Good article. I don't think the exact likeup the guy posted at the end of his article is possible with the salary cap, but it should be somewhat close at least.
I might be a little less optimistic for the coming season than the author is, but for the future...wow I am excited. The Hawks have the core set in stone, and much of it should improve over the years. I mean, barring injuries, how could we not expect Kane at 23 or 24 to be a better player than he's been at 21? That's sick thinking of that. Same for Toews.
Then we look at all these prospects who were added, many of whom should be top 6 forwards or top 4 defensemen, but will only need to be bottom pair defensemen or 3rd or 4th line forwards due to the core being set. The Hawks in 2-3 years *could* be a lot scarier than they were in this past cup winning season.
For 2011...as of now I'd probably give a slight edge to the Wings or Nucks. Jiri Hudler coming back to the Wings is a huge addition. For the Nucks, they solidified their defense. and more importantly for them, Buff is gone from Chicago...who knows if the Hawks get past Vancouver if Buff and Bolland weren't able to get them to completely lose their cool in games 3 and 4? The Nucks are the one team in the playoffs, that when on their game and when their head is in the game, has shown they could clearly outplay the Hawks on *some* nights.
So all in all I agree with the author that Stan has done well this summer. He has put this team well in place to have a chnace at becoming a dynasty. Now if he could only find a way to trade Campbell...he will then be my hero rofl.
