat of a random thought, but related nonetheless:

Suppose that they are planning to be cap-compliant by sending Huet and/or Campbell to the minors. There's a rule which states that an injured player can't be sent down.

Now this won't hurt whilst the player is on LTIR, but before they can send him down, they have to return him to the roster and be cap-compliant with him there. Then they can send him down. That would take some wiggling.

I bet Huet gets treated like he's made of glass at camp.

[chrisdetroit 189]

Yep.

Probably very few people would've thought Calgary would've made the Finals in 2004, Edmonton the year after, or Anaheim in 2003, yet they all did and almost won. A bit early to basically ride teams or people off months before a season starts. While Chicago's roster is going to be different obviously, to suggest they aren't contenders is a bit of a reach.

Anything can happen but it is unlikely that the Chicago Blackhawhs are going to get very far after losing so many of their depth players.

it's possible but not probable.

Incidently of all those teams that you mentioned, none of them won the Cup.

it's sounds like the blackhawks fans are going through the Five Stages of Grief:

1. Denial – "The Blackhawks are fine. They've still got their CORE!!"

2. Anger – "COME ON! We just won the Cup! How can this happen to us?"

3. Bargaining – "I don't care if we win the Cup again, as long as we beat Detroit...please?"

4. Depression – "What's the point of going to games? It's not like they're gonna win the Cup again"

5. Acceptance – "One and Done. At least we have Football."

I think that they are all stuck in phase 1. 2-5 will come before Christmas

[Sarava 55]

Keep dreaming. Seriously. If you guys think that you are just gonna skate the regular season unnoticed, you are delusional. The Blackhawks have a huge target on their backs because they are the defending Stanley Cup champions. You guys act as if you are just gonna ballerina dance to the playoffs based on this so-called awesome core. It's not hard for your core to look awesome when you have crazy depth. Guess what, aside from hanging your hopes on AHL'ers to develop into the perfect role players (good luck with that), your depth is gone. Half of your team will be carrying the burden of a Cup they didn't win for the entire season. Teams are just WAITING to exploit your lack of depth.

Do you really think that every other team in the league is blind to the fact that if your team has more than one significant injury, you are probably done? All I can say is welcome to the hell that is coming back in the NHL under the current point system. Your team better be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate or you could be out of it by the end of December.

Yeah the Hawks are vulnerable to injuries. Moreso than last year. That's life in professional sports. I can't really think of any team in professional sports that can withstand major injuries to important players and get by unscathed. The Wings certainly couldn't last year.

I do enjoy reading the negativity towards the Hawks from so many of you Wings fans here. The widely accepted predictions about the Hawks from LGW have been pretty much dead wrong on a consistant basis the past year. The Hawks couldn't afford to sign a big free agent last year...doh, wrong. The Hawks won't have the cap space to sign Keith, Kane and Toews...doh wrong again. The Hawks won't get past the 2nd round...doh wrong again. I love this forum.

[cjm502 165]

The Hawks won't have the cap space to sign Keith, Kane and Toews...doh wrong again.

Well I think its pretty reasonable to believe they would rather get rid of one of those 3 than lose all their depth, but I guess Stan isn't the smartest guy.

[Sarava 55]

it's sounds like the blackhawks fans are going through the Five Stages of Grief:

1. Denial – "The Blackhawks are fine. They've still got their CORE!!"

2. Anger – "COME ON! We just won the Cup! How can this happen to us?"

3. Bargaining – "I don't care if we win the Cup again, as long as we beat Detroit...please?"

4. Depression – "What's the point of going to games? It's not like they're gonna win the Cup again"

5. Acceptance – "One and Done. At least we have Football."

Well I can say this. If it's anything like how it was in 2006 with the White Sox, who dissapointed as defending champions....I strangely was able to live with it just fine. It was sort of like...ahh well, we got it last year. You can't win it every year. Wasn't 2006 the year the Tigers flubbed in in the series to the Cardinals (a .500 team pretty much)?

That being said, I think most diehard Hawk fans feel 2010-2011 will *possibly* be the roughest season over the next 4 or 5 years. The system is stocked with prospects, but it will take a couple years for most of them to have a chance at making the NHL. It also might take a year or two for Stan to clear up some of these cap problems. If you have noticed, Stan has not handed out a stupid contract to any player. And you're probably going to see that again when Niemi is sent packing tomorrow. Stan just has to clean up Dale Tallon's mess, which will take some time.

Well I think its pretty reasonable to believe they would rather get rid of one of those 3 than lose all their depth, but I guess Stan isn't the smartest guy.

So you're saying the Hawks should go the Leafs or Flames route of having sick depth, but very little high end talent? That's brilliant...

[thedisappearer 291]

So you're saying the Hawks should go the Leafs or Flames route of having sick depth, but very little high end talent? That's brilliant...

You FAIL'd right here. If you didn't sign one of those players (or even Hossa), you'd still have more high end talent than the Leafs or Flames. Plus depth.

[Guest Heaten]

The Hawks couldn't afford to sign a big free agent last year if they want to keep team depth...doh, wrong correct. The Hawks won't have the cap space to sign Keith, Kane and Toews if they want to keep team depth...doh wrong correct again. The Hawks won't get past the 2nd round with Huet in net...doh wrong correct again. I love this forum.

Fixed

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

If you have noticed, Stan has not handed out a stupid contract to any player.

He would, if the money were available to him. But, it's not.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Anything can happen but it is unlikely that the Chicago Blackhawhs are going to get very far after losing so many of their depth players.

it's possible but not probable.

Incidently of all those teams that you mentioned, none of them won the Cup.

I think that they are all stuck in phase 1. 2-5 will come before Christmas

And my point is that nobody would've predicted or guessed those teams to even make the Finals or possibly make the playoffs/advance past the first round. We both have our good points.

[Broken 16 381]

Yeah the Hawks are vulnerable to injuries. Moreso than last year. That's life in professional sports. I can't really think of any team in professional sports that can withstand major injuries to important players and get by unscathed. The Wings certainly couldn't last year.

I do enjoy reading the negativity towards the Hawks from so many of you Wings fans here. The widely accepted predictions about the Hawks from LGW have been pretty much dead wrong on a consistant basis the past year. The Hawks couldn't afford to sign a big free agent last year...doh, wrong. The Hawks won't have the cap space to sign Keith, Kane and Toews...doh wrong again. The Hawks won't get past the 2nd round...doh wrong again. I love this forum.

You know why you read so much negativity towards the Hawks?

1) This is a Red Wings message board

2) We hate you

Keep drinking the Kool Aid.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Broken 16

[Jett1913 43]

a jab at the Tigers? ...how clever! hmmmm... maybe next you'll make a joke about the city of detroit or how people here are losing their jobs and can't afford to go to games? it's always the same with hawks fans. they can't talk hockey, so they go for the next easiest thing.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Watching-the-Chicago-Blackhawks-implode/135140209851050

Edited August 2, 2010 by Jett1913

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Haha, I love reading Hawks fans opinions on players. Here's some reality - For as much as he is loved, Toews has never put up over 70 points in the NHL. His playoff numbers are good, but for someone that's called "good defensively", he's -2 in the playoffs the past season and has amassed 42 points in that span. He cant carry a team, sure he was fantastic for the first 3 rounds but in the finals he was god awful. We all know Hossa, I'll give it to Kane he's produced well in regular season. Dave Bolland is a fantastic matchup/3rd line center, and he's one of my favorite players but he isnt much as a 2nd line pivot. Sharps a good player, no knocks on him. Brouwer and Kopecky are meh, and then your banking on Bryan Bickell, Jack Skille, Victor Stalberg, and whoever else to provide your depth scoring.

I really hope your core holds up Chicago fans, I really do. Because it'd be a shame to see you guys go the way of Tampa Bay and Anaheim.

SYCHE! Hope you guys suck s*** all year long

[T.OWingsFan 7]

I think the 2 guys that have a huge chance to step up big this season are Jack Skille, and even more than him, Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg skates like the wind and is a good forechecker. I really think he's going to end up on the first line with Kane and Toews before it's said and done.

This is the clank from the Leafs that I've seen for a while now?

If he's on your first line....well I was gonna say something bad but screw it! Put him on Blackhawks I wanna have a laugh.