Nope. Will he lose some board battles? Sure he will. Next time you watch him, see how he's very adept at covering for pinching D. He's seeing the entire ice and taking care of his responsibilities.

I said it last year after watching him play in Erie that I'd predict him to make the club, BECAUSE I saw a kid who wanted it and his skill was electric. Yea, he is contained more in the NHL, but everyone is. He "only has" 3 points through 4 games, but the dude has hit at least 1 post and had another near miss. He also has some serious leadership models he can emulate to become an even better pro on and off the ice. Having 19, 88, 10, 20, 2, and 7 show you the ropes will only help him grow.

I think a healthy criticism is good and I want him to make sure to make the safe play if you're not sure as he has had a couple tough turnovers thus far, but the kid earned a roster spot from a coaching staff that doesn't hand out those spots to teenagers easy. And he has followed that up by doing a hell of a lot more good things than bad.
- kwolf68

Good points I still think when Schmaltz comes back a 3rd line with ADB, 10 and AA has the potential to do a lot of good things.

I think DeBrincat has had few turnovers sure....but overall he's been impressive, there is no denying that, and i also don't understand JJ's attitude towards him. Seems like he's being harsh and its silly to act that way just because you personally predicted success/failure for the player in question and want to appear to be correct. I see this theme with him every now and then, as i do with the reminding people every time he gets something right. Thats not a good look IMO. Comes off as petty.

Having said all of that.....nobody is perfect, we all have our favorites and tend to get emotional or side towards certain aspects of things(in all debates, not just sports)....so its tough to really be too critical when you know we're all human and have been there before too.

More often than not i feel like he has solid opinions and puts together solid statements and the occasional flaws(like reminding people he was right and the obvious bias he has towards certain players) are worth getting used to/getting over.

If anything it only creates more room for debating!

JJ's angle on DeBrincat is unnecessarily negative. He even used the check he got versus Toronto as some sort of argument against him. He took a tough check, like that has NEVER happened to him before. Except he came back next shift and drove the zone with no fear. Took a positive and turned it into a negative.

So I am not shocked we hear about that turnover today. As you said keep moving the goal posts...I wonder what the goal is here, but he did allude to questionable rumors of DeBrincat's attitude, laziness, doesn't hustle on D, etc..i've seen NONE of that. I didn't see it in Junior and I'm not seeing it now. Has he made mistakes? Yes, he has. Is he a lock to be a NHL star? No he is not, but he has obvious skill and you have to figure as he gains experience he will become an even better player.
- kwolf68

Last year, JJ was always pointing out negatives about Schmaltz, and ignoring his talent. This year, DeBrincat is his whipping boy. They can't all be Kruger, JJ -- thank goodness!

For some reason, the JJ bashing has started again and is a little out of control in my opinion.

I'm new to the board but lurked for several years, and I've always appreciated JJ's knowledge. I think it's safe to say he knows more about the game than the large majority of us.

I'm a little surprised at the vitriol, considering the amount of (free) entertainment he's providing

For some reason, the JJ bashing has started again and is a little out of control in my opinion.

I'm new to the board but lurked for several years, and I've always appreciated JJ's knowledge. I think it's safe to say he knows more about the game than the large majority of us.

I'm a little surprised at the vitriol, considering the amount of (free) entertainment he's providing
- Hawkjet

Knows more than the majority of us???

Ha!!!!! I fart in ur general direction

For some reason, the JJ bashing has started again and is a little out of control in my opinion.

I'm new to the board but lurked for several years, and I've always appreciated JJ's knowledge. I think it's safe to say he knows more about the game than the large majority of us.

I'm a little surprised at the vitriol, considering the amount of (free) entertainment he's providing
- Hawkjet

I think most of us appreciate JJ, his knowledge, and his work on this blog. (I know I do.) That doesn't mean we can't disagree with him.

For some reason, the JJ bashing has started again and is a little out of control in my opinion.

I'm new to the board but lurked for several years, and I've always appreciated JJ's knowledge. I think it's safe to say he knows more about the game than the large majority of us.

I'm a little surprised at the vitriol, considering the amount of (free) entertainment he's providing
- Hawkjet

His views are being taken to task and rightfully so. I vividly remember reading right here about ADB's supposed faults, ALL of them having to do with his character, lazy, disinterested in D, etc. oh yea he's also small and can't skate for poop.

ALL of that was typed here. I saw him in Erie and saw no evidence and still see no evidence of any of that (other than the fact he's small, which you can figure that out by going to his profile page), so the other stuff JJ wrote has so far proven to be in question. If JJ wishes to double down on that fine, but he damn well should be man enough to face the attacks of his comment from the point of the gun and doesn't need you to come here as Chief Apologist. Support his contentions about ADB, don't lecture people who have legitimate disagreements with him. At some point it'd be nice to see something other than cold water tossed all over this kid. JJ is a blogger, he doesn't need to be unequivocally homering every player we have, but a 19 year old kid who earned a roster spot and has acquitted himself pretty nicely so far deserves a bit more of the benefit of the doubt.

I don't acquiesce to anyone just because of their supposed lofty position and I have not said anything "personal" about JJ....and if Connor Murphy becomes a stud and I don't retract what I've said about him, feel free to bash away at me.

Last year, JJ was always pointing out negatives about Schmaltz, and ignoring his talent. This year, DeBrincat is his whipping boy. They can't all be Kruger, JJ -- thank goodness!
- BMWChiFan

Sounds like you're saying last year JJ was critical of Schmaltz based on his on-ice productivity and this year JJ has given Schmaltz praise based on his on-ice productivity.

Now this year JJ is critical of DeBrincat based on his turnovers and sub-par performance in his non-offensive game (aka his on-ice productivity.)

It's been said before on this thread, sometimes fans get a little ahead of themselves with projections about a player's ceiling or the time it'll take them to get there. JJ doesn't get caught up in that. I appreciate that about his analysis.

Sounds like you're saying last year JJ was critical of Schmaltz based on his on-ice productivity and this year JJ has given Schmaltz praise based on his on-ice productivity.

Now this year JJ is critical of DeBrincat based on his turnovers and sub-par performance in his non-offensive game (aka his on-ice productivity.)

It's been said before on this thread, sometimes fans get a little ahead of themselves with projections about a player's ceiling or the time it'll take them to get there. JJ doesn't get caught up in that. I appreciate that about his analysis.
- matt_ahrens

Are you serious?
All tsj gets caught up in is HIS narrative about a given player....facts be damned

Sounds like you're saying last year JJ was critical of Schmaltz based on his on-ice productivity and this year JJ has given Schmaltz praise based on his on-ice productivity.

Now this year JJ is critical of DeBrincat based on his turnovers and sub-par performance in his non-offensive game (aka his on-ice productivity.)

It's been said before on this thread, sometimes fans get a little ahead of themselves with projections about a player's ceiling or the time it'll take them to get there. JJ doesn't get caught up in that. I appreciate that about his analysis.
- matt_ahrens

As if DeBrincat is the ONLY one making mistakes?

NO ONE is projecting DeBrincat to anything...some of us are just tired of the constant ripping the kid from this blogger. It's so overbearing it feels like JJ has some sort of personal dislike of DeBrincat. It goes beyond objective analysis.

His views are being taken to task and rightfully so. I vividly remember reading right here about ADB's supposed faults, ALL of them having to do with his character, lazy, disinterested in D, etc. oh yea he's also small and can't skate for poop.

ALL of that was typed here. I saw him in Erie and saw no evidence and still see no evidence of any of that (other than the fact he's small, which you can figure that out by going to his profile page), so the other stuff JJ wrote has so far proven to be in question. If JJ wishes to double down on that fine, but he damn well should be man enough to face the attacks of his comment from the point of the gun and doesn't need you to come here as Chief Apologist. Support his contentions about ADB, don't lecture people who have legitimate disagreements with him. At some point it'd be nice to see something other than cold water tossed all over this kid. JJ is a blogger, he doesn't need to be unequivocally homering every player we have, but a 19 year old kid who earned a roster spot and has acquitted himself pretty nicely so far deserves a bit more of the benefit of the doubt.

I don't acquiesce to anyone just because of their supposed lofty position and I have not said anything "personal" about JJ....and if Connor Murphy becomes a stud and I don't retract what I've said about him, feel free to bash away at me.
- kwolf68

Your defensiveness is noted.

JJ doesn't need me to stand up for him, but again, the tone could be more collegial, it's just a blog fer chrissakes

Your defensiveness is noted.

JJ doesn't need me to stand up for him, but again, the tone could be more collegial, it's just a blog fer chrissakes
- Hawkjet

I've said NOTHING personal about JJ. I like him. I follow him on Twitter. He brings great insight, he and I share a love of Bob Probert. But on this one issue I happen to think he's not being fair and objective. If you (or he) can't handle that, then information exchange may not be your best avenue of entertainment.

Are you serious?
All tsj gets caught up in is HIS narrative about a given player....facts be damned
- dpard

who is tsj?

As if DeBrincat is the ONLY one making mistakes?

NO ONE is projecting DeBrincat to anything...some of us are just tired of the constant ripping the kid from this blogger. It's so overbearing it feels like JJ has some sort of personal dislike of DeBrincat. It goes beyond objective analysis.
- kwolf68

um, pretty sure JJ has criticized others this year besides DeBrincat. All he did a couple of pages ago was call him a "work in progress," no calls for him to get benched or sent down, just that after four NHL games, he is a "work in progress." I seriously don't understand why his comments are so upsetting.

um, pretty sure JJ has criticized others this year besides DeBrincat. All he did a couple of pages ago was call him a "work in progress," no calls for him to get benched or sent down, just that after four NHL games, he is a "work in progress." I seriously don't understand why his comments are so upsetting.
- matt_ahrens

Because he clearly has his favorites, and we all do. But as the blogger he shouldn't show his bias as much. As others have mentioned every year it seems he has to A. try and burst everyone's bubble when they show excitement and hype up the new young player of interest on the roster, and then B. refuse to give the proper credit to the player when they prove him wrong and perform better than he predicted/projected. When at the same time he's always reminding everyone when certain players do end up performing to the standards of his predictions(or whenever certain trades are made that he reported as rumors, etc). Just stuff like that kinda adds up and gets annoying.

But like I said in my other post, there are plenty of positives with his opinions/statements as well. Very important to understand that part. And you'd find flaws with ANYONE'S writings if they were a blogger, its only human. No hard feelings.

IMO, I don't see much of a problem with the view on Alex DeBrincat around here. Some negative and some positive. The opinions can vary a bit, but his NHL career is just starting. He doesn't have a track record yet outside of some exhibition and a few games. I enjoy watching him play because what we will see from him is a bit unknown and in that way exciting. We know what we'll get from most of the vets, but the new guys can be surprising in good and bad ways.

I think a bit like Forsling, the Hawks are trying to instill some consistency into his game. He makes some rookie mistakes and he also makes some real nice plays. It is a good story-line to see Sharp taking him under his wing and trying to help him get going. At the end of the day, there are only a few people he needs to impress and those guys are members of the Blackhawks organization. He has obvious skill but also obviously doesn't have the complete package yet either. I like that they can play him on the 3rd line and they aren't trying to force him to carry the load.

I think he has been a bit better than many expected given how much he didn't look ready last season. The Hawks will be happy if he is coachable and learns from those mistakes. He seems to have a good hockey IQ, so probably he is his own biggest critic on those mistakes.

Again, just my opinion, but I don't think his size will slow him down in today's NHL, but his skating and conditioning will likely need to keep improving if he wants to become legit top 6 guy. He is off to a good start given his age.

The more i think about it, the more I'm liking Rutta-Forsling as a very legit 3rd pairing. But if we want a legit 2nd pairing to help take pressure away from Keith/Seabs(like when we had Hammer and Oduya) we need to get a true #2/3D to play with Kempny(who has played extremely well). When the time is right(which might not be till later during the season) I think it would be wise to consider moving Hartman+ to acquire this defenseman, ESPECIALLY if 8 and 88 continue to dazzle when 8 returns. I think Hayden could fill in quite effectively at 2LW, we have the depth at that position and that line would still be scary offensively with Schmaltz and Kane anchoring it. 1st and 3rd lines stay the same, offensive firepower stays intact(3 scoring lines), the 4th line would still have Kero/Wingles/Bouma/Hinostroza/Kampf/Dauphin.

The overall team would have fewer holes and be almost flawless IMO if we solidified that 2nd pairing.

I've said NOTHING personal about JJ. I like him. I follow him on Twitter. He brings great insight, he and I share a love of Bob Probert. But on this one issue I happen to think he's not being fair and objective. If you (or he) can't handle that, then information exchange may not be your best avenue of entertainment.
- kwolf68

That's more like it, glad I could enlighten you.

The more i think about it, the more I'm liking Rutta-Forsling as a very legit 3rd pairing. But if we want a legit 2nd pairing to help take pressure away from Keith/Seabs(like when we had Hammer and Oduya) we need to get a true #2/3D to play with Kempny(who has played extremely well). When the time is right(which might not be till later during the season) I think it would be wise to consider moving Hartman+ to acquire this defenseman, ESPECIALLY if 8 and 88 continue to dazzle when 8 returns. I think Hayden could fill in quite effectively at 2LW, we have the depth at that position and that line would still be scary offensively with Schmaltz and Kane anchoring it. 1st and 3rd lines stay the same, offensive firepower stays intact(3 scoring lines), the 4th line would still have Kero/Wingles/Bouma/Hinostroza/Kampf/Dauphin.

The overall team would have fewer holes and be almost flawless IMO if we solidified that 2nd pairing.
- SimpleJack

So Murphy sits in the press box as a #7 defenseman making $3.85M and who we traded Hammer for?... I don't think so.

So Murphy sits in the press box as a #7 defenseman making $3.85M and who we traded Hammer for?... I don't think so.
- Slofire94

Good point so 2 options:

Move Murphy to the bottom pairing with Forsling and have Rutta as the 7thD

Trade Murphy as long as he doesn't kill his value by playing poorly(which so far he hasn't), preferably as part of a deal that clears up even more space.

Good point so 2 options:

Move Murphy to the bottom pairing with Forsling and have Rutta as the 7thD

Trade Murphy as long as he doesn't kill his value by playing poorly(which so far he hasn't), preferably as part of a deal that clears up even more space.
- SimpleJack

Huh? Through four games, Rutta has probably been the Hawks' BEST defenseman.

Good point so 2 options:

Move Murphy to the bottom pairing with Forsling and have Rutta as the 7thD

Trade Murphy as long as he doesn't kill his value by playing poorly(which so far he hasn't), preferably as part of a deal that clears up even more space.
- SimpleJack

Why are we already trading Murphy? Maybe it was coachspeak but Q said sitting Murphy the other night didn't have anything to do with his play but was more about getting Franson some time so he doesn't collect dust.

I think Murphy's been ok and seems to be getting better as he acclimates to Q's system.

Good point so 2 options:

Move Murphy to the bottom pairing with Forsling and have Rutta as the 7thD

Trade Murphy as long as he doesn't kill his value by playing poorly(which so far he hasn't), preferably as part of a deal that clears up even more space.
- SimpleJack

I read the Hawks had a scout at the Avs game. I know Scouts typically attend various games. If Chicago was there to scout anyone in particular, I would think it would be Landeskog. Sounds like Toews was pushing for Duchene, but with Saad back, would a Murphy, Hartman type return be enough for Colorado? Personally I dont see Murphy being dealt, however, Hayden may allow Stan to shop #38. This would give a big body LW for the Kane line.

Early morning thoughts.

I read the Hawks had a scout at the Avs game. I know Scouts typically attend various games. If Chicago was there to scout anyone in particular, I would think it would be Landeskog. Sounds like Toews was pushing for Duchene, but with Saad back, would a Murphy, Hartman type return be enough for Colorado? Personally I dont see Murphy being dealt, however, Hayden may allow Stan to shop #38. This would give a big body LW for the Kane line.

Early morning thoughts.
- ikeane

I really Like Landeskog and would like him over Duchene .I don't see Mur being moved he a cost controlled contract . And think he has played fine in the early going ,and will just progress as he get's comfortable with new surroundings . Saying that I think that would be another big win trade for Stan if he could ever pull it off

How can that be without the great Marcus Kruger? Oh wait, maybe he was a bit overrated on this board.
- onehundredlevel

Yeah, because 4 games is such a legitimate sample size for a team's penalty kill.