Faxes from Uncle Dale

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  • Your FFUD Convention Primer

    Your FFUD Convention Primer

    Every year we take you through the Convention schedule to give you the real low-down on what you’re in for if you’re headed downtown this weekend. For reasons we’ll never understand, but people do feel the need to be surrounded by sweaty people in Hawks jerseys in the middle of July. Also, it’s going to be stupid steam-bath hot this weekend, making it even more fun. The combination of Convention goers and Cardinals fans downtown… WOOF. 

    Friday Night

    5pm: Opening Ceremonies

    Basically an excuse to defrost Jim Cornielson from whatever freezer they keep him in during the summer so he can for some strange reason sing the national anthem. Seriously, how many conventions do they sing the anthem at? I really don’t know, I’ve never been to a convention. I went to a ComiCon (ComicCon?) in Rosemont when I was a kid once. That’s it.

    Then the players will be introduced and will come and give that awkward five from the stage, and in no way will be ogling a portion of the audience. They’ll also be in their jerseys, because we can’t recognize them without them. You’ll also get to see how awful the new collar on the new jerseys look in real life. Which won’t stop three-quarters of the fanbase running out to get one.

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  • I Don’t Care About Jaromir Jagr, And I Certainly Don’t Give A Rat’s Ass About John Scott

    I Don’t Care About Jaromir Jagr, And I Certainly Don’t Give A Rat’s Ass About John Scott

    We here at the FFUD labs get accused of being overly negative. And it’s true, we are, and we need to work on that. When you’ve done this as long as we have, and have to watch the same stupidity over and over again–from front offices, from media, from fans–it leads one to get jaded. There are so many things we do enjoy about doing all of this, we just have to sift through a bit more than we used to to find and hang onto them.

    So let me say that the fact that Jaromir Jagr can at his age, be a useful if not plus-plus NHL player is quite amazing. His metrics really do standout, and it probably will be a while before we see someone who does the same thing at his age. Not that someone couldn’t stay in shape that long–hell, Hossa would have done it if his skin would allow–but is the motivation really there when you’ve made so much money and maybe won all that you set out to win.

    Here’s the problem with Jagr’s production, though: None of it has mattered in years.

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  • 51 Phantom

    51 Phantom

    From the moment Brian Campbell arrived, there were a lot of people trying to figure out how to get him out of here. Maybe it was the uneasiness we had in seeing the Hawks hand out a contract to a prime free agent on the market. And make no mistake, in the summer of 2008 Campbell was the best blue-liner to have. It was something that never happened. The last big free agent contract the Hawks handed out was Nikolai Khabibulin, and we know how that went (who then strangely would have a really good season before he hit the market again). Over the years, it wasn’t something the Hawks did. It was always washed up stars like Gilmour or Housley that they went for back in the day.

    Maybe it was the sheer amount of money. $7 million a year is actually still a lot, but back then it sounded like he was basically being given the United Center.

    Maybe it was the method. The Hawks had already showed off all their picks they had developed, as the previous season all of Toews, Kane, Bolland, Brouwer, Hjalmarsson had made their NHL debuts to join Keith and Seabrook. Adding a huge free agent to it just seemed so foreign.

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  • So This Is Your Roster

    So This Is Your Roster

    Couple nuggets the past couple days that pretty much lead one to believe this is your Hawks team taking the ice in October, if you didn’t already believe that. We have this from friend of the program Scott Powers that the Hawks aren’t going to LTIR Hossa until the season begins. And then there was Mirtle’s piece yesterday in Toronto’s Athletic about how the Leafs are using summer LTIR. If you’re getting confused, you’re not alone.

    Ever since the announcement that Hossa wouldn’t play this season, Stan Bowman has been strongly hinting he didn’t want to use LTIR until the season began, essentially being cap compliant with Hossa’s contract on the books when the puck drops, because he wanted “flexibility” during the season. And that’s reasonable enough. Except it doesn’t appear to be that simple.

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  • Tardy Ruthlessness

    Tardy Ruthlessness

    The NHL offseason has basically become pretty much every fan laughing at the stupid decisions of GMs across the league, and fans of those teams those GMs preside over trying to sell themselves on others that they weren’t THAT stupid. Some of that has reached these pastures, and maybe some of it is deserved.

    It seems to me that possibly every NHL GM just hasn’t figured out how ruthless you have to be in this hard cap. Or maybe they know it, and just can’t bring themselves to do it. Or maybe mechanizations within the organization haven’t allowed them to do so. I think that’s what we’re seeing here with the Hawks and Stan Bowman.

    While the Penguins will be used as the model, it’s probably important to remember their three Cups and four finals span three coaches and two GMs. So Jim Rutherford could have looked at the roster he got from Ray Shero and not feel the same attachments. And the Penguins roster from their first champion to the second and third only retains three and a half important elements in Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Fleury if you want to count him, though he wasn’t supposed to be involved at all for the last two.

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  • Free Agency Opens, Hawks Try New Tactic Of Playing With No Centers

    Free Agency Opens, Hawks Try New Tactic Of Playing With No Centers

    It’s a beautiful day. Summer’s here, so I’m going to try and be as positive as I can. Patrick Sharp and Tommy Wingels don’t cost much… and that’s about that.

    We’ve spent a week laying out why Patrick Sharp doesn’t make any sense here, no matter that he cost not much. Every dollar the Hawks spend counts. They don’t have flexibility. And the risks with Patrick Sharp are so glaringly obvious. First off, he just had hip surgery. He can’t even skate until at least September. I doubt he can start the season on time. Whatever Sharp has left in scoring touch is going to be hampered if he can’t actually get to the spots you remember him getting to. And it’s not like he’s had any interest in back-checking in a few years. So ask yourself, how does Sharp help a team that didn’t look fast enough last spring get faster?

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  • Friday Foofaraw: Ok, You Can Have An Excerpt Of “Madison St. Station”- Perfect Flair

    Friday Foofaraw: Ok, You Can Have An Excerpt Of “Madison St. Station”- Perfect Flair

    In my continuing shameless self-promotion tour, enjoy a chapter from my book “Madison St. Station.” But this being a summer Friday, it’s one of the few that doesn’t have much to do with hockey. Because it’s my way. And remember, you can buy my book right here. 

     

    Perfect Flair

    December 19, 1991

    Canadiens v. Hawks

    I have never seen video of it. I have never seen any record of it. From what I can tell, the memory exists in my mind alone, which is a weird place. But it would be a few years before I would dabble in hallucinogens, and unless I absorbed the ones my brother and father had previously done through osmosis, this happened.

    For those who might not know, for as long as I can remember, between the second and third periods of every Hawks home game, they would do a shoot-the-puck competition for fans. Basically, three fans would get the chance to shoot the puck at a net that had been boarded up with a mini-golf-like three openings set up in said board along the ice. If they accomplished that, they would get a chance to shoot at the other one, which had been reduced to only one opening. If they hit that, they won free flights or money or something.

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  • Let’s Talk Ourselves Into Sam Gagner…If Bill Daly Will Let Us

    Let’s Talk Ourselves Into Sam Gagner…If Bill Daly Will Let Us

    Before we delve into whether or not Sam Gagner would be a good pickup for the Hawks–they’re apparently batting their eyelashes at each other from across the free agency bar (that’s what people do when they’re attracted to each other, right? I really have no idea), we should let rip on Bill Daly and the NHL.

    First off, let me say that I’m still somewhat surprised that Bill Daly remembers how to breathe throughout a particular day, given the powers of his mind. Today he came out and said the NHL still has not ruled on what Marian Hossa’s cap status or injury status or just status will be. I cannot, with every writing skill I’d like to think I have, express how universally stupid this is.

    First off, it’s completely unfair. The Hawks need to know if they can put Hossa on LTIR in training camp or not. Otherwise they have no idea what they can sign this summer and where they have to be when camp opens.

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  • High On The Hog: Wiping The Slate

    High On The Hog: Wiping The Slate

    The Rockford IceHogs look to be shaking the Etch-A-Sketch that was the 2016-17 season and attempting a more acceptable work. So far this summer, management seems to be set on a big-time makover.

    That shouldn’t come as a surprise; Rockford suffered through a franchise-worst campaign, leading to the dismissal of long-time head coach Ted Dent. With a load of fresh prospects coming to town, it’s as good as time as any for a reboot.

    The arrival of free agency this weekend will have a big effect on the organization, not only at the NHL level, but at your friendly neighborhood Hawks affiliate. Along with addressing needs in Chicago, there will also be several players signed who you will likely never see…unless you come out to the BMO Harris Bank Center.

    The Hawks will be shopping for mentors for what is shaping up to be a very young crop of Hogs this fall. The emphasis in Rockford has always been player development over competing for a Calder Cup; I would not expect that to change despite GM Stan Bowman’s comments earlier in the offseason about wanting to win in Rockford. (You can find that quote and my take on them in this post.)

    Maybe Bowman will put his money where his mouth is. To do that, he would need to bring in the type of players who pile up big AHL numbers year after year. Forwards Cole Scheider, Chris Mueller, Kenny Agostino and former Hog Bracken Kearns are examples of UFAs that fit that description. Think of a guy like Martin St. Pierre, who couldn’t produce in the NHL but was a point-a-game scorer in the AHL.

    These are players who, for one reason or another, are missing something that prevents them from success at the top level but can dominate at the lower levels. If I see two or three of these types signed by the Hawks, I will assume that Bowman recognizes the need for solid veteran scoring in order to seriously compete.

    It’s more likely that the Hawks go with more rugged, less-skilled veteran types to skate alongside the rooks. It will be fun (for me, at least) to see what the team’s depth signings will be, especially since it doesn’t look as if Bowman or the Hogs are keen on bringing back the old gang.

    For instance,  Rockford will be skating with a new captain this season, as Jake Dowell will not be back in a Hogs sweater this fall. The veteran center signed to play in Austria for Black Wings Linz on May 12.

    You can also cross Martin Lundberg off the list of possible returnees. He is returning to his homeland; back on May 5, he signed a two-year contract to skate for the Vaxjo Lakers in the Swedish Hockey League.

    That also appears to be the case in the Hogs AHL signings, with only defenseman Robin Press (who was signed midway through last season) being re-upped.

    On June 19, the Hogs re-signed Press to an AHL contract. Management must believe that this converted forward has something worth developing. To be honest, I haven’t seen it.

    Press couldn’t win playing time in the Swedish League and spent most of his time in ECHL Indianapolis once the Blackhawks brought him to North America last season. When on the ice in Rockford, he looked out of place and overwhelmed in the defensive zone.

    To be fair, it’s hard to judge Press based on nine appearances late in a disappointing Hogs campaign. He’s 6’3″ with a right-handed shot. That’s apparently enough for the Blackhawks to see what could develop. Let’s see if he can break into the Rockford lineup and how he fares with a full season of ice time.

    The day after retaining Press, Rockford inked the OHL’s Outstanding Defenseman, Darren Raddysh, to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old Raddysh will be looking to secure an NHL contract, much like former Hogs forward Andrew Shaw did several years ago.

    Another free agent that was signed by the IceHogs was William Pelletier, who impressed me with his play-making ability in a short ATO stint to end last season. I’m sure a lot of Rockford fans are happy to see the speedy center officially in the fold.

    Tuesday, the IceHogs brought in two more players on one-year AHL contracts. Recent Ohio State grad Matt Tomkins is a goalie drafted by Chicago in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft. Rockford also signed center Tommy Olczyk, son of Hawks broadcaster Eddie Olczyk. Olczyk, 26, spent last season in the ECHL, where he had six goals and seven assists in 44 games with the Alaska Aces.

    We may see another player or two signed by Rockford, but they should be close to finished with their summer dealings.

    With the Hawks picking up netminder Anton Forsberg in the Columbus trade, there may not be a need to re-sign goalie Lars Johansson. Forsberg, who anchored Lake Erie’s Calder Cup Champions two seasons ago, is a younger option.

    He’s been impressive in the AHL portion of his career and looks to be in line for a shot at the backup role in Chicago. No doubt the Hawks will get this RFA inked to an inexpensive deal (which they did on Monday). That may well leave Johansson as the odd man out.

    With Tomkins signing an AHL deal, I would expect the Hogs to sign one more goalie to fill spots at their ECHL affiliate in Indianapolis. Maybe one more goalie garners an NHL two-way deal to fill the ranks in net.

    At defense, Ville Pokka was re-signed for one season. Nolan Valleau was not tendered an offer. Again, maybe a player of two on this side of the puck is brought in, though the Rockford blueline has been crowded in past seasons.

    I would expect two or three forwards to be signed by Chicago to fill out the roster. The Hawks did not tender an offer to RFA Michael Latta; just one more example of the massive turnover up front. How does that bode for UFAs Brandon Mashinter and Pierre-Cedric Labrie? We’ll see.

    The new gang will be coached by former Islanders prospect Jeremy Colliton, himself a veteran of six AHL campaigns. Despite being just 32, he does have experience behind the bench. Concussion issues brought an early end to his career, and the former center has been coaching in Sweden the past four seasons.

    I am positive that there will be a flurry of activity this weekend, during which the remainder of the IceHogs roster will take shape. Once the ink dries on some contracts, I’ll be back to offer some thoughts; possibly in the next week or so.

    If I feel any need to spout off on free agent moves over the weekend, I will send out thoughts on twitter @JonFromi if you care to follow.

     

     

  • Scouting Report And Possibilities

    Scouting Report And Possibilities

    We’ve all gotten a few days here to catch our breath before the gates open on Saturday to free agency. Even if the Hawks don’t do anything (they will), and even though the market is pretty weak compared to other years, the action will fly thick and fast.

    Still, it’s probably good to look back for a second and see what the Hawks got. Reached out to Sarah Hall over at FiveForHowling.com to get what they thought of the two former Coyotes headed our way: (more…)