Keeper?

[JimAKABlkhwks918]

Lankinen won a state down there...nicely done.

 

[JimAKABlkhwks918]

Kane!!! Oh shit.

 

[JimAKABlkhwks918]

Dammit! Soderberg.

 

[JimAKABlkhwks918]

Crap hell damn.

 

[HSBOB]

D

Learning to keep your feet when you go up a level in strength and speed is always a process. Dach was the same last year.

I see alot of guys to keep, but we just keep lacking certain elements. Zadorov and Janmark and Dach are a good start. I have seen the Avs got two from Saad, but in reality with Calvert out they are really missing Zadorov's presence physically, and have gone too small. They look like the old Hawks except that their top line are all monsters and the scariest line in hockey.

I was so intrigued I looked closer at their situation as to why they would cast off Zadorov, and I can see they really are having big regrets. Ryan Graves is in the doghouse without him, but thats the guy they had to choose between and they chose wrong.

For them it was Graves 6'5 220 or Zadorov 6'5" 235 and they got a good price on Graves but even still he has been a disappointment and they are regretting that decision despite Saad's 2 goals the other day, typical for him in a blowout.

I can't believe they found a way to **** up that team but they did(depending on Kucherov available for playoffs, I got the Vegas Knights winning a cup in front of Lehnar for 2021).


Mitchell, Caarlson, Zadorov, Dach, Kampf(I fear his loss to Seattle), Suter, Murphy, Kubalik, Kurashev, Cat, Strome, Hagel are all playing like they deserve to stay if possible.

I hate what Cat does to line formations for this team personally, I would have traded him 2 years ago. I'm not sure you should have a Cat and a Kane, its too much to protect when you have no protectors. I'm fine with it sometimes. Just a constant consternation and might be JC's fault, not Cat. Probably thats right. Cat was fine before JC.

Don't cry for the Avs my friend,they're LOADED at D and didn't need Zadorov.
Graves 6'5" 220
Johnson 6'4" 225
Pateryn 6'2" 212 and Byram's only 19,he'll fill out that 6'1" 190lb frame,the only small D-man they have are Makar and Girard. They can also throw Gilbert out there for plenty of toughness if needed.
Saad does a LOT more than just score goals in blow outs.....you'd think a Hawk fan would know that or just remember the last two cups. Saad @5M is a great get for them and it they're fucked up.....what are we?
You don't like D-Cat either? D-Cat needs no one to stick up for him and you really woulda traded 2 years ago? How do you get better when you trade your best players? D-Cat lit up the OHL and he'll be a 500 goal guy if he stays healthy.

 

[Raskolnikov]

D

Don't cry for the Avs my friend,they're LOADED at D and didn't need Zadorov.
Graves 6'5" 220
Johnson 6'4" 225
Pateryn 6'2" 212 and Byram's only 19,he'll fill out that 6'1" 190lb frame,the only small D-man they have are Makar and Girard. They can also throw Gilbert out there for plenty of toughness if needed.
Saad does a LOT more than just score goals in blow outs.....you'd think a Hawk fan would know that or just remember the last two cups. Saad @5M is a great get for them and it they're fucked up.....what are we?
You don't like D-Cat either? D-Cat needs no one to stick up for him and you really woulda traded 2 years ago? How do you get better when you trade your best players? D-Cat lit up the OHL and he'll be a 500 goal guy if he stays healthy.

I think there is a difference between "protection" and just a weak team in general that tempts the other team to get agro and real physical with us. Zadorov, Murphy, Dach, Shaw, Carp, Janmark....

we start to get a little stouter and punch back and other teams return to hockey and not smashing and laughing at us. Thats what I don't like...all the goons on the other teams laughing it up on the bench and getting real excited for that next hit, to wash our faces in the ice and boards, to push us around and laugh while doing it.

Our guys end up taking alot of shit because of how the team is built and it wears on you, imo, over the course of a season.

 

[Raskolnikov]

but @HSBOB

haha, yeah. I won't feel bad for them, they are one of 5 teams capable of winning the cup but I think they lost some cohesion and the goaltending is questionable (for a cup).

Saad hasn't impressed me much since about 2016.

 

[HSBOB]

but @HSBOB

haha, yeah. I won't feel bad for them, they are one of 5 teams capable of winning the cup but I think they lost some cohesion and the goaltending is questionable (for a cup).

Saad hasn't impressed me much since about 2016.

As with all trades,time will tell who won it.

 

[Bigbarn27]

Rask I understand where you are coming from. you would like your top line to be solid in all 3 zones, if you put Cat with Kane on second they bad in there own end a good team has there 3rd line out against them and cycles the shit out of them. That leaves 3rd line with Strome but then you need a power forward to play with them. 6 mil alot for 3rd line player, but his value on PP is very high. Before anyone attacks to much I do like Cat and love his heart.

 

[Vanken]

He could be a Crawford...or he could be a Neimi.

That works for me. Each carried the Hawks to the Stanley Cup.

 

[Tater]

That works for me. Each carried the Hawks to the Stanley Cup.

But only one was good enough to stay for another.

 

[LordKOTL]

That works for me. Each carried the Hawks to the Stanley Cup.

Ehhhh...not really.

Niemi was decent in his 1st year and arguably did have an excellent showing with helping sweep the Sharks in the WCF, but overall he was about an average tender with the 'hawks. His next year he was excellent for the Sharks....and then just fell off the face of the planet. Neimi had an excellent Team D in front of him with us and after leaving the 'hawks he had team defenses of varying quality (note from hereon out I'm referring to D as "Team D", not just the defensemen).

Crawford, on the other hand, had a better 1st year than Niemi behind a worse but still okay D, then had a bad year behind a slightly better D, Had an outstanding year behind an excellent D, A decent year behind a great D, an outstanding year behind an okay D, An outstanding year behind an meh. D, A good year behind a Bleh. D, an unreal-excellent half-year behind a horrible D, a meh. half-year behind a horrible D, and a good year behind an even-more horrible D.

If Lankinen is more like Niemi the 'hawks eventually will be mired unless they find some defense. If Lankinen is more like Crawford he may have a slump in his sophomore year but he will bail out the team D while giving the Team O a fighting chance.

 

[KBIB]

The thing that worries me about Lankinen is his propensity to fall/lean forward the same way Niemi did.

I've noticed this the last two games and smart players will catch that quick.

 

[Diehardfan]

Niemi actually had four strong seasons with SJ, then started falling off some in the 5th but still won 163 games for them. The free fall came in Dallas. You can't underestimate what he did for the Hawks.....sure it was only one Cup but he literally beat the Sharks by himself as I don't think anyone will argue that the Hawks were outplayed the majority of that series. You never know what might have happened had he not done that....there's a big difference in decision making when your defending your Cup instead of still trying to get there. No way you can assume that everything would've turned out the same had the Hawks not won the Cup in 2010.

IMOP, Antti Niemi was as instrumental in the Hawks run as anyone.

 

[SkyKing]

Back in '10, when the Hawks started their Cup runs, the wife and I were in the rah-rah Hawks mode, like a lot us, so I bought us a couple of jerseys. I chose Toews for the name plate and instead of Keith, Kane, Seabrook, etc she chose Niemi and *poof*, he was gone. She still has that jersey.

 

[Bigbarn27]

Could have been Crawford in 10 . they were neck and neck for the backup position. Think the Hawks were worried he might go back to Finland if he was sent to Rockford again.

 

[Tater]

Back in '10, when the Hawks started their Cup runs, the wife and I were in the rah-rah Hawks mode, like a lot us, so I bought us a couple of jerseys. I chose Toews for the name plate and instead of Keith, Kane, Seabrook, etc she chose Niemi and *poof*, he was gone. She still has that jersey.

Ouch. At least the name plate can be changed easily. I cut the Chelios off my wife's sweater. Didn't replace it yet but the number 7 on it is for Seabs.

 

[Granada]

Niemi actually had four strong seasons with SJ, then started falling off some in the 5th but still won 163 games for them. The free fall came in Dallas. You can't underestimate what he did for the Hawks.....sure it was only one Cup but he literally beat the Sharks by himself as I don't think anyone will argue that the Hawks were outplayed the majority of that series. You never know what might have happened had he not done that....there's a big difference in decision making when your defending your Cup instead of still trying to get there. No way you can assume that everything would've turned out the same had the Hawks not won the Cup in 2010.

IMOP, Antti Niemi was as instrumental in the Hawks run as anyone.

He was utterly huge that year -- no doubt -- but Wilson (unintentionally) did the Hawks a gigantic favor when he OS'ed Hammer and forced Bowman to shed Niemi.

 

[LordKOTL]

The thing that worries me about Lankinen is his propensity to fall/lean forward the same way Niemi did.

I've noticed this the last two games and smart players will catch that quick.

True...but like all goaltenders breaking into the league he will have aspect to his game which can be exploited. As he plays more games teams will write a book on him. Then, it's up to him to work those kinks out of his game. and keep 'em guessing.

Usually that takes 2-3 years after they become a regular. If he can't right the exploitable tendencies in his game he will peter out. If he can, it's gravy.

Could have been Crawford in 10 . they were neck and neck for the backup position. Think the Hawks were worried he might go back to Finland if he was sent to Rockford again.

Crawford had Niemi beat out of camp. I remember it was waiver eligibility that drove Niemi to be the backup, not skill. Not that it mattered of course.

 

[HSBOB]

Could have been Crawford in 10 . they were neck and neck for the backup position. Think the Hawks were worried he might go back to Finland if he was sent to Rockford again.

Waiver eligibility played into the decision to keep Niemi up over CC back in '10' too,CC could go down and come back without clearing if necessary but Neimi would of have to cleared if he was called back up.
Either way,Neimi did the job when Huet failed and went on to have a decent career.