Bryan Bickell

[Variable]

My point was that just because Bickell has X amount of hits isn't a valid reason for keeping him. When needed, a lot of players chip in with the hits, but....they never really need to when if they're playing their type of game.

 

[Ares]

I really wish you guys would start calling him Bigfoot.... I keep getting confused as to whom you're talking about.

 

[supraman]

My point was that just because Bickell has X amount of hits isn't a valid reason for keeping him. When needed, a lot of players chip in with the hits, but....they never really need to when if they're playing their type of game.

No we agree there isnt a valid reason to keep Bickell and his overpaid ass

 

[Shantz My Pants]

lol, this is funny...

Bickell is not worth 4 million dollars, which is why most logical fans have a gripe with the guy. If you are going to pay someone that type of money, you need him to be consistent which Bickell is not. Yeah, he's a physical player... WHEN HE WANTS TO BE, and that is usually during the playoffs. Problem is, if he wasn't on a top 8 team, he'd be getting reamed by the media. But since he's on the Hawks where he is a bottom 6 guy and on a team that is winning, his obvious poor play isn't that noticeable.

Most of the Hawks are physical come playoff time, and really, hits are an arbitrary stat. If they recorded it like they are supposed to (when a player uses body contact to remove the opponent from the puck and gains possession) the numbers would be much more closer. Instead, you get teams like St. Louis who just check guys after the puck is already gone and the score keeper records it as a hit. The Hawks are one of the best teams at using body positioning and checking skills at removing guys from the puck and creating turnovers, especially Toews and Hossa. Sure it's not glamorous, but its very effective and half the time not noticed as much as your Bickell steam rolling someone (which technically doesn't happen that much either).

 

[Variable]

They are the king of the stick check. Hossa, Toews, Keith, Hammer, Seabrook at times, Saad's getting better and better at it, Kruger, list goes on. I know a lot of Eddie's catchphrases are annoying but they do have some of the best "active sticks" in the league.

 

[R K]

lol, this is funny...

Bickell is not worth 4 million dollars, which is why most logical fans have a gripe with the guy. If you are going to pay someone that type of money, you need him to be consistent which Bickell is not. Yeah, he's a physical player... WHEN HE WANTS TO BE, and that is usually during the playoffs. Problem is, if he wasn't on a top 8 team, he'd be getting reamed by the media. But since he's on the Hawks where he is a bottom 6 guy and on a team that is winning, his obvious poor play isn't that noticeable.

Most of the Hawks are physical come playoff time, and really, hits are an arbitrary stat. If they recorded it like they are supposed to (when a player uses body contact to remove the opponent from the puck and gains possession) the numbers would be much more closer. Instead, you get teams like St. Louis who just check guys after the puck is already gone and the score keeper records it as a hit. The Hawks are one of the best teams at using body positioning and checking skills at removing guys from the puck and creating turnovers, especially Toews and Hossa. Sure it's not glamorous, but its very effective and half the time not noticed as much as your Bickell steam rolling someone (which technically doesn't happen that much either).

Same with Buff, Although Buff is pretty much the reason the Jets are where they are right now. He makes 5 mil per year.

 

[supraman]

Same with Buff, Although Buff is pretty much the reason the Jets are where they are right now. He makes 5 mil per year.

But you could argue (not saying you'd win) but Buff brings extra value because he can play both forward and defense. So he adds a lot of versatility

 

[R K]

I'm not sure I buy that. He is/was just like Bickell, and or had the same problem, that his play or effort, or lack there of, was just so inconsistent.

Bickell would have gotten more money elsewhere, maybe they should have let him go. But if he lights it up when the games count, as he has the last two year, I think it works in the Hawks favor.

 

[Variable]

Just as long as they're able to move him in the offseason.

 

[supraman]

Just as long as they're able to move him in the offseason.

Panthers here he comes

 

[Raskolnikov]

Bickell will turn it on a month or two before playoffs just like last year. Its a team management plan. Relax.

Is he worth the money? No....but if we have one bad contract so do most teams. Its going to be hard to trade Bickell for that reason, so we will end up trading someone you guys like and you will feel like somebody pissed in your oatmeal...

its inevitable. In a perfect world we could just move away all the bad contracts we sign, but lets just count ourselves lucky that we have very few bad contracts and lots of talent in the farm we can move for future assets instead.

 

[Variable]

It's a team management plan to suck for almost the entire season? That's a horrible plan then. Everyone knew what Bickell was before that contract was signed, it was a bad contract the second it was signed. And that was knowing that a few years down the road you were going to have to pay Toews and Kane pretty much whatever they wanted (and they did) and you still signed him to that. It's just bad cap management any way you want to cut it.

 

[Popinski Soda]

GTG

 

[Variable]

Yeah I guess that buys him the rest of the season for some people, no matter how else he plays. Funny as that was at the end of an otherwise absolute god-fucking-awful shift for him too.

 

[Popinski Soda]

Yeah I guess that buys him the rest of the season for some people, no matter how else he plays. Funny as that was at the end of an otherwise absolute god-fucking-awful shift for him too.

An awful shift that tied the game and put us in position to get at least one point...

 

[Variable]

Did you see him in the defensive zone right before that? It's a miracle there wasn't a goal scored against the Hawks with how he played there.

 

[The Hawk]

The one player I would love to have right now on the Hawks is Big Buff!

 

[Variable]

More expensive version of Bickell.

 

[Spunky Porkstacker]

It's a team management plan to suck for almost the entire season? That's a horrible plan then. Everyone knew what Bickell was before that contract was signed, it was a bad contract the second it was signed. And that was knowing that a few years down the road you were going to have to pay Toews and Kane pretty much whatever they wanted (and they did) and you still signed him to that. It's just bad cap management any way you want to cut it.

You are always the Johnny on the spot hind sight GM. You'd still have Stalberg on the roster and probably have overpaid for the speed you said this team couldn't win without.

Is Bickell overpaid? probably, maybe, what if he goes on a run .... any GM in the league would have given him that contract after his playoff performance, and the potential he showed, especially when he took less to stay here. I'm not real sure the Hawks win that last cup without Bickell. Your hindsight allows you the luxury to think you know better than the GM and you would get every contract on the roster perfect. If you notice, pretty much any roster on any team in any sport will ALWAYS have a bad contract.... it happens and you key in on it like you are the fucking high and mighty god of all GMs.

Right now these 4 lines look awfully damn good and you don't know what the rest of the season will look like. The cap says someone will have to go, what if streaky Sharp goes cold for 2 months like he has done in the past? He's a bigger cap hit than Bickell.

 

[CRM 114]

What was all of this about Bickell again ?