[A] The Youthful Explosion: How the Hawks are surviving without Sharp

[R K]

Oi vey! Keeping Versteeg over Kane. Are you high? He's in a slump. When your coach plays musical lines/positions with a player, thats what happens. Remind me when Hossa has been asked to do any of that? He hasn't, why? Because he refuses and or won't do it because they KNOW he won't produce at Center or LW. JT obviously is not playing LW anytime soon, or RW for that matter.



When you start questioning his place on this team I start questioning you as a knowledgeable fan. Infact with the Miller stuff I might already do that.



Just a fyi it wasn't just his "goal" that solidifies him, it's is OVER ALL numbers. Comparing him to Versteeg, ROTFL!!! And I like Versteeg as his game, at an OLDER AGE, is improving from the PUCK HOG he was as a Hawk, to now.



317 GP 103 G 200 Ast 303pts



When it counts



45 GP 20G 28 Ast 48pts.



Remind me what Versteegs numbers are. Infact, other than two other Hawks remind me what anyone esle's numbers are.



You give him a year to figure it out? Really? He skated on ONE leg for most of last year, and still have over 70pts. What does that count for? Nothing.



I give you a year to figure it out.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

Good post... welcome back!!!!!!!!!

 

[PatrickShart]

Go back under your rock, RK

 

[LordKOTL]

The only guy right now that, IMHO should not see any ice is Bickell.



Kane, Frolik, and just about every other player who at one time or another was in a slump you can tell were at least *trying* to do something, even if it's the wrong thing. Frolik is probably the best case in point. He's still hustling and trying to make a play.



Bickell, On the other hand, wasn't even showing that. He was floating.

 

[supraman]

Yeah I don't understand the Kane hate. something's up with him, whatever it is I dunno but we've all seen Kaner dazzle so he's having a bad time and we want to rail him for it. Let's do a very quick summary of Kane. Game 5 vs Nashville, who scored the GTG? Kaner. Who scored the cup winning goal? Kaner. Who is the best American player on our team (yeah I'm biased towards American players)? Kaner.

 

[PatrickShart]

Frolik's problem is he doesnt go to the net/get dirty.



He only plays a perimeter game/from the dots out.



Last game was the first time I've seen him take a puck to the net hard and it created a good opportunity. If he went to the net more, he'd have more goals.

 

[LordKOTL]

And on the 4th line with guys like Brunette, Shaw, Mayers, Hayes, and the like, her can play the peremeter and make it work as an outlet. The fact is, he's making an effort.



I can't say the same about Bickell.

 

[PuckPowWow]

Just in case it wasn't quite clear from my comment,



I said of Kane, "Sure, I gripe on him, but I am not calling for his trade either."



Calm down R K, and please do not question my knowledge as a fan. My rants might seem outrageous at times, but they are most often correct. I didn't say i thought the Hawks should have kept Versteeg over Kane, only that there is an argument to be made there. Versteeg's overall play is a reason to suggest it, not to make it so. It was just a simple statement that I believe is worth some thought.



I do believe in Kane, and that is why I am hard on him sometimes. He needs to step up his overall play if he isn't going to produce the numbers everyone expects. No hate, just a fact. And for the record, I do believe his talents with the puck are above and beyond that of anyone else. Production is production.

 

[R K]

going back under my rock.

 

[supraman]

It was such a nice few days....

 

[R K]

It was such a nice few days....

It'll go back to being nice.

 

[supraman]

It'll go back to being nice.

Yay

 

[MassHavoc]

I saw in the other threads, I love what Shaw and Hayes are bringing right now. Ride them as far as you can all the way till they hit the wall. They will hit it, but who knows when, and hopefully not at the same time! Good luck to the boys, I hope to see them here playing at this level for a long time.

 

[PuckPowWow]

No offense meant R K.



Just a critique on a player who is in a rough patch. And for whatever it is worth, I think Kane will bounce back. But when you make the big bucks, you put yourself out there. It is a job, a great job, but a job nonetheless.

 

[the canadian dream]

No offense meant R K.



Just a critique on a player who is in a rough patch. And for whatever it is worth, I think Kane will bounce back. But when you make the big bucks, you put yourself out there. It is a job, a great job, but a job nonetheless.

This is why I sometimes miss the days when player salaries were not disclosed. When guys like Roenick went on slumps fans never brought up his salary as a means to pin them down. They just merely saw a slump.



Maybe if they took 2 million away from him for the rest of the season he will then break his slump? Probably not. The amount of money he makes is moot. He isn't the first high paid NHL player to go on a bad slump. And he certainly won't be the last.



I think it's funny that when Toews went on his slump last year no one brought up how much money he makes. Kane gets treated differently. Possibly because he doesn't have the 2 way game Toews has? Probably has something to do with it. Kane is paid to score and put points up. No doubts about that. When he isn't everything is amplified. This is his worse career slump and its not as if he isnt trying to break it. If he wasn't then that would be the real concern. Hes been taking slap shots from the point...something he doesn't normally do. He has been robbed by goalies and has created plays to teammates who have been robbed. Its an epic slump and I am sure its in his head more so than the heads of fans.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

This is why I sometimes miss the days when player salaries were not disclosed. When guys like Roenick went on slumps fans never brought up his salary as a means to pin them down. They just merely saw a slump.



Maybe if they took 2 million away from him for the rest of the season he will then break his slump? Probably not. The amount of money he makes is moot. He isn't the first high paid NHL player to go on a bad slump. And he certainly won't be the last.



I think it's funny that when Toews went on his slump last year no one brought up how much money he makes. Kane gets treated differently. Possibly because he doesn't have the 2 way game Toews has? Probably has something to do with it. Kane is paid to score and put points up. No doubts about that. When he isn't everything is amplified. This is his worse career slump and its not as if he isnt trying to break it. If he wasn't then that would be the real concern. Hes been taking slap shots from the point...something he doesn't normally do. He has been robbed by goalies and has created plays to teammates who have been robbed. Its an epic slump and I am sure its in his head more so than the heads of fans.

See: Ovechkin's first 2 1/2 months of the season.

 

[CLWolf81]

This is why I sometimes miss the days when player salaries were not disclosed. When guys like Roenick went on slumps fans never brought up his salary as a means to pin them down. They just merely saw a slump.



Maybe if they took 2 million away from him for the rest of the season he will then break his slump? Probably not. The amount of money he makes is moot. He isn't the first high paid NHL player to go on a bad slump. And he certainly won't be the last.



I think it's funny that when Toews went on his slump last year no one brought up how much money he makes. Kane gets treated differently. Possibly because he doesn't have the 2 way game Toews has? Probably has something to do with it. Kane is paid to score and put points up. No doubts about that. When he isn't everything is amplified. This is his worse career slump and its not as if he isnt trying to break it. If he wasn't then that would be the real concern. Hes been taking slap shots from the point...something he doesn't normally do. He has been robbed by goalies and has created plays to teammates who have been robbed. Its an epic slump and I am sure its in his head more so than the heads of fans.

Toews brings more than just his offense to the table. He brings in leadership qualities and 2-way game. He's had years when he struggled in the goals department, yet we know how much of a valuable asset he is. He also has assists galore when his goals aren't high. Either way, he gets his points somehow. Kane is just struggling and we all know that. He'll get out of it sometime soon, I'm sure of it.



Last thing we need is to do an apples to oranges comparison again.

 

[MassHavoc]

This is why I sometimes miss the days when player salaries were not disclosed. When guys like Roenick went on slumps fans never brought up his salary as a means to pin them down. They just merely saw a slump.



Maybe if they took 2 million away from him for the rest of the season he will then break his slump? Probably not. The amount of money he makes is moot. He isn't the first high paid NHL player to go on a bad slump. And he certainly won't be the last.

And yet Stalberg is a superstar because he's paid so little. You can't have it both ways.

 

[R K]

Toews brings more than just his offense to the table. He brings in leadership qualities and 2-way game. He's had years when he struggled in the goals department, yet we know how much of a valuable asset he is. He also has assists galore when his goals aren't high. Either way, he gets his points somehow. Kane is just struggling and we all know that. He'll get out of it sometime soon, I'm sure of it.



Last thing we need is to do an apples to oranges comparison again.

I think if you removed Kane from the ice the team would faulter as well.

No offense meant R K.



Just a critique on a player who is in a rough patch. And for whatever it is worth, I think Kane will bounce back. But when you make the big bucks, you put yourself out there. It is a job, a great job, but a job nonetheless.

No offense taken.

 

[Maiden]

I said before and still believe it...................would have kept Versteeg and dealt Sharp.