This week we discuss the Hawks lack of activity at the deadline, more gobbledygook from Stan Bowman, Henri Jokiharju’s place in the organization, and other mishegas.
You wanted to believe. I wanted to as well. Even though it was mostly due to the remedial class nature of the bottom of the Western Conference, the Hawks did have a chance to make a real step this weekend. Or at least if you looked at it at the right angle in the right light. But at some point, you can’t outrun who you are. It’s hockey, so you can do it for a month, maybe even more. But eventually, there are only so many magic tricks.
The Hawks, and some of the more dedicated followers, will argue they played well these past two games, and lost, to cancel out some of those games where they were speed-bagged and yet bounced and goofed their way to a win. I’ll give you Friday, but despite 47 shots today I would say today’s effort was pretty damn choppy. But no matter how you view it, remember when the Hawks “playing well” didn’t include things like…oh I don’t know, Forsling passing it to….someone? Leading to the Stars second goal. Or it didn’t include Seabrook falling asleep on a kill and allowing Radulov right up the middle and forcing Keith to trip him up on a penalty kill you have to have? Or things like Friday where Gustafsson lets someone up the middle or Koekkoek’s “pass.”
At the end of the day, they’re just no damn good. That seems simplistic, but it’s the heart of it. No matter what they do elsewhere, they’re never going to be rid of their ode to piss-pooredness that is their blue line. The forwards can do anything, but at some point, or a few points, every game one of their D is going to fuck up royally. You can’t keep scaling that mountain, especially when the D will always find a way to kick you back down halfway that mountain.
Let’s get through it…
The Two Obs
-Let’s stay with the defense. Perhaps I’m being harsh, but I’m being honest. Gustav Forsling is the worst player in the league. He has no vision, he’s slow, he’s not strong, and he’s dumb. There is nothing he does well aside from occasionally let off a bomb when he’s got five minutes of time and a city block of space. His turnover today to cause the second goal was schoolboy stuff, and that’s being kind.
Which leads to a whole discussion about the placing of Henri Jokiharju. There is no argument that Forsling is better than Harju. As there isn’t one for Slater Koekkoek either, who was quite the sight after a rambunctious pinch that led to him getting destroyed by Faska and losing a skate blade. The idea that Jokiharju isn’t among the six d-men who give the Hawks the best chance to win is laughable at best, negligent at worst.
You needn’t look any further than the other team today, who have Miro Heiskanen, whom the Stars have done their best to shelter even when ravaged by injury. That said, it’s not on Colltion that one of his best four d-men is a 19-year-old who probably could use some seasoning in the AHL. That’s roster construction. But it flies in the face of everything the Hawks are telling you about their own team.
If they are truly chasing the playoffs, then Jokiharju would be here to play and help, because he’s one of the better options you have. But if this were truly a playoff team, they would have done more in the summer than allow their GM to say nanna-nanna-boo-boo to their coach with a couple of bottom rung signings.
So which is it? Are you trying to make the playoffs or are you trying to develop? Or are you trying to thread the needle of both which really gets you nowhere? I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.
-There was a stretch of play in the 2nd period that lasted 5-10 minutes where I’m not sure the Hawks completed a pass.
–Dylan Sikura had a rough one, with a 27% share and his line getting mauled for a couple shifts. That’ll happen, but I would be disappointed if he doesn’t stay on the roster the rest of the year. He needs a goal, yes, but he’s mostly been doing the right things in a third-line role.
-Kane has 20 shots his last two games. Keep firing, asshole!
-Honestly, it would probably be more beneficial for the Hawks in the long run to play well like they did on Friday, sort of did today, and lose most of the games. The structure would be something you could build on, and the draft pick would be welcome. However, as silly as this season has been, I doubt that’s how it’ll go.
vs. 
RECORDS: Stars 30-25-5 Hawks 26-27-9
PUCK DROP: 2pm
TV: WGN
FROM A DC-9 AT NIGHT: Defending Big D
It’s such a weird year. The Hawks lost the opening half of their showcase weekend, and yet that’s probably the best game they’ve played since…man, it’s hard to say. There have been periods here and there but overall, you could argue it was New Year’s Day. And they lost that one, too. But they don’t base the standings on aesthetics and who played better. All that matters is what you got out of it. The Hawks got nothing but a handful of themselves, which means they’d better get something out of this one if they’re serious about chasing until the end of the year.
From the Hawks’ perspective, they’ll get a couple of returnees. Brent Seabrook looks likely to return from his “abdominal” problem (and this is where we snigger about any trainer being able to find his abdominals), and Carl Dahlstrom should be over his case of the plague. Marcus Kruger also should be available after missing the third period on Friday. The first two mean that Henri Jokiharju will return to Rockford, and that’s a whole other discussion we’ll have soon at a podcast near you. So the defense will look like you’ve become accustomed to, and any change in the forwards is Perlini coming in for either Kunitz or Hayden or possibly Sikura, but that would be unfair to the kid.
Right, the Stars. Like any team stuck in this goo around the wildcards, this is not how they pictured their beautiful house. They’ve lost five of seven, and all of those without Ben Bishop who has been hurt. But he returned yesterday against the Canes, which means the Hawks will get Anton Khudobin today. Khudobin has been an excellent back-up this season, but having to take the main role broke his reserves, and he’s surrendered 14 goals in his last four appearances. Perhaps getting the break with Bishop back is all he needs to throw 35+ saves at the Hawks today, but let’s hope not.
The Stars are kind of like the Wild, in that they surrender more of the opportunities than they get but as you rate the chances better and better so do their numbers. So they create better chances than their opponents, and are happy to let them let fly from the hinterlands. Their problem of late as been they’ve been the anti-Motley Crue, they can’t get their heart kickstarted. They have a league-low 26 goals in the 1st period, and of late their stout defense has leaked first, which has them playing catch-up every game. As they were just playing some 20 hours ago or so, the Hawks would be wise to try and jump on them from the word go and see just how much they have in the tank to catch up again.
As always with the Stars, despite the bleating from their CEO, they’ll go as far offensively as Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn can carry them. They’re on different lines at the moment, but no one else on this team is scoring. The Stars simply haven’t gotten enough from anyone else you look at other than John Klingberg, who was hurt for a chunk. Further complicating matters for Gang Green is that Alex Radulov was sick yesterday and missed out, and his status for today is up in the air. Without him, there is a whole lot of not much here.
It’s not that the Hawks would be charred if they don’t get a regulation win here, but the coals would be certainly heating up. But if they do get the win, the Ducks and Kings are lined up next, and that’s four points they’re begging you to take. You’re also getting a team on the second of a back-to-back that had to travel, while the Hawks were simply waiting around. Quite simply, this is a game you have to have. So go get it.
Game #63 Preview Suite
It would be hard to not connect Miro Heiskanen and Henri Jokiharju. They’re both Finnish, they’re both 19, they were both on the Finnish World Junior team last season, and they’re both being anchored by their teams in some way. Also, both seem precocious but both have been vaulted onto their NHL teams a little more quickly than anticipated.
Jokiharju’s story you know. Heiskanen’s is a touch different. The Stars were a little more set on the blue line than the Hawks were, especially when Connor Murphy showed up to training camp missing a spine. The Stars saved their injuries for the regular season, when Heiskanen had already made the team, though the plan may have been just to give him a look. But he and Esa Lindell are the only d-men who have made the bell for every Stars game. John Klingberg has missed 18 games. Marc Methot has only played nine games. Julius Honka hasn’t established himself and has only played 29. Stephen Johns hasn’t played at all due to concussion problems. So the Stars ended up needing Heiskanen as much as the Hawks needed, and probably still need, Jokiharju.
And in a similar way, the Stars have tied Heiskanen’s skates together, though they had little choice. The rookie has spent most of the season tethered to Roman Polak, which as you know is akin to being tethered to a gassy walrus. While Heiskanen has dynamic puck-skill and skating ability, it’s hard to showcase that when you have to follow Polak around with a plastic bag every shift. Yes, Polak has the profile of the center fielder that an adventurer like Heiskanen would need. But Polak can’t move. Together, they’ve been getting clocked to the tune of a 45.3 Corsi-percentage. When Heiskanen gets away from Polak, he’s dead even 50%, which is ahead of the team-rate by a touch. It’s even worse when you get to scoring chances, as with Polak they only get 43% of them but away from Polak, Heiskanen is at 53%.
Really, Heiskanen has only flourished with John Klingberg, as the latter is one of the best puck-moving d-men around. And with the injuries, that’s about all the Stars have to offer. Things were slightly better with Esa Lindell, which was the route when Klingberg was hurt. Perhaps the acquisition of Ben Lovejoy yesterday is seeking to provide Heiskanen with a better spirit guide and safety net.
The picture will get clearer next year. Taylor Fedun, Polak, and Lovejoy are all UFA. It’s a real question if Honka will be re-signed even though he’s only just coming out of his entry-deal. He just hasn’t shown a lot at this level. The Stars can focus on building around Heiskanen, Lindell, and Klingberg. If Johns ever plays again, and after missing a whole season due to concussion problems that’s a fair question, he would seem the perfect partner for Heiskanen going forward. But they can’t count on that.
Perhaps the Stars will take the new-fangled route, and just have two guys who can skate and play like Heiskanen and Klingberg together. Considering the way the game is speeding up, more and more teams are going to. Maybe one day even the Hawks will figure that one out, too.
Game #63 Preview Suite
Logan Stark is a contributor at DefendingBigD.com. You can follow her @LoganStarkBook. Hey…Stark on the Stars. We just thought of that!
Let’s get this out of the way up top. While the CEO swearing about the team’s two stars is good for comedic value out here, isn’t it nonsensical as Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are just about the only reason the Stars are anything? (not to mention Benn’s long-standing place with the team and fans)
– First of all, Bishop and Khudobin have been absolute brick walls this season. They’re a large factor of why the Stars are still in a playoff position this late in the season. Second, Miro Heiskanen is a godsend for this team, especially when half the blue line was injured during the first half of the season. Okay, on to the real question. CEO Lites’ comments were beyond nonsensical. Not only did the tirade tarnish the team’s reputation around the league (what high-profile player would want to sign with the team now?), but it also made them a laughing stock. Benn and Seguin have proved Lites wrong with their on-ice performance, but those comments are continuing to hang over them and the team almost two months after they rocked hockey Twitter. Benn and Seguin are the faces of the franchise and are fan-favorites, and they were definitely fan-favorites for their classy responses to the comments. In the end, Lites’ comments backfired, I think, landing egg on his face – while getting some good splatter on the team that will come off with time. CEOs come and go, but Benn and Seguin are here to stay for a long, long time. In the end, it’s their on-ice performance and leadership in the locker room that matters the most. The team and coaching staff still support them, so why should fans do any different?
Why has Julius Honka not worked? The pedigree is there, he seems to have a coach that wants to play faster, and yet four points is four points…
– Do we have time for me to draft a graduate dissertation on why Honka hasn’t worked? No? Okay, let’s give this a shot: The yo-yo effect under Hitchcock last season did absolutely nothing for Honka. Not only was he bounced between the Dallas Stars and their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, but he was bounced with such frequency that he never had a chance to settle into the lineup and make a real impact. When Honka did spend time in Dallas, it was most often as a healthy scratch or with sub-par ice time. None of that helped his development and can only have hurt his confidence on the ice. We’ve seen flashes of his brilliance on the ice, but not this season. He’s been a healthy scratch with regularity under Montgomery, which leads me to believe that Montgomery doesn’t know where to slot him in within the current lineup. There’s just not room in the lines for a player struggling to produce (hush, let’s not talk about Nichushkin) and who needs time on the ice to get his skates back under him, so to speak. At this point, I would say it’s time to trade Honka, use him to bring in fresh talent that’s capable of producing at a steady rate.
Jim Nill has gotten three coaches. At what point does the cannon point at him?
– If the Stars fail to make the playoffs this spring, I think there’s going to be a turnover in the front office. It’s pretty clear that management expects this roster to be a repeat contender, yet they’ve failed to make a real postseason splash. If the Stars fail to make the playoffs (or fail to make it past the first round), I would place good money on Nill being let go. The lack of postseason performances and his lackluster record at the draft table would definitely be grounds for his exit from the team. At a certain point, it’s not about the coaches, but about the guy in the front office saddling said coaches with questionable trades, picks, and players.
What are the Stars gong to do before the deadline (assuming they don’t do anything before we print this, in which case I’ll just switch whatever you said to what they did and make you look like geniuses)?
– Nill has gone on record saying they’re looking for offensive power and depth at the deadline, and Dallas scouts have been checking out Zuccarello and Panarin. I would keep an eye out for the Stars to make a move for either of them on a rental basis (with an extension option on the table). One thing to watch for: the picks and/or players they send the opposite way. Just what is the front office willing to part with in exchange for a player that just might help the Stars get to the playoffs? In the past, Nill has been pretty good about not giving up first round picks or developing players that will aid the team. However, the Stars are getting desperate to make that playoff push this year, so is this the year Nill finally parts with the golden ticket of a first round pick?
Game #63 Preview Suite
In the end, it was just a publicity stunt.
That’s all you can make of CEO Jim Lites airing out his team’s two biggest stars, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, in the press before he had ever talked to them. It’s hard to think of another CEO, who doesn’t hold GM duties as well, in any sport who decides to go so public with his criticism players on the team. Sure, Jerry Jones might in Dallas as well, and maybe that’s what Lites thought he was doing. Maybe they like blowhards in Dallas. And if you’re in Texas, we guess you have to be the biggest blowhard you can be.
The Stars problem has never been Seguin and Benn, of course. Maybe they weren’t having their career-years, but the main issue is that Lites has let GM Jim Nill create a Top-Of-The-Muffin-To-Ya roster. Jason Spezza is going to be put on display next to Sue at the Field Museum soon enough. Their kids like Janmark, Faska, and Ritchie have done jack and shit. They’ve been injured, but the blue line has John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen and that’s it. He’s been allowed to pick up trash like Jamie Oleksiak and Roman Polak and now Ben Lovejoy.
If this were any other sport, Lites’s tirade would have been met with a response of one finger up from each Seguin and Benn, a trade demand, and scorched future of the entire franchise. But you can’t do that in hockey, and maybe that’s what Lites was counting on. It seems especially harsh on Benn, who has only ever been a Star, the captain, and could have asked out at many points when the team wasn’t up to the standards he has always set.
Maybe he just wanted to make a ripple in a Dallas sports scene where the Stars are falling behind. The ‘Boys will always be #1, #2, and #3. But the Mavericks now have Luka Doncic, and next year when he’s paired with Kristaps Porzingis the Mavs will be one of the more watched teams in the NBA. The Stars have won one playoff series in a decade. It’s now how you keep up.
If the Stars fail to make the playoffs, it won’t be because Seguin and Benn didn’t do everything they could. It’ll be because Lites let a GM fail to back them up for a good five years.
Game #63 Preview Suite
Note: Corsica is still down so these are numbers pulled from earlier in the week.
Game #63 Preview Suite
Note: Corsica is still down, so the Stars xGF% were not available.
Notes: These don’t include yesterday’s game…There could be a couple changes from this. If Radulov is healthy enough to go, he’ll replace Nichushkin, and slot up with Seguin with Spezza on the third line. The Stars also acquired Ben Lovejoy yesterday, and he could make his debut in place of Fedun…Benn has dropped down with Faksa to form a checking line, which is a use for him, we guess…Klingberg and Lindell aren’t pushing the play nearly the way they did last year…Seguin has 12 points in his last 10 games…Klingberg has one goal since January 10th…all Cogliano does is get the play in the right end. Might be a sneaky cheap signing this summer to push Saad back up into the top six…
Notes: Our best guess on defense. We wouldn’t think that Colliton would want to hang Koekkoek immediately out to dry after his game-costing turnover against the Avs, but Forsling could replace him. Dahlstrom will probably go right back in…Perlini could come in for Kunitz or Hayden…Strome’s line had their first dominant game in a while against the Avs, with all three above 60% in Corsi…Kane had 13 shots against the Avs, tying for a team-record…
Game #63 Preview Suite
First Screen Viewing
Hurricanes vs. Stars – Saturday, 4pm
If you’re looking for a game with both teams having something to play for, this is probably the best you’ll do over the weekend. The Canes are now sitting right on the shoulder of both Pittsburgh and Columbus (making Columbus’s “go for it” push pretty hilarious, both for them and the division around them), just one point back. The Stars can’t biff this weekend or they’re going to be stumbling through the mud of the bottom of the West playoff race, and that’s some fine Mississippi mud right there. Put yo’ face in the Mississippi mud. The Canes are one of the more exciting shows going, as they’re up-tempo and having a blast, and they seem to have properly harnessed the stroked-beards and clucked-tongues of the old hockey guard to only have more fun. We kind of need this in the playoffs for a variety of reasons.
Second Screen Viewing
Sharks vs. Jackets – Saturday, 4pm
A lot on the line here as well. As stated, the Jackets are guaranteed nothing, even with the acquisition of Matt Duchene. The Sharks and Flames are locked in a battle to see which goalie can fuck up the most promising of seasons more, as San Jose is now three points behind the Flames in the race for the Pacific and West. They also just tore apart the Penguins, so there’s some mixed messages from them. Duchene in his home debut against the West’s best…outside of the crease.
Other Games
Saturday
Capitals vs. Sabres – 12pm
Devils vs. Rangers – 12pm
Bruins vs. Blues – 3pm
Kings vs. Panthers – 3pm
Avalanche vs. Predators – 4:30
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs – 6pm
Penguins vs. Flyers – 7pm
Islanders vs. Canucks – 9pm
Ducks vs. Oilers – 9pm
Sunday
Rangers vs. Capitals – 11:30 am
Sharks vs. Red Wings – 2pm
Blues vs. Wild – 6pm
Flames vs. Senators – 6pm
Jets vs. Coyotes – 8pm
vs. 
RECORDS: Avalanche 25-24-11 Hawks 26-26-9
PUCK DROP: 6:30 (for some reason?)
TV: NBCSN Chicago
COULDN’T GET MUCH HIGHER: Mile High Hockey
It’s at the top that I’m supposed to tell you this is an awfully big weekend at the United Center. The Hawks will have two games with four points on offer against direct rivals for the wild card spots. Win both, and you’re entrenched in the race. Lose both and you may have lost touch before March even hits. Split them in some fashion and nothing is solved and the current feeling continues. In that context, yes, this shapes up as a pretty exciting and important weekend.
But this being hockey, and this being us, and this being these Hawks, it’s hard to remain in just that context. Because though this is a playoff race, it is only so because the competitors are standardbreds and not thoroughbreds. They are the fan chosen to be inhaled by The Freeze in the middle of the 5th. It’s the JV. And you can choose to enjoy the silliness of it, which we are, but even that intrude on the heaviness you want to project onto these two games. It’s hard to treat something as important when you know that at the base it’s kind of absurd (says the wrestling fan?).
Either way, the Hawks and Avs are tied with Arizona, one point behind the Wild, who last night couldn’t get the Rangers to accept the two points they were desperately trying to foist upon them in their quest to make the biggest splat at the end of the season. Whoever wins tonight vaults back into the wildcard spots (depending on what the Wild do in Detroit tonight). So whatever we may feel on the outside, those inside the ropes will ignore the absurdity and treat this as a four-pointer.
For the Hawks, the only change appears to be that Brent Seabrook is still a no-go, and thanks to Carl Dahlstrom being sick, Henri Jokiharju has been recalled. No word on whether he’ll play, but fuck, he’s here, and how much worse can he be than the plastic vomit you’ve been tossing out there anyway? The Hawks did give up 10 combined goals to the decidedly waddling Senators and Red Wings. The Hawks should paw at any dangling straw or piece of Laffy Taffy when it comes to their defense. Collin Delia appears to be getting the start, perhaps in the thought that he’s beaten the Avs twice before and maybe seeing their silly logo will trigger something within him. Or you don’t want to keep sending Ward out there for fear he’ll turn back into Cam Ward with more and more rolls of the dice. Or you don’t want Delia’s last NHL experience of the year to be getting pulled against the Senators. Whatever. The normal 4th line rotation will continue, and it doesn’t really matter how it shakes out.
The Avs have sunk to these depths and unlike the atmosphere around here, they are not pleased that they are still merely “in it.” On December 19th, the Avs were 19-10-6, and at least running into the penthouse of the Central to steal the appetizers from the Jets and Predators. Then they lost to the Hawks, and look what that did to them: they are 6-14-5 since, watching the Stars and Blues wave as they fall by, and for a brief moment, were marooned at the bottom of the Central.
The reasons aren’t hard to identify. While the top line of Mikko Rantanen–Nathan MacKinnon-Gabriel SapsuckerFrog didn’t exactly go “cold,” they weren’t being intergalactic warriors as they were before. They were just “very good.” But “very good” ain’t gonna cut the mustard when there’s almost nothing else on this team to back it up. On a given night, Carl Soderberg, or J.T. Compher, or Alex Kerfoot might hint at being legitimate secondary scoring. And on the next three you wouldn’t be able to find them with body-heat cameras. When the top unit isn’t doing magic tricks, the show is closed. That’s why you’ll see that troika split up tonight, as they’ve been put on three different lines the past two games. Which the Avs have won by a combined score of 10-1, so they roll in here with some confidence.
Combine that with both goalies going into the shitter for a bit. Semyon Varlamov tanked in December and January, and when given the chance to usurp the top job, Phillip Grubauer fluffed his lines. Varlamov has recovered in February with a .919, and even just that might steady the ship enough for the Avs to recover and hold on loosely for the last spot in the West. Assuming their three big guns continue to BIG GUN.
The task in written form is easy for the Hawks tonight. Find a way to keep the Avs’ top three players down. It’s not easy when they’re now on three different lines, but also their collective dangers is watered down. Start with Mac K and work out from there. You can try to that through the Fight Fire With Fire method and use Toews’s line to do it. Or you use Marcus Kruger to do it, though if he’s centering the fourth line it’s clear that Coach Cool Youth Pastor has already made his choice. Colorado still does ok metrically when those three aren’t on the ice, but they have a hard time converting it into tangible results. Keep the MacRaLog from going for two or three or more, and you’ve basically got it.
It may not be heavy or important, but it is fun. Here we go.
Game #62 Preview Suite
