Everything Else

The “Irreplaceable Shaw,” Pens-Caps, Boudreau, And Other Argle Bargle

By 1713

Lotta strands floating in Ol’ Duder’s head today. Let’s see if we can’t get through it all.

-So it took me a day or two to get around to commenting on Joel Quenneville’s assertion that Andrew Shaw is “irreplaceable.” We know that Q has a loose grip on what a salary cap actually is, considering the way he spent the first month or two of the season in a strop (not Pedro, #HatToTheLeft) that Brandon Saad wasn’t around even though there was no way the Hawks could sign him for what he got. That’s unfortunate, given how much sway we’re pretty sure Q gets over personnel decisions. Or maybe he doesn’t get enough say and that’s why he shits on the ones Stan makes. But that’s not why you called.

Everything Else

Reasons For Optimism… No, I’m Serious. Don’t Look At Me That Way

By 1383

You might say things look a little dark in Hawkdom these days. You might say they look darker than a black steer’s tookus on a moonless prairie night. Their most important skater is facing a suspension that has a chance of seeping into the playoffs. They don’t know when their goalie who is most responsible for their record this year is going to be able to return. Their other MVP isn’t scoring at near the rate he has before as teams have focused on that line and the top one hasn’t been able to bail him out. We’ve been over the defense.

But all is not lost, my friends. There are reasons that the Hawks could yet have a long spring. I’m totally serious. Let’s go through them. Caveat: None of these mean shit if either or both of Keith and Crawford miss significant playoff time. Then they’re totally boned. Sorry.

Everything Else

Now That The Dust Has Settled

By 1591

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?

Everything Else

Stars Q&A With Daryl Reaugh

By 1539

Yep, that’s right bitches. We got Razor! Enjoy.

Let’s start with what everyone wants to know: How have Sharp and Oduya fit in down there?

– They’ve been exactly what they were imported to be. Patrick has been almost exclusively a right winger (till the last few games) so he’s been forced to adjust from his most comfy side and has bounced around from line mate to line mate, but through it all his 2-way game and championship calm has helped immensely. In addition, he’s been a smart, accommodating voice from inside the room for our media and a real asset on an improved PP. Oduya has brought that same champion pedigree to the team. Watching him go about his business I find it hard to believe your ‘Captain Serious’ is a more focused dude than this guy. Wow! 100% bidnass! As you might imagine he’s been a good penalty killer/shot blocker (but he’s only one guy…Stars PK is 21st) and he has formed a nice stable 2nd pair on D with Demers. Both have made the Stars internal community more professional.

Everything Else

Knights Of The Round Table

By 1354

This is something we told ourselves we were going to do regularly before the season, and like everything else we tell ourselves we were completely lying. But in the interest of everything else we want to do in 2016, i.e. ramp up our content, we’re going to do this regularly. All of us get together to talk about something with the Hawks and something with the NHL. 

What would you like to see the Hawks do in 2016, be it a trade or a change in style or anything else?

Feather: Despite his lack of scoring thus far, Phillip Danault certainly has the look and feel of a guy that fans will be worried about the Hawks being able to afford in a few years. So that’s one less hole they will have to fill. 

The obvious answer on what the Hawks need is on the back end. The problem, of course, is that no one is dealing game-changing defenseman anymore. (The 80s and 90s were pretty remarkable) So instead, they’ll have to find a couple guys who still have value but close to expiring contracts on non-contenders. Like everyone else will be too. 

Or if they truly believe in TVR and Gustafsson, they can let them take their lumps and hope by the time the playoffs roll around, their games will have matured to levels where the Hawks three defensemen aren’t averaging 45 minutes a game. 

Slak: McClure and I have talked about this, seemingly for years, and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t mention it in his answer – but clearly they need to trade someone who has value in the forward corps for someone who is good enough to play defense. One guy who is coming up as an RFA and doesn’t make a ton of sense as a longer and higher term player on this team is Andrew Shaw. The issue with that is a) I have no idea how other teams value him and b) the Hawks will probably re-sign him, which will enrage our circle of bloggers but delight most every other Hawks fan. He’s just not the kind of guy the Blackhawks don’t usually send away. Seems like a defenseman who can skate and it’s 38 years old would be a nice addition. Hopefully a catastrophic injury to one of their best players isn’t the path to acquiring one. 

Everything Else

I’m Contributing To The System, The Break Down Scheme: Hawks at Stars Preview/Stocking Stuffer

By 1228

250px-Ozymandias vs. Bowie Starman

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm Central

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

THEY’VE GOT A WALL INSIDE THEIR HEAD: Defending Big D

Stars Stats

Stars War On Ice

Here it comes.

The storylines are going to drip off this one, more so that most regular season games. First, you have the Hawks getting their first look at the West’s best so far, the Dallas Stars. They will certainly have had this one circled in the DFW area. Second, the first regular season reunion between the Hawks, Patrick Sharp, and Johnny Oduya. Third, you have two of the best lines in hockey, the one of Seguin-Benn-Guest Star (Get it?) and the SuperPAK line for the Hawks. It certainly has a lot going for it for a game still in the first half of the season.

(And none of it will keep me from going to see Star Wars tonight, but that’s not why you called).

Everything Else

Fireside Chat

By 1337

Feather is on a tropical vacation this week… or he’s hiding until the heat dies down, though I suppose it could be both, so I’ll take this little rant for the day. I’m sure he won’t mind, and if he does I’ll just drop dime on him and I won’t have that problem ever again!

-When we’re supposed to be doing the stuff we’re supposed to be doing but not, McClure and I basically talk about other teams in the NHL. And everyone loves to say every team has this crippling flaw or that one, and it’s been hard to pinpoint a team where you go, “That’s the team coming out of the East/West.” And of course, doing so in the first week of December is always folly, because there are injuries, trades, dips in form (especially goalies) and vice versa coming.

But man, it’s getting really hard to look past the Washington Capitals.

Everything Else

Non-Taxing Fractions: Looking Around The Central

By 1532

Now that we’ve laid out what we think about the Hawks, it’s probably time to peruse the other squads they’ll actually be competing with in the division and the West. And looking around, it’s hard to find a team that has taken a huge step forward to a point these Hawks can’t reach (assuming everything goes right for them). The only one that looks poised for a major leap, while knowing that one or two teams will get one through luck or weirdness, is Dallas. But Dallas looked like that last year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll take a big enough jump to overtake the Hawks. Let’s get through it all.

Everything Else

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees Stan Will Have His Picnic

By 1567 0

Never let it be said that the Hawks aren’t completely aware of how to manipulate reaction to stuff like this, because I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they dumped the news of Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns getting dealt to Dallas (where Johns can pound on all their forwards for the next decade five times a year) for Ryan Garbutt and Trevor Daley. Nice try Stan, but we’re always watching.

There’s so many factors in this I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll go player by player. We knew Sharp was likely to go, even after Saad had to be tossed overboard because the math didn’t work with both Sharp and Oduya. No one expected a great return on Sharp, but I can’t help but think Stan Bowman overplayed his hand a bit here. While we won’t ever know what exactly was on offer before and at the draft, we know that there were discussions with several teams while Stan reportedly chased a 1st and a prospect. What he ended up with was an aging, one-way d-man (and not the right way) and a middle aged 4th liner, and he had to toss in Stephen Johns for the privilege of that. Would a 2nd and a 3rd round pick really have been any worse?