2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 10-08

[Guest]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="Sathington Willoby"]

His real problem is that he IS an idiot.[/quote]



Understatement!

 

[MassHavoc]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

Can someone please explain to me what the Wings did in the off season to go from 5th to 1st?



Seriously, I don't know.

 

[LordKOTL]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="MassHavoc"]Can someone please explain to me what the Wings did in the off season to go from 5th to 1st?



Seriously, I don't know.[/quote]

I think they are riding on the assumption that the Wings will remain healthy and the 'hawks got moderately to seriously weaker.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="LordKOTL"]

I think they are riding on the assumption that the Wings will remain healthy and the 'hawks got moderately to seriously weaker.[/quote]





Not if they are educated on the game they didn't.



Hudler and Modano do not take the Wings from 5th to 1st. Also the Hawks did not get mederately to seriously weaker. That's an assumption based on very little fact.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="MassHavoc"]Can someone please explain to me what the Wings did in the off season to go from 5th to 1st?



Seriously, I don't know.[/quote]





Grease the media.

 

[roshinaya]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

On one hand the Wings hype having them as locks to win the division, just because they are the Wings, is annoying. But on the other hand, people have been writing them off as old since 97 and they've proven everyone wrong year in and year out. While it's possible that the age of the core will finally catch up to them this year, it's hard to write them off completely. I think it will be a dogfight until the end between the Hawks and Wangs for the division title. I hope the Wangs will finally crash and burn and start their decline to becoming a non-factor, so the fawning over them will sometime end.

 

[LordKOTL]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="R K"]





Not if they are educated on the game they didn't.



Hudler and Modano do not take the Wings from 5th to 1st. Also the Hawks did not get mederately to seriously weaker. That's an assumption based on very little fact.[/quote]

And since when has the majorty of hockey sportswriters on the national scene been educated on the game? :lol:



I'm not saying I agree...Just that I think that what I said is their mindset.

 

[MassHavoc]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="LordKOTL"]

I think they are riding on the assumption that the Wings will remain healthy and the 'hawks got moderately to seriously weaker.[/quote]

That's what I assuemed as well. I was trying to figure out what they lost and what they gained that is going to make them 10-15 points better?

 

[LordKOTL]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="MassHavoc"]

That's what I assuemed as well. I was trying to figure out what they lost and what they gained that is going to make them 10-15 points better?[/quote]



The thing is, I don't see the hawks as weaker unless they get hit with the same injury bug that Detroit did last year. Our top-2 lines and top-2 pairings are easily top-notch in the league, and I don't think the bottom of either took *that* much of a hit--if any at all. Further, I don't think our netminding is any weaker. I only *really* see us exposed on depth if we do get hit with a lot of injuries.



Further, I think most sportswriters, especially mainstream U.S. Sportswriters with a barely-passing knowledge of the game are just seeing that we had a firesale and assume we're filling positions with utter crap.



I don't, however, think Detroit can be counted out. I still think it will be a slugfest with them in the division, but at the most, my gut feeling is that we are at the worst about 5 points worse and they are at the best 5 points better-and that last conjecture is based on everyone on their squad is healthy all year long.

 

[memberj]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="LordKOTL"]



The thing is, I don't see the hawks as weaker unless they get hit with the same injury bug that Detroit did last year. Our top-2 lines and top-2 pairings are easily top-notch in the league, and I don't think the bottom of either took *that* much of a hit--if any at all. Further, I don't think our netminding is any weaker. I only *really* see us exposed on depth if we do get hit with a lot of injuries.



Further, I think most sportswriters, especially mainstream U.S. Sportswriters with a barely-passing knowledge of the game are just seeing that we had a firesale and assume we're filling positions with utter crap.



I don't, however, think Detroit can be counted out. I still think it will be a slugfest with them in the division, but at the most, my gut feeling is that we are at the worst about 5 points worse and they are at the best 5 points better-and that last conjecture is based on everyone on their squad is healthy all year long.[/quote]





I agree. As long as our "core" stays healthy, I do not foresee the Wings taking the division easily. That being said, those guys will be with us to the end. In terms of our young guns. And it looks like Kopy will start with Sharpie and Hoss, but I really would like to see what Skille can do as a top 6 for a little while...i know its a bit far-fetched..but I don't see him doing much on a line with Stalberg and Bolly.



From the looks of the first few preseason games, Pisani and Potulny have looked good, and I think they'll take the last 2 spots, Bickell or Dowell might be the last man out. I don't think its a bad thing, I think it's good Makarov and Morin get their feet wet first.



Last thing I'll rant about - I look to see the Hogs as one of the best teams in the AHL. With our young forwards and with Connelly, Leddy, LaLonde and Vishnevskiy anchoring the Blue-line and Toivenen in goal, we should be pretty solid down on the farm.

 

[MassHavoc]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

I would imagine the farm club has to be pretty scare int he Goalie department now?

 

[Guest]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

Actually it looks like Kopecky will start with JT and Hossa. At least that's how Q started them off in preseason. Same way they left last year.

 

[Maiden]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="R K"]Actually it looks like Kopecky will start with JT and Hossa. At least that's how Q started them off in preseason. Same way they left last year.[/quote]



The way Q juggles lines as long as you're dressed for the game you have a chance to be on a line with 19 and 81.

 

[Buryit Toews]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

Solid preview by Burnside @ ESPN, yes ESPN.



Hits on all the positives many of us see, and hope to see in the future...



http://espn.go.com/nhl/preview2010/team/_/name/chi



The Blackhawks went from a team in celebration to a team under siege almost immediately.



After bringing home their first Stanley Cup since 1961, ending the NHL's longest Cup drought in the process, the Blackhawks began shedding bodies.



Eight regulars from the Cup roster are gone, including netminder Antti Niemi and playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien, as the Hawks struggled to make peace with the salary cap. As if that wasn't tough enough, they had to fend off an offer sheet from conference rival San Jose for the services of defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and wait for the NHL to end its investigation into the contract tendered to Marian Hossa more than a year ago.



And you know what? Through it all, the Blackhawks maintained their Stanley Cup core, added a handful of prospects and assets, and look like a team that will mount a serious defense while ensuring it will remain a contender down the road.



GM Stan Bowman has been masterful at adding young assets and plugging holes, like signing Marty Turco to tend goal and adding Fernando Pisani and Ryan Potulny for next to nothing to give the Blackhawks more depth up front.



Fear not, Hawks fans; that Cup run was not a mirage.



1. Net gains?

Only time will tell whether GM Stan Bowman did the right thing in walking away from an arbitrator's ruling on Niemi. San Jose, the team that signed Niemi late in the summer, hopes Bowman's regret will come as early as next spring if the two teams again meet in the postseason (Chicago swept San Jose in the 2010 Western Conference finals). But Bowman had an inkling Niemi wasn't going to fit into his salary structure and found a more than adequate stopgap stopper in Turco.



While Turco doesn't have a Cup ring, he was sensational in the playoffs for Dallas in the spring of 2008 as the Stars advanced to the conference finals. Two non-playoff seasons spelled the end of Turco's time in Dallas, and he bided his time before signing a one-year deal at the bargain price of $1.3 million.



Turco won't be asked to play 70-plus games and won't face a ton of shots (the Hawks allowed a league-low 25.1 shots per game last season). One element of Turco's game coach Joel Quenneville is looking to incorporate into an already-skilled puck-moving squad is the goalie's puck-handling, which has the potential to spring skilled forwards on odd-man breaks and provide opposing teams even more headaches.



2. Plan B?

A year ago, the Blackhawks essentially rolled the dice on keeping Niemi to play with incumbent Cristobal Huet while sending Corey Crawford back to Rockford of the AHL. Now, Huet has been shipped off to Switzerland and Crawford has inherited the backup role to Turco (Crawford will have to show he's NHL-worthy after going 24-16-2 for the Ice Hogs last season). His play, as is the case with that of most NHL backups, might mean the difference between a division title and home ice in the playoffs. It also will go a long way in establishing whether he really is the Hawks' goalie of the future.



3. The captain

By the end of last season's playoffs, captain Jonathan Toews had collected an Olympic gold medal, a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and a Stanley Cup ring. Not a bad year's worth of work. Which leads us to ponder the question: Is it now Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Toews as the league's Big Three as opposed to the Dynamic Duo?



Toews likely won't put up numbers that will put him in line for a scoring title, but his value far exceeds what shows up on the score sheet every night.



Here is newcomer Turco on what he sees in Toews: "I've been around long enough to know a captain's a pretty big part of your team in order to win. The kid seems like he gets it."



4. Pat's pledge

The conversation of Ovechkin and Crosby came up in a recent interview with the other half of the Hawks' Glimmer Twins, Patrick Kane. It was likewise a season for the ages for Kane, who earned a silver medal at the Olympics and scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 6 against Philly. He talked about wanting to take another step forward as a player and be considered among the game's elite.



Kane had 88 points in the regular season and added 28 in the postseason, so the skill set is definitely there. Physically, Kane is bigger after another offseason of diligent training. Mentally, he appears to have put the embarrassment of last summer's cab driver incident in Buffalo, N.Y., behind him, and during his summer Cup visit, he described how he believes he is maturing and becoming more responsible.



5. Crunching the numbers

How good were the Blackhawks on both sides of the puck? They ranked third in goals per game, sixth in goals allowed per game and fourth on the penalty kill. Those numbers are signposts on the road to the Stanley Cup. Any reason to suggest they won't approach those numbers again? Not with Hossa in the lineup for the entire season and the core of the team in place.



6. What about the power play?

OK, the Hawks aren't perfect (they were a pedestrian 16th on the power play). But having Hossa around for a full season and with both Toews and Kane capable of more offensively, we wouldn't be surprised to see them jump into a top-10 ranking.



7. Motivation?

The reality of defending a Stanley Cup: A team has to be both mentally motivated and physically strong enough to put that motivation into practice. The Hawks are young and enter the season healthy. As for mental motivation, Turco said he was impressed with the team's focus and determination from the get-go at training camp. Talk to Duncan Keith, Toews, Kane and the rest, and they are chomping at the bit to get back at it. Can they sustain it? That's the $64 million question, no?



8. Oilers refugees

No problem finding motivation in the Hawks' lineup when it comes to guys like Fernando Pisani and Ryan Potulny, who spent last season looking at the Blackhawks from the bottom of the hockey world in Edmonton.



Pisani, a major contributor when Edmonton rolled to the 2006 Stanley Cup finals, admitted it often was hard to go to the rink for the last-place Oilers, who haven't qualified for the playoffs in four straight seasons.



"It's hard being positive and being motivated, but you learn a lot from that experience," Pisani told ESPN.com.



As for a chance to go from a franchise in disarray to the defending Cup champs, it is Cinderella stuff for Pisani and Potulny, who had 15 goals for the Oilers last season and played for the U.S. at the World Championships.



"Any chance you can have to be part of something special, you want to take advantage of that," Pisani said.



9. Hogs to Hawks

There was a belief last season that four or five players in the AHL who were NHL-ready didn't get a chance because of the skill in Chicago and the team's cap issues. Now, there are openings for players like Jack Skille, Bryan Bickell and Jake Dowell.



The positive thing for Chicago is that, while the opportunities are there, these players do not have to suddenly carry the team forward, but rather can grow into roles behind the team's established players (a model that has worked exceptionally well for the Detroit Red Wings for many years).



Skille, for instance, was the seventh overall pick in 2005 and is now 23. "He's ready. He's not a kid anymore," Bowman said.



10. Seeding the farm

This past offseason, every trade Bowman made involved sending out more money than he brought back in. He not only managed to address cap issues, but added much-needed young talent and draft picks. Some of the young assets he collected are already creating a stir, as defenseman Nick Leddy and forward Jeremy Morin are making strong pushes out of training camp.



Regardless, Bowman figures the team's affiliate in Rockford will be the youngest in the AHL this season. Depending on who makes the Blackhawks out of camp, the Ice Hogs could boast three 19-year-olds, three 20-year-olds and a couple of 21-year-olds.



PREDICTION: Don't really care about the bodies no longer in Chicago. The ones that are there are pretty special, special enough to return to the top of the Central Division. We also see a return to the Stanley Cup finals in the Hawks' immediate future.

 

[tvltre]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

[quote name="Buryit Toews!"]Solid preview by Burnside @ ESPN, yes ESPN.



Hits on all the positives many of us see, and hope to see in the future...



http://espn.go.com/nhl/preview2010/team/_/name/chi



[/quote]



Wow...someone who actually watched what happened here and not what left.

 

[bookjones]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

TSN



30 TEAMS IN 30 DAYS

1. 
   
   [*:1ar8xcbk](TBD - WAS or VAN)
   
   [*:1ar8xcbk](TBD - WAS or VAN)
   
   [*:1ar8xcbk]CHICAGO

4. DET

5. LA

6. NJ

7. SJ

8. PHO

9. BUF

10. BOS

11. PHI

12. STL

13. PIT

14. OTT

15. MTL

16. NYR

17. ANA

18. COL

19. NSH

20. TB

21. DAL

22. CGY

23. CAR

24. TOR

25. MIN

26. ATL

27. FLO

28. CBS

29. NYI

30. EDM

30 TEAMS IN 30 DAYS: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

JAMIE BELL

9/30/2010 12:02:22 PM



Chicago Blackhawks

2009-10: 2009-10: 52-22-8 (2nd in West, Stanley Cup Champion)

General Manager: Stan Bowman (2nd Season)

Head Coach: Joel Quennville (3rd Season)



What they did in the off-season:



Has any team in professional sports history had less time to enjoy their Championship than the Chicago Blackhawks? The Hawks claimed their first Stanley Cup title in a half-century on June 6th. By the end of the month they had traded away Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd and Colin Fraser. Also flying the coop over the summer were Kim Johnsson, Cristobal Huet, John Madden, Adam Burish and perhaps most shockingly, Anti Niemi. That is nearly half the roster that was last seen together celebrating at centre ice in Philadelphia. While no individual player listed above is completely irreplaceable, the cumulative effect of so many departures will certainly be felt in the Windy City this year as they attempt to defend their crown. It was not a complete evacuation in Chicago however as the team brought in veteran netminder Marty Turco to replace playoff hero Niemi between the pipes. Victor Stalberg was acquired in a trade to give the Hawks some scoring depth while former Edmonton Oilers' Fernando Pisani and Ryan Potulny will find places on the team's checking line after signing as free agents. In addition Nick Boynton and Nicklas Hjalmarsson were retained on defence. Despite all the turnover, this remains a very strong team thanks to a young, talented nucleus.



Biggest issue facing the team:



They say that the only thing harder than winning a championship is repeating. That is a lesson that the Hawks are about to discover is very true. The dismantling of their roster over the summer was a necessary evil and sadly the price of doing business in the post-lockout NHL. Thanks to the mass exodus, there will be plenty of spots open for competition in training camp. While the Hawks have some prospects that are ready to step in, most notably Jack Skille, their farm system is short on offensive talent. As well many of the departed players were veterans that brought as many intangibles to the Hawks dressing as they did on the ice. Replacing the veteran leadership of the likes of Sopel, Madden and Johnsson will be an impossible task. The good news in the Windy City is that the roster is still loaded thanks to the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell. The Hawks will not have the same depth of talent advantage that they had last season when they were able to successfully roll out four lines every night. While it is far too early to completely write off the Hawks chances to repeat, it will be a very difficult road as every team in the league will be gunning for the defending champs.



Player to watch:



While the dynamic duo of Toews and Kane up front and the combo of Seabrook and Keith at the back end will make the headlines, a lot of the Hawks success for the upcoming season will fall on the shoulders of Marty Turco. Not so long ago, Turco was in the conversation among the league's top netminders. With a pair of underwhelming seasons under his belt, that conversation is no longer happening. With Turco earning “just” $1.3 million on a one-year deal, the Hawks feel as if they can take a gamble on him regaining his form of a couple years ago. With Corey Crawford waiting in the wings and champing at the bit, the veteran Turco should feel a certain amount of pressure to perform. Working in his favour is a rock solid defensive corps in front of him that should eliminate a great deal of second chance opportunities for opposing forwards. The Hawks will need Turco to keep them in games and not allow any back breaking goals. Considering how successfully he has been in the past at this, a return to his previous glory days certainly is not out of the question.



SOURCE: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=335791

Yeah, truly I don't even know WTF to make of the quote, "their farm system is short on offensive talent". Seriously hockey professionals? So according to TSN's scorching analysis and insight after presumably re-stocking the team with players who the Hawks already had developed in their system like Skille and Bickell for the upcoming season the Hawks just sent valuable (and desirable) Cup players off into the Atlanta and Toronto sunsets without getting ANY fucking potential offensive talent back for the system like say Morin? And they don't have any others independent of the summer trades like Makarov or Beach or even Pirri that they're still developing that could be role players soon? Morons. GTFOOH.

 

[Shoots_he_scores]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

Hilarious how high they have Washington. A team with zero defense and a goaltending tandem of Varlamov who IMO is incredibly overrated, and Neuvirth who's a rookie. How theyre in the top 5 is mindboggling, I guess just cause they have Ovechkin and Backstrom they're automatically one of the best 2 teams. What a joke.



And Vancouver...There Vancouver and last I checked Soberto Luongo is still in net.

 

[bookjones]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 0

Earlier in this thread we Got Wes Goldsteins's Divisional "Report Cards" reflecting which way he saw teams trending for the upcoming season back in July. He's now coming out with his actual Divisional previews. To wit. . .





CBSSports.com

Central Division: Even with departures, Blackhawks still favorites



By Wes Goldstein

CBSSports.com Staff Writer

Sep. 30, 2010





Central Division



Chicago Blackhawks: It’s fair to wonder how much will the Blackhawks really miss all the guys they lost over the summer -- if at all?



Common sense would dictate the Blackhawks being weakened by a summer that saw them lose seven players who were on the ice when they skated around the Stanley Cup last June. Among the departed were some notable and popular playoff stars including Dustin Byfuglien and goalie Antti Niemi. But what seems to matter most about this team is that the Blackhawks did manage to hang on to the key parts of their lineup.



"That was our goal," GM Stan Bowman said. "Everyone knew what we were going to deal with after the season, but the important thing is that our core guys are back and will be here for a long time."



In Chicago, the core starts with captain and tone-setter Jonathan Toews, snipers Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp and a couple of forwards who made names for themselves during the playoffs in Dave Bolland and Troy Brouwer. Meanwhile Duncan Keith was the Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman last season and teams with Brian Seabrook makes up half of a great shutdown pair, while Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson make up a solid second unit.



So even with so many familiar faces gone, the Blackhawks start the season with their seven best forwards still and to four defensemen still around.



Still it’s going to be tougher to repeat as Central Division champions if Detroit isn’t as banged up as last year, and ultimately to get out of the West. Chicago did bring in veteran forward Fernando Pisani to add some depth and the Blackhawks will have some spots available for the latest products of a farm system that largely developed last season’s Cup champs, but the wild card is how veteran Marty Turco handles himself in goal.



Turco is looking for a chance to resurrect his career after things soured for him in Dallas, and to win his first Stanley Cup. He was so motivated, he took a steep pay cut to join Chicago, but he has to prove he can regain his form. If he does, the team in front of him could help get the big prize.



FULL ARTICLE (with the rest of the Central): http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/1404 ... -favorites

 

[Guest]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 1

I usually think Wes is a schmuck but that's not bad. Better than the so called experts at TSN who are penciling in two teams that have only proven they each know how to choke come playoff time.



I like the Hawks being the underdog. It bodes well with the YOUNG, COMPETITIVE guys we have on this team.



I wonder when Barry the "ass" Rozner comes out with the next Dale Tallon Sucks article.

 

[nana]

Re: 2010-2011 Media Standings/Predictions/Previews UPDATED 1

[quote name="R K"]I usually think Wes is a schmuck but that's not bad. Better than the so called experts at TSN who are penciling in two teams that have only proven they each know how to choke come playoff time.



I like the Hawks being the underdog. It bodes well with the YOUNG, COMPETITIVE guys we have on this team.



I wonder when Barry the "ass" Rozner comes out with the next Dale Tallon Sucks article.[/quote]



I've been saying this for a while too... these Hawks love playing with something to prove.