Defensive Depth (Update: Clendening traded for Vancouver prospect Gustav Forsling

[Tater]

they have a better chance at turning Brad Richards into the team enforcer.

I'd be happy if they just turned him into someone that occasionally finishes a check.

 

[ClydeLee]

Well they just traded Clendening for an 18year old Swedish Defensivemen(shocked) but what is shocking is that it seems like awful return value if it's just straight up player for player.

 

[biscuit_in_the_basket]

Well they just traded Clendening for an 18year old Swedish Defensivemen(shocked) but what is shocking is that it seems like awful return value if it's just straight up player for player.

Yea I just saw that tweet. Not sure about the trade just yet, but interesting. Maybe Stan is building a complete team of Swedes around Toews, Kane, and Keith. Crawford will be traded for MAF..book it!

 

[mikita's helmet]

Well they just traded Clendening for an 18year old Swedish Defensivemen( shocked) but what is shocking is that it seems like awful return value if it's just straight up player for player.

Gustav Forsling

Blackhawks and Canucks swap young defensive prospects
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/blackhawks-and-canucks-swap-young-defensive-prospects/

 

[Rex]

I texted that to a close friend (die hard Canucks fan) and he was mad because apparently Forsling was their best D prospect.


neither could hit, but I liked Clandening. Seems like all of our good defensemen go to Vancouver.

 

[Pez68]

I texted that to a close friend (die hard Canucks fan) and he was mad because apparently Forsling was their best D prospect.


neither could hit, but I liked Clandening. Seems like all of our good defensemen go to Vancouver.

Such as......who?

 

[Rex]

Such as......who?

Is Ryan Stanton a player you could beat up?

 

[Shantz My Pants]

I'm shocked we trade Clendening who seemed to be not that far off from playing for a spot.


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[Variable]

Don't really get this trade. They aren't going to need d-men later on down the road, they're going to need them next season. Hell, they need one this season.

 

[CLWolf81]

Thing is, would he have been able to get a full-time stop here?

Having great defensive depth is a luxury in the NHL and we've got it well. In short, I think acquiring Forsling helps this out, as I don't think Clendening would have made the roster at all until likely next season.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

Word on the street is the Hawks weren't sure Clendening could compete as a top 4 defensemen. Plus the Hawks view TVR, Runblad, Johns, Pokka, and Dahlbeck all a head of him.




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[Shantz My Pants]

I'm also not 100% sold on TVR. When he played, I didn't think he was really that good, nor really that bad. I guess just being average as a 3rd pairing is fine, but I don't see what all the fuss was.


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[winos5]

So Clendening will get a shot at cracking an NHL line-up and we get someone to develop? Doesn't seem like a wash to me. Time will tell.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

So Clendening will get a shot at cracking an NHL line-up and we get someone to develop? Doesn't seem like a wash to me. Time will tell.

It's also a waiver related move. If Clendening gets called up at any point next season (which he more than likely would during training camp) he would need to pass through waivers if he were to get sent back down, which we would get nothing for. At this point, we get an 18 year old prospect who has 4+ years a head of him for development that the Hawks won't have to worry about.


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[DMelt36]

Word on the street is the Hawks weren't sure Clendening could compete as a top 4 defensemen. Plus the Hawks view TVR, Runblad, Johns, Pokka, and Dahlbeck all a head of him.

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According to what I've been reading on Twitter, all three of those players had surpassed Clendening on the depth chart in Rockford. Pokka, especially, has been impressing with his play of late.

 

[ClydeLee]

Don't really get this trade. They aren't going to need d-men later on down the road, they're going to need them next season. Hell, they need one this season.

That's not really true, they have 5 young D-men that are basically able to play next season for some NHL time. Out of all of them, which one is it likely the coach doesn't like most. The purest offensive D-man of the group and that's Clendening. He doesn't really have the best chance out of multiple guys fighting for next years D spots. Sure if they could of somehow got Ryan Stanton back he'd help be a now depth option to play but it's not easy to fit a new player onto the Hawks cap.

Supposedly Gustav is also an offensive leaning guy. But he's only 18, and Swedish which in itself is a positive attribute in the eyes of Stan it appears. It's essentially an age swap, initially it seemed off putting from him just being a 5th round pick but his WJC performance boosted his reputation and developing expectations.

 

[Rex]

Don't really get this trade. They aren't going to need d-men later on down the road, they're going to need them next season. Hell, they need one this season.

1) That wasn't going to be Clandening
2) We weren't going to get a top 4 defensemen for Clandening.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

That's not really true, they have 5 young D-men that are basically able to play next season for some NHL time. Out of all of them, which one is it likely the coach doesn't like most. The purest offensive D-man of the group and that's Clendening. He doesn't really have the best chance out of multiple guys fighting for next years D spots. Sure if they could of somehow got Ryan Stanton back he'd help be a now depth option to play but it's not easy to fit a new player onto the Hawks cap.

Supposedly Gustav is also an offensive leaning guy. But he's only 18, and Swedish which in itself is a positive attribute in the eyes of Stan it appears. It's essentially an age swap, initially it seemed off putting from him just being a 5th round pick but his WJC performance boosted his reputation and developing expectations.

Sweden has been phenomenal in developing hockey players due to their development model. You don't see many coming from there with out a good solid structure on the 5 major hockey skills. Despite being an offensively labeled defensemen, I'm sure his defensive side is pretty good.


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[Diehardfan]

Watching some U-tube clips of Forsling and he appears to be a prototypical Blackhawk dman....can skate, decent stickwork, can handle the puck but doesn't hit much. His strong suit looks to be on the PP...big shot, with great timing on one timers from the point. Off the clips I saw, he has a bit more upside than Clendening.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

Hawks must of seen something they liked as he plays on the same team as 2013 #2nd rounder Carl Dahlstrom.


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