***OFFICIAL*** NHL RESTART BLACKHAWKS vs. OILERS thread

[zack54attack]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1283165794675957765

 

[LordKOTL]

To me it was sketchy with Crawford, but we need to know more about what "unfit to play" really means. They can't say if it's COVID, but they wouldn't say if it was because Corey sat around for four months eating Bon-Bon's either.

If it's up to the rest of goalies, I just pray it's not Subban. He stunk when he was here in Vegas, period, and only a stooge like Bowman could get suckered into taking him in a trade. If it's Delia or Lankinen their only hope is to either catch the Oilers napping or catch lighting in a bottle, neither of which is likely to happen.

They're talking about Corey Crawford, not Brent Seabrook.

Either way it sucks. Crawford was damned good since the new year and looked like the the same guy who was carrying the team in 2017/2018. Kane and the rest of the O have their work cut out for them...unless this is a plan to lose for Lefrenire (or whatever his name is).

 

[hawkinmontreal]

It couldn't have been a Rise Against the Machine problem unless maybe they did a private event for him.

That would be Rage Against the Machine, and the Concert he was injured at was Rise Against.

 

[Granada]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1283165794675957765

Great -- facing the 2nd best team in the league right before the qualifying round begins. Talk about a confidence booster, lol

 

[zack54attack]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1283425768589197319

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Great -- facing the 2nd best team in the league right before the qualifying round begins. Talk about a confidence booster, lol

Does it really matter.

 

[Granada]

Does it really matter.

Fair point. I'd say no, but then again, it would be nice to win the exhibition game before the Qualifying Round. Get some confidence maybe, get off on the right foot, etc. -- couldn't hurt, but getting your ass handed to you could. At the very least, I would hope the Blues don't totally destroy us right before Edmonton, but unfortunately I feel like that's a real possibility, especially if Crow isn't able to play eventually.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Fair point. I'd say no, but then again, it would be nice to win the exhibition game before the Qualifying Round. Get some confidence maybe, get off on the right foot, etc. -- couldn't hurt, but getting your ass handed to you could. At the very least, I would hope the Blues don't totally destroy us right before Edmonton, but unfortunately I feel like that's a real possibility, especially if Crow isn't able to play eventually.

Who knows, funnier things have happened in sports, and with the lay-off there is the possibility that many players got lazy and really did not believe the league would restart.
I honestly believe however with no CC, this team has a zero chance of winning, if they do, great, I never want the Hawks to not succeed, but I don’t want to see them get there asses handed to them either.

 

[Vegas Hawk]

Sort of relevant to the Hawks goalie situation -- I was watching NHL Network and they ranked (their choices) for the top 10 goalies right now, obviously before the shutdown. Lehner was ranked #8 and Fleury didn't make the Top 10, which seems odd to me. Anyway, when the Hawks had both Crow & Lehner they had one of the better tandems in the league.

Fast forward to now and Lehner is gone for Subban, who incidentally was ranked in the bottom 5 statistically in front of a pretty good defense. The Hawks went from the penthouse to the outhouse fast in the goalie department with losing Crow, and I hope he's able to get back in there sooner than later.

Next season should be interesting, whenever 20-21 does eventually start. I don't believe they will resign Crawford, especially if they hire a new president and the Bowmans get the boot. It would be a shame for Bowman to overpay (if he's still there), but it wouldn't surprise anyone. The Hellebuycks and Binningtons of the world don't grow on trees, but the Hawks need to find some young talent in the net, and the sooner the better.

 

[Granada]

Who knows, funnier things have happened in sports, and with the lay-off there is the possibility that many players got lazy and really did not believe the league would restart.
I honestly believe however with no CC, this team has a zero chance of winning, if they do, great, I never want the Hawks to not succeed, but I don’t want to see them get there asses handed to them either.

Agreed. If CC doesn't play, it's over before it begins.

 

[Granada]

Sort of relevant to the Hawks goalie situation -- I was watching NHL Network and they ranked (their choices) for the top 10 goalies right now, obviously before the shutdown. Lehner was ranked #8 and Fleury didn't make the Top 10, which seems odd to me. Anyway, when the Hawks had both Crow & Lehner they had one of the better tandems in the league.

Fast forward to now and Lehner is gone for Subban, who incidentally was ranked in the bottom 5 statistically in front of a pretty good defense. The Hawks went from the penthouse to the outhouse fast in the goalie department with losing Crow, and I hope he's able to get back in there sooner than later.

Next season should be interesting, whenever 20-21 does eventually start. I don't believe they will resign Crawford, especially if they hire a new president and the Bowmans get the boot. It would be a shame for Bowman to overpay (if he's still there), but it wouldn't surprise anyone. The Hellebuycks and Binningtons of the world don't grow on trees, but the Hawks need to find some young talent in the net, and the sooner the better.

I would not re-sign Crawford at this point (not even for a mill/1 year), but then again, I have been advocating for his trade since the 2016 off-season. The guy is just way too unreliable, and this "unfit to play" thing should be the last straw -- assuming it's not Covid related. I've always been a Crow fan, even when a lot of people weren't, but I still wish the Hawks would have sold him when his stock was highest. Perhaps it would have been a tall order considering his contract. Either way, it's just time to let him go.

All that said, it wouldn't surprise me if Bowman offers him 3 mill per for 3 years, lol

 

[Diehardfan]

I would not re-sign Crawford at this point (not even for a mill/1 year), but then again, I have been advocating for his trade since the 2016 off-season. The guy is just way too unreliable, and this "unfit to play" thing should be the last straw -- assuming it's not Covid related. I've always been a Crow fan, even when a lot of people weren't, but I still wish the Hawks would have sold him when his stock was highest. Perhaps it would have been a tall order considering his contract. Either way, it's just time to let him go.

All that said, it wouldn't surprise me if Bowman offers him 3 mill per for 3 years, lol

I've been saying rebuild, rebuild, rebuild forever....if they don't bring him back, what would be the sense in keeping Kane, Toews, Saad or anyone else for that matter? We've seen what this team is like without a suitable replacement. They got lucky and got Lehner on the cheap. That won't happen again. Crawford is going to take a pay cut wherever he goes because of his history of injuries....if Bowman wants to continue his rebuild "on the fly" routine, he better pray that Crawford takes his pay cut in Chicago.

 

[Granada]

I've been saying rebuild, rebuild, rebuild forever....if they don't bring him back, what would be the sense in keeping Kane, Toews, Saad or anyone else for that matter? We've seen what this team is like without a suitable replacement. They got lucky and got Lehner on the cheap. That won't happen again. Crawford is going to take a pay cut wherever he goes because of his history of injuries....if Bowman wants to continue his rebuild "on the fly" routine, he better pray that Crawford takes his pay cut in Chicago.

I agree with all this, and in regard to the bolded -- even rebuilding teams need a few vets. I wouldn't be all that upset personally if guys like Toews or Keith are back. If you can move them for a solid haul and cap space, then go for it of course, but if not (and Bowman's record of getting decent returns in moves like this is not good), it is what it is.

Bowman loves his rebuild on the fly strategy -- like you mentioned -- but if he still tries to do so next off-season (especially if the Hawks lost to Edmonton), he's absolutely insane. I could always be wrong, but I'm starting to think he gets it now -- he seems to be in stockpiling mode, especially lately. Just signed two more players today:

Blackhawks sign free agents Wyatt Kalynuk, Pius Suter

Chicago adds another defenseman to its pipeline and another top European player.

www.secondcityhockey.com

 

[blackpep72]

Could be a number of things. Maybe contract negotiations are going south. Maybe his concussion symptoms returned. Maybe he broke some sort of team rule. There's always been a rumor that he abused alcohol (never confirmed). Whatever the reason, my excitement for seeing the Hawks in the post-season/qualifying found/whatever-you-want-to-call-it just dwindled dramatically. If Corey doesn't play, it's over before it begins.

Gotta love Stan here. Acquire a 5 million dollar (11 million dollar tandem) last off-season, only to trade Lehner at the deadline when he could have been damn useful right now. Brilliant. Well hey, at least we have Malcolm Subban, right? Smh

In all fairness the Hawks should not even be in it by now.

 

[Diehardfan]

I agree with all this, and in regard to the bolded -- even rebuilding teams need a few vets. I wouldn't be all that upset personally if guys like Toews or Keith are back. If you can move them for a solid haul and cap space, then go for it of course, but if not (and Bowman's record of getting decent returns in moves like this is not good), it is what it is.

Bowman loves his rebuild on the fly strategy -- like you mentioned -- but if he still tries to do so next off-season (especially if the Hawks lost to Edmonton), he's absolutely insane. I could always be wrong, but I'm starting to think he gets it now -- he seems to be in stockpiling mode, especially lately. Just signed two more players today:

Blackhawks sign free agents Wyatt Kalynuk, Pius Suter

Chicago adds another defenseman to its pipeline and another top European player.

www.secondcityhockey.com

We all pound the crap out of Bowman but he keeps finding guys.....honestly, I don't know dick about Kalynuk but I saw a sizeable video on Suter and he looked pretty impressive. Good enough that I thought another team would out price the Hawks. Good hands and shot....skating? Hard to say as it's kind of relative to who you're skating against.....but I would say he is a skilled player, not a mucker/grinder.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

We all pound the crap out of Bowman but he keeps finding guys.....honestly, I don't know dick about Kalynuk but I saw a sizeable video on Suter and he looked pretty impressive. Good enough that I thought another team would out price the Hawks. Good hands and shot....skating? Hard to say as it's kind of relative to who you're skating against.....but I would say he is a skilled player, not a mucker/grinder.

Yes Stan has found a few players hiding under a rock, but it’s the same old with him, throw a fish line and see if someone grabs the bait. Suter may be a great find and help the Hawks but for the short term, the Hawks need a proper rebuild and currently it just seems like they are swinging away trying there hardest to not bellyflop, Stan just has no idea right now on what direction the team should be heading in, and for that reason alone, he needs to be fired.

 

[Granada]

Yes Stan has found a few players hiding under a rock, but it’s the same old with him, throw a fish line and see if someone grabs the bait. Suter may be a great find and help the Hawks but for the short term, the Hawks need a proper rebuild and currently it just seems like they are swinging away trying there hardest to not bellyflop, Stan just has no idea right now on what direction the team should be heading in, and for that reason alone, he needs to be fired.

Yeah, Stan still has way more misses than hits. He was decent at getting "surrounding pieces" like Madden, Handzus, Oduya, Richards, etc. His ability to build a team from the ground up though is still very questionable. Motte, Schmaltz, Hartman, Hayden, TT, McNeil, Panik, Joker, Morin, Cledening, Frolik, (trading) Danault, Pokka, etc. - these are all failures by Bowman, even in the cases of TT and Danault (because he lost them).

Essentially, this is his second attempt of building a team from the ground up, since his first wave of players was an utter failure. This new wave includes Boqvist, Dach, Debrincat, Kubalik, Mitchell, Nylander at least. Strome seems to be in limbo much like AA was before he was jettisoned, unable to really find a place on any line anymore. Murphy and de Haan are the new Montador and Daley -- i.e. relatively affordable d-men who are more suited for 2nd to 3rd tandem rather than top tandem.

 

[Diehardfan]

Yeah, Stan still has way more misses than hits. He was decent at getting "surrounding pieces" like Madden, Handzus, Oduya, Richards, etc. His ability to build a team from the ground up though is still very questionable. Motte, Schmaltz, Hartman, Hayden, TT, McNeil, Panik, Joker, Morin, Cledening, Frolik, (trading) Danault, Pokka, etc. - these are all failures by Bowman, even in the cases of TT and Danault (because he lost them).

Essentially, this is his second attempt of building a team from the ground up, since his first wave of players was an utter failure. This new wave includes Boqvist, Dach, Debrincat, Kubalik, Mitchell, Nylander at least. Strome seems to be in limbo much like AA was before he was jettisoned, unable to really find a place on any line anymore. Murphy and de Haan are the new Montador and Daley -- i.e. relatively affordable d-men who are more suited for 2nd to 3rd tandem rather than top tandem.

You mention TT and Danault. That whole scenario alone should have been enough to get him launched. Everybody rants and raves about losing Danault but while he is an okay player, nothing more....it's not about what they lost but what they got in return. The two stiff wingers they got were a waste not only because they couldn't play but the fact that anyone thought they would be good enough to play with TT. That was the master plan.....bring these two in and form a line with TT at center. Not only did that explode in their faces but by then they probably figured TT can't play with anyone so they used him as bait to get out from under Bickell's contract....another bad contract from Bowman. While there were other varibles involved, it basically was one horrible contract that cost them Danault, Bickell, TT and a 2nd round pick. Their return.....two stiffs that couldn't play, a 2nd and 3rd round pick.....the two 2nd rounders wash, so when the smoke cleared Bowman ended up with a fucking 3rd round pick for his trouble. Yet, here he sits. Still GM. Sure he does a nice job of finding players hiding in Europe but the NHL plays in North America.

 

[Ares]

Bring back Scott Darlilng.

#Redemption

 

[hawkinmontreal]

You mention TT and Danault. That whole scenario alone should have been enough to get him launched. Everybody rants and raves about losing Danault but while he is an okay player, nothing more....it's not about what they lost but what they got in return. The two stiff wingers they got were a waste not only because they couldn't play but the fact that anyone thought they would be good enough to play with TT. That was the master plan.....bring these two in and form a line with TT at center. Not only did that explode in their faces but by then they probably figured TT can't play with anyone so they used him as bait to get out from under Bickell's contract....another bad contract from Bowman. While there were other varibles involved, it basically was one horrible contract that cost them Danault, Bickell, TT and a 2nd round pick. Their return.....two stiffs that couldn't play, a 2nd and 3rd round pick.....the two 2nd rounders wash, so when the smoke cleared Bowman ended up with a fucking 3rd round pick for his trouble. Yet, here he sits. Still GM. Sure he does a nice job of finding players hiding in Europe but the NHL plays in North America.

I will stop you right there, Danault is a far better player than you give him credit for. He is certainly no Hossa, but the kid can play a tremendous 2 way game, he is applauded around the NHL for his offensive and defensive awareness. Danault has helped the Habs PK and there all around defensive game since he was traded there, at times he was there number #1 centermen, he has been very good at the dot, and can pop you 20 goals per season. That was a huge loss combined with TT and we wonder why this team is almost ranked dead last in the league in there own defensive zone.