Most Impressive:NHL
Team NA is my dark horse:ESPN
For Example:Philly
Hardware coming:NESN
Larmer still got screwed:SB Nation
This title is really misleading:SI
Sign me up:CBC
vs. 
PUCK DROP: 6pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN, Sportsnet Up Dere, WGN Radio
THEY FORGOT THEIR NAME, THEY TOOK A SHOT ON THE CHIN: Stanley Cup Of Chowder (sky point Days Of Y’Orr)
The Hawks will attempt to immediately back up a pretty satisfying victory over Former Scum with toppling the Bruins at home. Which these days, just about everyone does, as the B’s have been pretty putrid in the darks and pretty damn good in the whites. They’re basically East Coast Sharks, and that comparison actually works on a deeper level as much like San Jose it’s hard to figure out just what in the hell the Bruins are.
vs. 
PUCK DROP: 7pm Central
TV/RADIO: NBCSN, WGN Radio
EVERYBODY’S GONNA LEAVE THEIR SEAT: Winging It In Motown
It’s the second to last visit to the Joe for the Hawks (no Wings fans I don’t think you’re going to make the Final, why do you ask?). I feel like that should mean more to Hawks fans, because most of our nightmares have taken place in that concrete blister on the river of the damned. The only good one I remember is Game 6 in 2013 when Frolik’s penalty shot caused a primal scream I was certain was going to force the neighbors to call the cops. Other than that… well, I don’t think there’s a Hawks fan anywhere who’ll be sorry to see it go. But that’s probably a discussion for next season.
There is something slightly futile about trying to project playoff matchups and outcomes even in January and the beginning of February, because sometimes rosters look nothing like what they do when March begins. Or are altered in some way at least. Just look at the Hawks. A week ago they didn’t really have a bottom six, even when Kruger returns, and had a huge, gaping hole dripping gravy on the blue line (might still have that one). Now they might have the deepest forward group in the West.
Now that we know pretty much what everyone is going to look like when the playoffs begin, we can get a much better idea of the path the Hawks have to (and likely will) walk. I’ve written all season that even though the Hawks were not the team they were last year, there really hadn’t been a team that stepped into the gap that I thought for sure were a major threat. The Stars are fun but totally flawed, the Blues have remained the Blues, the Kings had some questions, and the Ducks couldn’t get out of their own way. Has any of that changed now?
vs.
PUCK DROP: 11:30am Central
TV/RADIO: NBC, WGN Radio
CALLING TED KENNEDY GAY: Japers Rink
As if there wasn’t going to be enough buzz in the building, at least as much as there can be on a Sunday Morning Coming Down, with the NHL-leading Capitals invading the United Center, the Hawks will be showing off some of their new toys as well. Not all of them, as Dale Weise is awaiting visa clearance and Christian Ehrhoff is going to need to prove to Q that he should be in the lineup (and it’s anyone’s guess how long that could take). Still, Andrew Ladd’s appearance alone would have the place jumping, and he’ll be joined by Tomas Fleischmann.
After the acquisition of Andrew Ladd, I figured the Hawks didn’t have room for much else. Shows what my math skills are. That’s why I work here and not there, right? Yeah, that’s it. Stan followed that up yesterday with the acquisition of Christian Ehrhoff which McClure already walked you through. Then last night Stan really pushed the chips into the middle by saving Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from the great sinking ship known as the Montreal Canadiens for the not insignificant price of Phillip Danault and a 2nd round pick in 2018 (because the Hawks aren’t going to give up any pick in 2017 when they host the draft that they don’t have to, which is a bit weird).
Essentially, Stan looked at his forward depth, and conclude he needed a whole new line. Which he did. And he got one.
In Stan Bowman’s first few seasons as GM, there was an aversion to “the big splash.” 2010’s big move was the now deceased Kim Johnsson. The following season saw Michael Frolik and Chris Campoli come aboard, and neither were anywhere near the hottest items on the board. After that Johnny Oduya was the acquisition, and again he wasn’t the big prize at the deadline (though Frolik and Oduya went on to play pretty big roles).
Even in free agency, Stan started out taking the more functional than revolutionary choices, like Montador, Brunnette, Carcillo, and other names that went on to just about nothing for the Hawks.
However, after two first-round exits there was little question Stan was facing just a bit of heat from upstairs. While it didn’t immediately result in bigger splashes, the Hawks certainly made it clear to everyone who would listen that they went after Zach Parise in free agency in the summer of 2012. That was certainly the biggest fish Stan had ever chased.
Its nice to see an athlete realize the power of the moment:FSN
Re-Add Ladd:Hockey Writers
This is interesting:The Province
Buyers and Sellers:ESPN
Again?? SportsNet
So what happens when St. Patrick hurts someone? NHL
Because you don’t win Cups in August:PuckDaddy
It was one of those weird games where the game was taking a backseat to news off the ice. Do the Hawks always lose the game where they make a trade? Or am I basing that off them getting thoroughly beaten in Tampa last year when they got Timonen and Vermette? I’m probably just making that up. Anyway, the Hawks did have a game to play while the Andrew Ladd trade was being polished off, and it ended in a loss where the Hawks didn’t do anything particularly wrong other than run into Pekka Rinne during his only streak of competence this season. That’s his fourth straight start of giving up two goals or less, and thanks to some spectacular saves, especially in the 1st period, he backstopped the Preds to a 10th unbeaten on the road in a row.
With the Hawks having lost four of six (which constitutes a real streak for them), and their lack of depth in both the blue line and at forward getting exposed by the better teams in the West, the volume of calls for trades, any trades, is certainly getting to crescendo-levels. While the emotion certainly is understandable, the Hawks and their fans are going to find two problems. 1) Thanks to their cap situation, and Artemi Panarin’s 1.75m bonus for finishing among the top-10 in scoring among forwards, the Hawks aren’t going to be able to solve all their problems at the deadline and 2) There really aren’t any perfect solutions out there for even one of their problems. Let’s go through them, shall we?
