Everything Else

Game #29 – Hawks vs. Ducks Spotlight: The Worst Contract In The League?

By Sam Fels 1660 0

We’re not writing this through cramp-causing giggling. Honestly, we’re not (we so are).

Ryan Kesler has been, or had been, perhaps the main Hawks foil for years. Starting in 2009, when Andrew Ladd broke his jaw, and continuing for another six seasons, no one drew the ire of Hawks players and fans more than Kesler. He was Lex Luthor. He was The Joker. He was the boogeyman. His clashes with Jonathan Toews verged on Shakespearian. And he did it with two teams, taking his King Asshat Act down the coast from Vancouver to Anaheim.

He kicked off fights, brawls, sparring in the media. frothing in the crowd. Kesler harkened back to an age in the sport where there were true heels that made you think if there wasn’t glass separating the crowd from the players, he very well may have been attacked by a baying throng all carrying Old Styles.

And Kesler couldn’t have produced that kind of emotion if he couldn’t play. There was a time when he was a dominant player. He scored over 70 points twice, if you forgot. He potted over 20 goals in nine of ten seasons, and the one he didn’t he was hurt. There was no better checking center, and it was Kesler who really did the heavy lifting for both Henrik Sedin and Ryan Getzlaf as they decided to be wallflowers in the destructive dance of the playoffs.

But it was clear that Kesler’s style couldn’t last. It was far too physical, far too in the muck, and when his body started breaking down, it wouldn’t stop. And so it has proven.

That didn’t stop Bob Murray in his infinite wisdom from handing Kesler a six-year extension that didn’t kick in until last year when he was already 33. And now you wonder if it isn’t the absolute worst value there is.

Kesler’s cap-hit is $6.8M, which is the 48th-highest in the league (tied with Brent Seabrook for a chilling bit of symmetry). Kesler put up .31 points per game last year, and is at .23 this year. Looking at the names above him on the cap-hit list, the only names that jump out that you could argue are Seabrook, Dion Phaneuf, and Bobby Ryan. But Ryan is younger, and at least averaged 0.5 points per game last year, though both he and Kesler missed big chunks of time with injury. Neither is anywhere near a guarantee to suit up for most of the games on the slate now.

Phaneuf is trash, but his deal was signed five years ago. It was a bad deal then, mind, but that’s the neighborhood Kesler lives in (along with Seabrook). Somehow, Kesler only makes a shade less than Patrice Bergeron, whom Kesler’s agent assuredly used as a comparison and Murray somehow bought it.

There wouldn’t seem to be any way out of it. Kesler isn’t going to retire and leave $20M on the table. He has a full no-trade until the last year of the deal, but there aren’t going to be any suitors who come sprinting when the Ducks hang a “Must Go” sign on him. His actual salary remains rigid throughout, so there’s no out for the Ducks that way.

His injury history might give the Ducks an out, where they can LTIR him into the abyss if his physical condition doesn’t allow him to play in the next three years. But Kesler would have to agree to that, and he doesn’t seem like the type.

The Ducks have some problems on the horizon, as Jakob Silfverberg goes UFA after this season and Brandon Montour RFA the summer after that. They should just about be able to keep everyone, but that’s keeping everyone on a team on pace to give up a record number of shots and chances against this season and only being bailed out by their goalie. Where’s the addition?

If you need something to cling to in this winter of discontent for the Hawks, know that Kesler lost all the fights. He didn’t get a Cup. His words always ended up on a plate for his dinner. Save 2011, the Hawks always got the better of his team. He became an anchor to his team for now and the future. And it won’t get any better. That should do it.

 

Game #29 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Game #29 – Hawks vs. Ducks Q&A: Jen Neale Bails Us Out, Like Always

By Sam Fels 1591 0

Usually, we try and give our Q&A correspondents a few days for these things. But because we try and block out Anaheim’s existence out of our minds, both team and place, we forgot to send these to our dear friend Jen Neale. Because she’s an angle, she helped us out anyway on short-notice, because she apparently loves a charity case. Follow her on Twitter @MsJenNeale. 

 

Game #29 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Game #29 – Hawks vs. Ducks Douchebag Du Jour: The Pit Of Orange County, Which Is Saying Something

By Sam Fels 1723 0

Let me tell you a story. It’s one of I’ve told before, but I think expresses why I feel such vitriol and bile for the Anaheim Ducks, the Honda Center, and the whole area as a whole.

It was February of 2008. The Hawks, as young and incomplete as they were, were making something of a push for a playoff spot. So I, living in LA but drunk on Hawks fever for the first time since I was in high school, found myself some tickets and headed down the I-5 to Orange County.

We found ourselves seated to some middle-aged palooka in a leather Ducks jackets. That’s where that starts. With that leather jacket. And not that I need to tell you this, but no, he never took it off the whole game. Of course he didn’t. Before he turned his attention to us, three Hawks fans, he talked with some fellow Ducks fans he knew around the section. And the entirety of all the discussions was based on which players on the Ducks weren’t fighting enough.

Y’see, this was when the Ducks were defending Cup champs. And they also came off that year leading the league in fighting majors. To almost every Ducks fan, this was a main correlation, not that they were throwing out one of the greatest d-men of all-time for 45 minutes per night in Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger. Nope, to Ducks fans it was their fighting prowess and the fear it drove into other teams (funny story, the Ducks would win one playoff series over the next seven seasons with all that intimidating prowess).

Of course, he eventually turned to us, and I can’t even remember what moronic drivel he attempted to entertain us with. What I am sure of is he couldn’t name one player on the Hawks, and I’m sure that’s still true today.

Anyway, as the second period approached, he as nowhere to be found. And remained absent throughout the second. But then right before the third, he showed up again. And what we came to find out is that he had four season tickets, two on each side of the arena. That way, he would never have to sit on an end the Ducks weren’t attacking.

You’d think with Niedermayer and Pronger in tow you’d at least consider watching the Ducks play defense occasionally. Or for that money just getting two seats at center ice in a better section. No, you’d be wrong. And it was next to him I had to watch a 20-year-old Brent Seabrook lose Teemu Selanne right off the faceoff after the Hawks had pulled into within one to complete Selanne’s hat trick. I hated Teemu. This was hell.

For the rest of the night we had to listen to a group of Orange County high- or middle-schooler turn the word “suck” into two syllables so they could complete their “Blackhawks suck” chant, one the rest of the brain-injury-impersonating Honda Center faithful gleefully joined in on, not sensing the problems.

I have no doubts it’s still the same down there, filled with the same truck stop rejects that couldn’t cut it in LA proper.

Fuck the Ducks. Fuck The Honda Center. Fuck Orange County.

 

Game #29 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Game #29 – Hawks vs. Ducks: Lineups & How Teams Were Built

By Sam Fels 1397 0

Notes: It honestly could look like anything, Collition got awfully blender-y on Sunday night and they’ll have their skate after we post. Expect Kunitz to sit, though. For good, we hope…Gustafsson should draw back in…Maybe Fortin does too though he didn’t do all that much on Sunday either.

Notes: The Ducks are beat up. Fowler is out for another month at least, Eaves is long-term gone as well…the third line has been getting smoked, which isn’t hilarious at all…The first two lines have found some kind of chemistry though, as Aberg has six points in his last four and Henrique has a five-game point-streak…That bottom-pairing though, woof…As always, to entertain yourself tonight, or just to feel anything, makes sure you yell out, “COGLIANO!” in NBA Jam voice.

 

Game #29 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – December 4th

By Sam Fels 1161 0

First Screen Viewing

Maple Leafs vs. Sabres – 6:30 (NBCSN)

I can’t imagine how annoying it would be to have a raft of Leafs fans invade your arena every time. The small number of them at the Hawks home opener was grating enough. But perhaps tonight is when the Sabres fans push back and actually show up. The Sabres aren’t supposed to be tangling at the top of the Atlantic, but here they are. They’re only one point behind the Leafs, and you could see this as the dawn of a rivalry that’s never really taken off given the proximity. They’ve never been in the same division and good at the same time, and given the youth of both rosters, this could be a dance they do for a while. Finally NBCSN gets one right, which will make up for plaguing everyone with the Hawks and Ducks tomorrow.

Second Screen Viewing

Flames vs. Jackets – 6pm

Fresh of holding the Hawks at arm’s length while yawning, the Flames head to Ohio to see the Jackets. Columbus is still flirting with the top of the Metro, one point behind the Caps. They better stay good if they hope to make any kind of pitch to either Panarin or Bobrovsky.

Other Games

Bruins vs. Panthers – 6pm

Jets vs. Islanders – 6pm

Avalanche vs. Penguins – 6pm

Senators vs. Canadiens – 6:30

Lightning vs. Red Wings – 6:30

Wild vs. Canucks – 9pm

Caps vs. Knights – 9pm

Coyotes vs. Kings – 9:30

Everything Else

We’re Going To Solve The NHL’s Schedule, And The Number You Need Is 76

By Sam Fels 4278 0

We ran this last April, and with the announcement of Seattle as the league’s 32nd team, it seems appropriate to put it forth again in the hopes that anyone who matters sees it. It makes too much sense for the NHL to ever consider, though. Reminder this was written last April so the things we’re talking about are what was going on then. 

The NHL’s schedule, and how it awards playoff places, is really no dumber than any other sport. Which is a rare thing for the NHL. But the problem across all four major sports is that their schedules and playoff systems don’t line up. Thankfully, in a couple years the NHL will have a chance to solve this. They won’t, but they can at least wave when the chance goes by, like they do with any other opportunity to improve their game.

You may remember that when the current alignment was first proposed, there weren’t wildcard teams. There were just four divisions, the top four in each go to the playoffs, and then after the first two rounds the four left were re-seeded, so that it could have ended up one day with a Chicago-San Jose Final or this year, it could have worked out to be Boston-Pittsburgh or even Nashville-San Jose. It was actually an interesting idea, one that would have marked the NHL out as unique, so of course it didn’t work out.

The players union bitched that the two divisions that had seven teams would have it easier in getting to the playoffs, and players know they can grow their paychecks with playoff performances, so this concoction with wildcard teams was made up. I don’t know that it’s actually fairer, because now instead of seven teams competing for four spots in each division you get seven competing for three and then eight competing for two when they don’t get the first three and I’m not going to do the percentages and let’s just agree this is imbecilic.

What makes it really stupid is that these teams aren’t going against the same slate, or schedule, yet they have to compete for the same playoff spots. So right now in the West you have Colorado vying with St. Louis and Anaheim to an extent, and LA, for the wildcard spots. But Colorado and St. Louis have played wholly different schedules than LA and Anaheim, who reside in a far easier division. We really have no idea if these teams are better than the ones in the other division, because they’ve accumulated points in what amounts to a wholly different system.

In the East, the wildcards are going to come out of the Metro, so fine, but it doesn’t work that way every year. You can’t count on this.

And it’s a problem all across sports. In baseball you have your division winners, fair enough, but your next two spots are being competed for by teams playing different schedules. For example, the Mets are going to most likely trying to grab a wild card spot, but they’ll be playing 19 games each against the Nats, and at least competent Braves and Phillies (well, we thought they might be competent but they’re going to knife their manager by Memorial Day). Meanwhile, a team like the Diamondbacks has to deal with the Dodgers sure, but also gets 19 games against each of the thoroughly underwhelming Rockies, Padres, and Giants (whoops -ED). They get a leg up, though competing for the same prize. The NBA has tried to address it but still hasn’t gotten it, and the NFL has the problem of teams not even playing the same teams as someone they might be competing with both for the division and wildcard spots.

However, in two or three years time, when Seattle arrives, the NHL can fix this. And it can do it by having a 76-game schedule.

Yes, I’m aware, stop yelling. Shortening the season is almost certainly a non-starter. But MLB has discussed it, and the argument was that the lessening of travel costs might make up for the lost home dates. We’re talking about three less home dates for each team, so let’s see if we that won’t work out here.

The fun thing is that the NHL can go about getting to 76 games two ways.

First: The original, four-division, no-conference look. The top half of each division goes to the playoffs. Yes, some divisions are weaker than others, but everyone’s playing the same schedule here and if a division is truly weaker its winner should get thwacked in the third round by the highest seed left who came out of the tougher divisions. To wit: Every team will play the other teams in their own division four times for a total of 28 games. It will play every other team home-and-home, for a total of 48 games. Boom, 76 games, everyone in the division has played the same schedule, we basically know who’s better than whom.

Second Way: Do away with the divisions. They’re kind of dumb, meant to keep travel costs to a minimum, and we’re going to do that anyway. Two 16-team conferences. You’d play every team in your conference four times, for a total of 60 games. You’d play every team in the other conference just once, for a total of 16 games. Top eight in each conference go to the playoffs.

Yes, I see the problem here and the NHL already dealt with it once. Fans didn’t particularly like that every team didn’t come to visit every season. I’m not convinced this really is a huge problem, given how provincial hockey fans are anyway. And it’s a problem MLB or the NFL doesn’t seem to concern themselves with. In addition, if you’re in a place where Crosby, McDavid, Matthews only visit once every two seasons, it’s more of an event than it is now. Second, you might think getting to play a certain team at home while someone you’re competing with had to play them on the road is an advantage. I’m not sure this amounts to more of an advantage than say getting to play the Penguins when Matt Murray is hurt or the Canadiens when Price is on a cold streak and your competitor didn’t get those. I think it’s probably a negligible factor.

Now, does this equal out losing three home games? Hard to say. The first plan, for instance, would only see the Hawks have to go to Western Canada and California (plus Seattle) once, where as now they have to visit at last one of the regions twice (for instance this year they went to Calgary and Vancouver twice, but California only once. This will rotate next year, and they’ll still have to go to Edmonton twice) The East Coast teams still have to make one trip out west as they do now, but some would only have to swing down to Florida once (from the Metro) and the Atlantic teams would only have to do the Eastern seaboard thing once for the most part. The teams in the Pacific probably still get screwed a bit, but there might not be a way around that anyway. And instead of having to come to some Midwestern cities twice, they only have to do that once.

76 games also allows for less back-to-backs or three in four nights, which we know lessens the product and gets players hurt more often. It might allow for teams to concentrate more home games on the weekends, which is when they’d prefer anyway. It could also keep hockey from spreading into the second week of June, which we all know is pretty ridiculous. With it this way, the NHL could start in the last week of September (which is probably should anyway) and have a chance to be done in the middle of May. Sure, the playoffs might start during the NCAA Tournament, but you’re always competing with something. Right now it’s up against the start of baseball and the NBA Playoffs. Is that really any better?

But I won’t sit on a hot stove waiting for the NHL to consider this.

 

Everything Else

The Truth, That You Can Handle And Are Entitled To

By Sam Fels 2336 0

Sorry, A Few Good Men was on when I got home last night.

To preserve any kind of sanity about the state of the Hawks, I work under the theory that behind closed doors, Stan Bowman told John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz that basically this season was going to be a toss, but they wouldn’t tell the fans that because they’re terrified no one would understand (even though I’m fairly sure they would?), but he would take the bullets about it all. I take him at his word that the team’s future is resting basically upon Adam Boqvist, Henri Jokiharju, and some combination of Ian Mitchell and Nicolas Beaudin. That, and some big free agent signing, which they’re trying real hard to make you believe is Artemi Panarin and I still remain unconvinced that’s a great idea. But unless he goes entirely late-career Patrick Sharp and does more floating than a drunk yuppie in the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day, it won’t end up that badly.

There’s one problem with that theory. Stan Bowman may not have any idea how to scout, develop, or identify a defenseman.

Here’s a list of d-men that Stan Bowman has drafted that have had more than a cameo in the NHL: Stephen Johns, Klas Dahlbeck, Adam Clendening, Henri Jokiharju. That’s in nine years.

Here’s a list of d-men that Bowman has either acquired or signed: Nick Leddy, Nick Boynton, Chris Campoli, Jassen Cullimore, “John Scott” (the quotes because he rarely played defense but he did start there), Johnny Oduya, Sami Lepisto (Sami Lepisto! Sami in the Taco Bell!), Steve Montador, Sean O’Donnell, Sheldon Brookbank, Michal Rozsival (fine the first time, not the next 12), Mike Kostka, David Rundblad, Kyle Cumiskey, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Tim Erixon (you forgot, didn’t you?), Kimmo Timmonen, Trevor Daley (who sucks out loud despite what any writer tells you), Christian Ehrhoff, Erik Gustafsson, Rob Scuderi, Darko Svedberg, brought Brian Campbell back, Gustav Forsling, Michal Kempny, brought Johnny Oduya back, Cody Franson, Connor Murphy, Jordan Oesterle, Jan Rutta, Blay Killman, Brandon Manning, Brandon Davidson.

How many times did you throw up? Eleventy-billion?

Now, let’s throw one note of a qualifier in there. For most of the years Stan has been here, the top four was set. So they really only had to find third-pairing players. Ok, now that’s out of the way…

So in nine drafts, Bowman found all of four d-men that could play at the NHL at all, and only one has any hope of being more than a third-pairing guy, and I’m giving Jokiharju some credit there. And he’s the only one to make any kind of impact on the Hawks.

Add those four, and the 33 that Bowman has signed or acquired in some way. So that’s 37. How many rise above just third-pairing status? Oduya the first time is clearly the pick of the bunch. Nick Leddy didn’t here but is a second-pairing player for sure, so we’ll give him that. Michal Kempny clearly is, but he couldn’t get his coach to agree. Connor Murphy probably, but now he has a back made out of rubber cement. So that’s four. Five out of 37. 13% of the d-men he’s tried have been something more than scenery, and only two here in Chicago where the Hawks could benefit. Two and a half as Leddy was pretty damn good in ’13 and ’14.

It’s like saying the Cubs will eventually develop starting pitching. We have more than 10 years of evidence in two organizations that Theo Epstein can’t really develop a starter. Maybe it’s just not going to happen.

So every time Stan stands in front of the media and tries to sell you on Boqvist, Beaudin, and Mitchell being some kind of savior(s), I would raise an eyebrow or six. Because the track record just isn’t there.

Everything Else

High On The Hog: Scraping Up A Split

By Jon Fromi 1469 0

The Rockford IceHogs managed to split two home games this weekend despite goals being at a premium. Chicago’s AHL affiliate disappointed the BMO Harris Bank Center fans by being shut out Saturday night at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals. They rebounded the next afternoon, rallying in the third period to force overtime against San Antonio, then grabbing the third point in extra time.

The IceHogs (10-9-1-4) are in sixth place in the AHL’s Central Division with a .521 points percentage. Rockford is nipping at the heels of Chicago and Texas for the fourth-place slot in the standings.

The fans were miffed Saturday because they had brought stuffed animals with them to throw to the ice. It was the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss Night and a bevy of fluffy friends would cascade to the playing surface upon the first Rockford goal. One problem; there was no first Rockford goal.

Through forty minutes, the only scoring came on the Admirals side of the score sheet. Following the second period buzzer, fans headed out to the concession stand, restrooms or whatever place they go to avoid being hit with foam rubber hockey pucks. The IceHogs would score in the third and bring down the bears…or they wouldn’t and the promotion would simply take place at the game’s conclusion, as it has in other years in which Rockford was shut out.

Immediately after the Hogs chuck-a-puck promotion, it was suddenly announced that the fans should start throwing bears onto the ice. This caught a good portion of the audience off guard to say the least.

Perhaps management was hoping to avoid renegade fans throwing stuffed animals during live action, as happened a few seasons ago. Maybe they wanted to avoid halting a possible momentum burst when the Hogs got back into the contest with a third period goal. It’s possible that they looked at Rockford’s offensive production of late and decided that a shutout was inevitable. Select the option that best fits your personal narrative.

The piglets were indeed blanked in the final twenty minutes. The disgruntled fans who missed the impromptu toss hurled their bears at the game’s unfortunate conclusion and went on with their lives.

There was a bit of egg on the face of the organization in the aftermath of the promotion. The IceHogs twitter account hinted at the change as the second period was beginning to wind down, but a live announcement that would have surely kept the bear-bearing butts in the seats through the second intermission never happened.

The affair was bungled; however, all’s well that ends well. The bears were still donated and will be put to good use, and the IceHogs…well, the IceHogs got shut out. But they won the next day. And they’re getting a little healthier.

Terry Broadhurst was back in the lineup this weekend after missing from action since November 7. Goalie Collin Delia missed the weekend, but Hogs coach Derek King said that he’d be returning to full practice this week.

 

Recaps

Saturday, December 1-Milwaukee 3, Rockford 0

Ads goalie Tom McCollum sent away all 28 Rockford shots to put a damper on the Hogs annual Teddy Bear Toss. With this win, Milwaukee also evened up the season series between the two teams.

Most of Friday’s scoring came in the last five minutes of the opening period. Connor Brickley crashed the IceHogs net and got a rebound past Rockford starter Anton Forsberg at 15:06 of the first. A few minutes later, Alexandre Carrier knocked in a loose puck in the Rockford crease. The Hogs trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes and never really got back into the contest.

Rockford’s best chance to cue the Teddy Bears came during a busy second period. The IceHogs had a power play opportunity and out shot Milwaukee 13-4. Unfortunately, nothing found its way past McCollun. The Admirals defense stifled Rockford in the final frame and Milwaukee got an empty netter in the final minutes.

 

Sunday, December 2-Rockford 3, San Antonio 2

The IceHogs scraped together enough offense to rally in the third period and triumph in Gus Macker Time.

It took nearly 25 minutes, but Rockford cued the horn for the first time all weekend on a Jacob Nilsson tally. Nilsson parked in the slot to redirect a shot from Carl Dahlstrom past Rampage goalie Ville Husso, off the post and into the net. Luke Johnson brought the puck into the San Antonio zone and collected a rebound of his own shot to set up the scoring play. Rockford was out to a 1-0 lead at 4:56 of the second period.

San Antonio took a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals in the first 4:21 of the third. The Hogs squared things up at the 13:11 mark with a Graham Knott slapper from the right point. Nathan Noel dug a puck out of the left corner and brought it around to Dennis Gilbert, who fed Knott for the equalizer.

Hogs goalie Kevin Lankinen stopped 35 of 37 shots in regulation. The rookie saved his team’s bacon in the extra session with a pad save to deny a 2-on-0 rush by San Antonio. The overtime period was entering the final minute when Nilsson found Dylan Sikura knocking on Husso’s back door. The pass was true and Sikura The Younger guided it into the promised land for the game-winner.

 

Upcoming Action

Rockford has a full week of practice before another pair of games at the BMO. The Hogs take on the hot Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday before bringing in the Chicago Wolves Saturday.

Follow me @JonFromi on twitter for thoughts on the IceHogs all season long.