vs. 
FACEOFF: 6pm
TV/RADIO: WGN for those ’round these parts, Sportsnet for those around the moose, WGN Radio
Robert Moses’s Wet Dream: Lighthouse Hockey
The world tour-de-force continues tonight out past the bright lights of New York and on Lon’ Gisland, where the Hawks will be another test for an Islanders squad that fancies itself party crashers into the NHL’s penthouse. They’ve had a few of those lately, and they haven’t gone so well for the Blue and Orange.
Well now that it’s done, it’s probably time to figure out where the Hawks go from here.
But before I head any further, this seems like a good time for a disclaimer or at least a warning. Every judgement we make on the Hawks on this site is viewed through the prism that they demand you view them through, which is anything short of a parade in June is failure. This is the standard they’ve set and the one they’ve asked to be held to. So while issues on the third pairing being the biggest problem is a biggest problem a lot of teams would like to have, that’s not how most teams are judged. I realize the Hawks are very good, will finish north of 100 points and very well might finish north of 110. Believe me, we get it. That’s not really the point. Keep that in mind all season before you threaten to shit in my mouth, which I have to say is a first.
Good-Bye Sweet Prince: Chicago Tribune
Salad is bad: ESPN
The Dragon has been caged: CT
Yet this pisses me off the most: PHT
Just wait: The Score
Because you’re lying in it now, aren’t you?
At the top of this, let’s lay out a positive scenario that’s more than possible. The Hawks are able to get another brilliant season out of both Hjalmarsson and Oduya, allowing Keith and Seabrook to take on easier assignments. After a couple rocky weeks or even months, the third pairing evens out through some combination of Klas Dahlbeck, Rozsival, TVR, Clendening, Rundblad, or even Johns with the easy zone starts and softball competition. Brad Richards goes back to playing the point on the second unit, something he’s done his whole career, and a reinvigorated Kris Versteeg is able to knock out some of the loss of Nick Leddy on that unit. Notice I didn’t write Kyle Cumiskey’s name, because he’s fucking terrible and an utter disaster waiting to happen. And you thought Leddy’s defensive work was bad. All of this could easily happen, and the trade of Nick Leddy today will become something of an afterthought, especially if Johns is able to nail down a spot on the second pairing next season.
It’s only been a week since camp has broken with one pretend game played, and already this feels interminable with 5 more to go, starting tonight with the untelevised affair in Detroit. Is it April yet?
There’s been a lot of words both written and spoken about the Hawks cap crunch, and yet there hasn’t been a lot of focus as to how we got here as once again a member of the Hawks’ brass escapes any scrutiny from the main press. That’s ok, gives me something to do!
That said, I am a Stan Bowman fan. But since the parade of 2013… well, let’s just say that Stan hasn’t done his best work.
